# Deflection rate

> Conversations kept away from a human queue. The most quoted and least defined number in support automation, and what to pin down before you quote it.

The share of conversations that did not reach a human queue. In practice it is whichever of several different numbers a vendor has chosen to call deflection.

## Pin down which one is meant

| | |
|---|---|
| Never queued | The conversation ended before a handoff was requested. |
| Queued then abandoned | Counted as deflected by some vendors. The customer left. |
| Answered by an article | A help-centre view counted without any conversation at all. |
| Handed off but resolved first | Counted either way depending on the vendor. |

These produce materially different figures on the same traffic. Two vendors quoting 70 percent deflection may not be measuring the same thing at all.

## Why it flatters hardest

Of all the outcome rates, deflection is the one most improved by a customer giving up. Someone who leaves in frustration is deflected under nearly every definition in use.

Before accepting a deflection figure, ask what happens to a conversation where the customer stopped replying. The answer tells you what the number is worth.

---

Source: https://evidova.com/glossary/deflection-rate