How do I set up and track response time goals (SLAs) in Conversations?

Response time goals, called SLAs, put a countdown timer on every new incoming message. Your team can see at a glance which families and referral sources are waiting and for how long, so nobody's inquiry sits unanswered. Admins can then report on how well the team meets those goals.

Turn on SLAs

Account admins only.

1. Go to Conversations and click the Settings tab at the top.
2. Turn on SLA Settings.
3. Under How should SLAs apply across channels? choose:
   • Common SLA: one goal for every channel, for example reply within 1 hour.
   • Channel-Specific SLA: different goals per channel, for example texts within 15 minutes and email within 2 hours.
4. Set the times:
   • Due Soon: the warning window before the goal is missed.
   • Overdue: the most time allowed to reply.
5. Choose whether workflow messages count as a reply: all of them, none of them, or only messages from workflows you pick. Choose the same for AI replies if your account uses them.
6. Click Save.

Timers apply only to new messages that arrive after you save. Conversations already in progress keep the rules that were in place when they started.

If you do not see SLA Settings, Submit a ticket and we will check your account.

Read the timers

The timer shows in the conversation list and disappears when someone replies or marks the conversation read. If a contact sends several messages, the timer is based on the oldest unanswered one.

Work the most urgent messages first

• Filter by SLA status: Active, Due Soon or Overdue.
• Sort by Longest SLA Overdue or Next SLA Target.

Track SLA performance (admins)

1. Go to Conversations, then Analytics, then SLA Performance.
2. Pick a date range.
3. Start with the overview numbers, then review results by user and by channel to see where replies slow down.

You can also add SLA widgets to Dashboards or Reporting, then Custom Reports, to build your own views.

Good to know

• Timers run on calendar hours, not business hours. Set goals with nights and weekends in mind.
• SLAs do not apply to internal comments or Internal Chat.
• Reports only count messages with a final result. Messages still on the clock are left out.
• Conversations marked read without a reply are left out of reports.
• Results are credited to the user assigned when the outcome was decided.
• If you turn SLAs off, new messages stop getting timers. Existing timers keep running.

Have a question about your own account? Submit a ticket and our team will follow up.