Agree on your SLA before an incident
Distinguish response time from resolution time.
Define incident severity
A slow administration page and a store unable to accept payments have different impacts. Agree priorities based on business and user effects. Use concrete examples to build a shared understanding.
Separate response from resolution
Response means an owner acknowledges and begins triage. Resolution may depend on infrastructure, providers or data. The agreement should specify support hours, contacts and progress updates.
Prepare the communication path
Record primary and backup contacts and the request channel. Ensure responders have appropriate access to investigate and recover. After an incident, document the cause and preventive actions.