What is first response time?
First response time (FRT) is the elapsed time between when a customer opens a conversation and when an agent sends the first reply. It is the single most-watched metric in inbound support because it correlates tightly with satisfaction and conversion.
How it is measured
The clock starts at the timestamp of the customer's first message. The clock stops when an agent sends a non-auto reply. Automated greetings and out-of-office messages do not stop the clock by default; most teams configure that explicitly.
Channel benchmarks
Set a response target that matches the channel, staffing and urgency. Measure your actual response distribution and customer outcomes before choosing a target. Averages alone can hide long waits.
Business hours vs raw time
A customer who emails after closing may wait many hours before the next business day. Wall-clock and business-hours measures answer different questions. Label the method used, and check the specific report definition rather than assuming every API exposes both.
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