AHT measures the average duration of customer interaction, from when the customer initiates contact until the interaction concludes and all after interaction work is completed. AHT encompasses the time spent by an agent actively engaged with the customer, including talk time, hold time, and any related after-call work.
AHT is a crucial metric in contact centers, providing insights into efficiency, productivity, and service levels. Contact centers aim to manage AHT effectively to balance providing timely service to customers and ensuring the quality and effectiveness of customer interactions. By analyzing AHT, contact centers can identify areas for improvement, optimize workflows, enhance agent training, and streamline processes to deliver efficient and satisfactory customer experiences.
Key Components that Contribute to AHT
- Talk Time: It refers to the actual time spent by the agent actively conversing with the customer, addressing their queries, providing assistance, or resolving their issues. Talk time includes both agent and customer speaking durations during the interaction.
- Hold Time: When agents need to place customers on hold, AHT considers the total time the customer spends on hold, waiting for the agent to return or seek information from other sources.
- After-Call Work (ACW) Time: Once the customer interaction concludes, agents may need to perform post-call tasks such as documenting notes, updating records, initiating follow-up actions, or completing other necessary administrative work. The ACW time is included in the AHT calculation.
To calculate AHT, the total handle time for a specific period (sum of talk time, hold time, and ACW time) is divided by the total number of customer interactions during that period. The resulting figure represents the average duration of customer interactions.
Ready to work together?
Whether you want to learn more about our offerings or have specific questions about our capabilities, we want to hear from you!