User Support

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

1. Agreement Overview

This document represents a Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) that the ERA Team (“ERA”) will abide by in its execution of customer service for our Customer (defined below) as it relates to electronic systems used to administer, support and sustain the research enterprise at UCI.

The goal of this SLA is to ensure that the proper elements and commitments are in place to provide consistent & effective functional helpdesk service support to the Customer in their daily tasks as they work and use electronic research administration tools.

The objectives of this SLA are to:

• Provide clear reference to service ownership, accountability, roles and/or responsibilities;
• Present a clear, concise and measurable description of service to the Customer;
• Match perceptions of expected service provision with actual service support & delivery.

This SLA will remain valid until superseded by a revised SLA mutually endorsed by ERA and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration (AVCRA).

2. Customers

The following represent the Customers associated with this SLA:

• Faculty;
• Researchers;
• Department Administrators;
• Office of Research Staff

3. Periodic Review

This SLA is valid from the Effective Date outlined herein and is valid until further notice. This SLA should be reviewed at a minimum once per fiscal year; however, in lieu of a review during any period specified, the current SLA will remain in effect.

The “Document Owner” is responsible for facilitating regular reviews of this document. Contents of this document may be amended as required, provided mutual agreement is obtained from the ERA Team and the AVCRA and communicated to all affected parties. The Document Owner will incorporate all subsequent revisions and obtain mutual agreements / approvals as required.

Document Owners: Jonathan Lew, Martin Nakatsu

Review Period: Annual

Previous Review Date: 04-01-2019

Next Review Date:  12-01-2023

4. Service Management

Effective support of in-scope services is a result of maintaining consistent service levels. The following sections provide relevant details on service availability, monitoring of in-scope services and related components.

4.1. Service Availability

Support from ERA may consists of either a singular method or any combination of the following:

• Telephone support
• Email support
• Zoom video conferencing (virtual support)

These services will be available 8AM-5PM Monday – Friday. Any voicemail messages or emails left outside of these service hours will be collected and address the next working day.

The following resources will be available on the ERA website for reference at any time:

• Written documentation (i.e.: user guides)
• FAQs

4.2. Service Requests

In support of services outlined in this SLA, the ServiceNow ticketing system will be used to manage and document all incidents and services provided. ERA will respond to service related incidents and/or requests submitted by the Customer within the following time frames:

• Major/Critical: within 4 hours
• Moderate: 1 business day
• Routine: 2 business days

Definitions

• Service Unavailable
  • The ERA system or tool is not functioning at all; unable to proceed with work
• Service Degraded
  • The ERA system or tool is still available & functional, but performance is slower and/or inconsistent
• Interferes with Work
  • The ERA system or tool performance is inconsistent; requires user to retry or reload before system works again
• Tasks More Difficult
  • The ERA system or tool is hindering efficient workflow; user still is able to proceed with work

5. Service Agreement

The following detailed service parameters are the responsibility of ERA in the ongoing support of this SLA.

5.1.  Service Scope

The following Services are covered by this SLA;

• Manned telephone support;
• Monitored email support (era@research.uci.edu);
• Training in use of electronic systems;
• Remote assistance using Zoom video conferencing.

5.2.  Customer Requirements

Customer responsibilities and/or requirements in support of this SLA include:

• Reasonable availability of customer representative(s) when resolving a service related incident or request.

5.3.   ERA Requirements

ERA responsibilities and/or requirements in support of this SLA include:

• Meeting response times associated with service related incidents;
• Appropriate communication with the Customer for all services provided.

5.4.  Service Assumptions

Assumptions related to in-scope services and/or components include:

• Changes to services will be communicated and documented to all Customers.