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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Retire an unused support SLA in two stages: first stop relying on it for new work using a reversible archive or disable action, then delete it only after dependencies are cleared, retention and approval requirements are met, and any required record can still be retrieved. Do not assume that archiving or deleting a policy changes tickets or conversations already using it; the effect depends on the platform.
What it means to retire an SLA
A support SLA is a policy that specifies or measures service response and resolution commitments. “Retire” is an operational decision, not one universal software action: a platform may let you archive, disable, or delete a policy, and those actions can have different effects on history and open cases.
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Also distinguish the policy from the commitment and records around it. An external customer commitment, an internal team target, a configured policy, and a linked contract record may have different owners and dependencies. Salesforce, for example, distinguishes an SLA policy from an entitlement: the entitlement defines the support channels and types available to a user and determines which SLA policy and process applies to a support record. That relationship matters when identifying affected records; retiring a configuration does not by itself settle what a contract requires.
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Archive and delete are not interchangeable
Intercom documents a reversible first step: archiving removes an SLA target from the active SLA list while preserving historical data for reporting. The archived target can be renamed, restored, or deleted. Deletion is a later, permanent step; the target is no longer available in reports or conversations. Intercom also says conversations that began before an SLA was archived can have that SLA reapplied.
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Zendesk describes a different behavior: deleting an SLA policy does not stop it applying to tickets that already had it. Those tickets must be updated to remove the policy. These product-specific rules are why “delete the SLA” is not a safe universal instruction.
| Platform or approach | History and reversibility | Effect on existing work | Dependency or retention consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom archive | Removes the target from the active list; history remains available for reporting. Archived targets can be restored, renamed, or deleted. (Intercom Help, August 19, 2025.) | Conversations begun before archiving can have the SLA reapplied. | Archiving is blocked if a workflow uses the target; resolve the listed workflow dependencies first. |
| Intercom delete | Permanent; the target is no longer available in reports or conversations. (Intercom Help, August 19, 2025.) | Do not treat deletion as a way to rewrite pre-archive conversation history. | Available from the Archived tab after archiving. |
| Zendesk delete | The cited Zendesk guidance describes deleting a policy; it does not establish an archive-and-restore sequence. | The deleted policy continues to apply to tickets that already had it until those tickets are updated. | Update affected tickets to remove the policy; do not assume deletion clears existing assignments. |
| SAP product-specific archiving | SAP documentation describes archive retrieval in its product context; it does not define a general support-SLA workflow. | Effects depend on the SAP object and its prerequisites. | S/4HANA archiving object /PF1/SLA has a residence-time prerequisite and configurable retention rules; SAP CRM service-contract archiving has separate completion and residence prerequisites. |
A safe retirement process
- Inventory the SLA. Record its purpose, owner, effective dates, customers or services covered, and last active use. Identify whether it is an external commitment, an internal target, a policy configuration, or a linked contract record.
- Confirm replacement coverage. If the obligation is still needed, identify the replacement policy and who owns the transition. Obtain operational, contract, and records-management review before making a customer-facing commitment inactive.
- Map dependencies and active cases. Check workflows and automations, entitlements or related rules, and in-flight tickets or conversations. Decide whether to migrate them to a replacement policy, update them, or leave them under the existing policy through an agreed transition. Record the intended treatment rather than assuming retirement will change it.
- Preserve a retrievable record. Before removing a live configuration, preserve the policy text and versions, effective dates, related records, and metadata needed to identify and explain it later. Restrict access where appropriate, and check that the archive can be retrieved and its integrity assessed. This is a practical records-control recommendation, not a universal product command.
- Use a reversible action first when available. Archive or disable the policy, then verify that it is no longer assigned to new work and that reporting and existing-case behavior match the platform’s documented rules. Test retrieval or restoration if the platform supports it.
- Delete only after the decision is cleared. Proceed only when required approvals are recorded, dependencies are resolved, the applicable residence or retention period has ended, and archived evidence remains accessible if it must be kept. In Intercom, deletion follows archiving; SAP’s product-specific examples also impose prerequisites such as elapsed residence time or completed related transactions.
