Average handle time (AHT)
What average handle time measures, how to calculate it, and how to use it when you compare plans priced by the minute.
The short answer
What is average handle time?
Average handle time (AHT) is the average length of time it takes to deal with one customer call from start to finish. It includes the time spent talking, any time the caller spends on hold, and the after-call work, such as notes or follow-up tasks, that is done once the call ends. Call centers use AHT to plan staffing and to spot calls that take longer than they should. Shorter isn't always better if calls end unresolved.
How to calculate it
Add up the total talk time, the total hold time and the total after-call work for a period, then divide by the number of calls handled in that period. Use the same unit, minutes or seconds, for all three.
- Worked example: 40 calls in a day, with 160 minutes of talk time, 20 minutes on hold and 60 minutes of after-call work. That's 240 minutes divided by 40 calls, so AHT is 6 minutes.
- Count only calls that were actually handled. Abandoned calls belong in the call abandonment rate, not here.
What it means for a small business
AHT tells you how much of your day the phone takes: average handle time times calls per day is the time someone spends on calls. It is also how to compare answering services and AI receptionists that charge by the minute: your monthly calls times their average length is the number of minutes you need. With an AI agent, the after-call work mostly disappears, because Daber AI writes the summary of every call for you.
Questions
Is a lower average handle time always better?
No. Rushing callers off the phone lowers AHT and raises repeat calls. Look at it next to first call resolution: the goal is calls that are short because they were solved, not short because they were cut off.
What's the difference between average handle time and average talk time?
Talk time is only the time spent speaking with the caller. Handle time adds hold time and the work done after the call, so it is always the same or longer.
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