First Contact Resolution (FCR)

First Contact Resolution (FCR) is the share of support requests that are fully resolved during the first customer contact. In other words: how many tickets can be closed without the customer having to call again or follow up. For example, a customer calls (or writes) with an issue and it is resolved to their satisfaction during this very first contact – this counts toward FCR.

If several interactions are required (such as follow-up questions, forwarding to other support levels or a second call from the customer), the case drops out of the FCR rate. A high first contact resolution rate is an important quality indicator in IT and customer service, because customers prefer a quick solution at the first attempt. Typically, the industry benchmark for FCR at the Service Desk is around 70–75%, with leading organizations achieving 80% or more. Improving FCR has a positive effect on customer satisfaction, since every additional follow-up can mean frustration for the customer.

The FCR rate is calculated as: number of tickets resolved at first contact / total number of tickets (as a percentage). However, the achievable FCR value depends heavily on the overall conditions – for example, if an excellent self-service offering exists, mainly the more complex cases reach the support team, which lowers FCR. Organizations should therefore always view FCR in context and use it as one of several KPIs for service quality. Suitable ITSM software helps to manage such processes centrally and document them traceably.

See also: Self-Service Portal and First Level Support.