First Response Time
The time between a customer submitting a support request and receiving the first response.
1 min readLast updated Apr 2026
FRT
First Response Time
The time between a customer submitting a support request and receiving the first response.
Why It Matters
Speed of initial response is the #1 driver of support satisfaction. Faster FRT reduces cart abandonment and builds trust.
Benchmarks
Good Performance
Under 1 hour
Top Performers
Under 15 minutes
Practical Example
Scenario
A skincare brand monitors their support team's FRT during a product launch.
Calculation
Week 1: 4 hour FRT, 72% CSAT. Week 2 after adding chat: 25 min FRT, 89% CSATResult
17-point CSAT improvement, 34% reduction in ticket escalations, higher launch conversion
Pro Tips
- 1Set up auto-responders to acknowledge receipt instantly—this buys time while maintaining perceived responsiveness
- 2Track FRT by channel separately: email can be slower than chat, but expectations differ
- 3Use canned responses for common questions to speed up actual resolution, not just first touch
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Optimizing FRT at the expense of quality—a fast bad answer is worse than a slightly slower good one
Not staffing for peak times: launches, sales, and Monday mornings need more coverage
Counting auto-responders as 'first response' which masks true responsiveness