Deflection vs Resolution

How they differ

Deflection counts interactions that never reach a human — the customer got an answer from a help center or bot, or simply didn't open a ticket. Resolution counts problems that were genuinely solved, whether by AI, self-service, or a person. A ticket can be deflected without being resolved: if a frustrated customer gives up, that's a deflection but not a resolution.

Good automation aims for both — but resolution is the honest measure of whether the customer's need was actually met.

Why it matters for support

Deflection is easy to inflate and easy to misread as success, because it only measures avoidance. Pairing it with resolution rate and CSAT keeps you honest: you want tickets solved, not just kept away from your team. This is also why outcome-based pricing gets contentious — vendors define "resolution" differently, so what counts as a billable win varies.

• Deflection: ticket never reached a human
• Resolution: the customer's problem was actually solved
• A deflected ticket isn't necessarily a resolved one