First Response Time (FRT)

The time between when a customer sends their first message and when they receive a meaningful response. AI agents can reduce this to under 2 seconds.

Technical definition

FRT is measured from the timestamp of the customer's initial message to the timestamp of the first non-automated response. For AI agents, this includes the time for retrieval, LLM inference, and (optionally) AI Critic verification. For human agents, it includes queue wait time. FRT is a critical SLA metric that directly correlates with customer satisfaction.

How Verabase uses First Response Time

Verabase's AI agents typically achieve first response times under 2 seconds — retrieval takes ~200ms, LLM generation takes ~1s, and Critic verification adds ~500ms. This is displayed in Analytics → Response Times. For human handovers, Verabase tracks FRT separately so you can measure how quickly your team picks up escalated conversations. Alert rules can notify you when human FRT exceeds your SLA threshold.

Why it matters for support teams

Customers expect fast responses. A 2-second AI response vs. a 2-minute human queue wait is the difference between a satisfied customer and an abandoned conversation. Reducing FRT is the single easiest way to improve CSAT scores, and AI agents deliver it automatically, 24/7, without staffing constraints.

Related terms

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Rather than requiring manual intervention, our visual RAG engine drafts a proposed fix. It analyzes the context of the user's question, reviews your existing knowledge base for conflicts, and creates a clear, structured article or snippet. All you need to do is click 'Approve'. This ensures your AI agents continually get smarter over time without adding to your support team's workload.

Security First Architecture

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