Average Handling Time (AHT) is one of the best-known metrics in Contact Centers. It is also one of the most misunderstood.
This article is part of our Contact Center Management Series — a collection of articles that bring together practical guidance and insights to help Contact Centers run better and deliver stronger results.
It is also part of our Team Leader Resource Series — a collection of practical articles to help Team Leaders grow their skills, shift their mindset, and elevate the way they lead.
Let’s Talk About AHT
Let’s Talk About AHT
For decades, we’ve been pulling, stretching, and squeezing Average Handling Time in almost every conceivable way.
So put your feet up on the couch and tell the doctor — for heaven’s sake — why are we all still talking about Average Handling Time?
The More You Talk About AHT, the Less You Talk about Quality
I’ve noticed something over the decades.
The more people talk about AHT, the less they seem to talk about Quality.
Sure — Quality gets lip service (who’s going to bash Quality?) — but it’s AHT that reigns supreme.
And when people talk about AHT, they’re almost always talking about the frontline professionals.
The frontline professionals who apparently plot ways to cause chaos with AHT while brushing their teeth every morning.
Hmmm… how can I drag out my calls today? A few more holds and a bit of nonsensical small talk and I’m sure I can knock AHT out of whack.
Really?
Let’s Clear Something Up First
Before we go any further, let me be clear about one thing.
AHT is influenced by many factors, including technology, processes, customer needs, contact complexity, and organisational policies.
Most of these factors lie outside a frontline professional’s control.
They don’t select the technology, decide which enquiries customers can self-serve, or set policies on upselling, customer surveys, verification processes, and countless other operational decisions.
I once visited a Contact Center where frontline professionals had to open 13 different systems just to serve one customer.
These are decisions made by the organisation, not the frontline professional.
I’m focusing on the factors that sit within the frontline professional’s sphere of influence.
And when we focus there, an interesting and important truth emerges.
A Quality Assurance Professional Will Tell You a Simple Truth
For the frontline professional, AHT flows from Quality.
Think of it as an output, byproduct, or an emission.
You know those Quality Evaluation Forms that QA uses to evaluate your performance?
Those forms, and the behaviors listed, shape — to an important degree — your AHT.
Want your frontline to use the customer’s name three times? Okay – that’ll be about 15 seconds.
Want your frontline to say “Is there anything else I can do to help you today (and mean it)?” That easily adds seven or more seconds.
Need your frontline to conduct two levels of verification? That’s going to add time.
Are you fearless enough to put First Contact Resolution on your Form? Well that’s gonna cost you too (in time that is).
If a frontline professional delivers excellent Quality and you still need to coach them on AHT, then something is probably broken somewhere else.
As I like to say, when I transition into “guru” mode — when your frontline professional achieves Quality and it just sounds and feels right — their AHT on that call will be what it will be.
But Quality Does Not Flow from an AHT Target
Did you ever order chocolate lava cake for dessert in a restaurant?
It’s delicious.
The menu often says, “Please order early. This dessert takes about 20 minutes to prepare.”
I’ve never seen it happen that a diner bangs the table and says:
Hey, Chef baby — make me one of those delicious chocolate lava cakes in 10 minutes — you hear?
No one expects a chef to produce the same dessert in half the time simply because someone demands it.
Yet that’s often how organisations try to improve Average Handling Time.
So What’s the Best Way to Evaluate Average Handling Time at the Frontline Level?
In practice, the best way has always been — and it will continue to be — conducting root cause analysis at the frontline level..
Watch the frontline professional at work, listen to calls, and address what’s getting in the way. Sometimes it’s a piece of equipment. Sometimes it’s knowledge or skill.
When you improve Quality, AHT falls into place too.
It’s an outcome — not a driver.
Use AHT as a Guideline, Not a Target
One way to use AHT as a guideline is to establish an acceptable operating range rather than a single target.
AHT lends itself beautifully to measurement as an acceptable range.
For example, your Contact Center might establish an acceptable morning AHT of between three and six minutes.
I’d establish that acceptable range by looking at my highest-performing frontline professionals from a Quality perspective.
If they’re consistently delivering excellent Quality, then their AHT becomes your benchmark — assuming there isn’t something fundamentally wrong with how Quality is being measured.
Armed with that range, you can track performance across your team members and identify outliers — for example those who are consistently above or below the acceptable range for that time period.
This approach allows you to focus on team members who may have a barrier standing in their way.
One important point, though.
Acceptable ranges shouldn’t be fixed throughout the day.
For example, some Contact Centers naturally see longer AHT during evening or overnight periods than they do in the morning.
Your acceptable range should always reflect your call mix, customer mix, and the nature of the work being handled during that period.
If You Work in Workforce Management, AHT Matters
Have you made it this far? Cool.
If you are in WFM (Workforce Management), AHT is extremely important. You need accurate figures and thinking to forecast well.
And WFM folks — like the best Contact Center Managers — understand that the biggest improvements in AHT come from better technology and better processes.
Not from blaming frontline professionals.
As you’ve probably realised, this discussion has focused on what frontline professionals can influence directly.
The broader drivers of AHT — technology, processes, operational design, and workforce planning — remain just as important.
That’s why improving AHT has always been a shared responsibility between management and frontline professionals.
Why Average Handling Time Is Increasing
As the world increasingly becomes digital, customers reach out to voice channels when their issue is complex or when they are confused or unhappy with something.
Coupled with AI and the automation of simple enquiries, the outcome is clear.
While voice volumes may be stabilising in some Contact Centers, AHT continues to climb.
Feel better? I do.
It won’t help your team members to have an artificial clock ticking in their ear while they’re trying to listen, empathize, and resolve a customer’s enquiry.
If you’re still judging frontline professionals primarily by their AHT, it may be time to rethink your approach.
It’s not 1996 anymore.
Thank You for Reading
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this article resonated with you, I’d be pleased to stay connected.
Feel free to get in touch anytime, or explore more of our work below.
Daniel Ord
[email protected] / www.omnitouchinternational.com
