CALCULATORS · FIELD SERVICE KPIS
First-Time Fix Rate Calculator: Formula and Worked Example
First-time fix rate is the share of jobs a technician finishes on the first visit. Enter the jobs fixed on the first visit and the total jobs for the same period, and the calculator returns the rate.
How to use the calculator
- Pick one period and one group of technicians, such as last week for the whole team.
- Count the jobs that were resolved on the first visit and enter that number under jobs fixed on the first visit.
- Count every job in the same period, including the ones that needed a return trip, and enter it under total jobs.
- Read the rate under the form. It updates as you type. An empty field asks for a value and never counts as zero, and both fields take whole numbers.
The formula
- In words: first-time fix rate = jobs fixed on the first visit ÷ total jobs
- In symbols: FTFR = F ÷ T, shown as a percent (× 100)
This is the same ratio the glossary entry gives: issues resolved on the first visit divided by total service calls. Here, jobs stand in for service calls.
A job counts as fixed on the first visit when the problem was resolved with no return trip for parts, a second technician or a missed diagnosis. Set that rule before you count and keep it the same each period.
If total jobs is zero there is nothing to divide by, so the calculator says so instead of showing 0%. Fixes cannot outnumber jobs, so a larger fix count is flagged as a counting mistake.
Worked example: 18 of 22 jobs fixed on the first visit
A team ran 22 jobs in a week. 18 were fixed on the first visit and 4 needed a return trip. The rate is 18 ÷ 22, or 81.82%.
| Jobs fixed on the first visit | 18 |
|---|---|
| Jobs that needed a return trip | 4 |
| Total jobs | 22 |
| First-time fix rate | 81.82% |
The 4 return trips are what keep the rate below 100%. Fixing one more job on the first visit would make it 19 ÷ 22, or 86.36%.
What moves the number
The rate changes when either count changes, and also when the rule for counting jobs changes.
- Return trips for parts: a job that waits on a part is not fixed on the first visit.
- Diagnosis and skills: sending a technician without the right skill or enough fault information often leads to a second visit.
- Which jobs are counted: routine scheduled visits that rarely need a return trip raise the rate if they are mixed in with repair calls. Count the same kinds of jobs each period.
- Small samples: with 22 jobs, one extra return trip moves the rate by about 4.5 percentage points, so read a single week with care.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate first-time fix rate?
Divide the jobs fixed on the first visit by the total jobs in the same period, then show it as a percent. With 18 first-visit fixes out of 22 jobs, that is 18 ÷ 22, or 81.82%.
What counts as fixed on the first visit?
A job where the problem was resolved without a return trip for parts, a second technician or a missed diagnosis. The exact rule is yours to set. What matters is applying the same rule to every job and every period, so the numbers can be compared.
Why does the calculator show no rate when total jobs is zero?
With no jobs there is nothing to divide by, so a rate does not exist. Showing 0% would say every job failed and showing 100% would say the opposite. The calculator asks for at least one job instead.