Benchmarks
First Response Time (FRT)
FRT expectations are set by channel, not a single SLA: live chat and phone are measured in seconds, email in hours, so always benchmark each channel on its own curve.
What is FRT (First Response Time)? Read the definition| Figure | Segment | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 40 seconds (strong); ~2 min average | Live chat | Lorikeet, First Response Time Benchmarks 2026 (Zendesk data) | 2026 |
| 20-80 seconds | Phone / voice | Lorikeet, First Response Time Benchmarks 2026 | 2026 |
| 7-12 hours (average); < 4 hours (top performers) | Lorikeet, First Response Time Benchmarks 2026 (SuperOffice data) | 2026 | |
| < 60 minutes (target) | Social media | Lorikeet, First Response Time Benchmarks 2026 | 2026 |
| 7 hours 4 minutes | All tickets, blended average | Jitbit, Average Support Metrics from 1,000+ Companies | 2017 |
| 16 minutes | All tickets, top 5th percentile | Jitbit, Average Support Metrics from 1,000+ Companies | 2017 |
Benchmarks describe other teams, not yours. Read them as a sanity check on direction, not a target to hit — the right number depends on your channel mix, customers, and how you define the metric.
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