You no doubt are somewhat cynical about service level agreements (SLAs), those little-reviewed documents that promise the level of service from your hosting provider. Little-read that is, until something goes awry. Enter SingleHop, a Chicago-based provider that is trying to make a name for itself by actually delivering a solid “Bill of Rights” for customers and promising to pay when they don’t meet their SLA. It is an interesting idea.
There are lots of other providers that do offer payouts for missed service milestones, of course. But I liked the way they are making it easy to see their metrics and what you will get when they are off. Take a look at the screenshot below:
For example, if you have to wait more than three hours to spin up a dedicated server, you can take 10% credit on your next bill. (Like that piggybank icon? A nice touch.) Or wait more than an hour to a first responder to your trouble ticket? Take 5% off. One of the features unique to their Bill of Rights is a report card-like functionality that allows SingleHop’s customers to see how well their account is being handled. The detailed report shows service records as they compare to the company’s guidelines.
SingleHop has two different SLA tiers: the regular SLA (where we took the screenshot) and an enhanced SLA that has faster guarantees and higher credits. All support requests from SingleHop are handled by American employees, and an actual employee and not part of a call center. Now that is bringing a new level of service too.
