What response times mean in IT support.
Almost every IT support provider promises fast intervention. The difference isn’t in the promise, but in what’s actually written in the contract and how it’s measured. We’ve managed company IT infrastructure for over 20 years. Before comparing two offers, check what each service-level agreement (SLA) actually measures.
What a guaranteed response time (SLA) is.
The response time is the interval within which the provider commits to react to a request. When that deadline is written into the contract (SLA), it becomes a guarantee you can verify. A written deadline can be enforced and checked; a verbal one depends on availability in the moment.
A proper SLA isn’t just one figure. It specifies the type of incident, when the clock starts, and the channel the request is reported on. The more precise it is, the less room there is for interpretation when a real fault appears.
Response, intervention, and resolution times.
Three stages need to be distinguished. Response time measures how long it takes a provider to acknowledge or pick up a request. Intervention time measures how long until a specialist starts work on the incident. Resolution time measures how long until the fault is fixed. Check which stage the contract guarantees; a quick acknowledgment does not itself mean work has begun.
So always ask what the figure in the offer refers to. A one-hour response time sounds good, but if resolution takes days, the effect on your team is the same as a prolonged outage. With us, the real average resolution time is about 48 minutes.
Why the times need to be in the contract.
A verbal deadline can’t be enforced, because it can’t be verified. When a critical incident hits, the only thing that matters is what was committed in writing. A clear contract states the times by incident type and, often, what happens if they’re missed.
Written times also change the day-to-day relationship. You no longer depend on anyone’s availability or goodwill, because the deadlines are a committed obligation. That’s the difference between a provider you can rely on and one that responds when it can.
What times we offer and what they mean in practice.
We guarantee that intervention begins within 1 hour for critical incidents and within 4 hours for other requests. These are contractual ceilings for starting work, not resolution deadlines or typical averages.
In practice, the real figures are much better: the average intervention time is about 25 minutes, and resolution about 48. Support is available per user, on a monthly subscription, with the same contractual deadlines across packages, according to incident severity.