timetoreply Terminology and Definitions

 

Average First Reply Time

The average time taken for the first reply in a conversation.
Only the first reply per conversation is counted, and only the first person who replies is included.

Average Overall Reply Time

The average time taken to reply to emails.
All replies sent by the mailbox(es) selected in “Show Report For” are included.

Average Time To Forward

The average time taken to forward emails.
Any forward within a conversation is counted.

Average Time To Close

The average time taken to close a conversation.
This is measured from the first email to the last email in the conversation.

Conversation Reply Rate

The percentage of conversations that received a first reply from the selected mailbox(es), compared to the total number of conversations.

Conversation Categories

Total Conversations

All conversations.

Internal Conversations

Conversations where all participants have internal domain names.
Email addresses do not need to be linked to timetoreply.

Inbound Conversations

Conversations started by an email address without an internal domain.

Outbound Conversations

Conversations started by an email address with an internal domain.
Email addresses do not need to be linked to timetoreply.

Conversations Sent Internally

Conversations where the most recent email includes only participants with internal domains.

Conversations Awaiting Contact Response

Conversations where the most recent email was sent from an internal domain and at least one recipient does not have an internal domain.

Conversations Awaiting Mailbox Response

Conversations where the most recent email was not sent from an internal domain.

Closed Conversations

Conversations marked as closed using any available closing method in timetoreply.

Conversations That Have Replies

Conversations with at least one reply message (regardless of who sent it).

Conversations That Have Replies from Mailboxes

Conversations with at least one reply from the mailbox(es) selected in “Show Report For.”

Message Types

Messages Count

All email messages.

First Messages

Emails that start a new conversation.

Reply Messages

Emails sent in response to a previous message in the same conversation.
Reply status is determined by participant email addresses — not subject line prefixes like “RE:”.

Forwarded Messages

Emails sent to a completely new participant in the conversation.
Determined by participant email addresses — not subject line prefixes like “FW:”.

Follow-Up Messages

Emails where the same sender emails the same recipients again in the same conversation.

Received Messages (Selected Mailboxes)

These metrics apply only to mailbox(es) selected in “Show Report For.”

• Received Messages – All emails received

• Initial Messages Received – First emails in new conversations

• Reply Messages Received – Reply emails received

• Forwarded Messages Received – Forward emails received

• Follow-Up Messages Received – Follow-up emails received

• Initial Reply Messages Received – First reply emails received

Sent Messages (Selected Mailboxes)

• Sent Messages – All emails sent

• Initial Messages Sent – First emails sent in new conversations

• Reply Messages Sent – Reply emails sent

• Forward Messages Sent – Forward emails sent

• Follow-Up Messages Sent – Follow-up emails sent

• Initial Reply Messages Sent – First reply emails sent

Reply Time Calculations

Overall Reply Time (With Business Hours)

Reply time is calculated for each reply message, taking into account:

• Business hours

• Time zones of the sending email address

An average is then calculated.

Overall Reply Time (Ignoring Business Hours)

Reply times are calculated without considering business hours, then averaged.

SLA Metrics (Overall Reply Time)

Messages Within SLA

Messages with reply times less than or equal to your Overall Reply Time SLA goal.

Messages That Breached SLA

Messages with reply times greater than your Overall Reply Time SLA goal.

Messages Excluded from SLA Targets

Messages with reply times greater than your Outliers Filter threshold.

First Reply Time Metrics

First Reply Time (With Business Hours)

First reply times are calculated using business hours and time zones, then averaged.

First Reply Time (Ignoring Business Hours)

First reply times are calculated without business hour adjustments, then averaged.

First Reply Messages Within SLA

First replies meeting or beating the First Reply Time SLA goal.

First Reply Messages That Breached SLA

First replies exceeding the SLA goal.

First Reply Messages Excluded from SLA

First replies exceeding the Outliers Filter threshold.

Time To Forward

With Business Hours

Forward “reply times” are calculated using business hours and time zones, then averaged.

Ignoring Business Hours

Forward times are calculated without business hour adjustments, then averaged.

Time To Close

With Business Hours

Measured from the first message to the last message in a conversation.

• If handled by one mailbox → that mailbox’s business hours and time zone are used.

• If handled by multiple mailboxes → company business hours are used.

Ignoring Business Hours

Measured from first to last message without business hour adjustments.

Time To Close Within SLA

Conversations closed within your Time To Close SLA goal.

Time To Close Breached SLA

Conversations exceeding your Time To Close SLA goal.

Consistency Score

The Consistency Score measures how predictable and steady your reply times are.

It uses a statistical method called median absolute deviation to calculate how much reply times vary from the median.

• Lower variation = more consistent response times

• Higher consistency = higher score

This metric helps you understand not just how fast you respond, but how reliably you meet expectations over time.