Contact Rate
Support contacts normalised by customers, users, or transactions — demand per unit of business.
Contact rate = contacts / business denominator (e.g. per 100 customers or per 100 orders)Contact rate divides ticket volume by a business denominator: contacts per 100 customers, per order, per active user. It converts a raw volume that inevitably grows with the business into a comparable efficiency signal — the one volume metric you can actually benchmark over time.
The formula is contacts over the chosen denominator (customers, orders, MAU) for the same period.
What it hides: the denominator choice can flatter or distort. Per-customer contact rate can fall simply because you added many low-engagement users, not because support got better. And a falling contact rate can hide customers who needed help but didn't ask. Segment by reason and pick a denominator that reflects real demand.