What is a good first contact resolution (FCR) rate?

For a mature help desk, 70–75% or higher is healthy. Below about 60% usually points to thin staffing, weak documentation, or under-skilled first-line agents. Always check how the provider defines "resolved" — some count a ticket closed the moment it is assigned.

What is a typical help desk response time SLA?

It should be tiered by priority, not a single number. A critical outage might carry a 15–30 minute response target, while a routine request might be a few hours. The important thing is that both response and resolution times are defined per priority level.

Which matters more, CSAT or FCR?

They measure different things and are best read together. FCR tells you whether problems actually get fixed; CSAT tells you whether users felt well served. A strong help desk scores well on both — one without the other usually hides a problem.

Why can a low Average Handle Time (AHT) be a bad sign?

Because AHT is easy to game. Pressuring agents to close tickets faster can mean issues are rushed or closed prematurely, which lowers first contact resolution and pushes the same problems back into the queue. Read AHT alongside FCR, never on its own.

What should a good help desk SLA include?

Clear definitions of FCR and CSAT, tiered response and resolution targets by priority, defined support hours (and whether after-hours is staffed or on-call), transparent reporting you can actually see, and a stated remedy when a target is missed.