Short answer
First response and resolution need separate targets. Define a useful human reply, the event establishing resolution, hours, zone, holidays and pause rules. Calculate deadlines with that calendar before configuring alerts; an automatic acknowledgement does not establish handling.
Key verification: Under the fictional holiday-free Monday-to-Friday 09:00–17:00 calendar, verify Monday deadlines of 10:30 and 16:30.
Sources and limitationsReplying “we are reviewing it” and restoring a service are different events. A two-hour response commitment does not mean every issue must be fixed in two hours. This guide provides an operational worksheet to separate the clocks; it does not draft a contract or prescribe legal deadlines.
Decisions before the timer
| Rule | First response | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Receipt of the eligible request | Receipt or agreed start |
| End | Useful reply from an authorised person | Verified resolution criterion |
| Calendar | Stated hours and holidays | The same or another explicitly agreed calendar |
| Pauses | Never assumed by default | Reason, start and end if permitted |
State which channels the commitment covers and which cases fall outside it. Do not stop the clock automatically when customer information is missing unless an agreed rule allows it. Define reopening handling too: closing a ticket to prevent a breach does not establish resolution.
Friday to Monday: worked calculation
Fictional case: receipt on Friday 9 October 2026 at 16:30, with Monday-to-Friday 09:00–17:00 hours in Europe/Madrid. To isolate arithmetic, the example calendar excludes holidays. This does not represent Spain’s actual working calendar: check the applicable calendar for 12 October. Targets are two business hours to respond and eight to resolve, both from receipt without pauses.
Friday consumes half an hour. One and a half hours remain for response, giving Monday at 10:30. Seven and a half remain for resolution, giving Monday at 16:30. The fictional-calendar CSV retains the start, rules and results. Replace holidays and zone before production use; adding 120 elapsed minutes to Friday gives a different deadline.
Configure without assuming features
EngageBay documents tickets, views and automation. Evaluate whether your account can retain milestones and locate approaching deadlines. This guide does not establish a native SLA engine covering every rule: request a demonstration of the calendar, pauses and reopening behaviour you need.
As an initial alternative, record receipt, first reply, resolution and calculated deadlines in an authorised worksheet. The ticket remains the work-history record; the worksheet controls timing. Do not copy all customer content into the resource when an identifier and timestamps suffice.
Four cases for accepting the policy
Test receipt during opening hours, at closing, on an actual calendar holiday and in a case awaiting customer information. Save expected and obtained deadlines and explain differences. A configuration passes only when it reproduces agreed rules; a timely email does not establish correct timing or resolution.
Sources and limitations
Documentary review: . Content type: Documentation-based guide with original resource.
Sources describe terms and capabilities stated by their owners. Proposed protocols and fictional examples do not establish product tests performed by CallsIQ.
- EngageBay documents tickets, views and automationwww.engagebay.com
Check current terms
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