In the world of customer support, time is of the essence. Customers want their problems resolved quickly and efficiently, and businesses want to keep their customers satisfied. Average handling time (AHT) is a key metric for measuring the efficiency of customer support teams. It is calculated by dividing the total time spent on customer interactions by the number of interactions.

Understanding Average Handling Time (AHT):

Average Handling Time (AHT) is a crucial metric that measures the average time it takes for a customer support agent to resolve a customer’s query. It includes the time spent on hold, talking to the customer, and any follow-up activities. AHT is an important metric for businesses to track because it can help them to identify areas where they can improve their customer support operations.

AHT is an important metric because it can help businesses to :

Identify areas where customer support can be improved. For example, if a business has a high AHT for a particular type of query, it may be a sign that the agents need more training or that the process for handling that type of query needs to be streamlined.
Track the performance of customer support agents and teams over time. This can help businesses to identify agents and teams that are performing well and those that need additional support.
Make informed decisions about customer support staffing and resource allocation. For example, if a business is experiencing a high AHT overall, it may need to hire more agents or invest in new technologies to help agents to resolve customer queries more quickly.

What is a good AHT?

A good AHT depends on a number of factors, such as the type of product or service that the company offers, the complexity of the customer queries, and the company’s customer support goals. However, a general rule of thumb is that a good AHT is around 6 minutes per customer interaction.

Challenges in Reducing AHT :

Complex customer queries: Some customer queries are complex and require a significant amount of time to resolve. This can make it difficult to lower AHT without sacrificing quality.
Inexperienced agents: Inexperienced agents may take longer to resolve customer queries. This is because they may not be familiar with the company’s products or services, or they may not have the skills and experience necessary to resolve complex issues.
High call volume: During periods of high call volume, agents may have less time to spend on each customer query. This can make it difficult to lower AHT while maintaining quality.
Limited resources: Some businesses may not have the resources to provide agents with the training and tools they need to resolve customer queries quickly and efficiently. This can make it difficult to lower AHT.

How to overcome the challenges of reducing AHT ?

There are a number of things that businesses can do to overcome the challenges of reducing AHT while maintaining quality support, such as:

Provide agents with the training and resources they need : This includes providing agents with training on the company’s products or services, as well as training on customer service skills and how to resolve customer queries efficiently. Businesses should also provide agents with the tools they need to do their jobs, such as CRM systems and knowledge bases.
Streamline the customer support process : This includes identifying and eliminating any unnecessary steps in the customer support process. Businesses should also make it easy for customers to find the information they need and to contact the right agent.
Hire experienced and qualified agents : When hiring customer support agents, businesses should look for candidates with experience and qualifications relevant to the company’s products or services. Businesses should also look for candidates with good customer service skills.
Invest in new technologies : New technologies can help agents to resolve customer queries more quickly and efficiently. For example, CRM systems can help agents to track customer interactions and to access customer information quickly. Knowledge bases can help agents to answer common customer questions quickly and accurately.
Monitor customer satisfaction : It is important to monitor customer satisfaction levels to ensure that they are not being negatively impacted by efforts to reduce AHT. If customer satisfaction levels decline, businesses should take steps to address the issue.

The Role of Chatbots in Customer Support :

Chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants that can significantly contribute to improving AHT.

Chatbots can handle a wide range of customer support tasks, including:

Answering common questions.
Providing basic information.
Performing simple transactions.
Routing customers to the right agent.
Following up with customers after their issue has been resolved.

Chatbots can handle these tasks quickly and efficiently, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues. This can lead to a significant reduction in AHT.

In addition, chatbots can be used to provide 24/7 support to customers. This can be especially helpful for customers who have issues outside of regular business hours.

Finally, chatbots can collect data and insights about customer interactions. This data can be used to improve the overall customer support experience. For example, chatbots can be used to identify common customer problems and develop solutions.

Overall, chatbots can be a valuable tool for improving AHT in customer support. They can help to handle simple tasks quickly and easily, automate repetitive tasks, provide 24/7 support, and collect data and insights.

