Deflection rate
Deflection rate is the percentage of support contacts that are handled without ever reaching a human agent. It is one of the most reported and most misleading metrics in customer support.
The problem with deflection
Deflection measures avoidance, not success. If a customer opens a chat, gets three unhelpful articles, and closes the tab in frustration, that counts as a deflection. The metric looks great while the experience was terrible. Gartner reported in 2026 that only 9 percent of customers say a chatbot fully resolved their issue without a human, and that customers are three times more likely to reach for a third-party tool like ChatGPT than the company bot.
What to report instead
Use deflection only next to verified resolution rate, never alone. If you must show deflection, pair it with the reopen rate so a "deflected" ticket that bounced back is visible. Resolve is built to make that pairing the default view.
Frequently asked
Is a high deflection rate good?
Not by itself. A high deflection rate with a high reopen rate means customers are being turned away, not helped. Always read deflection next to verified resolution and reopen rate.
What is the difference between deflection and resolution?
Deflection means the customer did not reach a human. Resolution means the problem was actually solved. They are frequently confused, which is how a bad bot looks good on a dashboard.