AVERAGE HANDLE TIME (AHT): 5 TIPS TO IMPROVE IT
Contact centers have become a pillar of the customer experience (CX) for any company to handle all customer-related inquiries. It is much more than just a tool to address occasional calls and provide good service to customers. The contact center tracks, monitors, and manages every customer call so that the experience gains loyalty to the company.
Today, contact centers have evolved into multichannel contact centers, where customer interactions can be managed through digital channels such as social networks, messaging applications, and chatbots. Industries are investing in their contact centers using technology to provide efficient customer service and collect feedback to improve customer experience.
According to Delloite, delivering a great CX is about building strong connections, loyalty, and value. 57% of the company’s CX is a high priority, and 67% will continue to be a high priority over the next two years.
Consumer trends are pushing companies to adopt new technologies that offer quick and effective solutions for addressing customer concerns. This helps companies gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that most customer interactions with a contact center are to:
- Report a problem with a product or service
- Get help with a technical issue
- Place an order or inquire about a product or service
- Ask a billing or account question
- File a complaint or provide feedback
- Get information about a product or service
- Schedule or reschedule an appointment
- Get help with a return or refund
- Get emergency assistance
The challenge is delivering better CX and achieving the best average handle time (AHT) in operations, so agents can resolve interactions and improve the customer journey.
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The importance of AHT
Metrics drive every company. Average Handle Time (AHT) is a metric that measures how much time agents in a contact center spend on customer interaction. Efficiency is a crucial factor when it comes to achieving satisfaction. The less time it takes to complete a task, the more satisfied we feel. AHT provides reliable data on efficiency, measuring the performance of each agent and the contact center.
In early 2018, CitiPhone India Operations launched #MyClientMyWorld (MCMW) to transform the customer experience. By reversing the service pyramid, Citi shifted its focus from client-centric to client-driven. The goal of MCMW was to transform the client experience, reduce call volumes and develop a “future-ready” team. They achieved this by reducing call volume by 18% through voice biometrics (50% of calls covered) and fingerprint authentication on the mobile app.
AHT includes the time spent on hold, talking to the customer, and doing post-interaction work. Efficient customer interactions may result in a shorter metric, implying that the agent handles more interactions in less time.
What’s Average Handle Time, & How Do You Cut It in Half (Or More)? Learn more.
On the other hand, a longer AHT indicates that agents are taking a long time to resolve customer issues or may need additional training to handle interactions more efficiently.
Several ways to reduce AHT include improving agent training and streamlining processes. However, balancing AHT with other metrics, such as customer satisfaction and service quality, is essential to ensure the best customer experience possible.
HERE ARE 5 TIPS FOR IMPROVING AHT
Today, contact centers have evolved into multichannel contact centers where customer interactions can be handled through agents, social media, messaging apps, self-help portals, and other channels. These centers have become essential for industries to manage customer interactions, provide efficient customer support, and gather feedback to improve the customer experience.
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1Coaching
Create an effective call routing strategy. Streamline agent training in customer relationship management (CRM). Provide agents with the tools and knowledge they need to be more efficient.
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2Integrate mobile working tools
Agents often improve customer service when the CRM is connected to their mobile devices. With the full customer profile displayed in the CRM system, agents can easily understand the context of specific concerns during the call. They do not need to ask for account information repeatedly, as it often unnecessarily prolongs phone calls.
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3Intelligent Automation
Many contact center tasks can be conveniently automated to save agents time and effort. Use in-call and post-call automation and call categorization to reduce average handle time and improve accuracy.
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4Chatbots and Self-Service
Chatbots are capable of taking on simple and repetitive customer inquiries. They are available 24/7, so customers can get support anytime, even when agents are unavailable.
They can also provide personalized and consistent responses to customers, ensuring they receive the same level of service regardless of the time of day or agent they interact with.
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5Real-time conversational AI
Conversational AI provides agents with real-time alerts and notifications, allowing agents to focus on customer needs and deliver a conversational experience. It also offers real-time sentiment and emotion alerts to help resolve customer issues.
Erlang Calculator – for Call Centre Staffing. Learn more.
By implementing these tips, a contact center can improve its AHT while ensuring customers receive the best possible service.
Take Advantage of AI Tools
Contact centers can take these steps to reduce average call handle times by leveraging the growth of AI and automation to improve customer satisfaction and agent efficiency.
Our belief at twyolo is that automation in contact centers and improved AHT will lead to a better customer experience and greater customer loyalty in the face of new market trends.
All of us who work in customer service know how important it is to optimize contact center management times. At twyolo, we know customers are looking for a fast, high-quality response. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted knowledge management simplifies and improves agent search functions.
AHT (Average Handle Time) Calculator. Learn more.
We can be your ally against high AHT with solutions that improve call flow, reduce search time, and provide agents with systems that support a more efficient process.
Let’s improve your customer experience through customer experience automation!