Where the work gets stuck
Decide what makes a reply useful before measuring response time. With Watermelon, measure how long it takes to answer the question, pass the details to staff, and fully resolve the request. Track each stage separately to check whether the shared inbox and automatic replies help people get support.
What to prepare
- The time each request arrives and receives a reply, using similar requests for comparison
- Agreed definitions of a useful reply and a resolved request
- The staff responsible for each support topic and their working hours
Follow these steps
- Measure current response times for one routine topic and one type of request that needs staff help.
- Test the approved routine answer and the rules for assigning requests to staff.
- Review the time taken to give a useful answer, reach staff, and resolve the request.
- Compare similar cases and include repeat contacts and staff review effort.
An example from everyday work
Current public information may fully answer a course-fee question. An individual application problem may need to go to an adviser for a later reply. Recording both as instantly resolved would hide the wait for the adviser.
When your team should take over
Do not use a generic percentage improvement or guarantee from a marketing page as your own result. Measure the same stages with comparable work.
How to check the results
- Time to a meaningful answer
- Time waiting for the assigned staff member
- Resolution quality and repeat contacts
Your next step
Look at the oldest unresolved requests as well as the average. A healthy average can hide a small queue of people who have been waiting too long.