A resolution in AI support is a conversation where the customer’s question is genuinely answered and their issue is closed, without a human needing to step in. That sounds simple, but the exact definition matters a great deal, because more and more tools charge per resolution. If you pay for resolutions, you should know precisely what the word means before you sign.
This post breaks down a fair definition, the edge cases that trip people up, how resolution rate is calculated, and the questions to ask any vendor.
A fair definition
The healthiest definition favors the customer. A resolution should require evidence that the person was actually helped, not just that a chat window closed. In practice, a resolution is when:
- The customer asked a question and the AI gave a correct, complete answer, or
- The customer’s task was completed in the conversation (an eligible refund processed, a setting changed), and
- The conversation closed without being handed to a human agent.
If there is real doubt about whether the customer got what they needed, it should not count. We wrote our own plain-English version on the How we define a resolution page, and the guiding rule is simple: when in doubt, do not count it.
The edge cases that matter
Most disagreements about resolution rate come down to a handful of situations. Here is how a customer-favorable definition handles them.
Abandoned or silent chats
A customer opens a chat, gets a reply, and disappears. Did they leave happy or frustrated? You cannot tell. A fair system does not bill for silence, because a closed tab is not proof of help.
Human handoffs
If the AI cannot resolve something and passes it to a person, that is the system working as intended. Handoffs should be free. Charging for them would punish you for the AI’s limits.
Multi-question threads
A customer asks three related questions in one conversation. That is one resolution, not three. Counting each question separately inflates both the metric and the bill.
Partial answers
If the AI answers part of a question but the customer still needs help, that is not a clean resolution. A partial or “sort of” answer should not be billed as a win.
Repeat visitors
Someone returns the next day with a brand new issue. That is a new conversation. But a follow-up to something already resolved in the same thread is not a fresh resolution.
How resolution rate is calculated
Resolution rate is the share of conversations the AI closes on its own:
Resolution rate = AI-resolved conversations ÷ total conversations handled
A 65% resolution rate means the AI closed about two-thirds of conversations without a human. The rest were handed off or are still open. Watch for vendors who calculate this generously by counting deflections or abandoned chats as resolutions. That inflates the number and, under per-resolution pricing, your invoice.
Why this affects your bill
Under per-resolution pricing, the definition of “resolution” is the price. A loose definition that counts silence and assumed resolutions costs you more for the same real outcomes. A tight, customer-favorable definition aligns the vendor’s incentive with yours: they earn when your customer is genuinely helped, and not otherwise.
This is the core of “resolve, don’t deflect.” A tool that profits from closed chats has a reason to close chats. A tool that profits only from real resolutions has a reason to actually solve problems.
Questions to ask a vendor
- What exactly counts as a resolution, in writing?
- Are abandoned chats and human handoffs billed?
- How are multi-question threads and follow-ups counted?
- Can I see the conversations behind my resolution rate?
- Can I set a spend cap so the bill cannot surprise me?
Key takeaways
- A resolution should mean the customer was genuinely helped, not just that a chat closed.
- Abandoned chats, handoffs, partial answers, and follow-ups should not be billed as resolutions.
- Resolution rate is AI-resolved conversations divided by total conversations.
- Under per-resolution pricing, the definition is the price, so read it carefully.
Before you adopt any per-resolution tool, get the definition in writing. See how Fidiora prices and defines it.
Resolve, don't deflect.
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