Average Handle Time (AHT)
Learn about Average Handle Time (AHT), its importance, calculation, and benefits. Boost customer satisfaction and productivity with insights!
2 min read
Customer support
Call Center software
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What is call handling time?
Call handling time – typically referred to as average call handling time or average handle time (AHT) – is a key call center metric that is used to measure call center productivity, operational efficiencies, and agent performance. It shows the average duration of the customer interaction in a call center starting from the time a call is initiated to when the call is terminated.
Calculating Average Call Handling Time
To calculate average call handling time, sum up total talk time, total hold time, total call wrap-up time and divide the result by the total number of calls handled.
The components of AHT include:
- Talk time – the time call center agents are speaking to customers
- Hold time – the time customers are put on hold during the phone call
- Wrap-up time – the time spent by agents doing any necessary follow-up tasks to complete a customer interaction
The AHT formula looks something like this:
AHT = (total talk time + total hold time + total wrap-up time) / total calls handled
Wrap-up time (also known as wrap time or after-call work time) might be hard to evaluate as after-call tasks may vary depending on what the call center typically handles. That may include data entry, scheduling follow-ups, sending feedback forms, etc.
Calculating AHT helps with determining agent utilization so you can better allocate your resources, reward agents, or provide further training.
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