Average handle time (AHT)
Average handle time (AHT) is the average time an agent spends on one contact, including the conversation itself, holds and the work done after it.
What it is
AHT answers a simple question: how much working time does one client contact really cost? It covers the whole piece of work, not only the talking. For a call that means talk time, hold time and the notes made after hanging up. For a chat it means the active time spent reading, answering and closing the conversation.
How it is calculated
The usual formula: (talk time + hold time + after-contact work) divided by the number of handled contacts.
An illustrative example: in a week a team handled 1,000 calls with 3,000 minutes of talk, 400 minutes of hold and 600 minutes of after-call work. AHT = 4,000 / 1,000 = 4 minutes. In chats it is harder, because one person keeps several conversations open at once, so agree in advance whether you count active time or the time from the first to the last message.
Why it matters
AHT is the base of every staffing estimate. Multiply the expected number of contacts by AHT and you know how many working hours the line needs. When AHT drifts up, the queue grows even if the volume stays the same. It also shows where a process is heavy: long holds often mean the agent is hunting for information that should be at hand.
The typical mistake
Turning AHT into a target for each person. People learn to cut conversations short, transfer clients or close chats too early. The number improves, the client calls back, and the real cost doubles. Read AHT next to first contact resolution and quality scores, compare by type of request, and look for the reasons behind long contacts before asking anyone to be faster.
More in Signals
- Call center KPIs for messaging apps: what to measure when agents type instead of talkIn messaging apps, classic call center KPIs change meaning: average handle time loses weight, while first response time, service level, missed conversations and resolution in a single conversation move to the front. New metrics appear that calls never had: concurrent conversations and promises kept. Measure them in working hours and together, never one at a time.
- CRM for a travel agency: who owns the client when everyone writes on WhatsApp and InstagramIn a travel agency the client takes weeks to choose, writes at night and on weekends, receives dozens of options and promises to send the deposit tomorrow. When each agent runs chats on their own phone, the owner can't see who handles a client or who was lost, and when an agent leaves, last year's travellers leave too. The fix starts with rules: numbers owned by the agency, one owner per client, deposit and document deadlines tracked, and the client on a trip handled first.