Set SLA goals in help desk

Super admins in your account can set service level agreements (SLAs) for tickets in help desk.

You can set SLA goals for time to first reply, time to next reply, and time to close. These goals can apply to all tickets created in help desk, or they can be based on specific ticket properties, such as priority, team, source, or pipeline. You can also customize whether your SLA goals apply at all times or only during working hours.

Please note: SLAs will only apply to tickets created via channels you've connected to help desk. SLAs will not be applied to tickets created via workflows.

Set up SLA goals in help desk 

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• Navigate to Inbox & Help Desk > Help Desk. 
• Click the SLAs tab.
• Click the Manage when SLAs apply dropdown menu and select an option:
  
  • Operation hours: your SLAs will only apply during your team's regular schedule (e.g., 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). You can customize your team's working hours by clicking Edit your team's operation hours:
    • In the dialog box, use the dropdown menus to edit your availability. You can select days of the week and time blocks.
    • You can also click Add hours to configure additional periods during which your team will be expected to be available. 
    • Click Save. 

• • 24/7: your SLAs will apply all the time, even outside of working hours.

• In the bottom left, click Save.
• To customize how your SLA goals will be enforced, click to toggle the Set reply and close time SLA goals switch on, then expand the section:
  • To apply SLA goals to all tickets in help desk, select the To all tickets in help desk radio button:
    • Use the dropdown menus to set the SLA goals for time to first reply, time to next reply, and time to close.
    • To set when a ticket's SLA status will change to Due soon, use the dropdown menus under Mark as due soon to remind your team and stay within your SLAs.

• • To apply different SLA goals based on a ticket property, select the Based on ticket property radio button.
    • Click the Choose ticket property dropdown menu, then select a ticket property.
    • Click Edit SLA goals.
    • In the right panel, use the dropdown menus to set the SLA goals for each property, including time to first reply, time to next reply, and time to close.
    • If you don't want to set SLA goals for a specific property, clear the On/Off checkbox next to the associated property value.
    • To set when a ticket's SLA status will change to Due soon, use the dropdown menus under Mark as due soon.
    • Click Done.

• • Set timezone (BETA): If you're a user in a Service Hub Enterprise account, you can define specific time zones and scheduled hours for each SLA rule.
    • In the The SLA timers should count down under the following conditions section, click the dropdown menu and select During specific time.
    • Click the Time Zone dropdown menu and select a time zone.

• • • In the Hours section, use the dropdown menus to select days of the week and time blocks for when your SLA should be active, specific date ranges cannot be selected. 

• • In the bottom left, click Save to confirm your SLA goal settings.

When SLA settings are turned on, the SLA rules will apply to all new tickets moving forward. Any time you make changes to the SLA rules, the updated rules will only apply to new tickets that are opened. Learn more about what happens when you merge two tickets with SLAs. 

When a ticket in help desk is in either state, a label will appear next to the associated ticket number in the reply editor.

An alarm clock icon will also appear in the message preview in the list of conversations.

Please note: the warning labels will only appear to users with assigned Service Hub Professional or Enterprise seats.

Analyze SLA performance (BETA)

Use the custom report builder to generate reports that provide valuable insights into SLA performance, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction. Learn more about analyzing SLA performance.