Since the introduction of the official NEN 8038 standard, XLA (Experience Level Agreement) is no longer just a buzzword. It has evolved into a professional, measurable method that enables organizations to truly put the user experience at the heart of their services. This standard provides structure, definitions, and guidelines to measure, manage, and improve end-user experience in a consistent way — a significant step in the professionalization of experience management.
The NEN 8038 provides clear guidelines on how to apply XLA, covering elements such as:
- How to define XLA objects (services or processes on which you measure experience);
- How to measure experiences structurally (X-data);
- How to establish contractual agreements based on user experience;
- How to organize dialogue around improvement actions.
By explicitly including these elements in your workflows, proposals, or contracts, you demonstrate compliance with the standard.
The NEN 8038 standard for XLA is a guideline, not a certification standard. There is currently no official accreditation or quality mark to prove you are “certified” for NEN 8038, but you can demonstrate that you work in accordance with the standard. If you want to learn more about the NEN 8038 requirements, visit NEN.nl.
ISO Standardization
The XLA Institute has published an article titled “Standardizing Experience Level Agreements.” The essence of the article is that the consortium of 12 XLA partners who developed the NEN 8038 standard has submitted an application for an international ISO standard: Customer Experience of a Service Management System (ISO/IEC 20000-18). Find the article here.
Ready for your own XLA-implementation? We are certified XLA Experience Foundation consultants. We’re happy to help you design your XLA management approach in compliance with the NEN 8038 standard.
About the author: Jan Massier is the founder of BePresent with broad expertise in IT Management, XLA Management, change management, and IT communication. With 30 years of experience at various (management) levels in the IT world — always at the intersection of people and technology — he supports IT professionals and organizations in delivering valuable IT services.