A better Zendesk Explore recipe: How to report on and improve first reply time for messaging tickets

Let's be real. You know First Reply Time (FRT) is a big deal, but getting a straight answer out of Zendesk on how to measure and improve it can feel like a maze. You follow the official "recipes" to build reports in Zendesk Explore, only to end up with numbers that don't quite tell the whole story.

This guide is going to be different. We’ll cover the basics of reporting on FRT for your messaging tickets, but we won't stop there. The goal isn't just to track a number, it's to actually make it better. We'll show you how to move beyond tracking and start actively improving your reply times with some practical strategies that don't require a data analyst on speed dial.

What is first reply time and why does it matter?

First Reply Time is exactly what it sounds like: the time that passes between a customer sending a message and an agent sending the first public reply. It’s more than just a number on a dashboard; it’s one of the first impressions you make.

A customer's initial interaction really sets the tone. A long wait can create frustration, making them wonder if their message disappeared into the void. A quick response, on the other hand, shows you respect their time and are ready to help. It’s not just a feeling, either. Research shows that 60% of customers expect a response in 10 minutes or less, which tells you just how high the stakes are.

A low FRT isn't just about keeping customers happy; it's good for the bottom line. A fast response is the first step toward better customer satisfaction (CSAT) because people feel heard. For customers with pre-sales questions, a speedy answer can be the nudge they need to make a purchase before a competitor grabs their attention. It also helps your team’s efficiency, since quick replies cut down on those "just checking in" follow-up messages, freeing up the queue for everyone.

The standard Zendesk Explore recipe

Zendesk gives you the tools to measure FRT, but finding the data you actually need can sometimes feel like a puzzle. It’s a capable platform, but it’s not always straightforward.

How Zendesk's native reporting works

The official process, as you might have seen in Zendesk's help articles, involves heading into the Explore report builder. From there, you pick the "Chat - Messaging tickets" dataset and add the "First reply time (sec)" metric to your report. This will give you a basic chart showing your FRT over time.

While this is a decent place to start for a high-level look, you’ll probably hit a wall as soon as you try to dig a little deeper.

Common challenges with the standard Explore recipe

If you've ever tried building a custom FRT report, you've likely run into the same frustrations people share on forums like Reddit and the HubSpot Community. These aren't just small quirks; they can get in the way of seeing what's really going on.

• Business hours vs. calendar hours: The default FRT metric in Zendesk often uses calendar hours. This means if a ticket comes in at 6 PM on a Friday and your agent replies at 9 AM on Monday, the report might show an FRT of over 60 hours. This one detail can make your team’s performance look much worse than it is, leading to a lot of unnecessary stress.

• Getting too specific is tricky: What if you want to measure something more detailed, like the time between when a ticket is assigned and when an agent replies? Or maybe you need to exclude a certain team's tickets to analyze performance fairly. Getting this level of detail means you have to start writing custom formulas in Explore, which requires a technical skill set that many support managers just don't have the time to pick up.

• Reporting vs. solving: This is the biggest hurdle. A Zendesk Explore report is like a rearview mirror. It tells you what happened last week, but it doesn't do much to help you improve things tomorrow. It points out the problem but doesn't offer a solution.

3 ways to go beyond reporting and actually lower your FRT

The best way to get a better FRT report is to stop focusing so much on the report itself and start putting systems in place that cut down response times from the start. Instead of just measuring the delay, you can work on preventing it. This is where AI tools can really change the game.

1. Use instant AI triage

One of the biggest slowdowns in any helpdesk is manual triage. Before an agent can even begin to reply, someone has to read the new message, figure out what it's about, and send it to the right person or team. By the time that’s all done, valuable time has already passed, and your FRT is climbing.

AI-powered triage can get rid of this delay. An AI Triage tool like the one from eesel.ai connects directly to your Zendesk account to automatically tag tickets (like 'urgent_billing_issue'), send them to the correct queue, and flag them for immediate attention. This means your most important customer issues get seen by a person right away, instead of getting buried in a general inbox.

AI Triage automatically tagging and routing a customer ticket in the helpdesk, which is a key strategy for improving the Explore recipe: Reporting on first reply time for messaging tickets.

2. Automate common questions

A good portion of your ticket volume is probably made up of the same few questions asked over and over. "Where is my order?" "What's your return policy?" "How do I reset my password?" Every time an agent has to manually type out one of these answers, it slows them down and makes the customer wait.

These kinds of questions are perfect for automation. An AI agent can give instant, 24/7 answers to these common queries, which makes the FRT for those tickets practically zero. An AI Agent from eesel.ai can be trained on your past Zendesk tickets, help center articles, and even internal docs from places like Confluence or Google Docs. It learns your brand's voice and processes to provide accurate answers on its own, freeing up your team to focus on the tougher problems.

An AI Agent instantly answering a common customer question, demonstrating a method to enhance the Explore recipe: Reporting on first reply time for messaging tickets.

3. Give agents an AI copilot

Even for tricky tickets that need a human, the clock is ticking. An agent has to read the customer's message, understand the problem, hunt for information across different browser tabs, and then write a thoughtful, correct reply. Every second spent searching adds to your FRT.

An AI copilot can act as an agent's personal assistant, cutting out all that search time. It works inside the helpdesk to draft on-brand, accurate replies based on all of your company knowledge. For instance, the AI Copilot from eesel.ai suggests responses right inside the Zendesk interface. Agents don't have to leave the ticket to find what they need. They just review the AI-drafted reply, make any small adjustments, and send it off. This simple change can shave a lot of time off that first reply.

An AI Copilot drafting a reply for a support agent inside the helpdesk, a tactic that improves the Explore recipe: Reporting on first reply time for messaging tickets.

Investing in faster replies: What to expect

Zendesk Explore is a solid analytics tool, but it's typically only available on Zendesk Suite Professional plans and up, which can be a hefty investment. On top of the cost, getting good at it takes time and, for many companies, a dedicated person to build and manage reports.

AI tools are a complementary investment that can deliver a clear and quick return. By cutting down on manual work and improving metrics like FRT, they help with both team efficiency and customer happiness.

Unlike some helpdesk pricing, tools like eesel.ai offer clear pricing based on usage, so you aren't penalized for solving more customer issues. You can start with a flexible monthly plan and even simulate the AI's impact on your past tickets to see what the return on investment could look like. Best of all, the setup is self-serve. You can connect your helpdesk and get started in minutes, not the months it can take with other platforms.

Stop reporting and start preventing

Reporting on First Reply Time in Zendesk is a good first step, but it’s reactive. The native "Explore recipe" is a starting point, but its limits with things like business hours and custom segments mean it doesn't always give you the full picture. And even a perfect report doesn't fix the underlying issue.

A more proactive approach using AI to handle triage, automate common questions, and help your agents is the best way to consistently lower your FRT. By using these tools, you can shift your team's focus from just hitting numbers to delivering the kind of quick, easy support that makes customers stick around.

Ready to turn insights into action?

Instead of spending hours building complex reports that tell you you're slow, spend a few minutes setting up an AI that actually makes you fast. See how eesel AI can work with your Zendesk account and start resolving tickets in a fraction of the time.