First response time (FRT)

First response time measures the gap between when a customer writes in and when your team sends its first real reply — not an autoresponder. It is the metric customers feel most, because a fast first reply signals that someone is on it, even if the full resolution takes longer.

Teams usually report FRT as a median or average over a period, and often only count business hours so overnight gaps do not distort the number. Good targets vary by channel: live chat is expected in minutes, email in hours.

The two levers that move FRT are staffing and how quickly each reply gets written. AI-drafted replies cut the writing time, so the same team can answer faster without adding headcount.