> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://birdeye-0229a3ce-responsetools.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get Average Response Time By Location

> Compare review response speed across business locations.

```
get_avg_response_time_by_location
```

## Description

Returns average response time and responded-review count for each location. Use it to find the fastest or slowest branches.

## Parameters

| Parameter          | Type           | Required | Default                                  | Description                                                 |
| ------------------ | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `startDate`        | string         | No       | 3 months ago when no period is requested | Start date in `MM/DD/YYYY` format                           |
| `endDate`          | string         | No       | Today when no period is requested        | End date in `MM/DD/YYYY` format                             |
| `reviewSites`      | list\[integer] | No       | All sources                              | Review source IDs to include                                |
| `ratings`          | list\[integer] | No       | All ratings                              | Star ratings from `0` to `5`                                |
| `businessNumbers`  | list\[integer] | No       | All locations                            | Location IDs to include                                     |
| `compareStartDate` | string         | No       | —                                        | Comparison-period start in `MM/DD/YYYY` format              |
| `compareEndDate`   | string         | No       | —                                        | Comparison-period end in `MM/DD/YYYY` format                |
| `order`            | integer        | No       | `1`                                      | `0` for ascending or `1` for descending                     |
| `sortBy`           | string         | No       | `"avg-resp-time"`                        | Sort by `"avg-resp-time"`, `"responded-count"`, or `"name"` |
| `startIndex`       | integer        | No       | `0`                                      | Pagination start index                                      |
| `size`             | integer        | No       | `100`                                    | Locations to return                                         |

## Example Usage

```
Which location was slowest to respond to reviews last quarter?
```

## Example Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "summary": {
    "actual": {
      "avgResponseTime": { "days": 1.25, "hours": 30.0, "minutes": 1800.0 },
      "respondedCount": 138
    },
    "compare": {
      "avgResponseTime": { "days": 1.75, "hours": 42.0, "minutes": 2520.0 },
      "respondedCount": 113
    }
  },
  "dataPoints": [
    {
      "actual": {
        "label": "Acme Dental - Westlake",
        "avgResponseTime": { "days": 1.8, "hours": 43.2, "minutes": 2592.0 },
        "respondedCount": 51,
        "businessNumber": 78902
      },
      "compare": {
        "label": "Acme Dental - Westlake",
        "avgResponseTime": { "days": 2.2, "hours": 52.8, "minutes": 3168.0 },
        "respondedCount": 42,
        "businessNumber": 78902
      }
    }
  ],
  "groupByType": "quarter",
  "dataPresent": true
}
```

## Response Fields

The response contains account-wide summaries plus a `dataPoints` entry for each location. Each entry includes the location `label`, `businessNumber`, `avgResponseTime`, and `respondedCount` for the actual and comparison periods.

## Notes

* For the slowest location, use `sortBy: "avg-resp-time"` and `order: 1`; for the fastest, use `order: 0`.
* Response time does not indicate response rate or unanswered count. Use [`get_review_response_rate_by_location`](/mcp/tools/reports/get-review-response-rate-by-location) for those metrics.
* `avgResponseTime.days`, `hours`, and `minutes` represent one duration.
* When `startDate`/`endDate` are both omitted, the live API does **not** default to 3 months back — it returns full account history (observed `dateDiff` spanning 13,000+ days) grouped by year. Pass explicit dates for a bounded window.
* `compare` is only present in the response when both `compareStartDate` and `compareEndDate` are supplied; otherwise each `dataPoints` entry (and `summary`) contains only `actual`.
* Locations with very few responses (1-2) can show multi-year average response times that skew the default `avg-resp-time` sort — consider filtering by a minimum `respondedCount` before surfacing "slowest location" results operationally.