Average talk time (ATT) is the amount of time
that an agent spends in handling customer calls and resolving their queries.
This metric sometimes is confused with average handling
time. Unlike Average Handling Time, ATT
does not include time spent on hold. Ideally, the time the caller spends on
hold is not included in this metric. If
ATT is too high, the service providers are not able to answer more calls. On
the contrary, if the average talk time is too low, the Call Center will be
capable of answering more
calls. Lower Average Talk Time
eventually increases customer satisfaction. Having talk times higher than
required will increase cost.
ATT is calculated as follows:
ATT helps in measuring day-to-day activities of
the management of the call center service providers. This index is evaluated and analyzed on a
daily basis. Thus, it is imperative to optimize the average talk time in order
to cut unnecessary cost and balance services provided to customers.
Why is
Average Talk Time Important?
An important insight into customer behavior is
ATT. While Average handling time (AHT) provides information regarding the
contact center's experience of an interaction, Average Talk Time (ATT) is a
representation of the customer's relationship with your company.
Pulling apart the customer experience gives you
ample information about the relationship between your company and the customer.
For example, your focus may consistently hit its AHT goal. However, if you go
on to analyze the effectiveness of your customer service, you will find things
quite differently.
In terms of overall performance, Average Talk
Time (ATT) is not generally something planners aim to reduce or increase.
Instead, a sensible objective would be to increase the proportion of
communication that involves talk rather than hold or wrap-up time.
Agents compelled to speak for longer would
increase overall handling time, so separating talking time from handling time
and combining the results with reporting data provides you with important
information regarding call trends.
This will help you to
identify the types of queries that require the most hold time and make training
recommendations for those situations. You can identify faulty processes by
looking closely at your agents' talk time and component parts of an
interaction. Perhaps long handling times are caused by a slow processor or
overburdened system.
To determine the
relationship between hold time and customer satisfaction or between talk time
and sales, you could inspect the relationship between holding time and
successful conversions.
Also, what you must
understand is that increasing talk time would almost certainly result in higher
AHT due to agents feeling under pressure to up the talk time. If this is
happening, it may be time to reconsider AHT standards. By providing your agents
with relevant training and clear communications, you can ensure the right mix
of talk time and handle time, leading to a positive customer experience and contributing
to your business outcomes.
As you collect more
data, don't be afraid to course correct, and be sure to tell your agents why
you modified their targets. Above all, don't sacrifice customer experience just
to meet one metric.
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