SLA Settings

What you'll learn

Common Use Cases

A few real ways SLA Settings help you keep response times on track.

⚡

Fast-Response Standard

Set a common SLA so no message sits too long, no matter which channel it comes in on.

📱

Channel Priorities

Reply to SMS in minutes while giving email a couple of hours, based on how each channel is actually used.

💬

Social Grace Window

Allow up to 24 hours on Facebook or Instagram messages, where customers expect a slightly slower reply.

📊

Manager Coaching

Filter to Overdue to spot where the team can respond faster and turn it into a coaching moment.

Key definitions

Terms worth knowing

A response-time goal that counts down on each incoming conversation thread, so you and your team know how quickly a message needs a reply.

One rule applied to every channel, like "reply within an hour." The simplest way to start.

Different targets per channel, like SMS in 15 minutes and email in two hours, so faster channels get faster expectations.

The warning window before the deadline. When a thread enters it, the timer turns orange.

The deadline has passed and the SLA is missed. The timer turns red.

The countdown shown on each thread: gray while on track, orange when due soon, and red once overdue.

"The faster your response time, the more likely you are to land that new customer. SLAs help your team reply before the clock runs out."

How it works

What You'll See Inside SLA Settings

Everything you can configure in SLA Settings. Tap one to see how it works.

Turn On SLAs

Enable response-time goals with the toggle, or click Set SLA to jump straight into setup. Once it's on, every new incoming conversation starts a countdown based on the rules you set.

Set a Common SLA

Apply one target to every channel to start simple, for example "reply within one hour" no matter where the message came in. This is the fastest way to get SLAs running while you learn your real response times.

Set Channel-Specific SLAs

Give SMS, email, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and other channels their own targets once you know how each one is actually used. A quick channel like SMS might get 15 minutes, while email gets a couple of hours.

Read the Timer Colors

Every conversation thread shows a small countdown. Gray means it's on track, orange means it's due soon and inside the warning window, and red means the deadline has passed and it's overdue.

Control Auto & AI Replies

Decide whether workflow messages and AI replies count as a response that stops the timer. By default, workflow messages do not stop the timer, and AI replies do. You can adjust either behavior in settings.

Filter & Sort by SLA

View only Active, Due Soon, or Overdue threads, or sort your inbox so the longest-overdue conversations rise to the top. This is the fastest way to see where attention is needed right now.

Tips

Worth remembering

Start with a common SLA, then move to channel-specific targets as you learn your real response times.
New SLA settings apply only to new incoming messages. Existing threads keep their original rules.
By default, workflow messages do not stop the timer and AI replies do. Adjust both in settings if you'd rather it work the other way.
SLAs do not apply to internal chats or comments, only to actual conversation threads.
You can re-enable or disable SLAs any time from Settings by toggling them off and back on.

Check yourself

Quick Knowledge Check

Four quick questions on this lesson. One attempt each, and the answer is revealed either way.

0 of 4 answered

What color does the SLA timer turn during the warning window before the deadline?

What is it called when the maximum time allowed has passed and the SLA is missed?

By default, do workflow messages stop the SLA timer?

What is a response-time goal that counts down on each incoming conversation thread called?

Apply it

Try this with your favorite AI

🎯SLA Strategy Planner

You are a customer response strategy consultant helping me design response-time targets (SLAs) for my unified inbox, so my team has a clear standard to work toward on every channel. My business context: - What I do and who I serve: [describe your business and your typical customer in 1-3 sentences] - My channels: [SMS, email, Facebook, Instagram, web chat, calls] - My team size: [solo / small team / larger team] - My business hours: [list them] For each channel, recommend: - A "Due Soon" time (the warning window before the deadline) - An "Overdue" time (the maximum time allowed before the SLA is missed) - One sentence explaining why that target makes sense for that specific channel, not just a generic number Also tell me: - Whether I should start with one common SLA across all channels, or channel-specific targets from day one, and why - Whether workflow messages and AI replies should count as stopping the timer, and what you'd recommend as a starting default Finish by asking me: "Which channel are you most worried about missing right now? Tell me and I will help you set up a filter to watch it closely."

📈Response Time Coaching Note

You are a supportive team lead helping me write a short coaching note for a team member whose response times need improvement, without making them feel attacked or micromanaged. My context: - What's happening: [describe, for example frequently overdue on SMS, or slow to respond during busy hours] - Our team culture: [supportive / direct / results-focused / a mix] - This team member's strengths, so I can open with something genuine: [describe briefly] Write one short note that: - Opens with something specific and genuine, not generic praise - Names the specific target or pattern that needs to change, using facts rather than judgment - Ends with exactly one concrete next step they can start today - Stays kind and direct at the same time. Not scolding, not vague Finish by asking me: "Do you want a follow-up version of this note to send in two weeks, checking on progress? Tell me and I will draft that one too."