Side Conversation Rate
Also known as: Internal Collaboration Rate, Side Conversation Usage
Side Conversation Rate is the share of tickets that required at least one side conversation — an email, Slack thread, Teams message, or child ticket opened alongside the main conversation to get help from someone outside the ticket. Zendesk has no native Explore dataset for side conversations, so the metric is normally derived from tags applied by triggers.
Why Side Conversation Rate Matters
Side conversations are where dependency work hides. A ticket that needs three internal threads consumes far more capacity than one that needs none, yet both count as one ticket in volume reporting. Tracking the rate turns invisible coordination load into a number you can staff and design around.
How to Calculate
Tickets with at least one side conversation / Total tickets × 100
In TicketBoard
TicketBoard helps you track collaboration load and related metrics from your Zendesk data. Connect your account for instant visibility.