Service Level Agreement

(Version 14/11/2018)

Audio Visual Centre - University of York

1.1.1 Overview

This Service Level Agreement (SLA) is between the Audio Visual Centre and our Customers at the University of York (excluding third parties, e.g. York Conferences Ltd, Joint Venture Companies etc. where specific agreements will be in place). It agrees to provide the Audio Visual services scheduled in Section 1.2.

This SLA also covers performance, reliability and other topics pertinent to the provision of Audio Visual services; in particular it lists the key responsibilities of the Audio Visual Centre and our Customers.

1.1.2 General Clauses of SLA's

The purpose of this SLA is to establish a cooperative partnership between the Audio Visual Centre and our customers at the University of York by clarifying roles, expectations and providing mechanisms for resolving problems.

In cases of disaster due to an "Act of God", (i.e. lightning, electrical storm, hail, snow, sleet, flooding, etc.) any services that fail, or third party provided services (i.e. power, heating, access control, telephone & data networks, IT servers, external hired & contracted services); the Audio Visual Centre cannot be held responsible for loss of service. The Audio Visual Centre will however assist our Customers at the University of York in restoration of services as soon as possible under the constraints.

Force Majeure - the Audio Visual Centre will not be liable for any loss or damage caused to or suffered by the University of York as a direct or indirect result of the supply of services being prevented, restricted, hindered or delayed by reason of any circumstances outside of our control.

Audio Visual responsibilities

Audio Visual Centre shall:

Comply with service standards as described in Section 1.2;
Provide the services covered by this agreement and listed in Section 1.2:
Provide operational support (including training as required) for the use of the services provided;
Endeavour to provide our Customers with at least 48 hours’ notice of scheduled, non-emergency outages (via appropriate media) due to maintenance. These outages are typically scheduled out-of-working hours but may, due to circumstances, need to be scheduled during working hours;
Provide a method for our Customers to determine and report a problem with the Audio Visual equipment provided;

Our Customers Responsibilities

Our Customers Shall:

Submit a Booking Form or request to the Audio Visual Centre and by agreement within the Audio Visual Centre procedures;
Ensure that all users of the services agreed under the SLA are obliged to comply with the operational procedures and instructions (where applicable) including guidelines, statutory and insurance requirements for services and equipment;

1.1.3 Service, Guarantees, Warranties and Compensation for breach of SLA's

The Audio Visual Centre will use reasonable endeavours to provide the services in the SLA as detailed below for the provision of Audio Visual Equipment and services to our Customers.

All issues of complaint should be addressed to av@york.ac.uk with “Complaint” in the subject heading. In assessing your complaint, we will look at:

Whether there has been a breach of the Service Level Agreement.
Whether action was taken to resolve your complaint within a reasonable amount of time.
Whether the complaint has been handled appropriately.

If we find we have failed to meet any of the above, we will advise on steps to take to rectify any outstanding issues, provide guidance on how the matter can be prevented in future situations and offer an apology where appropriate.

Complaints we will not consider:

Disturbance/disruption due to alterations or building work.
Relocation to alternative spaces due to required work or equipment issues.
Loss of facility where a suitable alternative has been provided.
Aesthetic issues which do not impede the use of the equipment or space.
Problems outside of the control of the department.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and explain what will happen next.

As part of the investigation we might contact you on the telephone or by email to talk through the situation and ask further questions to get the information we need.

Due to the nature of complaints we often need to speak to a number of colleagues in the University (or other relevant individuals or users), or carry out technical tests as part of our investigation. We will aim to give you a full response within 28 working days, however should the investigation into your complaint take longer than this; we will contact you with an updated time frame.

