GuruSup

AHT Calculator

Average Handle Time (AHT) is the single most watched metric in any contact center.

The real insight comes from the breakdown. Talk time typically accounts for 50-55% of AHT, hold time 10-15%, and after-call work (ACW) a staggering 30-40%. That means nearly half of every interaction is spent on activities the customer never sees — writing notes, updating tickets, tagging categories. This is where AI delivers the biggest impact, automating ACW and reducing AHT by 28% on average.

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Calculate Your Average Handle Time

Sum of all conversation minutes across the period

Sum of all minutes customers spent on hold

Sum of all minutes spent on notes, ticket updates, and follow-ups

Total interactions handled in the same period

Average fully loaded hourly cost per agent

Case Studies

Trusted by industry leaders

The impact of GuruSup in numbers

OffUgo

of time saved every week
17hrs

GuruWalk

of queries resolved by AI
91%

Reveni

improvement in operations efficiency
3.5x

Aston Rentals

of automated guest support
24/7

Why average handle time matters

It adds up three times, not one

Talk time, hold time and after-call work, divided by total interactions. Most teams only look at the headline number.

After-call work weighs more than it looks

It runs to 30-40% of AHT: notes, ticket updates and tagging. Almost half of every interaction is something the customer never sees.

Automating after-call work is what brings AHT down

Taking notes and ticket updates off the agent cuts AHT by 28% on average, without shortening the time actually spent with the customer.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Average Handle Time (AHT) is a contact center metric that measures the average duration of a customer interaction from start to finish. It includes talk time (actual conversation), hold time (customer waiting), and after-call work (ACW) such as notes, ticket updates, and follow-ups. The formula is AHT = (Talk Time + Hold Time + ACW) / Total Calls.

AHT benchmarks vary by channel: phone support averages 6-8 minutes, live chat 3-5 minutes, and email 4-6 minutes. However, a 'good' AHT depends on your industry, query complexity, and service goals. Prioritizing low AHT at the expense of quality leads to repeat contacts and lower customer satisfaction.

The most effective ways to reduce AHT without sacrificing quality are: AI-assisted agent tools that surface relevant knowledge in real time, pre-built response templates for common queries, CRM integrations that eliminate manual data entry, and intelligent routing that sends tickets to the right specialist from the start. These typically reduce AHT by 20-30%.

After-call work typically accounts for 30-40% of total AHT because agents must update CRM records, write interaction notes, send follow-up emails, and categorize tickets. AI tools can automate most ACW by generating call summaries, auto-tagging tickets, and pre-filling forms, cutting ACW time by up to 60%.

AI reduces AHT by approximately 28% through several mechanisms: real-time knowledge suggestions eliminate research time, automatic call summarization removes manual note-taking, sentiment detection helps agents resolve issues faster, and smart routing ensures customers reach the right agent immediately. Companies using AI-assisted support typically see AHT drop from 8 minutes to under 6 minutes.

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