Deflection rate
Deflection 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.
Example
If 1,000 people use the chatbot in a month and 150 of them still open a ticket, the deflection rate is 85%.
Why it matters for a website chatbot
Deflection is easy to inflate: a visitor who gives up and leaves also counts as deflected. Pair it with resolution rate. With ChatBento, read the inbox to check that deflected conversations really ended with an answer, not a frustrated visitor.
See it in practice: Reducing support email
Related terms
- 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.
- Containment rateContainment 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.
- Ticket deflectionTicket deflection is the practice of answering customer questions through self-service, such as a help center, FAQ or chatbot, so they never become support tickets. It reduces support workload and gives customers faster answers. Its success is measured by deflection rate, ideally checked against whether the questions were actually resolved.
- Self-serviceSelf-service in customer support means giving customers the tools to find answers and solve problems on their own, without contacting staff. Common examples are help centers, FAQ pages, community forums, account portals and chatbots. Many customers prefer it for simple questions because it's available at any hour and needs no waiting.