First-Time Fix Rate
What is First-Time Fix Rate?
First-time fix rate (FTFR) is the share of jobs that are fully resolved on the first visit, with no return trip required. It is calculated as jobs resolved on the first visit ÷ total jobs, expressed as a percent. A return trip means a second dispatch — more drive time, more labor, and a customer kept waiting — almost all of it usually unbillable, so the first-time fix rate connects directly to both cost and customer satisfaction. A higher rate means more jobs closed per dispatch and fewer paid hours spent re-solving problems already visited, which is why it is a core operational metric in field service.
Every job that needs a second visit costs twice to do once. The technician drives out again, burns a second round of job-time labor, and the customer waits again — and that return trip is almost always on the operator’s dime, not the customer’s. First-time fix rate measures how often you avoid that: the fraction of jobs closed completely on the first dispatch.
The causes of a low rate are usually fixable and worth chasing, because each is a different leak. A truck that arrives without the right part forces a return; a vague work order sends a tech in underprepared; a misdiagnosis sends them back to start over. Each repeat visit eats billable capacity that could have gone to new work, which is why the metric ties straight to crew utilization and the effective rate.
It is also a customer-experience number: people judge a service company heavily on whether the problem got solved the first time. Stocking trucks well and writing clear work orders are the most direct ways to move it.