What is Deflection rate?
Share of support requests resolved without a human. Useful when measured honestly; misleading when silence counts as success.
Updated June 2026
Deflection rate is the percentage of inbound support requests handled without ever reaching a human agent. In plain terms: deflected requests divided by total inbound requests, times 100. Used carefully, it shows how much volume self-service and AI keep off the agent queue.
The catch is what you count. A customer who gets a complete answer from a help article or AI agent is a real deflection. A customer who gives up in frustration is not, even though they never reached a human. Track resolution, not mere silence, or the number lies. For the formula, benchmarks, and savings math, the full ticket deflection guide linked below covers it.
See it on SupportWire
Related terms
- Resolution rate The share of conversations an AI agent fully closes on its own. The most honest measure of whether your AI actually solves problems.
- Involvement rate How much of your inbound support volume the AI agent touches, whatever the outcome. A measure of footprint.
- Automation rate Resolution rate times involvement rate. The single number that ties AI impact to cost and capacity.
- Containment rate The share of conversations kept inside the automated experience. Directional at best, misleading as a success measure.