How to calculate deflection rate
Deflection rate = (conversations resolved without a human / total conversations) × 100. The denominator usually includes all inbound conversations across channels. The numerator includes help-center self-service resolutions, chatbot resolutions, and AI agent resolutions where the customer did not request a human.
What is a good deflection rate?
For SMB customer support teams using a modern AI agent and a well-maintained help center, deflection rates of 30-50% are common. Teams with deeper automation and integrations can reach 60-70%. The right target depends on issue complexity and tolerance for AI handling.
How to improve deflection rate
Keep the help center comprehensive and current, train AI agents on past conversations and integrations (not just docs), surface relevant articles in chat before the customer types, and review AI conversations regularly to expand answer coverage.