{"id":13852,"date":"2023-08-10T08:14:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T14:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/?page_id=13852"},"modified":"2025-05-29T20:59:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T02:59:51","slug":"first-time-fix-rate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/learn\/metrics\/first-time-fix-rate\/","title":{"rendered":"First Time Fix Rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

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First Time Fix Rate (FTFR)<\/h1>

Everything you ever needed to know about first time fix rate.<\/h2><\/header>Free Guide to Maintenance Metrics<\/span><\/a>\n
\n \n <\/span>Last updated on May 29, 2025<\/span>\n <\/span>\n bBrinton<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n [\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687442797424{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

What is First Time Fix Rate?<\/span><\/h2>\n

First Time Fix Rate (FTFR) is a metric used to determine the efficacy of a maintenance call. When a repair is not successful on the first attempt, problems for the business can compound.<\/span><\/p>\n

A business can improve the rate of fixes by measuring and focusing on this metric. This ultimately leads to an improvement in the bottom line.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687442797424{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Table of Contents<\/span><\/h2>\n

How to calculate First Time Fix Rate?<\/a>
\nHow to improve First Time Fix Rate<\/a>
\nMaintain a high First Time Fix Rate<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-bottom” kd_top_separator_style=”skew-left” kd_top_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_bottom_separator_style=”skew-left” kd_bottom_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_top_separator=”true” kd_bottom_separator=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1682969636891{margin-bottom: 40px !important;padding-top: 120px !important;padding-right: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;padding-left: 40px !important;background: #dde4e8 url(https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cta-laired-hex-4.webp?id=9077) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;border-radius: 0px !important;}” css_tablet_landscape=”.vc_custom_1682969636891{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_tablet_portrait=”.vc_custom_1682969636891{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_mobile=”.vc_custom_1682969636892{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column_inner]

The Essential Guide to CMMS<\/h2>
Download this helpful guide to everything a CMMS has to offer.<\/h6><\/header>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner content_placement=”top” kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 50px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-12 vc_col-xs-12″ css_tablet_landscape=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 0px !important;}” css_tablet_portrait=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 0px !important;}” css_mobile=”.vc_custom_1631866454224{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image source=”external_link” alignment=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn” custom_src=”https:\/\/3975608.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net\/hubfs\/3975608\/Content%20Downloads\/CMMS%20Guide%20mockup.png”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687440273251{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to calculate First Time Fix Rate<\/h2>\n

Put simply, the FTFR is a percentage of first-try repair success, without needing additional information, expertise, or parts.<\/span><\/p>\n

To calculate FTFR, divide the number of times the first fix is successful by the total number of maintenance calls. The resulting percentage is your FTFR.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you have to respond to 100 maintenance calls in one week. If the number of times the issue was fixed without a return visit was 78, then you end up with an <\/span>FTFR of 78\/100<\/b>, or <\/span>78%<\/b> for the week.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have context information for each job, this metric can be sliced any way you like \u2014 whether by area, equipment, job type, or technician. This tactic allows you to understand where the strengths and weaknesses are in your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Impacts of FTFR<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to an <\/span>Aberdeen Group study<\/span><\/a>, the industry average FTFR is around 75%. \u201cBest-in-Class\u201d organizations can boast an FTFR of 89%, while some of the poorest performing businesses can face an FTFR close to 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Effects of a poor FTFR<\/span><\/h3>\n

Repeat trips back to a job can quickly add up to a domino-type effect. For example, assume there are 20 maintenance calls per day. If the FTFR is 90%, then 2 of those issues will need a return visit. But if the FTFR is something like 60%, now there are 8 repairs that need additional visits. Each of those return trips takes away man-hours for moving on to the next problem on the list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To further illustrate this financially, assume each hour of technician time costs $100 and the average job takes 1 hour of time. If 8 repairs are getting additional visits, that is $800 worth of time that needs to be accounted for somehow, not even counting in the potential gasoline costs and other expenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is easy to see how this can compound into further issues with overtime, schedule changes, and late orders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of a high FTFR<\/span><\/h3>\n

Conversely, a high FTFR will result in cost savings, with repair technician time being used more efficiently. Furthermore, the end users will be happier with the repair team and carry a sense of assurance that maintenance can handle most problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is especially important if you are running a service repair business \u2014 most people report they will change businesses if their first response is not satisfactory.<\/span><\/p>\n

A high FTFR not only saves time and money, but it also fosters a high level of confidence in the operation, and ultimately reduces business risk. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687440273251{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to improve First Time Fix Rate<\/h2>\n

As we have seen, a low FTFR will cost your organization time, money, and reputation. So it\u2019s important to work at increasing a poor FTFR.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand maintenance and asset data<\/span><\/h3>\n

The first step in improving First Time Fix Rate is to understand why the metric is subpar. Are there certain technicians who are struggling, or specific types of jobs that your business grapples with? Maybe one machine is a constant nuisance and needs its own, focused project. <\/span>Knowing the root cause of the problem<\/span><\/a> will help you build a directed plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can make this study much easier by using software to track the maintenance program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improve repair request information<\/span><\/h3>\n

Often the reason that a technician must leave the repair is that the initial diagnosis is either unclear or wrong. This can come from <\/span>a maintenance request<\/span><\/a> that is lacking information.<\/span><\/p>\n

One way to help the diagnosis is to enable an accessible service history. Ideally, technicians and\/or dispatchers could then use this to pre-determine the repair need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another way you can help is by guiding operators and customers to clearly report their repair issues. Instead of \u201cit\u2019s broken\u201d, have your end users explain exactly what is occurring. This can be as simple as giving them a script to answer, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n