---
url: 'https://www.corbado.com/kpi/authentication-support-ticket-rate'
title: 'Authentication Support Ticket Rate'
description: 'Portion of all support tickets caused by login and authentication issues, used to quantify auth friction, support cost and improvement impact.'
lang: 'en'
---

# Authentication Support Ticket Rate

## What is the Authentication Support Ticket Rate?

**Authentication Support Ticket Rate** measures how much of our helpdesk volume is driven
by login and authentication problems. It captures the operational burden of
[authentication friction](https://www.corbado.com/blog/login-friction-kills-conversion), because every ticket
represents a user who could not self serve their way back into an authenticated state.

> **Key facts on Authentication Support Ticket Rate**
> 
> - **What it captures**: The share of support demand caused by login, account access, and
>   verification issues
> - **Primary use**: Quantify support burden and cost tied to
>   [authentication friction](https://www.corbado.com/blog/login-friction-kills-conversion)
> - **Interpretation**: Lower is better, spikes usually indicate a product change, an
>   outage, or a policy shift

## Where does the Authentication Support Ticket Rate fit in the login funnel?

**Authentication Support Ticket Rate** sits after a user fails to complete authentication
and chooses to escalate to support instead of retrying or using self service recovery.
Measurement boundary: we start when a support ticket is created and end when that ticket
is classified for reporting, using the first stable category applied within our chosen
window.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    OA((Offer Auth))
    SA((Start Auth))
    SuA((Success Auth))
    FA((Fail Auth))
    ST((Create Support Ticket))

    OA --> SA --> SuA
    SA --> FA --> ST
```

## How to calculate the Authentication Support Tickets?

We calculate **Authentication Support Ticket Rate** on unique tickets, counted once per
ticket identifier, within a fixed reporting period such as a week or month. We do not
count replies, reopens or internal notes as additional tickets.

> $$\text{AST}=\frac{\text{Auth Related Tickets}}{\text{Total Support Tickets}}$$

- `Auth Related Tickets` are tickets tagged as authentication or login issues within the
  period.
- `Total Support Tickets` are all valid support tickets created in the same period.

Typical ranges vary by product and user base, but these bands are often useful for triage.

| Performance band        | Practical meaning                                |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Strong                  | Self service and auth UX are working well        |
| Typical                 | Auth is a major support driver and a cost center |
| With high passkey usage | Password and MFA pain is largely removed         |
| Critical                | Auth is blocking access at scale                 |

### Numerator: Auth Related Tickets

Counts tickets where the primary user problem is account access, for example
[password reset](https://www.corbado.com/blog/password-reset-increase-customer-retention) help, lockouts, MFA
code problems, [authenticator](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/authenticator) app issues, confusing login errors
or account recovery after device loss. Exclude tickets where authentication is only
mentioned in passing and the core issue is billing, product usage or general
[troubleshooting](https://www.corbado.com/blog/passkey-troubleshooting-solutions).

### Denominator: Total Support Tickets

Counts all inbound customer or employee support tickets created in the period. Phone calls
are often the biggest driver of support cost and should be recorded as tickets to be
included in this metric. Exclude spam, duplicates created by tooling and test tickets.
Keep inclusion rules stable over time so trend changes reflect reality, not process drift.

### How to use Authentication Support Ticket Rate to improve outcomes

We use **Authentication Support Tickets** to target the highest cost sources of access
friction and validate that changes reduce real support load.

We can improve the following business outcomes:

- **Lower support cost**: If the KPI rises, we diagnose which auth category is growing and
  whether self service completion dropped. We improve recovery flows and reduce
  preventable lockouts. We validate with a sustained drop in ticket share and absolute
  volume.
- **Lower user drop off during sign in**: If the KPI rises after a release, we diagnose
  error messages and client or server failures by platform. We fix UX, reliability, and
  messaging. We validate by seeing fewer tickets tied to the same error reasons.
- **Reduce MFA driven frustration**: If tickets cluster around codes and device changes,
  we diagnose challenge delivery and enrollment flows. We add more robust methods such as
  passkeys and clearer fallback. We validate by a reduced MFA ticket fraction.
- **Reduce repeat contacts**: If the same users open multiple tickets, we diagnose
  recovery loops and unclear next steps. We tighten resolution playbooks and in product
  guidance. We validate by fewer repeat ticketers per month.

### Blindspots and common pitfalls of Authentication Support Tickets

- **Intent and selection bias**: Many users who fail authentication never contact support,
  they abandon. The KPI can look good while access is still broken.
- **Missing telemetry and inconsistent logging**: If tagging is manual or optional,
  classification quality changes the KPI more than the product does.
- **Mix shift across segments**: A shift toward more new users, more mobile users, or a
  new region can raise tickets without any auth regression.
- **Process changes**: Adding chat, deflecting to a bot, or changing routing can move
  volume between channels and distort comparisons.