Five Questions To Ask Before You Sign a Service Agreement
Most service contracts are written to be signed quickly, not read carefully. The gap between the two is where disputes live.
Response Time Is Not the Same As Resolution Time
A four hour response window means somebody acknowledges your ticket in four hours. It says nothing about when the work is finished. Ask for both numbers, and ask what happens when the second one is missed.
What Is Excluded
Exclusions do more to define a contract than inclusions do. Read that section first.
- Parts, or only labor
- After hours and holiday coverage
- Travel time and mileage
- Anything the vendor labels an act of neglect
Who Owns the Documentation
Configurations, credentials, drawings and maintenance history should be yours whether or not you renew. If a vendor hesitates on that point, the answer is already clear.
A contract you cannot leave is not a service agreement. It is a subscription to a single vendor.
How the Price Changes
Annual escalators are normal. Uncapped escalators are not. A written cap tied to a published index keeps year three from becoming a surprise.
Ask for two references on the same service level you are buying, and call both. The second call is usually the useful one.
