Average handle time (AHT): what it is and what it means for you as a buyer

Average handle time (AHT) is the average time an agent spends on one customer contact from start to finish: talking or typing, hold time, and the follow-up work after the contact ends. It is total handle time divided by the number of contacts.

What it means for you as a buyer

Average handle time tells you how much work one agent can take on: multiply your contacts per day by it and you get the hours of work your queue needs. That is how you decide between one agent and two. Use it to plan, not to push. An agent told to cut handle time rushes, skips notes and sends short replies, and customers then write back. Read it beside the QA scorecard, which checks whether the answers were right.

A worked example with numbers

In this example day, 40 calls take 240 minutes of total handle time, so the average handle time is 6 minutes a call. The figures are round numbers chosen to show the sum, not a benchmark.

Now turn it around to size the seat. An agent with six hours (360 minutes) a day free for calls can handle at most 360 ÷ 6 = 60 calls. Calls arrive in bunches, so nobody is busy every minute; the occupancy page explains that gap. A line that takes 100 calls a day at this handle time needs more than one agent.

Where this appears in our pricing or process

Average handle time is not a line on the provider's confirmed reporting, so agree on the call to add it to your sheet from your help desk or phone system. The provider gives you live reporting sheets, updated in real time, covering attendance, productivity, performance targets and campaign results, and the team lead supervises the agent day to day. The cost calculator on the pricing page prices one or more full-time agents, and the who-manages section of the how-it-works page shows who watches the numbers.