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S
Stewart Doxey

My Service Level Expectations

This page outlines my general service level expectations for clients I work with on an ongoing or ad-hoc basis. Its purpose is to provide clarity around communication, response times, and support availability. These guidelines help ensure that work is completed efficiently and that expectations are aligned for everyone involved.

Please note that this page is not a legally binding Service Level Agreement (SLA). It is a general set of expectations that may be updated periodically and may be superseded by the terms of a specific contract, retainer, or project agreement. All stated times and working hours refer to GMT/BST (UK time).

Last updated: April 2026

Working Hours

My standard working hours are:

Monday - Thursday: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Friday: Reserved for internal business work, administration, and professional development
Weekends & Bank Holidays: Closed

I aim to reply to all messages within these hours. Enquiries received outside working hours will be addressed at the start of the next working day.

Communication Channels

Email is the primary and only standard method of communication for all client work.

Email is used for:

  • Support requests

  • Project discussions

  • Updates and feedback

  • General queries

To help ensure the fastest possible resolution, please include in your initial email:

  • A clear description of the issue

  • Steps to reproduce it

  • Any relevant error messages

  • Screenshots or screen recordings (where helpful)

Messages sent via text, WhatsApp, social media, or any other platform are not monitored and cannot be guaranteed a response.

Slack access is available only to retainer clients or by special arrangement, and carries an additional monthly fee. It is provided for convenience and faster collaboration but is not a default communication channel.

Standard Response & Support Times

I operate on a queue system, prioritising urgent issues first.

Acknowledgment Time

I aim to acknowledge all client messages before the end of the next working day, provided I am not on holiday or otherwise unavailable.

Support Task Initiation (Non-urgent)

Non-urgent support tasks (minor adjustments, general queries, non-critical bugs) are typically reviewed and scheduled for initiation within 3–5 working days, unless another arrangement has been agreed as part of a project or retainer.

Delays Caused by Missing Information

If additional information, credentials, or approvals are required to progress a task, any associated delays are outside my control and may affect response or resolution times.

These timeframes may vary during periods of illness, holidays, or exceptional workload. Any planned absences will be communicated in advance where possible.

Urgent Issues

A task is considered urgent when it significantly impacts a core business function.

Examples of urgent issues include:

  • A complete website outage

  • The inability of an e-commerce website to process or reliably complete orders

  • A critical security vulnerability or breach

  • Severe performance degradation that prevents normal site operation

My Commitment

Urgent issues will be prioritised and addressed as quickly as possible within working hours.

My response goal is to:

  • Acknowledge receipt and begin assessment within 1 hour (during working hours)

  • Provide an initial overview of the issue and the next steps as soon as possible

This is an aim, not a guarantee, and applies only during standard working hours unless otherwise agreed as part of a retainer.

If you believe you are experiencing an urgent issue, please provide full details so the situation can be assessed promptly.

What's Covered

These expectations apply to general support for websites or systems I have built or currently maintain, including:

  • Minor updates and adjustments

  • Bug fixes for code I have implemented

  • Plugin, module, or dependency updates

  • Hosting, DNS, and email configuration queries

  • Technical guidance or advice

  • Routine maintenance tasks

For new features, larger changes, or project-sized work, a separate quote or scope of work will be provided.

What’s Not Covered

The following are not included under general support expectations:

  • Guaranteed turnaround times or fixed deadlines

  • Guaranteed out-of-hours support (available only via a retainer)

  • Issues arising from legacy, deprecated, or unsupported versions of PHP, WordPress, or Laravel

  • SLAs for third-party services such as hosting providers, email platforms, DNS, or payment gateways

  • Issues caused by client-side changes, outdated content, access restrictions, or changes made by third-party developers

  • Long-term maintenance of websites I have not previously built or managed

These may be available through a dedicated retainer or project agreement if required.

Billing & Minimum Charge

All support, maintenance, and ad-hoc development work is billed in tracked time. A minimum billing increment of 15 minutes applies to all tasks, including investigations and troubleshooting, unless otherwise agreed in a retainer or project contract.

Retainer Clients

Clients on an active support or maintenance retainer may receive:

  • Shorter response times

  • Priority in the support queue

  • Slack access

  • Extended availability

  • Additional service guarantees tailored to their business needs

If you are interested in ongoing priority support, please get in touch to discuss tailored retainer options.

Updates to This Page

These service expectations may be updated occasionally. The latest version will always be available on this page. Significant changes will be communicated directly to active retainer clients.

My goal is to provide reliable, high-quality support so you can focus on running your business with confidence. If you have any questions or wish to discuss a specific arrangement, please feel free to get in touch.