---
title: "Resolution time: what it is and how to measure it | attendo"
description: "What resolution time is, which pauses to subtract, why the average misleads (use the median and 90th percentile) and how to check it against reopened tickets."
url: "https://attendo.me/en/glossary/resolution-time"
lang: "en"
---

# Resolution time: how to measure it without fooling yourself

Also known as: Time to resolution

Resolution time is how long a case takes from the moment it comes in until it is closed as resolved.

## The pauses you should subtract

If you are waiting for information from the customer, a part from the supplier or the agreed maintenance window, that time should not count against you. An [SLA](https://attendo.me/en/glossary/sla) without pauses turns the metric into a lottery and discourages exactly what you want: asking for the missing information.

But pauses can be misused too. If a large share of your cases is always “waiting on customer,” that label is probably hiding stalled work.

## The average lies

Use the **median** and the **90th percentile**. An 8-hour average can hide the fact that one case in ten takes three weeks, and those are exactly the ones that generate complaints.

## The usual mistake

Closing cases to improve the metric, only for the customer to reopen them. Always look at resolution time alongside [reopened tickets](https://attendo.me/en/glossary/reopened-ticket): if one goes down and the other goes up, you have not improved anything.

## In attendo

The clock pauses when the next step depends on the customer, and the SLA report on the [contract](https://attendo.me/en/modules/contracts-and-sla) separates response and resolution. The reopened ticket and queue age reports let you cross-check it.

- [attendo Ticketing](https://attendo.me/en/ticketing)

## Where it is used in attendo

### Modules

- [Contracts and SLA](https://attendo.me/en/modules/contracts-and-sla): Scope, SLA and hour bank, measured on every ticket
- [Timeline](https://attendo.me/en/modules/timeline): All activity on the document, in order, with its author and channel
- [Kanban](https://attendo.me/en/modules/kanban): Boards by status for any document type

### Industries that use these modules

- [Facility maintenance and services](https://attendo.me/en/industries/facility-maintenance)
- [Elevators and escalators](https://attendo.me/en/industries/elevators)
- [Repair and after-sales service](https://attendo.me/en/industries/after-sales-repair)
- [IT services and MSPs](https://attendo.me/en/industries/it-services)
- [And any other business](https://attendo.me/en/industries)

## Related terms

Support and service

### SLA

Service level agreement

An SLA (service level agreement) is the written commitment, usually part of a contract, on how quickly you will respond to and resolve a customer’s tickets.

Support and service

### Reopened ticket

Ticket reopen

A reopened ticket is a closed ticket that is opened again because the fix was incomplete or the problem has come back.

Support and service

### First response time

FRT

First response time is how long your team takes to send a meaningful reply after a ticket comes in.

[See all 53 glossary terms](https://attendo.me/en/glossary)

## Shall we look at it with your data?

We will show you how what you just read works in attendo, with your own assets, tickets and customers. If it is not a fit, we will tell you.

- With your operation, not a generic demo
- A real person from our team replies
- No cold calls afterwards

Would you rather talk first?

- Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530)
- Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me)
- Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)