First Response Time — First Response Time (FRT)
The time between a customer opening a ticket and getting the first human reply — the wait customers feel most.
First Response Time (FRT) is the elapsed time from when a customer submits a request to when a human first replies. It's the metric customers feel most acutely — a fast acknowledgement sets the tone even when the full resolution takes longer.
FRT is usually measured against business hours and tracked per priority. It's the response target most worth setting an SLA on, because it's both high-impact and within your team's direct control.