Containment

The share of contacts an automated channel handles end-to-end without escalating to a human.

FormulaContainment % = (sessions closed in automation / total automated sessions) x 100

Containment is the bot-era cousin of deflection: of the conversations that entered an automated channel, what fraction were closed there without a handoff. Vendors love it because it is easy to report and sounds like value.

The formula is contained sessions divided by total automated sessions.

What it hides: containment counts non-escalation, not resolution. A customer who abandons the bot in frustration, or who is told "I can't help with that" and gives up, is fully "contained." High containment with flat or falling CSAT is a warning sign, not a win. Ask what fraction of contained sessions ended in a confirmed answer.

Go deeper

Deflection is a vanity metric What "AI resolved 70% of tickets" actually means Agent assist vs. autonomous: choosing the seam