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Workflow: Status Updates and SLA

Understanding and meeting SLA (Service Level Agreement) requirements is crucial for maintaining your partnership and ensuring client satisfaction.

What is an SLA?​

A Service Level Agreement defines the expected frequency and quality of status updates for assigned cases.

Typical SLA requirements:

  • Update frequency - Minimum status update every 14 days per case
  • Response time - Respond to client inquiries within 24 hours
  • Initial review - Acknowledge new case assignments within 48 hours
  • Payment reporting - Record payments within 24 hours of receipt

Your specific SLA terms are defined in your partner agreement and may vary by client.

Why SLAs matter​

Meeting SLA requirements:

  • Keeps clients informed about collection progress
  • Maintains trust in the partnership
  • Ensures cases remain active and prioritized
  • Affects your performance rating and future assignments
  • May impact commission rates and payment terms

SLA tracking in the portal​

Dashboard indicators​

Your dashboard shows:

  • SLA compliance rate - Percentage of cases meeting update requirements
  • Cases at risk - Number of cases approaching deadlines
  • Overdue updates - Cases that missed SLA deadline

Case-level alerts​

Each case displays:

  • Last update date - When you last submitted a status update
  • Next update due - Deadline for next required update
  • Days remaining - Countdown to SLA deadline
  • Alert status - Visual indicator (green/yellow/red)

Notification settings​

Configure alerts to stay on top of deadlines:

  • Email notifications 3 days before deadline
  • Daily digest of cases needing updates
  • Mobile push notifications (coming soon)
  • SMS alerts for overdue cases (optional)

Submitting effective status updates​

Required information​

Every status update must include:

  1. Current status - Select from predefined status types
  2. Activity description - What collection activities occurred
  3. Next steps - What you plan to do next
  4. Expected timeline - When you expect progress

Status update best practices​

Be specific:

  • "Called debtor on Jan 15 at 10am, no answer, left voicemail" ✓
  • "Tried calling" ✗

Provide context:

  • "Debtor requested payment plan. Proposed 6 monthly installments of €500. Awaiting debtor confirmation by Jan 20." ✓
  • "Payment plan discussed" ✗

Document attempts:

  • "3rd contact attempt via phone (Jan 10, 12, 15). Also sent email on Jan 13 and letter on Jan 11. No response received." ✓
  • "Unable to contact" ✗

Explain delays:

  • "Case on hold pending client response to debtor's dispute claim. Client notified Jan 14, response expected by Jan 21." ✓
  • "Waiting for client" ✗

Status types and when to use them​

Contact attempted

  • Used when: You've tried contacting debtor but haven't connected
  • Include: Date/time of attempts, methods used (call, email, letter)
  • Next update: Within 7 days with contact results

Contact established

  • Used when: You've successfully communicated with debtor
  • Include: Summary of conversation, debtor's response
  • Next update: Within 14 days with progress

Payment promised

  • Used when: Debtor commits to payment
  • Include: Promised amount, date, payment method
  • Next update: After promised date to confirm payment

Payment plan agreed

  • Used when: Installment arrangement finalized
  • Include: Payment schedule, amounts, dates
  • Next update: After first payment due date

Dispute raised

  • Used when: Debtor contests the claim
  • Include: Nature of dispute, evidence provided by debtor
  • Next update: After client reviews dispute (typically 7-14 days)

Investigating

  • Used when: Need time to verify information or locate debtor
  • Include: What you're investigating, expected timeline
  • Next update: Within 14 days with findings

Uncollectible

  • Used when: Case cannot be collected through standard means
  • Include: Detailed reason (debtor deceased, bankrupt, untraceable, etc.)
  • Action: Case return recommendation

Handling challenging SLA situations​

Case requires extra time​

If a case needs more time than SLA allows:

  1. Submit regular updates explaining progress
  2. Provide specific reasons for timeline extension
  3. Communicate expected resolution date
  4. Request client approval for extended timeline if needed

Waiting on third party​

When delayed by client or external factors:

  1. Document the dependency clearly
  2. Update status to show you're waiting
  3. Explain what you're waiting for and from whom
  4. Provide expected response date
  5. Follow up with the third party

Bulk case updates​

For efficiency with many cases:

  • Use batch update features for cases with similar status
  • Still provide case-specific details where relevant
  • Don't use generic updates for all cases
  • Ensure each case has meaningful information

Cases with no activity​

If no collection activity occurred:

  • Still submit an update explaining why
  • Detail what obstacles exist
  • Describe your next planned approach
  • Don't skip updates just because nothing changed

SLA compliance strategies​

Daily routine​

  • Check dashboard for cases needing updates
  • Review SLA alerts each morning
  • Update cases as collection activities occur
  • Set reminders for follow-up actions

Weekly planning​

  • Review all active cases for upcoming deadlines
  • Identify cases needing action this week
  • Prepare batch updates for similar cases
  • Schedule collection activities around SLA requirements

Template usage​

Create templates for common scenarios:

  • Initial contact attempts
  • Payment plan proposals
  • Dispute handling procedures
  • Follow-up sequences

Customize templates with case-specific details.

Team coordination​

If you have multiple team members:

  • Assign SLA ownership per case
  • Use shared calendar for deadlines
  • Implement internal review before SLA deadline
  • Escalate at-risk cases to management

SLA violations and consequences​

What happens if you miss an SLA?​

  • Case marked as overdue in your dashboard
  • Client receives notification
  • Compliance rate decreases
  • May trigger review of partner performance

Repeated violations​

Consistent SLA failures may result in:

  • Reduced case assignments
  • Performance improvement plan
  • Adjustment to commission rates
  • Partnership review or termination

How to recover​

If you've missed SLAs:

  1. Acknowledge the miss and explain what happened
  2. Submit the overdue update immediately
  3. Take corrective action to prevent recurrence
  4. Improve monitoring and alert systems
  5. Communicate proactively with your account manager

Performance reporting​

Your SLA compliance is tracked and reported:

  • Monthly scorecards - Overall compliance metrics
  • Case-level tracking - Individual case SLA performance
  • Client feedback - Satisfaction with update quality
  • Benchmarking - Comparison to other partners

Strong SLA performance can lead to:

  • Priority case assignments
  • Higher commission rates
  • Exclusive client relationships
  • Expanded geographic territory

Tools and automation​

Portal features​

  • SLA countdown timers on each case
  • Bulk update capabilities
  • Update templates
  • Automated reminders

Mobile access​

  • Update cases from mobile device
  • Receive push notifications
  • Quick status updates on-the-go

Future API access​

Upcoming API will enable:

  • Automated status synchronization
  • Integration with your case management system
  • Programmatic SLA tracking
  • Custom reporting

Next steps​

Related workflows: