Core metrics

What is resolution?

Also known as: ticket resolution, issue resolution

Published September 10, 2026 · Reviewed by the Fidiora team

Definition

A resolution in customer support is a request that ends with the customer having a correct, complete answer and no need to make contact again about the same issue. It is an outcome, not an activity. Closing a ticket is not a resolution if the customer returns with the same question.

Why it matters

Resolution is the only support metric that maps directly onto customer experience and onto cost. Every other number, including handle time, deflection, and first response time, is a proxy for how well you resolve. It is also becoming a billing unit, which makes the exact definition commercially important rather than academic.

What to know

  • A resolution is verified by absence: the customer does not come back about the same issue within a reasonable window.
  • Closing a ticket for inactivity is an administrative event, not a resolution, and mixing the two flatters your reporting.
  • When resolution is a billing unit, the definition should exclude abandonment, timeouts, and handoffs to a human.
  • Self-reported AI resolutions, where the model marks its own work, are the weakest form of the measurement.
  • Reopen rate is the cheapest sanity check on whether your resolution count is honest.

An example

Example: a customer asks how to change their billing address, gets a correct set of steps, completes the change, and never contacts support about it again. That is one resolution. A customer who receives an article link, does not act on it, and emails again the next day is not.

Common mistakes

  • Counting auto-closed and timed-out tickets as resolved
  • Letting the AI grade its own resolutions with no reopen check
  • Comparing vendor resolution rates without reading each definition
  • Reporting resolution volume without reporting reopen rate beside it
Where Fidiora fits

Fidiora defines a resolution in the customer favour and publishes the definition in full. Abandoned chats, silent timeouts, and any conversation handed to a human are never billed. That is the whole point of pricing per resolution: the vendor only earns when the customer is genuinely helped.

See Pricing
FAQ

Questions

How do you know a ticket was really resolved?
The strongest signal is the absence of a repeat contact about the same issue within a set window, usually seven to fourteen days. Pair that with a lightweight satisfaction prompt and a reopen rate, and you have a defensible number.
Should AI be allowed to mark its own resolutions?
Only with a check. A model that grades its own output will overstate. Tie the count to reopen behaviour or an explicit customer confirmation so the number reflects the outcome rather than the intent.
Why does the definition of a resolution matter for pricing?
Because it is the unit you are billed on. A loose definition that counts abandonment as resolved converts customer frustration into vendor revenue. Read the definition before you sign anything priced per resolution.

Related terms

Ticket deflection Ticket deflection is any action that prevents a customer request from becoming a human-handled ticket. It counts help ce... Resolution rate Resolution rate is the share of customer contacts that end in a genuine resolution. When applied to AI support it usuall... Reopen rate Reopen rate is the share of tickets marked resolved that are subsequently reopened, either by the customer replying or b... Per-resolution pricing Per-resolution pricing charges only when a customer issue is genuinely resolved. Abandoned chats, timeouts, and conversa...
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