Benefits Of Improving Average Handle Time

By Author: Josh
Total Articles: 80
Comment this article

Building a good customer experience doesn’t happen by chance but by design. More than interacting with customers, agents must spend quality time on research, post-call tasks, and everything in between.

Average Handle Time (AHT) is one of the quality standards measured by call centers to review the performance of different campaigns. Major call center solutions measure AHT as one of the KPIs.

What’s the “standard” AHT for a call center?

AHT not only varies from industry to industry but also from one organization to another as well as from process to process. It depends on an organization’s structure, its products (or services), as well as what’s the definition of a “good” customer experience for the organization.

However, the standard AHT for a call center measured in the call center software is typically considered to be about five to seven minutes.

As per Call Centre Magazine, the industry-standard AHT is six minutes and ten seconds.

Another report by Cornell found:

- Large businesses have an AHT of eight minutes and 48 seconds.
- The telecom sector has ...
... an AHT of eight minutes and 30 seconds.
- The retail sector has an AHT of five minutes and 24 seconds.
- The AHT benchmark for financial services as well as the business and IT sector is four minutes and 45 seconds.
Benefits of Improving Average Handling Time

When it comes to enhancing AHT using one of the best call center solutions, it can provide a lot of benefits to call centers as well as the management of teams and agents. Here are some of the key benefits of enhancing AHT.

1. Decline in call abandoned rates

Did you know that longer handling time can increase call abandon rates?

When an agent takes more time to handle a customer, it often increases wait times for other callers.

When the wait time becomes unusually long the callers tend to abandon their calls, which negatively impacts customer satisfaction score as well as the organization’s business opportunities. When call centers focus on optimizing AHT, they not only can reduce call abandon rates but also retain more customers.

2. Enhanced efficiency and productivity

A reduced AHT measured in call center software means agents can handle more customer interactions in a certain period and resolve customer issues at a faster rate.

This increased efficiency, which results in higher efficiency and productivity, allows call centers to handle higher call volumes and serve more customers without compromising service quality.

3. Improved customer experience

With improved AHT, customers spend less time waiting and have their issues resolved more quickly. This leads to higher customer satisfaction levels and an improved overall experience with the call center.

The right AHT measured in call center solutions provides customers with a faster and more efficient support experience.

4. Increased first-call resolution

First Call Resolution (FCR) rates and AHT go hand in hand, which is why both of these metrics are measured in call center solutions. With improved AHT, call centers can enhance their FCR. Agents have more time to listen to customers, gather relevant information, and address issues comprehensively, reducing the need for customers to call back for further assistance.

An optimized AHT allows agents to focus on resolving customer issues promptly. They can dedicate more time to understanding customer needs, providing accurate information, and delivering effective solutions, resulting in faster issue resolution.

5. Cost savings

An optimized AHT translates into cost savings for call centers. By reducing the average time spent on each call, call center operations become more efficient, which enables the organization to serve more customers with the same resources or reduce staffing requirements.

Apart from that, call centers can cut operational costs, boost profitability, and enhance their bottom line.

6. Better agent engagement and satisfaction

Agents who can handle customer interactions efficiently and resolve issues more quickly experience higher job satisfaction using the best call center software.

It also increases agents’ morale. Improved AHT means less time dealing with prolonged or repetitive calls, which reduces agent frustration and enables them to focus on meaningful customer interactions.

For more informaton visit https://www.acinfosoft.com/ac-virtual-call-center-software/