First Contact Resolution

The desk's first contact resolution rate was ninety-one percent, which was printed in bold on the monthly report and admired. It had been achieved by routing every ticket that looked difficult to the second line before anyone touched it. So the first line only ever saw tickets it could close in one reply. The desk also closed tickets in the first reply whether or not the reply fixed anything, since a reopen was somebody else's metric. The users, who were not consulted, had noticed that their problems took three tickets to fix. The number was true. It was also useless, which is the particular talent of a metric that has become a target.

This series is about first contact resolution as a number worth having. It covers what it means in plain words, and why it matters more to the user than any speed number. It covers measuring it honestly, with counting rules that survive a reopen and a handoff. It covers raising it without cherry-picking, by putting knowledge and permissions at the first touch. It covers where it can and cannot rise by category. A procurement request will never be resolved on first contact and should not be asked to. The series also covers the limits of first contact resolution, the metrics that keep it honest, and the monthly review in three questions. First contact resolution is the user's favourite metric. Measure it the way they would.

Articles in This Series

• What First Contact Resolution Means for a Help Desk
  Definition in plain words, contact versus ticket, and what counts as resolved on first contact. Also covers why it matters more to the user than any speed number, and the definition card.
• Measuring First Contact Resolution Honestly
  The reopen window, the handoff that breaks the chain, and the ticket closed in the first reply that was not resolved. Also covers the walk-up that was never a ticket, and the counting rules sheet.
• Raising First Contact Resolution Without Cherry-Picking
  Knowledge at first touch, permissions for the first line, templates, and the five fixes a first-line technician should be allowed to make. Also covers what not to do, and the improvement plan.
• First Contact Resolution by Category: Where It Can and Cannot Rise
  The categories where it is naturally low, the ones where it should be high, an expectation per category rather than one number for the desk, and the expectation table.
• The Limits of First Contact Resolution as a Measure
  The pressure to close fast, the ticket that should take two contacts, the quality it does not see, the pairing with reopens and satisfaction, and the paired-metric check.
• The Monthly First Contact Resolution Review
  Reading the number with its pairs, the three questions, the actions, and the review sheet.

Explore More Topics

This series is part of the QuerySolv helpdesk topic library. It covers the foundations, processes, communication, knowledge, tooling, metrics, classic ticket domains, people and strategy behind a support desk that works. The library pairs well with the software we build: QuerySolv. It is a self-hosted help desk that runs as one Windows service on your own network. It is licensed once per installation, not per agent per month.