The four timing metrics
- Median first response: how long a new conversation waits for its first reply.
- Median response time: the typical gap between messages in an ongoing conversation.
- Median time to close: how long a conversation stays open from start to close.
- Median handling time: the typical active time a teammate spends on a conversation.
Why the median, not the average
A median describes the typical conversation better than an average, because one conversation left open for a week cannot quietly drag the whole number up the way it would with an average.
Note: Use these numbers together with By channel and By agent to see whether a slow median comes from one channel, one teammate, or the whole queue.