TTFR

Time To First Response. A service desk metric measuring the elapsed time between a client submitting a ticket and a technician providing the first substantive response (not just an auto-acknowledgment). TTFR is the metric clients experience most directly — it is the strongest driver of perceived service quality. Most MSPs set TTFR targets by priority tier: P1 under 1 hour, P2 under 4 hours, P3 by end of next business day.

Measured from

Ticket creation timestamp to first human response timestamp — not automated acknowledgment.

Industry target

P1: <1 hour, P2: <4 hours, P3: <8 business hours, P4: <24 business hours.

Why it matters

TTFR is what clients tell their executive team about when your service is discussed. It's the first number to fix if CSAT is low.