How to Calculate AHT

Call center representatives must minimize AHT without sacrificing customer service.

If you are a call center manager, one of your most important performance metrics is Average Handling Time or AHT. Different definitions of this exist, with most factoring in talking time, hold time and clerical time (duties spent after the call ends). Some do not include hold time. However it's defined at your organization, your call center representatives' productivity will depend on their ability to minimize AHT without sacrificing customer satisfaction levels.

Instructions

1. Calculate the total work time completed by a particular employee or group of employees over a given period of time (a day, week, month or longer). This includes time spent talking, time performing post-call work, and (depending on your definition) time that customers spend on hold. If you are sitting and waiting for a call, that time does not count. Most call center software packages can track these numbers for you.

2. Determine the number of contacts that a representative or group served during that same amount of time.

3. Divide work time by number of contacts. The answer will be your average handling time.

References

• MetaGlossary: Average Handle Time
• TMCNet: The Basics of Calculating Call Center
• Easy Erlang: Call Center Advanced