---
Title: "What Is First Response Time (FRT)? Formula"
Url: "https://computer.io/glossary/first-response-time"
Topic: "Metrics"
Description: "First response time (FRT) is how long a customer waits for the first reply from support. The formula, benchmarks by channel and how to improve FRT."
---

# What is first response time (FRT)?

First response time (FRT) is the time between a customer submitting a support request and receiving the first human or meaningful reply. It is usually reported as an average or median across tickets and is one of the most watched support metrics.

## Formula

FRT = total time to first response ÷ number of tickets

Median FRT is often more useful because outliers skew averages.

## Typical targets

| Channel | Common target |
| --- | --- |
| Live chat | Under 1 minute |
| Email | Within a few hours |
| Social | Within an hour |

Targets vary by company and SLA.

## Improving FRT

AI first responses, better routing, staffing to demand, and templates.

## FAQ

### Does an auto-reply count as first response?

Usually not; most teams count only meaningful replies.

### What is the difference between FRT and resolution time?

FRT measures time to first reply; resolution time measures time to solve.

### How does AI reduce first response time?

It replies instantly and often resolves the issue in that first reply.

## Related terms

- [First contact resolution (FCR)](https://computer.io/glossary/first-contact-resolution)
- [Service level agreement (SLA)](https://computer.io/glossary/service-level-agreement)
- [How do you improve first response time?](https://computer.io/answers/how-to-improve-first-response-time)

## How Computer helps

- [Customer agent](https://devrev.ai/solutions/customer-agent)

## Further reading

- [First reply time](https://devrev.ai/blog/first-reply-time)