Metrics definitions
This guide defines common Zendesk ticket metrics. These metrics track ticket lifecycle timing and are used in SLA policies, reporting, and performance measurement.
Note: These are Zendesk’s official definitions. GitLab may use slightly different calculations or definitions for internal reporting. For more information on SLA policies, please see our documentation.
First Reply Time (FRT)
This is the time a ticket spent from creation until it received its first public reply from an agent.
Next Reply Time (NRT)
This is the time a ticket spent from a public reply from an end-user until it received a public reply from an agent.
Requester wait time
Purpose: Measures how long customers wait for agent action (including time waiting on outside sources).
This is the total time a ticket spent in the following statuses:
- New
- Open
- On-hold
Agent work time
Purpose: Measures how long tickets spent waiting for direct agent action.
This is the total time a ticket spent in the following statuses:
- New
- Open
Agent wait time
Purpose: Measures how long tickets spent waiting for customers to respond.
This is the total time a ticket spent in the following statuses:
- Pending
On-hold time
Purpose: Measures how long tickets spent waiting for outside sources (i.e. not agent or customer).
This is the total time a ticket spent in the following statuses:
- On-hold
Total resolution time
Purpose: Measures how long tickets from creation to being solved.
This is the total time a ticket spent in the following statuses:
- New
- Open
- Pending
- On-hold
Periodic update
Purpose: Measures the time a ticket spends between public agent replies.
Pausable update
Purpose: Measures the time a ticket spent between public agent replies.
This is the time a ticket spends between public agent replies while in the following statuses:
- New
- Open
- On-hold
Detailed example
To illustrate how these metrics work together, consider this ticket lifecycle:
Ticket #12345 timeline:
| Time | Event | Status Change |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 9:00 AM | Customer creates ticket | → New |
| Monday 2:00 PM | Agent replies publicly | → Open |
| Monday 3:30 PM | Customer replies | → Open |
| Monday 4:00 PM | Agent replies publicly | → Pending |
| Tuesday 10:00 AM | Customer replies | → Open |
| Tuesday 11:00 AM | Agent needs info from Engineering | → On-hold |
| Wednesday 2:00 PM | Engineering provides answer | → Open |
| Wednesday 2:30 PM | Agent replies publicly | → Solved |
Calculated metrics:
| Metric | Calculation | Value |
|---|---|---|
| FRT | Mon 9:00 AM → Mon 2:00 PM (first agent reply) | 5 hours |
| NRT | Mon 3:30 PM → Mon 4:00 PM (agent reply after customer response) | 30 minutes |
| Requester wait time | Time in New + Open + On-hold • New: 5 hours • Open: 8.5 hours total • On-hold: 27.5 hours |
41 hours |
| Agent work time | Time in New + Open • New: 5 hours • Open: 8.5 hours |
13.5 hours |
| Agent wait time | Time in Pending • Mon 4:00 PM → Tue 10:00 AM |
18 hours |
| On-hold time | Time in On-hold • Tue 11:00 AM → Wed 2:00 PM |
27.5 hours |
| Total resolution time | Mon 9:00 AM → Wed 2:30 PM (New + Open + Pending + On-hold) |
53.5 hours |
| Periodic update | Time between any agent public replies • Mon 2:00 PM → Mon 4:00 PM = 2 hours • Mon 4:00 PM → Wed 2:30 PM = 46.5 hours |
Latest: 46.5 hours |
| Pausable update | Time between agent replies while in New/Open/On-hold • Mon 2:00 PM → Mon 4:00 PM (in Open) = 2 hours • Tue 10:00 AM → Wed 2:30 PM (in Open + On-hold) = 28.5 hours |
Latest: 28.5 hours |
Key differences explained:
- Periodic update counts ALL time between agent replies, including Pending status (when waiting for customer)
- Pausable update EXCLUDES Pending status, only counting time in New/Open/On-hold (when ticket is on agent/company side)
- Total resolution time (53.5 hours) = Agent work (13.5h) + Agent wait (18h) + On-hold (27.5h) - some overlap adjusted
- Requester wait time (41 hours) = All time customer is waiting for us (New + Open + On-hold)
Further reading
f895738e)
