What is average handle time (AHT)?
Average handle time (AHT) is the average time an agent spends on one customer interaction from start to finish, including talk or reply time, any hold time and the follow-up work after the interaction ends. Contact centers use it to plan staffing and to estimate the cost of each contact.
Also called: average handling time, handle time
Why average handle time matters
AHT, also called average handling time or handle time, tells a support team how much agent capacity each contact uses. Combined with forecast volume, it sets how many agents are needed for each shift, which makes it central to planning for peak trading.
A low AHT is useful only when issues still get resolved. Rushing customers to cut handle time tends to create repeat contacts, so teams read AHT alongside first contact resolution and CSAT. A rising AHT can be a good sign when agents are spending their time on complex cases because routine ones have been automated.
How it's calculated
For phone: AHT = (talk time + hold time + after-call work) ÷ number of calls handled
Worked example: 300 calls with 1,000 minutes of talk time, 200 minutes of hold time and 300 minutes of after-call work give an AHT of 1,500 ÷ 300 = 5 minutes.
For email and chat there is no hold time, so AHT is the agent's working time on the tickets divided by the number of tickets. Chat agents often handle several conversations at once, and email threads include long waits for customer replies, so measure each channel consistently and compare channels with care.
Example
At Abbott Lyon, customers often emailed without attaching the photos an agent needed, so agents spent time asking them to resend. DigitalGenius now checks for this automatically, which saves agents an average of 15 minutes per ticket.
Average handle time and DigitalGenius
DigitalGenius reduces the agent time behind each ticket. It resolves routine requests end to end, and it checks for details such as photos before a ticket reaches an agent.
Related terms
Read more
FAQ
What is a good average handle time?
There is no universal figure. AHT depends on the channel, the contact reason and how complex the products are. Set a baseline for each channel from your own data and watch the trend alongside first contact resolution and CSAT.
Does lowering AHT improve customer satisfaction?
In most cases it should. Customers getting answers and resolutions faster is almost always a good thing. However, if the reduction is due to agents rushing, or AI agents not fully or correctly resolving the ticket, then a lower AHT can affect customer happiness.
How do you calculate AHT for chat and email?
Leave out hold time and divide the agent's working time on the tickets by the number of tickets. Chat agents handle several conversations at once and emails wait for replies, so use active working time where your tool records it, and keep the method the same over time.
· By Iain Moss