Here are some tips to improve average handling time in your call center.
Average handling time is a metric that measures the average time it takes to handle a call or transaction from start to finish. It includes everything from the initiation of a call to the hold time and talk time, as well as any other related tasks necessary to resolve the call.
If an agent has a high AHT, it could mean they are struggling with customer requests. On the other hand, if your agents have a short AHT, it could mean that they didn’t offer the required assistance to your customers. Therefore, it is crucial to provide your call center agents with proper training and the tools they need to respond quickly and resolve customer queries.
Record and Monitor Calls
Recording and monitoring calls is a definite way to improve handling time. This makes it easier to assess an agent’s productivity and identify any issues that may be hindering the team’s overall performance. Besides, recorded calls can be reviewed later by managers if they couldn’t do so in real time. The recordings can also be used during agent training sessions to identify additional areas for improvement.
Have a Streamlined Workflow
Streamlining agent workflows and processes is one of the most important steps to reducing average handling time in a call center. Having a linear, streamlined, and simple workflow helps identify inefficiencies and eliminate anything that contributes to longer handle time and a mediocre customer experience. All repetitive manual tasks must be automated to ensure agents’ time is spent on more productive work.
Ensure Agents Have the Knowledge They Need
As agents work to develop an appropriate response or solution to the problem, handling time might increase. Hence, it is necessary to equip agents with a knowledge base or a ready reckoner of sorts that will help them immediately look up answers to queries. This saves a substantial amount of time that would have otherwise been spent searching databases and other business tools.
Keep Customer Greetings Short
Opening and closing greetings are essential to ensuring a positive customer experience. It doesn’t matter whether it is automated or spoken, but the greeting has to be short and pleasant. Asking irrelevant and unnecessary questions will make the greeting sound superficial and add extra time to the average handling time. Therefore, keep the customer greeting short and simple to convey a friendly attitude concisely.
Ensure System Efficiency
Companies looking to reduce average handling time without compromising on quality must invest in a well-performing system and infrastructure. If the internet speed is slow, for example, agents will naturally have to wait longer for their computer screens to reflect data. Managers must therefore monitor system efficiency during the busiest hours of operation. Agents might have to keep many tabs or windows open and running simultaneously. Managers need to ensure their system can handle these tasks.
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