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CRM AND SALES
SLA (first response time)
A service level agreement (SLA), in a messaging inbox, is a target time for the first response to a new conversation and, optionally, for resolution, measured from the customer's message and tracked with timers, warnings before breach and alerts after it. On WhatsApp customers expect replies in minutes, and Meta's 24-hour window makes a slow reply cost a template.
shared inboxconversation assignmentcsatsla targets and alerts
Why it matters
SLAs turn "reply quickly" into a number the team can be managed on. They also protect margin: a reply inside 24 hours is free, after it costs a template send, and a lead answered in five minutes converts several times better than one answered in an hour.
In VGraple CRM
Set first-response targets per team and business hours, see countdown timers on conversations, get warnings before breach and alerts to managers after, and report SLA attainment per agent and team. Automation rules can reassign or escalate on breach. The SLA guide has the setup.
Related terms
Shared inbox, Conversation assignment, CSAT, Customer service window.