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XLAs in IT support aren’t just about the number of tickets. You need to take the operational metrics and add user sentiment and business outcomes to see if your service desk is really doing well.
That’s because the time it takes to resolve a ticket has nothing to do with user experience. So, a service desk can be fast, but if it doesn’t leave users feeling like they’ve been ignored, confused, or underwhelmed, then it’s not strong enough. By measuring XLAs, IT leaders can reveal that gap and use it to improve.
What is the problem with traditional metrics?
In most cases, conventional service desk reporting centres on fast and compliant service delivery. That’s significant, but that’s not all. A ticket can be resolved within a few minutes, but if the communication was not sufficient or the resolution was not satisfactory, the user may be left with an unpleasant outcome.
That’s why XLA measurement is important. It takes the service desk from the “did we close the ticket?” to “did the user have a good experience and get back to work easily?” stage.
The measurement’s three layers
Typically, an XLA measurement model will have three layers.
- Operational metrics
These are the standard service desk metrics – response time, resolution time, first contact resolution, backlog, and reopen rate. They illustrate the performance of the service in operation. - Sentiment metrics
The following measures indicate the user’s perceptions of the interaction. Examples include satisfaction, effort, confidence, ease, and clarity. These are critical, as they reflect emotional and practical aspects of support. - Business outcomes
These demonstrate the difference the service has made. This can be measured in terms of time to productivity, downtime, number of repeat contacts, onboarding process, and employee experience.
What to measure
The most useful XLA metrics will depend on the service journey, but common measures include:
🔷 Customer satisfaction following support.
🔷 Customer effort/ease of resolution.
🔷 Trust in the level of assistance given.
🔷 Communication quality.
🔷 How to get back to work.
🔷 Number of times contact is repeated.
🔷 Impact on productivity.
🔷 Issue reoccurrence.
These metrics should be connected to user moments. For instance, a new starter onboarding journey will require different measures as compared to a password reset process or hardware replacement process.
➡️ Read more: How To Write An XLA From Scratch
The procedures for collecting data
The most effective way to get data is for users to actually complete it. It is common practice to conduct post-ticket surveys, but they should be brief and targeted. Business-critical processes can also benefit from a journey-level survey.
For further insight, interviews, focus groups, or open-text feedback can also be used. It’s important to incorporate quantitative scores with qualitative remarks so that the numbers have meaning.
How often to measure
If possible, XLA data needs to be collected continuously, and once collected, the data should be reviewed regularly. For many service desks, a weekly review of operations and monthly or quarterly reviews of the services are effective.
You can spot trends early with frequent feedback. It also enables teams to determine whether the changes are improving the experience or merely moving it to a new location.
Data to Action
The only thing that matters with measurement is that it will result in improvement. Once XLA data is gathered, prioritise the journeys with the greatest friction, identify the most critical journeys and establish owners for change.
For instance, when users are frequently searching for clarity when inputting tickets, it could be a communication template problem or a problem with expectations when updating the ticket. If effort scores are high on onboarding, it could be that the process hand-off or gaps in knowledge are the problem.
Typical errors in measurement
A common error is measuring too many things simultaneously. When the XLA framework gets too complicated, it stops being used.
Another error is considering only satisfaction. Satisfaction is important, but there should be a balance between effort, productivity, and business value. Even if a service desk is friendly, it can fail on efficiency and/or consistency.
Measuring XLAs in IT support is all about the right metrics, sentiment and outcomes. If these three layers are linked, service desks will have a much clearer picture of what users are experiencing and where improvements will have the most impact.
