AHT in a Nutshell: Why is everyone obsessed with the clock?

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If you've been on the floor for more than five minutes, you've probably heard a Team Leader yell: "Guys, watch your AHT!"

It feels like they want you to hang up on people, right? Wrong.

What is it really?

AHT (Average Handle Time) is just the total time you spend on an interaction (call, chat or email). This is Talk time + Hold time + Notes.

The Rookie Mistake:

New agents try to fix AHT by talking fast. They sound like auctioneers. This stresses the customer out, they ask you to repeat yourself, and the call actually can take longer.

The Pro Move:

Don't talk faster. Work smarter.

• Stop putting people on hold for simple questions.
• Type your notes while the customer is talking (multitasking).
• Control the conversation so they don't ramble about their cat.

We broke down the math and the ups and downs of AHT in the following article:

👉 Read: Average Handle Time - AHT.