What is an AHT?
The AHT more specifically, the average handling time, is the average call processing time of a call after customers have been transferred to customer support. Average handling time is an important metric in customer service and call centers and is often used to determine the efficiency of telephone or live chat support.
The AHT is designed differently depending on the company. Many companies see AHT as the average sum of the call time between the calling person and the service employee (s). Many call centers also include the waiting time of callers in AHT.
How do you calculate AHT?
The average handling time is usually given in minutes or seconds. Call Center Help magazine estimates the average AHT, regardless of industry, at six minutes. However, this should not be regarded as standard due to individuality, different industry criteria and other factors.
Usual calculation of AHT for telephone calls:
AHT = (total call time + wait time + rework time)/total number of calls
Some companies may not include waiting and follow-up times as part of their internal AHT. Therefore, in this example, the calculation would have to be adjusted.
Usual AHT calculation for chat support:
AHT = (total call time + post-processing time)/number of chat requests
Usual AHT calculation for email support:
AHT = (time spent on customer inquiries)/number of cases resolved
