Do we need to replace our current vendor to start?

No. Most clients start with the CX Review while their current vendor continues normal operations. The CX Review is a 30-minute scoping conversation with no data exchange required. If we move forward, we typically structure a Challenger Pilot on a defined slice of volume alongside your incumbent. There is no production cutover or contract disruption required.

Do we need to send call recordings immediately?

No. The CX Review begins with a 30-minute scoping conversation. No call data required to start. After fit is confirmed, an NDA is signed, and security requirements are clear, we define the audit slice, data access, workflow scope, and success criteria together. The data exchange is structured, not assumed.

Can Simetrix work alongside our current BPO?

Yes. We frequently run Challenger Pilots on a defined volume slice while the incumbent continues to handle the rest. The structure is reversible. If you decide not to continue, the split unwinds in days. Many operators use this approach to generate side-by-side performance data before making vendor decisions.

How fast can a dedicated team go live?

Standard onboarding for a dedicated program is 4 to 10 weeks from signed SOW to live agents in production. The range depends on workflow complexity, system integration, and language coverage. A Challenger Pilot can go live on a defined volume slice in 10 business days. Timelines are scoped during the CX Review conversation.

Do clients get real-time dashboards?

Yes. Every engagement includes real-time operational dashboards for the executive sponsor and the operational team. Dashboards update continuously and surface quality scores, compliance-risk flags, sentiment trends, agent variance, and the composite XLA score where applicable. Dashboards are configured to the client's KPIs during onboarding.

How is this different from QA software?

QA software sits on top of a contact center that someone else operates. Simetrix is the operation and the analytical layer combined. You engage one partner, not two. The analytical findings translate directly into operational changes inside the same team that runs the work. Software vendors surface insights. Simetrix surfaces insights and runs the operation that acts on them.

Do you handle Lifeline workflows specifically?

Yes. Lifeline eligibility verification, recertification, document collection, FCC reporting workflows, and compliance-risk monitoring are core competencies. Our teams are trained on Lifeline-specific processes and regulatory requirements. Lifeline programs are scoped during the CX Review conversation.

How do you handle TCPA risk monitoring?

Scoped outbound and inbound call volume is analyzed for TCPA risk signals including consent capture, disclosure language, and Do Not Call adherence. Compliance-risk flags surface in real time, not in the next monthly report. We monitor risk signals on scoped call volume where technically and contractually applicable. We do not publish absolute compliance guarantees.

Can you support Spanish operations at the same standard as English?

Yes. Spanish-language operations are built with the same training, QA, and management as English. Not subcontracted. Not a separate lower-cost queue. Critical for Lifeline and prepaid wireless customer bases. Spanish QA parity is built into the analytical layer.

What Is an Experience Level Agreement (XLA)? | Simetrix Solutions

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Experience Level Agreement

What is an XLA?

SLA tells you the queue moved. XLA tells you whether the customer was actually helped. Here is what an Experience Level Agreement measures, and how to put one to work.

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Scored on 100% of interactions Real-time visibility ISO 9001 and 27001 certified

Definition

An Experience Level Agreement (XLA) is a measurable commitment to the quality of a customer's experience, not just the speed or availability of service. Where an SLA measures whether the operation moved (response time, handle time, uptime), an XLA measures whether the customer was actually helped, on every interaction, using a weighted composite of satisfaction, resolution, sentiment, and effort.

CSAT25%

First Contact Resolution20%

Sentiment20%

NPS15%

Resolution Quality10%

Customer Effort Score10%

The shift

SLA measures the queue. XLA measures the customer.

SLA QUESTION

Did the operation move?

Response time, handle time, uptime. Necessary, but it says nothing about whether the issue was resolved.

XLA QUESTION

Was the customer helped?

A correct resolution, low effort, and positive sentiment, measured on the interaction itself.

THE GAP

Green, and still churning

A healthy SLA dashboard hides the interactions where customers were failed. That gap is where churn begins.

The framework

The XLA composite

A weighted composite of the signals that predict whether a customer stays. Scored on 100% of interactions, not a 3 to 5% sample.

CSAT

25%

First Contact Resolution

20%

Sentiment

20%

NPS

15%

Resolution Quality

10%

Customer Effort Score

10%

Weights are tuned per program. The principle is constant: no single metric is treated as the truth, and the score is calculated on every interaction.

A customer operations floor with rows of agents at glowing workstations

Full coverage

100% of interactions analyzed. Not a 3 to 5% sample.

Sampling hides your worst moments by design. We score every interaction, so nothing is missed and coaching targets real patterns instead of anecdotes.

Where you stand

The XLA maturity model

Most operations sit at stage one or three. The move that changes outcomes is going from sampling to full coverage, then from measuring experience to contracting on it.

SLA reporting

Measures speed and volume only. Green dashboards, blind to experience.

CSAT bolt-on

Adds satisfaction surveys after the fact, on a small, self-selected sample.

Sampled QA

Reviews 3 to 5% of interactions manually. Most problems are never seen.

Full-coverage analysis

Analyzes 100% of interactions with AI. Nothing is missed.

Experience contracts

Contracts and pays against an XLA composite. Experience becomes the commitment.

A team lead and a support agent reviewing a screen together

In the moment

Measured on every interaction, coached in real time.

An XLA is not a report you read after the customer has already left. It is scored as the interaction happens, so operators improve while it still matters.

In practice

How to put an XLA into a contract

Pick the signals

Agree the composite components and weights with the outcomes you care about.

Set full-coverage measurement

Commit to scoring 100% of interactions, not a sample, so the number is trustworthy.

Write it into the statement of work

Define the target composite, the reporting cadence, and what happens when it moves.

Coach on the patterns

Use the full-coverage data to coach in real time, not to audit after the fact.

Go deeper

Read the detail

The full breakdowns live in our writing.

XLA vs SLA explained XLA composite scoring guide Measuring customer experience The cost of sampled QA AI quality assurance

FAQ

Questions about XLA

What is the difference between an SLA and an XLA?

An SLA measures whether the operation moved: response time, handle time, uptime. An XLA measures whether the customer was actually helped, using a weighted composite of satisfaction, first contact resolution, sentiment, effort, and resolution quality, scored on every interaction rather than a sample.

Does an XLA replace an SLA?

No. Keep the SLA as a floor for speed and availability, then add the XLA as the layer that measures experience. The SLA tells you the queue moved, the XLA tells you the customer was helped.

How is an XLA scored?

As a weighted composite. Simetrix weights CSAT at 25%, first contact resolution at 20%, sentiment at 20%, NPS at 15%, resolution quality at 10%, and customer effort at 10%, scored on 100% of interactions rather than the industry-standard 3 to 5% sample.

Why score 100% of interactions instead of sampling?

Sampling 3 to 5% of contacts means most poor experiences are never seen, so problems surface only after customers leave. Analyzing every interaction removes the blind spot and lets coaching target real patterns instead of anecdotes.

Can an XLA go into a vendor contract?

Yes. The XLA composite, its weights, and the reporting cadence can be written into the statement of work so the relationship is governed by experience, not only by speed metrics.

Who should use an XLA?

Any team whose service-level dashboards look healthy while customers still churn. It is especially useful in telecom, healthcare, fintech, insurance, and ecommerce, where the support interaction carries disproportionate retention weight.

See your own experience gap

We will analyze a sample of your real interactions and show you where service levels look fine while the experience is not.

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