Resolution Time Calculator

Resolution Time Calculator: calculate resolution time for your business. Formula, benchmarks, and practical tips included.

Average resolution time (ART) — also called mean time to resolve (MTTR) — measures how long it takes from when a customer first contacts support to when their issue is fully resolved. While first response time (FRT) reflects initial responsiveness, ART reflects the overall efficiency and capability of the support process. Long resolution times increase customer frustration, drive repeat contacts, and inflate support costs. Profit Margin Calculator and Markup Calculator complete the core support quality measurement framework.

Enter the total sum of resolution times (in hours) across all resolved tickets in the period.
Enter the number of tickets resolved in the period.
Average resolution time = Total resolution time ÷ Number of resolved tickets.
Segment by ticket category, complexity tier, channel, and agent team.
Track resolution time alongside first contact resolution rate (FCR) — resolving tickets in one contact is always more efficient than multiple contacts over a longer period.

Average resolution time formula

Average resolution time = Sum of resolution times ÷ Number of resolved tickets

Worked example: 1,200 tickets resolved in the month. Sum of resolution times = 3,600 hours. Average resolution time = 3,600/1,200 = 3 hours. For a live chat support team, this represents a relatively long resolution time — investigate whether tickets are being transferred between agents or requiring escalation unnecessarily.

Resolution time benchmarks

By ticket type and channel

Resolution time benchmarks vary significantly by ticket type and industry. Live chat (simple enquiries): under 10 minutes. Email support (moderate complexity): 4–24 hours. Technical support (complex issues): 1–5 days. B2B enterprise (critical issues, SLA): 1–8 hours. IT helpdesk (P1 incidents): under 4 hours. Measure resolution time separately for each tier or complexity level — averaging across all ticket types produces a metric that cannot be acted on.

Business tips and best practices

Build a comprehensive knowledge base — a well-maintained internal KB reduces resolution time by enabling faster agent lookup; a customer-facing KB reduces ticket volume by enabling self-service.
Track first contact resolution rate (FCR) alongside ART — reducing multi-contact resolution is the fastest way to reduce both ART and support costs simultaneously.
Automate routine resolutions — password resets, order status, and FAQ queries can often be resolved via chatbot or IVR with zero agent time.

See formula and results sections for key figures and benchmarks.

Common mistakes to avoid

See tips section for common pitfalls to avoid.

Resolution time SLA commitments in enterprise contracts are legally binding — failure to meet resolution SLAs may entitle customers to service credits or contract termination. For consumer-facing complaints in regulated industries, resolution time requirements may be set by the applicable regulator. This calculator is for planning purposes only.