FIRST-TIME FIX RATE

First-Time Fix Rate: Benchmarks and How to Improve It

First-time fix rate is the clearest measure of whether your dispatch process works. The industry average sits at 70–80%, and contractors above 80% report saving 30–40% on service delivery costs.

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Benchmarks

Where your first-time fix rate should sit

FTFR is the single metric that connects dispatch quality to profit. It is also the metric most contractors estimate rather than measure.

Industry average

70–80%

Strong performance

80–90%

Top tier

90%+

Service cost savings above 80%

30–40%

Formula: jobs resolved on the first visit ÷ total jobs, measured monthly. Track it by technician and by job type — the pattern usually points at a parts or diagnostic gap rather than a person.

Method

How to raise first-time fix rate

Every point of FTFR improvement comes from removing a reason the technician could not finish. Four of the five reasons are known before dispatch.

Measure it honestly

Count return visits, including the ones logged as new jobs. Most contractors under-report.

Diagnose before dispatch

Capture photos, video, and equipment nameplate data from the customer before scheduling.

Stock from the diagnosis

Load the truck against a ranked parts list rather than a general-purpose kit.

Carry the history

Give the technician prior visits, warranty status, and equipment age in one packet.

Review the misses

Every return visit gets a cause code. The pattern tells you what to fix next month.

FAQ

Common questions

What is first-time fix rate?

First-time fix rate (FTFR) is the percentage of service jobs completed correctly on the first visit, with no return trip required. It is calculated as jobs resolved on the first visit divided by total jobs, over a set period.

What is a good first-time fix rate?

Industry benchmarks put the average at 70–80%. A rate above 80% is a strong result and 90%+ places a contractor in the top tier of field service performance.

How much money does a higher first-time fix rate save?

Companies achieving above 80% FTFR report saving 30–40% on service delivery costs, driven by eliminated repeat visits and better technician utilisation. One commercial HVAC contractor that closed its information gaps cut callbacks by 64% and freed 11 additional billable calls per technician per month.

What lowers first-time fix rate the most?

Five causes account for most sub-85% performance: incomplete diagnostics, wrong or missing parts, no equipment history, poor handoff documentation, and technician knowledge gaps.