Review the actual conversation
Record the inquiry arrival timestamp, time zone, first human response and any agreed business-hours rule. Keep missing timestamps explicit. Group repeated attempts about the same request so retries do not reset the start time and make responses appear faster.
A worked example
Fictional example: a request arrives at 5:55 p.m., an automatic message appears at 5:55, and a person responds at 6:10. Human response time is fifteen minutes; acknowledgment time is near zero. If the business measures only staffed hours and closes at 6 p.m., that requires a separate named calculation, not silently replacing the elapsed interval.
Choose the next action
Choose the interval relevant to the decision and preserve the original timestamps. Calculate each eligible inquiry’s duration before summarizing; show the count with missing data. Inspect unusually long or negative intervals for time-zone or event-definition problems rather than deleting them without explanation.
Check whether it worked
Compare similar shifts and request types after a coverage change. Present counts and a distribution or median where useful, not only a single average. Faster responses do not prove bookings or completed jobs. If response times improve but customer outcomes do not, review fit, scope and actual availability.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Start event definition
- End event definition
- Original timestamps and time zones
- Elapsed interval or missing reason
- Comparable shift review
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.