TL;DR

FRT is how long a customer waits for the first real human reply after reaching out.

Key Points

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FRT is the gap between an inbound Chat Message from a Website Visitor and the first reply from a Support Operator — automated greetings like a Welcome Message do not count ^[1]^[2].

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The standard formula is the sum of first-response times divided by the number of conversations; using the median instead of the mean avoids a few slow outliers skewing the number ^[3].

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Most teams measure FRT against Business Hours only, so overnight and weekend gaps are not counted against agents who were off the clock ^[1]^[3].

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Expectations are channel-specific: live chat is judged in seconds (best-in-class around 45 seconds or less), while email is judged in hours ^[2]^[3].

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FRT is a speed metric, not a quality one — pair it with Resolution Time, First Contact Resolution (FCR) and customer satisfaction score (CSAT) so fast replies do not come at the cost of helpful ones ^[1]^[4].

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A formal service-level agreement (SLA) often sets a target FRT (e.g. reply within 2 minutes on chat) and is the accountability layer many help desk tools track against ^[1].

How to calculate FRT

FRT for a single Conversation is the timestamp of the agent's first reply minus the timestamp of the visitor's first inbound Chat Message. To report it across a team, sum every conversation's first-response time and divide by the conversation count ^[1]^[2]. Two refinements matter. First, prefer the median over the average so a handful of very slow replies do not distort the figure ^[3]. Second, measure within Business Hours — a request sent at 5pm Friday and answered at 9am Monday should not be logged as a 64-hour response if you were closed ^[1]. Crucially, only a genuine human reply stops the clock; an automated Welcome Message or Autoresponder acknowledgement does not count as a first response ^[2]^[3].

Why FRT matters

Speed shapes first impressions. A fast first reply tells a Website Visitor that a real person is engaged, which reduces Chat Abandonment Rate and keeps sales conversations alive. Benchmarks reflect this: live chat is expected in seconds — best-in-class is roughly 45 seconds or less — while email tolerates hours ^[2]^[3]. But FRT only measures the first touch, so it is easy to game by sending a quick holding reply. That is why teams read it alongside Resolution Time, First Contact Resolution (FCR), and customer satisfaction score (CSAT): a 20-second response that solves nothing is worse than a 90-second one that resolves the issue ^[1]^[2]. Used well, a target FRT in a service-level agreement (SLA) sets a clear, measurable promise to customers.

Improving FRT in live chat

Because Live Chat is real-time, FRT here is brutally short, so reduce friction at the front door. A Typing Indicator reassures the visitor a reply is coming, and clear Business Hours plus an honest Offline Message reset expectations when no one is available. Larger teams lean on Canned Response snippets and Chat Routing to get messages to a free agent fast ^[3]. Eloqra takes a deliberately lightweight path: a visitor message is forwarded to the project owner on Telegram and the first operator to reply is recorded as the assigned agent, so the practical FRT is however quickly someone reads and answers that Telegram notification. Eloqra has no queues, routing rules, or SLA timers — speed depends on staying close to your inbox.

Sources & References

First Response Time (FRT) — Geckoboard KPI Examples ↗

First reply time: 9 tips to deliver faster customer service — Zendesk ↗

Customer Service Metric: A Deep-dive Into First Response Time — HappyFox ↗

14 Customer Service Metrics Every Support Team Should Be Tracking — Gorgias ↗

Last updated: June 25, 2026

Related Terms

Average Response Time

Average Response Time (ART) is a support metric measuring the mean time customers wait for an agent reply across all messages in a period, not just the first one. It is calculated as total wait time divided by the number of replies sent.

Resolution Time

Resolution time is the elapsed time from when a customer first raises an issue until that issue is fully resolved and the conversation or ticket is closed. It is also called time to resolution (TTR) or mean time to resolution (MTTR) when averaged across many cases.

First Contact Resolution (FCR)

First Contact Resolution (FCR) is the percentage of customer issues fully resolved in a single interaction, with no transfer, callback, or follow-up needed. It measures how often a support team solves a problem the first time the customer reaches out.

Post-Chat Survey

A post-chat survey is a short question shown to a visitor immediately after a chat conversation ends, asking them to rate the help they received. It is the standard collection mechanism for customer satisfaction scores in live chat, and the fastest feedback loop a support team has.

Live Chat

Live chat is a real-time, text-based support channel embedded in a website or app that lets visitors message a business and get answers within the same browsing session, without phoning or emailing. It pairs a customer-facing chat window with an agent or bot interface on the other side.

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