Average handling time

What is the average handling time?

Average handling time (AHT) is a key contact center metric that measures the average total time taken to handle all customer interactions from the moment they are first initiated to the moment they are finally closed.  

AHT has two main components: 

• Interaction time: The time an agent spends interacting with a customer on call or live chat. 
• After-call work: The time spent doing tasks like updating customer records and logging in call records after interacting with customers.  

The formula to calculate AHT is by taking the total handle time that includes total talk time, hold time, after-call work time and follow-up time and dividing it by total calls made. 

Why monitor and optimize average handling time 

Tracking and optimizing AHT leads to: 

1. Better agent productivity  

Tracking AHT helps call center supervisors how agents are faring against customer issues. You can use this data to optimize performance standards, give targeted customer service coaching and adjust work schedules. 

2. Better CX 

Monitoring AHT regularly helps in optimizing service calls as lower AHT leads to faster resolutions. Agents get to take more calls leading to customer satisfaction. 

3. Better resource allocation 

AHT data could be used to forecast staffing needs, leading to workforce optimization in your contact center. Knowing the average handling time on different days of the week allows for proactive capacity planning so your contact center is never over- or under-staffed.