5 Strategies to Optimize Average Handling Time
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Customer facing organizations face a lot of reputation and credibility issues. Customer satisfaction and loyalty can be achieved through efficiency in customer service. One of the most commonly used KPIs in the customer service industry is the Average Handle Time (AHT).
AHT refers to the average length of time taken to completely attend to a customer. Most businesses are concerned with lowering AHT while still providing the best quality service because it affects customer satisfaction, not to mention operational efficiency. Research from the Call Centre Magazine highlights that the global average handle time across various industries is around 6 minutes and 3 seconds.
In this blog, we’ll explain the importance of Average Handle Time, how to calculate it, and five effective strategies to optimize this crucial metric. This is because lowering AHT creates more efficiency and resolves customer concerns within the minimum time possible.
What is Average Handle Time (AHT)?
Average Handle Time (AHT) denotes the time spent by an agent on an entire interaction with the customer either on the phone, in person, by email, or by chat, including the talk time and any follow-up tasks the representative may have had to address post-conversation. This metric is critical in calculating the productivity of a given organization’s customer service team.
The factor of AHT is critical because it indicates how fast and effectively the problems or queries raised by the customers are being resolved. Especially in a call center or service-related business, enhancing average handle time partly results in a decrease in operational costs, better customer experience, and higher agent performance. However, it is still critical to achieve AHT reduction with as high service quality as possible.
Understanding the importance of Average Handle Time is the first step in optimizing AHT. Efficient AHT management is expected to result in fast resolution, low customer queues, and high customer retention levels.
AHT Calculation
Calculating the Average Handling Time formula appears to be easy, yet it is critical in ensuring that their performance is monitored. Here’s how to do it:
- AHT= (Total Talk Time + Total Hold Time + After Call Work Time)/ Total Calls Answered
For instance, let’s assume that an agent makes calls for a duration of 200 minutes(including talk time, hold time, and post-call work) across 40 calls. The average handle in that scenario would be:
- AHT= 200/40=5 minutes
Monitoring this aspect assists organizations in tracing out the hindrances or unwanted steps in the progress of service realization.
For instance, suppose it was noted that longer than acceptable time after the end of a phone call is taken to do after-call work. In this case, training may be needed to help agents become quicker in resolving issues or finding the appropriate solution. Likewise, excessive wait times can lead to the conclusion that agents need better tools or information when handling customers.
What Is A Good Average Handle Time?
When it comes down to average handle time, what is too much or too little varies from one industry to another, as well as the issue that has been raised by the customer. That being said, most centers would be happy with an AHT of 4 to 6 minutes during call center operations.
The reports indicate that the average handle time for call centers varies with the business domain, with the telecommunication industry being about 528 seconds, retail companies being about 324 seconds, and business and IT contracting and also financial services being 282 seconds. In other metrics, the healthcare & life science categories’ figures come back at as low as 149 seconds, and the financial services metrics have an average of 208 seconds.
5 Ways To Ways To Improve Average Handle Time
Now that we have established what AHT is and why we should be concerned with it, here are the five key AHT improvement strategies worth considering:
Enhance Agent Training
One of the most promising means of AHT reduction is the customer service skills of the call agents. A well-trained agent who knows the subject and the system can reasonably be quick to resolve the customers’ concerns. Regular training sessions with a focus on soft skills, product features, and system use should help in decreasing both talk time and after-call activities.
Employ High-end Call Center Software
The right tools are very important in minimizing the average handle time. Any best practice, for instance, implementing a cohesive workforce management solution like ProHance for tracking performance, can assist in real-time monitoring of agent activities, performing gap analysis, and giving recommendations.
Call center software packages have features like call routing, automated scripts, and CRM, which facilitate agents’ getting relevant information about the customers and solving their problems faster.
Plan the Call Distribution Process Properly
The primary purpose of effective call routing is to ensure that the customer is connected to the right agent from the very beginning. In cases where customers are routed to the wrong agents, a lot of time is wasted as agents assist in reconnecting the customer to the right department, hence raising AHT. When a business implements call routing and takes advantage of Interactive Voice Response (IVR), a lot of time wasted on these calls can be recovered.
Increase the Efficiency of Knowledge Base Management
The cases where agents have to look for particular information during the phone call are some of the greatest reasons for AHT taking a long time. It’s necessary to ensure that all your support documents are maintained and structured so that agents can search and find what they want in seconds. When your knowledge base is easy to navigate, the chances are high that agents can find what they are looking for in a matter of seconds.
Make Sure to Regularly Monitor and Analyze AHT
Analyzing and monitoring AHT Team data on a regular basis is the last step necessary for long-term improvement within the organization. Many employee management software includes AHT reports on both team levels and individual agents, hence allowing a manager to monitor AHT trends, areas of training, and areas of process improvement. This tends to make it possible to review this data periodically in order to know whether or not the strategies being employed are really working and what needs to be done.
Also Read: Measuring Employee Productivity: How to Use Metrics Effectively
ProHance – A Tool to Decrease Your Average Handle Time
Optimizing your firm’s AHT can lead to better time management, decreased costs, and even enhanced service delivery. By leveraging workflow automation, concentrating on agent training, utilizing newer advanced technologies, and tracking your performance metrics, it is possible to attain the right AHT that is satisfactory to your clientele and the business.
To help you optimize further the operational efficiency of your call center, we invite you to explore ProHance. Our workforce optimization solutions aim to enhance call center productivity by minimizing key metrics like AHT. As a business, you stand the chance of increasing customer satisfaction.
Contact us for a demo and learn how ProHance can help grow your business!
Frequently Asked Question
Q1. How can I measure the effectiveness of my AHT optimization efforts?
You can measure the effectiveness of your efforts by tracking changes in AHT over time. You can also monitor customer satisfaction metrics and agent productivity.
Q2. What other metrics should I consider along with AHT?
In addition to AHT, you should also consider metrics such as:
- First-call resolution rate
- Customer satisfaction scores
- Agent turnover rate
- Average call volume