- Log the retirement. Record what changed, when, who approved and performed it, why it was retired, the replacement policy if any, the retention basis, and where the archive can be retrieved. Revisit the log during periodic policy cleanup.
Intercom: archive an SLA target, then decide whether to delete it
Intercom Help’s documented path is Settings > Inbox > SLAs. The instructions below apply to Intercom’s SLA targets; do not use them as Zendesk or Salesforce instructions.
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- Open Settings > Inbox > SLAs and identify the target to retire.
- Check whether a workflow uses the SLA. Intercom blocks archiving when a workflow depends on it and identifies the workflows to resolve. Update those dependencies before continuing.
- Archive the target. It leaves the active SLA list, while its historical data remains available for reporting.
- Review the Archived tab. From there, the target can be renamed or restored if the retirement was premature, or deleted if permanent removal has been approved.
- Before deleting, account for conversations that began before archiving: Intercom says the archived SLA can be reapplied to them. Confirm this behavior against the cases and reports your team needs to preserve.
Intercom Help, in an article by Beth dated August 19, 2025, frames archiving as useful when support needs change and an organization has SLA targets it no longer uses. Its documented distinction is consequential: archived history remains reportable, while deletion removes availability in reports and conversations.
Zendesk: update tickets as well as the policy
Zendesk’s documentation says a deleted SLA policy continues to apply to tickets to which it was already applied. If the intended outcome is to remove the policy from those tickets, update the tickets too. This is separate from deciding what evidence or policy history the organization must retain; the cited behavior does not establish an Intercom-style archive sequence or a universal deletion process.
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SAP archiving examples are product-specific
SAP’s documentation illustrates why archiving prerequisites cannot be generalized across platforms. For S/4HANA archiving object /PF1/SLA, the example requires completion of a residence time and supports configurable retention rules and archive retrieval. SAP CRM service-contract archiving has its own prerequisites, including completed status, completed follow-up transactions, and an elapsed residence period. These conditions concern those SAP objects and should not be treated as generic steps for retiring a support SLA elsewhere.
Set retention from the applicable obligation, not a generic number
There is no single retention duration established here for old support SLA records. The right period depends on the relevant organization’s retention schedule, jurisdiction, contract, and record type. Have the responsible records or legal owner confirm the basis before irreversible deletion, especially where an SLA represents an external customer commitment.
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RFC 4810, an Informational RFC published in March 2007, describes technical archive-service capabilities: clients can submit, retrieve, and delete archived data objects. It also discusses identifiers, controlled access, managed archival periods, and evidence supporting integrity during the archival period. It is a technical standard, not a legal rule telling organizations how long to keep support agreements. Use the archive’s retention controls and retrieval capabilities to implement the period your organization has approved, rather than treating the RFC or an SAP example as a legal retention schedule.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should the signed customer agreement be retired with the SLA configuration?
Not automatically. The agreement and the platform’s policy configuration are different records with potentially different owners and retention requirements. Identify each separately and have the contract and records owners decide what remains active and what evidence must be retained.
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Does RFC 4810 set a legal retention period for support SLAs?
No. It specifies technical archive-service capabilities and integrity-related controls; it does not prescribe how long a company must retain support agreements under law or contract.
What should an audit trail for retirement contain?
Keep the identity of the retired policy, the decision date, the people who approved and performed the change, the reason, any replacement policy, the approved retention basis, and the archive location. Those details make the decision and its supporting record easier to explain and retrieve later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the signed customer agreement be retired with the SLA configuration?
Not automatically. The agreement and the platform’s policy configuration are different records with potentially different owners and retention requirements. Identify each separately and have the contract and records owners decide what remains active and what evidence must be retained.
Does RFC 4810 set a legal retention period for support SLAs?
No. It specifies technical archive-service capabilities and integrity-related controls; it does not prescribe how long a company must retain support agreements under law or contract.
What should an audit trail for retirement contain?
Keep the identity of the retired policy, the decision date, the people who approved and performed the change, the reason, any replacement policy, the approved retention basis, and the archive location. Those details make the decision and its supporting record easier to explain and retrieve later.
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