Glossary
Ticket deflection
Definition
Ticket deflection is when a customer question is resolved by self-service or automation instead of reaching a human agent.
Ticket deflection counts the questions your team never had to touch: the customer got what they needed from a help center, an order-status page, or an AI agent, and no human ticket was created (or the created ticket was closed by automation).
The metric has a credibility problem: some vendors count a bot reply as a "deflection" even when the customer immediately asked for a human or gave up. Real deflection means the customer got the outcome they wanted - a refund issued, an order found, a cancellation processed - not that a bot merely responded.
Why it matters
Deflection is the lever that decouples support cost from order volume. But if you buy on a inflated deflection number, you pay for replies, not outcomes - and your CSAT quietly pays the difference.
How Resolvo HQ approaches it
Resolvo HQ only bills a resolution when the ticket is actually resolved - an action taken or a grounded answer accepted, not a reply sent. Escalations and clarifying questions are never billed, so the number you pay for is the number that matters.
Frequently asked
What is a good deflection rate for e-commerce?+
It depends on your mix. Stores heavy on WISMO, returns, and cancellations can automate a large share of volume because those answers live in structured data. Judge the rate on your own tickets, not a vendor average.
How is deflection different from resolution rate?+
Deflection is measured against all incoming questions (how many never needed a human). Resolution rate is measured against what the automation attempted (how many it actually finished). Both matter; the second is harder to fake.
See it on your own tickets
Replay real tickets in a sandbox and watch the agent resolve them before you pay.