Why XLAs fail in ServiceNow when organizations still operate with SLA-first thinking

[Matthew_13]

Many organizations are adopting Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) in ServiceNow to better reflect user satisfaction. However, even after implementing XLAs, teams often see little improvement in user experience or behavior.

Why do XLAs frequently fail to deliver value in ServiceNow, and what needs to change for XLAs to work as intended alongside or beyond SLAs?

 

Update / Solution:

XLAs fail not because of tooling, but because they are layered on top of unchanged SLA-driven behavior.

 

Why XLAs Commonly Fail

1. XLAs are added without changing incentives
   Teams are still measured, rewarded, and escalated based on SLA performance, so behavior does not change.

2. XLAs are treated as reports, not controls
   XLAs are reviewed after the fact instead of influencing prioritization or decision-making during Incident handling.

3. Poor signal quality
   Experience data is often:

   • Based on optional surveys

   • Collected too late

   • Unlinked from CI or service context

4. No operational linkage
   XLA scores do not influence:

   • Assignment priority

   • Problem creation

   • Change urgency

What Has to Change for XLAs to Work

1. SLAs Remain Necessary—but Not Sufficient

• SLAs should enforce minimum response and resolution expectations

• XLAs should guide priority within those boundaries

2. Experience Signals Must Be Actionable

• Tie XLA scores to:

  • Reopen rates

  • Incident recurrence

  • CI or service impact

• Avoid survey-only experience measurement

3. XLAs Must Influence Behavior

• Use XLAs to:

  • Elevate repeat user-impacting incidents

  • Trigger Problem Candidates

  • Influence backlog prioritization

4. Start Small

• Apply XLAs to:

  • High-impact services

  • Priority 1–2 incidents

• Avoid enterprise-wide rollout without governance

What “Good” XLA Adoption Looks Like

• SLAs ensure consistency and reliability

• XLAs highlight where users are still experiencing friction

• Operational teams use XLA signals during triage—not just in reporting

• Experience data drives Problem and Change decisions

Outcome

Organizations that align SLAs and XLAs correctly see improved user satisfaction without sacrificing operational control, while avoiding the common pitfall of green dashboards with unhappy users.