Support contracts tend to be signed in the relief of having launched. That is exactly when they should be read carefully.

Clauses that matter

• Severity definitions — who decides that checkout being slow is a P1 rather than a P3.
• Response versus resolution — a one-hour response with no resolution commitment is close to meaningless.
• Coverage hours — whether the SLA holds during your peak trading period, including weekends.
• Bug versus change — the most common source of billing disputes.
• Rollover — whether unused hours expire monthly, quarterly or not at all.
• Security patching — included, or quoted separately each time.

A practical test

Ask what happens if checkout breaks at 9pm on your busiest Friday of the year. The answer, and whether it is written down anywhere, tells you more than the rest of the document.