The Full Form of AHT is‍ Average Handling Time.

Average Handle Time (AHT) is the average duration of the entire customer call transaction, from the time the customer initiates the call to ending the call, including all hold times and transfers, as well as after call work.

AHT is a metric that impacts a number of critical call center KPIs across CSAT, operational efficiency, and agent effectiveness. It’s a strong indicator of everything from the impact of agent training programs to organization processes and resources. And it’s a defining metric in understanding and improving the customer experience.

Simply put, AHT shows how well equipped is the agent to handle customer queries. That’s why consistent measurement, monitoring, and taking action on AHT is an essential KPI for any call center.

The AHT benchmark varies from industry to industry. According to this report from Cornell, the AHT benchmark for telecommunications is just over 8:30 minutes, while the AHT benchmark for financial and IT services is 4:45 minutes. Pending the complexity or high-value nature of calls, AHT will be higher.

In some cases, companies include After Call Work (ACW) into the AHT calculation. ACW is the average duration after each call an agent takes to carry out post-call processing, including data entry and updates, scheduling follow-ups, and any other communication requirements.

To calculate average handle time, add total talk time with total hold time, then add ACW. Lastly, divide that by the total number of calls to get the AHT.