Many support teams want to track Average Chat Resolution Time to understand how long live chats take from start to finish. BoldDesk does not provide a native metric called “Average Chat Resolution Time.” Instead, chat performance is evaluated using SLA residual metrics that align with BoldDesk’s ticketing, automation, and reporting model. These metrics focus on how chats perform against configured SLA targets, rather than measuring total chat duration from start to finish.

This guide explains how to use BoldDesk Reports, SLAs, and Chat dashboards to assess chat resolution efficiency using platform‑supported data only.

BoldDesk Chat Metrics: What’s Actually Available

In BoldDesk, live chats follow the same SLA framework as tickets. As a result, chat analytics rely on residual SLA metrics, not absolute duration counters.

Supported Chat SLA Metrics

You can analyze chat efficiency using the following BoldDesk-defined metrics:

• Average First Response Residual Time
  Measures how quickly an agent sends the first reply compared to the SLA target.

• Average Next Response Residual Time
  Measures response speed after the initial reply, based on SLA rules.

• Average Resolution Residual Time
  Measures how long it takes for a chat to be resolved or closed relative to SLA expectations.

Where to Find Chat Residual Metrics in BoldDesk

Follow these steps to locate the available metrics:

1. Navigate to: Reports → Agent or Group Performance Dashboard → Chat tab
2. On the third widget, check the metrics
3. Review Metrics in the Third Widget
   • Average First Response Residual Time
   • Average Next Response Residual Time
   • Average Resolution Residual Time
   • (Plus other SLA-related metrics depending on dashboard)

These represent BoldDesk’s closest available metrics for evaluating chat completion efficiency, even though they do not measure the full start‑to‑finish resolution duration.

How to Use Residual Metrics to Evaluate Chat Completion Efficiency

Because BoldDesk does not expose “Average Chat Resolution Time,” use the residual metrics to evaluate whether chat handling is trending faster or slower against SLA expectations:

• Improving (more favorable) Average Resolution Residual Time indicates chats are being resolved closer to (or ahead of) the SLA target.
• Improving First Response and Next Response residual times indicate faster conversational pacing, which often correlates with faster closure, but does not measure total duration end-to-end.

Human Hours Saved in Chat

BoldDesk uses the same residual metrics—first response residual time, next response residual time, and resolution residual time—as indicators for Human Hours Saved through AI-powered chat automation.

Troubleshooting: Why Chat Residual Metrics Are Missing

User cannot see Reports: The user role does not include permission to access Reports dashboards.
Wrong dashboard/tab: The residual chat metrics are shown under Agent/Group Performance Dashboard → Chat tab, specifically in the third widget.
Expecting “Average Chat Resolution Time”: BoldDesk does not provide this metric; only residual SLA metrics are available.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does BoldDesk provide a direct “Average Chat Resolution Time”?
   No. BoldDesk provides residual SLA metrics for chat instead of an absolute start-to-finish chat duration metric.

2. Do residual SLA metrics equal start-to-finish chat duration?
   No. Residual metrics measure performance relative to SLA targets, not total chat duration.

3. Where can chat SLA compliance metrics be found?
   Use Reports → Chat SLA Dashboard.

4. Can chat performance data be exported?
   Export capability is mentioned, but export format, scope, and exact steps are not specified in the provided content.

5. Do AI improvements affect these residual metrics?
   Yes. Faster responses and faster resolution generally improve the residual SLA metrics.