Introduction to average resolution time (ART)

Average Resolution Time (ART) is a key customer support metric that measures the average time it takes to resolve customer issues or support tickets. ART is critical for evaluating the efficiency of your support team and the overall customer experience. A shorter ART indicates that issues are being resolved quickly, leading to higher customer satisfaction, while a longer ART can signal inefficiencies that may frustrate customers and increase the risk of churn.

This page explores the importance of ART, how to calculate it, and strategies to reduce resolution times and improve customer satisfaction.

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Table of content

• Introduction to average resolution time (ART)
• Why ART matters
• How to measure ART
• ART calculation formula
• Best practices for measuring ART
• 1. Track resolution time accurately
• 2. Segment ART by issue type
• 3. Monitor ART over time
• 4. Set realistic ART targets
• Strategies to reduce ART
• 1. Streamline support processes
• 2. Enhance team training
• 3. Improve knowledge management
• 4. Optimize team collaboration
• 5. Monitor and adjust workloads
• Challenges in managing ART
• 1. Balancing speed and quality
• 2. Handling complex issues
• Related topics

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Why ART matters

ART is important for several reasons:

• Customer Satisfaction: Fast resolution of issues is directly linked to higher customer satisfaction. Customers appreciate quick and effective responses to their problems.
• Operational Efficiency: ART provides insights into the efficiency of your support processes, helping identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement.
• Customer Retention: Reducing ART can help prevent frustration and dissatisfaction, reducing the likelihood of churn and fostering customer loyalty.
• Resource Management: Understanding ART helps in better resource allocation and workload management within your support team.

By monitoring and optimizing ART, businesses can improve the overall customer experience and drive long-term success.

How to measure ART

Calculating ART involves tracking the time it takes to resolve each support ticket and then averaging these times over a specific period.

ART calculation formula

The basic formula for calculating Average Resolution Time is:

ART= Total Resolution Time for All Tickets / Number of resolved tickets

• Total Resolution Time: This is the cumulative time taken to resolve all support tickets within a specific period, measured from the time a ticket is opened to when it is fully resolved.
• Number of Resolved Tickets: This is the total number of support tickets that were resolved during the same period.

Example Calculation:

If your support team resolved 100 tickets in a month, and the total resolution time for all these tickets was 1,200 hours, the ART would be:

1200 hours / 100 tickets = 12 hours per ticket (ART)

Best practices for measuring ART

To ensure that your ART measurement is accurate and actionable, it’s essential to follow best practices in data collection, analysis, and reporting.

1. Track resolution time accurately

Accurate tracking of resolution time is crucial for reliable ART calculations. Ensure that your support tools are configured to start and stop the clock at the correct times.

Best Practices:

• Automated Time Tracking: Use support tools that automatically track the time from ticket creation to resolution to minimize manual errors.
• Define Resolution: Clearly define what constitutes a “resolved” ticket in your system to avoid discrepancies in reporting.

2. Segment ART by issue type

Not all support issues are equal—some are more complex and naturally take longer to resolve. Segmenting ART by issue type provides more granular insights into where improvements are needed.

Best Practices:

• Issue Categorization: Categorize support tickets by type (e.g., technical issues, billing queries, account management) to track ART for each category.
• Benchmarking: Compare ART across different issue types to identify which types of tickets typically take longer to resolve and require process improvements.

3. Monitor ART over time

Tracking ART over time allows you to identify trends, such as seasonal fluctuations or the impact of new processes or tools.

Best Practices:

• Trend Analysis: Regularly review ART trends to understand how resolution times are changing over time and why.
• Historical Data: Use historical ART data as a benchmark to assess the effectiveness of new strategies or process changes.

4. Set realistic ART targets

Setting realistic ART targets helps guide your support team’s efforts and provides a benchmark for success. Targets should be challenging but achievable, based on historical performance and industry standards.

Best Practices:

• Data-Driven Targets: Set ART targets based on historical data, considering factors like ticket volume, team size, and complexity of issues.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and adjust targets as your team becomes more efficient or as business needs evolve.

Strategies to reduce ART

Reducing ART involves optimizing your support processes, improving team efficiency, and leveraging technology to streamline issue resolution.

1. Streamline support processes

Inefficient processes can significantly increase resolution times. Streamlining workflows and removing bottlenecks can help your team resolve issues faster.

Best Practices:

• Process Mapping: Map out your current support processes to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, or unnecessary steps that slow down resolution times.
• Workflow Automation: Implement automation where possible, such as automatically routing tickets to the appropriate team or sending predefined responses for common issues.

2. Enhance team training

Well-trained support teams can resolve issues more quickly and accurately. Invest in ongoing training to ensure your team has the skills and knowledge to handle a wide range of issues.

Best Practices:

• Comprehensive Onboarding: Provide thorough onboarding for new support agents, covering product knowledge, common issues, and resolution techniques.
• Regular Upskilling: Offer continuous training opportunities to keep your team updated on new features, tools, and best practices.

3. Improve knowledge management

A well-maintained knowledge base empowers both customers and support agents to find answers quickly, reducing the need for lengthy ticket exchanges.

Best Practices:

• Centralized Knowledge Base: Maintain a centralized knowledge base with up-to-date articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides that are easily accessible to both customers and agents.
• Internal Documentation: Ensure your support team has access to internal documentation that provides detailed guidance on resolving complex issues.

4. Optimize team collaboration

Complex issues often require input from multiple teams or departments. Streamlining collaboration can significantly reduce resolution times.

Best Practices:

• Cross-Functional Teams: Create cross-functional teams for complex issues that require expertise from different departments, such as technical support, billing, or product development.
• Collaboration Tools: Use collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or project management platforms to facilitate real-time communication and quick issue resolution.

5. Monitor and adjust workloads

Overloaded support agents may take longer to resolve issues. Monitoring workloads and adjusting them to ensure a balanced distribution of tasks can help maintain optimal ART.

Best Practices:

• Workload Balancing: Regularly review agent workloads and redistribute tasks as needed to prevent bottlenecks and ensure timely resolution.
• Flexible Scheduling: Implement flexible scheduling practices to ensure adequate coverage during peak times, reducing delays in issue resolution.

Challenges in managing ART

While reducing ART is a key goal, there are challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the metric is used effectively.

1. Balancing speed and quality

Focusing solely on reducing ART can sometimes lead to a decline in the quality of support, as agents may rush through issues to meet time targets.

Strategies to Overcome:

• Quality Assurance: Implement a quality assurance program that reviews ticket resolutions to ensure that speed does not come at the expense of quality.
• Balanced Metrics: Track other customer support metrics, such as First Contact Resolution (FCR) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), alongside ART to ensure a balanced approach.

2. Handling complex issues

Some issues are inherently complex and take longer to resolve, which can skew ART. It’s important to differentiate between standard and complex cases when analyzing ART.

Strategies to Overcome:

• Issue Categorization: Segment ART by issue complexity to set realistic expectations and identify areas where additional support or resources may be needed.

• Specialized Teams: Create specialized teams or escalation paths for handling particularly complex issues, ensuring that they are resolved efficiently without impacting overall ART.

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