Our customer support team is consistently hitting their target for average ticket resolution time on our weekly scorecard, but client retention is dropping and we suspect they are closing tickets prematurely to game the metric. How do we restructure this scorecard number to prevent this behavior?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When employees are measured on a single speed-based metric, they will inevitably find ways to game the system to keep their numbers green. This is a common failure point when running on data. If you only track ticket resolution time, your team will close issues quickly, even if the client's problem is not actually solved.

To fix this, you must pair your efficiency metric with a quality metric. This creates healthy friction and ensures that speed does not come at the expense of service quality. We recommend replacing or balancing your average resolution time metric with these two numbers:
- Ticket reopen rate: The percentage of closed tickets that are reopened by the client within seven days. If this number spikes, it proves that your team is rushing to close tickets before they are fully resolved.
- Net promoter score or transactional feedback rating: A quick, automated survey sent immediately after a ticket is closed.

By putting both speed and quality metrics on your weekly scorecard, you force the support team to balance their behavior. The Operations seat owner must monitor both numbers. If the resolution time is green but the reopen rate is red, it indicates that the team is prioritizing metrics over client satisfaction. This allows you to bring the real issue to your Level 10 Meeting and solve it, ensuring your operational data reflects the true health of your client relationships.