Glossary · Customer Satisfaction
Average Handle Time
The average length of a support interaction. An efficiency metric that can quietly destroy quality.
AHT in Practice
Calculation
AHT = (Total talk time + Total hold time + After-call work) / Number of calls
The Quality Trade-off
AHT rewards speed; FCR rewards depth. Used together, they produce the right behaviour. Used alone, AHT pushes agents toward superficial answers. Always pair AHT with a quality metric when coaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Minimising AHT in isolation is one of the most common causes of deteriorating CX in contact centres. Balance AHT against FCR, Reopen Rate and CSAT. A slightly longer handle time that resolves the issue first time is cheaper in aggregate than a short call the customer has to repeat.
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