Resolution rate vs deflection rate: which one to trust
AI support vendors love a big percentage. Before you believe one, check which of these two numbers it is.
Deflection rate is the share of conversations that ended without reaching a human, whether or not the customer was helped. Resolution rate is the share where the customer's problem was actually solved. Deflection can look high while customers leave frustrated, so trust resolution, measured with confirmation and no repeat contact.
The two definitions
| Deflection rate | Resolution rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Counts | Conversations with no human involved | Conversations where the problem was solved |
| Includes customers who gave up? | Yes | No |
| Easy to inflate? | Yes: hide the 'talk to a person' button | Harder: needs confirmation |
| Good for | Workload planning | Judging whether the AI helps |
How to measure resolution honestly
- The customer confirms it's solved, or doesn't come back about the same issue within 7 days.
- If an action was promised (a refund, a change), it actually happened in your system.
- The answer was correct according to your policy.
Count reopened issues and repeat contacts on other channels as not resolved.
Healthy targets for small businesses
For FAQ-heavy sites, a well-trained agent commonly resolves a majority of routine questions. Treat any vendor figure as a starting hypothesis and measure your own over 30 days. The trend matters more than the headline.
How Fini.ai reports it
Fini's dashboard separates resolved, handed over and unanswered, and the weekly gap finder turns the unanswered list into drafted answers. The Resolve add-on charges only for resolved tickets. See pricing.
Questions
What is a good deflection rate?
It depends on your mix of questions, and it can be misleading. Pair it with resolution rate and customer satisfaction.
What is AI resolution rate?
The percentage of conversations where the AI solved the customer's problem without a human, ideally confirmed by the customer and not followed by a repeat contact.
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