/* CSS to modify the options in the menu when the user clicks on them */
/* CSS to disable the scroll when the menu is open */
What Are Marketin OPs SLAs, and Why Do They Matter for Marketing Ops?
A Marketing Operations (MOPs) SLA request defines clear goals, scope, and timelines by involving key stakeholders and setting specific service details and exclusions. This helps manage expectations and ensures alignment across teams. A solid SLA outlines responsibilities, establishes measurable performance metrics like response and resolution times, and includes penalties for non-performance to guarantee accountability. It also integrates a review process for continuous improvement, adjusting the SLA to reflect the true effort required as needs evolve. The core components of a well-defined MOPs SLA include clearly outlining services and scope, identifying stakeholders, setting realistic timelines, incorporating performance metrics and KPIs, and planning for regular reviews to adapt the agreement. Best practices emphasize collaboration, transparency, and flexibility, ensuring the SLA is both effective and adaptable to changing circumstances while maintaining accountability..
As a company grows, so do the volume of requests coming to the marketing operations team from Go-To-Market teams like sales, product, and customer success. SLAs for marketing operations proactively fight against stakeholder frustration, piled up requests, and missed deadlines. SLAs can provide:
✱ Alignment: Ensures all stakeholders know what to expect, helping marketing ops prioritize and schedule work
✱ Efficiency: Avoids last-minute requests, reducing burnout and improving workflow efficiency
✱ Accountability: Outlines what is required from marketing ops and stakeholders
✱ Focus on Priorities: Determines what needs immediate attention and what can be deprioritized by the marketing ops team
It is important that teams stay aligned to the goals and objectives of the broader business. This will ensure teams are focused on priority projects and tasks which produce key results for the business.
Audit the types of requests that the marketing ops team receives on a regular basis. Bucket these requests into categories. These categories could include list import, basic email program, webinar program, or event program with registration. Each category will likely have different SLAs based on scope and urgency.
Outline specific tasks, deliverables, and expectations of both the marketing ops and stakeholders per request type. Document these roles and responsibilities to hold both teams accountable throughout the request process. This will help avoid misunderstandings.
Establish timelines for each type of request. Simple tasks like creating a basic email program may take 2–3 business days while complex tasks like a multichannel campaign could take 3–4 weeks. Evaluate your team’s capacity to set reasonable timelines for deliverables.
Clearly communicate the new SLA policy to all stakeholders in the organization. Schedule SLA training and provide documentation to stakeholders so they understand the request process including types of requests, timelines, roles and responsibilities, and communication channels.
As companies evolve and grow, the demands of the GTM team and business needs will change. Schedule time on a recurring basis to review and adjust SLA guidelines as needed. This will help improve efficiency down the road.
To effectively implement Marketing Operations SLAs, it’s important to establish clear guidelines for the most common types of requests. Here are a few examples to help set expectations and improve efficiency:
By utilizing Marketing Operations SLAs with clearly defined timelines and responsibilities, you can create a more organized, efficient workflow and ensure that all stakeholders know what to expect. These SLA examples demonstrate how setting realistic timeframes helps manage requests while maintaining high standards of service across departments.
Request Type | SLA | Special Requirements/Notes |
List Import | 3 business days | – |
Content Syndication Program | 5 business days | – |
Nurture Email | 4 business days | – |
Email Send | 7 business days | If secondary webinar/event CTA is included, follow those SLAs |
Nurture Program | 4 weeks (prior to first send) | – |
Webinar | 6 weeks (prior to webinar date) | First invite email should be sent at least 3 weeks before the webinar date. Need to fully test flow at least 1 week prior to email send. |
Event/Tradeshow | 6 weeks (prior to event date) | First invite email should be sent at least 3 weeks before event date |
When creating Marketing Operations SLAs, it’s essential to follow best practices to ensure the agreements are effective, efficient, and sustainable. At the same time, being aware of potential challenges can help you address them proactively and avoid common pitfalls that could hinder progress. Here’s a deeper look at the best practices to follow and the challenges to be mindful of:
Best Practices
Common Challenges
To maximize the effectiveness of Marketing Operations SLAs, it’s essential to follow a set of best practices that ensure clarity, accountability, and efficiency across teams. By establishing clear guidelines, fostering collaboration, and continuously monitoring performance, organizations can streamline their request management and maintain alignment with business priorities. Below are three key best practices that every Marketing Ops team should consider implementing:
✱ Communicate SLAs across all stakeholders — Ensure clear communication and alignment between departments by 1) utilizing centralized documentation, making SLAs visible to everyone and reducing misunderstandings (Ex. Confluence, Google Docs, or Notion), 2) scheduling regular cross-functional meetings to address challenges and make adjustments as needed (Ex. weekly standups or monthly SLA reviews), and 3) setting up email updates/notifications to reinforce SLAs targets with automated reminders about upcoming deadlines (Ex. Salesforce, Slack, or Asana)
✱ Be flexible—SLAs should guide, not restrict — SLAs should be flexible enough to accommodate changing circumstances. If SLAs are too rigid, they can cause tension and frustration for stakeholders when challenges arise. Everyone should be empowered to regularly review SLAs and adjust them to meet new business needs. They are living documents that streamline workflows, not etched in stone.
✱ Use data to track compliance and identify bottlenecks — Teams can track compliance and performance with metrics like response times, resolution times, and throughput. Project management tools including Jira or Asana can provide this data with some configuration. Analyzing this data can identify when there are delays in approvals, resource limitations, or technical obstacles. Regular reporting on these metrics can allow teams to be proactive in responding to bottlenecks.
While Marketing Operations SLAs can greatly improve efficiency and alignment, teams often encounter common challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. Understanding these obstacles upfront allows organizations to proactively address issues, avoid bottlenecks, and maintain smooth workflows. Here are three typical challenges that Marketing Ops teams should be prepared to navigate:
✱ Setting unrealistic SLAs — Unrealistic SLAs lead to burnout, missed deadlines, and stakeholder frustration. Whether it’s a lack of awareness of internal resources or pressure to meet stakeholder expectations, if an SLA has a 24-hour response time, but it actually takes 48 hours for the team to respond, it’s a recipe for disaster. The impact of this mistake is poor quality output and team morale. It is important to utilize realistic resource planning while developing SLA guidelines
✱ Overlooking stakeholder input during SLA creation — As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Lack of collaboration with cross-functional stakeholder teams during the SLA creation process can lead to confusion, frustration, and unmet expectations. These SLAs often do not match reality when it comes to response times and available resources. Involve cross-functional teams in order to gather all perspectives before setting targets and SLAs guidelines. This will improve alignment and accountability
✱ Ignoring the need for periodic updates — SLAs are not etched in stone and shouldn’t be “set and forget”. As companies evolve and grow, so do stakeholder expectations and circumstances. SLAs should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis (at least quarterly or semi-annually). SLA guidelines created a year ago may no longer align with the current business environment, resources, or capabilities. Give teams the opportunity to revisit areas of friction and adjust targets to remain effective and relevant.
SLAs are key to scaling requests and improving efficiency across GTM teams. They help teams stay aligned with business objectives and mitigate challenges with miscommunication when requests start to increase. It is important to set clear expectations, prioritize requests and hold teams accountable when developing SLA guidelines. Communication is number one! SLAs will ensure that the marketing ops team can provide exceptional results at scale.
Have questions or want to learn more about how to spot gaps and improve your lead to meeting process?Get in touch with us!
RevOps Consultant @ Go Nimbly