Accelerating AHT

Lowering AHT means more efficient operations and faster resolution for customers, making it extremely important for contact centers to track and improve upon.

Initial Challenge

At the beginning of the year, the Average Handle Time for our payer client was 595 seconds per call. This high AHT contributed to longer wait times, agent fatigue, and ultimately decreased customer satisfaction.

We determined that these inefficiencies were also causing delayed resolutions, a backlog of pending inquiries, and a need for additional resources to handle the increasing volume of follow-up calls.

Our job was to partner with our client by leveraging the extensive experience of our team to get a handle on their AHT.

Action Plan

To accomplish this, we implemented a twofold approach: deploying an AI-assisted call routing system to ensure inquiries were directed to the most qualified agent and launching targeted training programs for agents to handle calls more efficiently.

These changes were rolled out immediately, aiming for consistent monthly improvements throughout the year.

Results & Improvements

Over the following months, AHT in our client’s contact center showed a clear downward trend:

• March: AHT increased slightly to 639 seconds as agents adjusted to new processes.
• April – July: Gradual improvement brought AHT down to 621, 614, 606, and then 551 seconds.
• August – September: By August, AHT dropped significantly to 518 seconds, and by September, it was down to 473 seconds.

From January to September, AHT decreased by 20.5% (from 595 seconds to 473 seconds). This represents a significant improvement in overall efficiency and agent productivity.

With reduced AHT, the contact center experienced fewer follow-up calls, contributing to increased first-call resolution rates. Customer satisfaction scores also saw a noticeable increase, as inquiries were handled more quickly and effectively.