“Everything works fine, but it just doesn’t feel right.” A common remark from end users when the IT department meets its SLAs, yet the workplace is still frustrated. Reports show green, but the experience is red. This is the watermelon effect — green on the outside, red on the inside. And this is exactly where the story of XLAs begins.
Imagine starting your workday only to wait for your laptop to boot, your network cutting out during a client call, and the service desk sending you in circles. Everything is “by the book,” yet you don’t feel helped. And that feeling matters.
In today’s experience economy, it’s not just *what* you deliver, but *how* it’s experienced. Experience is no longer a side note — it’s the reason employees stay motivated or leave, why customers return or walk away, and why IT is not a cost center but a vital driver of organizational success.
With the rise of the Experience Level Agreement (XLA), we take a step beyond the traditional Service Level Agreement (SLA). While SLAs focus on technical performance such as uptime and response times, XLAs center on the user experience. In doing so, XLAs smartly combine:
- X-data (experience data such as satisfaction and sentiment)
- O-data (operational metrics such as ticket resolution times)
- T-data (technical data such as availability)
This creates a complete picture of what’s really going on. Not just whether IT is running or how many tickets the service desk closed on time, but more importantly: how do users actually feel? Are they truly hindered by a slow network? Or is their biggest frustration the lack of empathy in support? The difference lies in the experience — not in the technical performance.
Why do organizations choose XLAs? Companies that embrace XLAs and experience management make a real shift: from delivering to experiencing, from measuring to improving. And it pays off:
- Companies with engaged employees perform 20% better (Gallup)
- 25% of employees consider leaving due to poor IT experiences (Nexthink)
- Customer loyalty is increasingly driven by experience, not product or price (Bain)
With XLAs, problems don’t just surface in reports — they become visible where they really matter: on the work floor, in customer interactions, in the daily flow.
At BePresent, we’ve believed since day one that technology should serve people. IT systems must be user-friendly, productivity-boosting, and create that feeling of: 'Hey, this is easy — this really helps me!' As the founder of BePresent, I still benefit daily from my early experience at Apple — once a pioneer in positive technology experiences, now a global player with products nearly everyone uses. With the rise of XLAs, our vision is confirmed: IT shouldn’t just work — IT should feel right. IT professionals should show they understand your business and create fitting, human-centered solutions.
That’s why we develop and work with the Digital EXperience (DEX) Dashboard, where operational IT data and experience insights come together. This makes the watermelon effect visible and helps organizations improve proactively — not based on assumptions, but on experience.
Ready for the first step? Experience is the new success factor. Want to know how your IT department can make the difference with XLAs? Schedule a free XLA exploration and discover where true user experience begins. Because satisfied employees and customers don’t come back for technology — they come back for a great experience.
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.