Average Handle Time (AHT)

How it works

AHT is typically broken into three components: talk time or reading time (the agent's time engaging with the conversation), hold time (time spent waiting for information or a third party), and wrap-up time (post-conversation documentation, tagging, or follow-up actions).

AI support affects AHT in two ways. For AI-resolved tickets, AHT drops to near zero since there is no agent involvement. For agent-handled tickets, AI assistance features — suggested responses, automatic context population, one-click order lookup — reduce the agent's active work time per ticket.

AHT benchmarks vary by channel and ticket complexity. Simple ecommerce queries average 3–5 minutes per agent-handled ticket. Technical SaaS support averages 15–25 minutes. Escalated AI conversations (where the AI handled the first phase) typically have shorter agent AHT because context is pre-loaded.

When you'll encounter it

AHT is a standard metric in support operations dashboards, workforce management planning, and vendor comparisons. It is especially relevant when calculating per-ticket labor costs and the ROI of agent efficiency tools.