1.2 Services

Our Customers have requested and the Audio Visual Centre has agreed to supply the following Audio Visual Services:

Service	Service Level Provision By AV Centre and Shared Services	Responsibilities of User
Office Hours of Audio Visual Centre	Telephone reception available 9:00am - 5:00pm on 01904 32 4500. Technicians available 8:30am - 5:30pm Monday – Friday during standard term time, 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday – Thursday, 8:30am - 4:30pm Friday outside of term time On rare occasions the Audio Visual Service Centre may have to be closed during the above hours due to staff shortages or staff training. In these instances, AV Services will endeavour to respond to customer queries as quickly as possible upon re-opening	To contact the AV Centre/Shared Services during office hours. Shared Services staff will endeavour to assist you with any problems you may have, and will report the problem to technicians if they are not able to assist you directly. It may not always be possible for a technician to respond to queries on short notice, and so it is the responsibility of users to either schedule a technical briefing at the beginning of their event, or arrive at the booking with sufficient time to set up and familiarise themselves with the equipment.

Information and Queries	The AV Centre and Shared Services will aim to answer any routine queries or requests within a reasonable timescale and wherever possible within no more than 3 working days. If we are unable to provide an answer within this time we will contact the individual making the request to provide an update and offer an appropriate timeframe for a response.	To give clear information regarding the query and contact details.

Telephone Calls	During office hours, Shared Services reception aims to answer your call within 10 seconds. Within peak accommodation letting period (August – September) some calls make take longer to be answered.	To give clear information regarding the query.
Online service point where equipment can be booked during term-time	To provide an email confirmation of booking within 3 working days.	To pre-book equipment at least 5 working days in advance (subject to availability). To provide either a work order number and purchase order number (if required); or an invoice address for any chargeable booking requests. Equipment bookings which support the teaching and learning activities of the University are not chargeable. Bookings for staff time outside of normal operating hours, or for more than short periods of staff time are normally chargeable, as are equipment bookings which are not related to the University's core teaching and learning activities. The minimum charge for processing any chargeable booking (including any applicable discounts) is £25. A list of standard hire charges can be found here. To report any problems with the equipment to AV Services promptly. To return equipment (or arrange for the return of equipment) in working order at the end of the booking. Failure to return equipment or failure to return it in proper order can result in booking privileges being suspended and/or the customer being charged for the equipment’s replacement.

A range of user-accessible permanently installed equipment within teaching rooms	Ensure the operational equipment schedule is maintained as per the room attributes listing.	To ensure that the allocated lecture room is appropriate for the required mode of AV presentation.

Deliver equipment to and collection from teaching rooms by Audio-Visual staff	To ensure that equipment is available for the time specified on the booking form and availability for the booked period.	To ensure that the user or a representative is available to receive equipment at specified booking time, to be responsible for the equipment for the duration of the booking, and to ensure that the equipment is returned as directed. To report any problems with the equipment to AV Services promptly. Failure to return equipment or failure to return it in proper working order can result in booking privileges being suspended and/or the customer being charged for the equipment’s replacement.

Provide advice and information on using equipment and facilities.	To offer advice as requested to enable facilities to meet users’ expectations.	To use the equipment provided appropriately and for the purpose intended.

Provide effective back-up support and technical solutions for major booked events	To provide an appropriately skilled technician for the period specified in the event booking when requested (with appropriate notice).	To give a minimum of 1 month’s notice to the Audio-Visual Centre for requests for back-up and/or technical support, and to provide all requested information.

Maintenance/Repair of Equipment on AV Inventory	To provide a technician to attend as soon as possible in response to issues arising. The AV Team will aim to attend and provide a solution within 2 hours of being informed, but this may take longer depending upon the severity of the issue and whether it is possible to access the room. The AV team will operate a rolling Planned Preventative Maintenance Programme (PPM) and Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) in order to minimise disruptions for users.	To report any equipment failure of any equipment specified on the Audio-Visual inventory to the Audio-Visual Centre or Shared Services.

Health and Safety	To promote good practice.	To implement recommended procedures.

Service Level Agreements (SLA)	To review and audit Service Level Agreement on an annual basis and regularly monitor and review service levels based on client feedback.	To comment and provide feedback to AV or Shared Services in order to assist us in maintaining and improving services.