How average handle time affects customer service outsourcing operation

OABPO Blog Team Published on May 5, 2014

smiling-female-customer-service-agent
Average handle time (AHT) is the typical call duration spent by a representative transacting with a customer. Its measure commonly starts from the moment callers reach the line, and it includes escalations, hold time, and post-call processes aside from the actual chat with a call center agent.

customer-service-outsourcing--

Several factors determine a call center’s AHT, and the average number also says a lot about the contact center. In voice-based customer service outsourcing operations, the AHT is considered an important metric because it reflects the representatives’ efficiency. Lengthiness or brevity, however, can only be considered good or bad depending on the type of problems the call center fixes.

A 10-minute AHT, for instance, may be too long for a team that only handles simple tasks such as password retrieval and service dispatching. AHT this high can be an indication of a flaw in the work procedures or perhaps a faulty call queuing system, making the team inefficient. The same could also be said about call centers with a very low AHT even if it deals with complex transactions. It may also mean that the agents rush their work, possibly foregoing quality and even issue resolution.

Factors that contribute to the average number

The call volume and answer speed may lengthen the average, while abandonment rate and the gravity of the phoned-in concerns may shorten the call duration. The AHT’s variability also depends on these same factors.

If the call volume is lowered through self-service options that provide answers to simple issues, the AHT may still remain high. This is because these self-service options can help reduce the number of calls about simple concerns, leaving the agents to only receive complex calls that take time to solve.

Customer satisfaction

happy-female-call-center-agent

Some experts argue that the average handle time should be calculated from the callers’ perspective for it to be an effective measure of customer satisfaction.
This means that the duration should last from the moment the callers reach a live agent to the moment they hang up. Any after-call process should not be considered part of the AHT computation because it is not done with the caller at the other end of the line.

Call center staffing

AHT is also important in agent workload plotting and call center staffing. Some contact centers usually multiply the average call volume and the average handle time to determine the needed head-count, although they must also take other factors (volume fluctuations, idle time, possibility of operation halts) into account to come up with an accurate number.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO Yesterday
The 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 is a top #outsourcing destination. The country's capital, Manila, where Makati is located, houses most of the country's top 1,000 companies.
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢's flagship center in Makati leverage world-class infrastructures and the nation's most expansive talent pool.

Our facilities in the Makati Central Business District offer scalable multilingual solutions for global businesses.

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: https://buff.ly/4e7eRln

----------
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢
• Our Solutions: https://buff.ly/4f22Mip
• Our Other Locations: https://buff.ly/4e68ej1

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO Yesterday
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰.

Drop It Like It's Hot: The OABPO Weight Loss Challenge began with an early morning wellness session hosted by the outsourcing company's Clinic Services with guest speaker, fitness coach JR Madriaga. Both the morning and evening sessions were streamed online for those who could not be physically present.

After discussing the rules of the challenge and weigh-in schedules, Coach JR talked about some of the most effective methods of losing weight. He highlighted the healthiest ways for the participants to get their weight loss journey started.

A high-energy Zumba session soon followed the discussion. It not only served as a fun way to start the challenge but also emphasized the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily routines.

More than 80 employees from both Open Access BPO Makati and Davao signed up for the three-month weight loss challenge. The grand prize, originally P25,000, has since been doubled to P50,000, with the winner to be announced in next year's Kick Off Party.
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Did you know that it's possible for you to connect with your Chinese #ecommerce customers even though you don't speak their language?

#CallCenter outsourcing can greatly help in atracting and supporting customers from this gigantic Asian market.
Here's how partnering with an #outsourcing #CustomerExperience procall center can establish these connections: https://buff.ly/3C8HG3G

----------
Whether it's Mandarin, Cantonese, or Hokkien, Open Access BPO's multilingual services are your best bet for an improved market presence in China: https://buff.ly/48uCcfp

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #MultilingualCallCenter
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Our blog post provides you expert tips and strategies to help you handle these situations with empathy and professionalism.
Discover effective strategies and best practices to ensure your communication remains clear, respectful, and compassionate: https://buff.ly/4eaaJkD

----------
Deliver exceptional #CustomerExperience with our services to ensure #CustomerRetention and foster brand loyalty: https://buff.ly/4f3L4vd

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#outsourcing #CustomerSatisfaction
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
Our dedicated Xiamen and Taipei teams always go #AboveAndBeyond for our customers. To show our appreciation for their hard work, we spent during #CSWeek treating them to some fun and games at the office.

They even took part in the special video challenge to share how they show their dedication in customer service. And of course, they had a special dinner last Friday to close the festivities.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerServiceWeek #CSWeek
#OABPOCSWeek2024 #AboveAndBeyond
#CustomerServiceWeek2024
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦.

Learn about the crucial skills, traits, and mindset of these #CustomerService experts, key for exceptional #CX and sustained positive brand reputation.

Here are the types of high-performing customer support agents: https://buff.ly/40pii3K

----------
Outsource with us today and get a team of dedicated experts for your business needs: https://buff.ly/3C0mNHH

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CallCenters #CX #oustourcing