How first response time is calculated
Last updated: 14 October 2026 · 4 min read
First response time is the time from when the customer starts waiting for a reply to the agent's first reply. It is measured once per conversation. Reports › Responses shows the average, the median (half of the first replies were faster) and p90 (90% of them were faster).
Steps
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1
When the clock starts
When the conversation is created. If the conversation was handed from a bot or the AI Agent to a person before an agent replied, from the moment of the handoff. If the conversation was reopened in the meantime, from the moment it was reopened.
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2
What counts as a reply
The agent's first message to the customer. A reply written from the WhatsApp or Instagram app on the phone counts too. Bot and AI Agent replies, messages from automation rules and campaigns, and private notes do not count.
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3
With business hours
If the inbox has business hours, the small number under the figure on the “Responses” page counts only the time within business hours. For example, for a customer who writes at night and gets a reply in the morning, this time is short.
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4
Later replies
How fast the later replies in a conversation come is the “Average reply” figure on the “Responses” page.