Containment rate
Containment rate is the percentage of conversations that a chatbot or automated phone system handles from start to finish without transferring the customer to a human. It is common in contact-center reporting. A conversation counts as contained if it never escalates, whether or not the customer's problem was actually solved.
Example
A chatbot that handled 900 of 1,000 conversations without a handoff has a 90% containment rate.
Why it matters for a website chatbot
High containment can hide a bot that blocks people from reaching a person. Track it next to resolution and handoff rates. In ChatBento, conversations that ended in the contact form are the ones not contained, and you can read each one in the inbox.
See it in practice: Human handoff
Related terms
- Deflection rateDeflection rate is the share of support requests that are handled through self-service, such as a chatbot, help center or FAQ, instead of reaching a human agent. It is usually calculated as self-service sessions without a follow-up ticket divided by all support sessions, and expressed as a percentage.
- Resolution rateResolution rate is the percentage of conversations or tickets in which the customer's issue was actually solved. For AI chatbots, automated resolution rate counts conversations the bot resolved without a human, typically confirmed by the customer's feedback, a follow-up review or the absence of a repeat contact.
- Human handoffHuman handoff is the point where an automated chatbot passes a conversation to a person, either because the customer asks for one or because the bot can't help. A good handoff carries the conversation history and contact details along, so the customer doesn't have to repeat themselves to the person who takes over.