Benefits of Chatbots in AHT Reduction :

Increased efficiency: Chatbots can handle a high volume of customer queries simultaneously, without requiring any breaks or rest. This can free up human agents to focus on more complex issues.
Improved productivity: Chatbots can automate repetitive tasks such as collecting customer information, routing customers to the right agent, and following up with customers after their issue has been resolved. This can save agents a significant amount of time, allowing them to handle more customer queries in a shorter period of time.
Reduced costs: Chatbots can help businesses to reduce their customer support costs by automating repetitive tasks and freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues.
Improved customer satisfaction: Chatbots can help businesses to improve customer satisfaction by providing 24/7 support and resolving customer queries quickly and efficiently.
Collect data and insights: Chatbots can collect data and insights about customer interactions, which can be used to improve the overall customer support experience. For example, chatbots can be used to identify common customer problems and develop solutions.

Provide personalized support: Chatbots can be used to provide personalized support to customers by tailoring their responses to the customer’s individual needs. This can help to improve the customer experience and increase customer satisfaction.

Strategies for Using Chatbots to Improve AHT :

Identify the right tasks for chatbots. Not all customer support tasks are well-suited for automation. Chatbots are best suited for tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, and have a high volume. Some examples include: Answering common questions, providing basic information, performing simple transactions, routing customers to the right agent, following up with customers after their issue has been resolved.
Choose the right chatbot platform. There are a number of different chatbot platforms available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. When choosing a chatbot platform, it is important to consider factors such as the types of tasks you want the chatbot to automate, the level of customization you need, and your budget.
Train the chatbot properly. Once you have chosen a chatbot platform, you need to train the chatbot on the specific tasks you want it to perform. This includes providing the chatbot with the data and knowledge it needs to answer customer questions and resolve customer issues.
Monitor and improve the chatbot. Once the chatbot is deployed, it is important to monitor its performance and make improvements as needed. This includes tracking customer satisfaction levels and identifying any areas where the chatbot is struggling to resolve customer issues.

Ensuring a Seamless Customer Experience :

Make it easy for customers to switch to a human agent. If the chatbot is unable to resolve a customer’s issue, make it easy for the customer to switch to a human agent. This could be done by providing a button that the customer can click, or by allowing the customer to type “agent” to be transferred to a human agent.
Provide customers with a way to provide feedback. Give customers a way to provide feedback on their experience with the chatbot. This feedback can be used to improve the chatbot and make it more helpful for future customers.
Use the chatbot to collect data and insights. The chatbot can be used to collect data and insights about customer interactions. This data can be used to improve the overall customer support experience. For example, the data can be used to identify common customer problems and develop solutions.
Personalize the chatbot experience. The chatbot can be used to personalize the customer experience by tailoring its responses to the customer’s individual needs. For example, the chatbot can use the customer’s name and account information to provide more relevant and helpful responses.
Use the chatbot to provide proactive support. The chatbot can be used to provide proactive support to customers. For example, the chatbot can be used to send customers messages about new products or services, or to remind customers about upcoming appointments.
Use natural language processing (NLP). NLP allows chatbots to understand human language and respond in a natural way. This makes the chatbot feel more like a human agent and can help to improve the customer experience.
Use machine learning (ML). ML allows chatbots to learn from customer interactions and improve their responses over time. This can help to ensure that the chatbot is always providing the best possible customer experience.
Use artificial intelligence (AI). AI allows chatbots to be more intelligent and understand complex customer queries. This can help to ensure that the chatbot is able to resolve a wide range of customer issues.
Use a conversational AI platform. A conversational AI platform provides a comprehensive set of tools and services for developing and deploying chatbots. This can make it easier to create and manage chatbots, and to ensure that they are providing a seamless customer experience.

Measuring Success - Key Metrics Beyond AHT :

While AHT is an important metric, it is important to consider other key metrics to evaluate the overall impact of chatbots. These metrics include:

Customer satisfaction (CSAT): This metric measures how satisfied customers are with the chatbot experience. CSAT can be measured through surveys, customer ratings, and feedback forms.
First contact resolution (FCR): This metric measures the percentage of customer issues that are resolved on the first contact with the chatbot. FCR is an important metric because it indicates how effective the chatbot is at resolving customer issues without the need for human intervention.
Deflection rate: This metric measures the percentage of customer interactions that are handled by the chatbot without the need for human intervention. Deflection rate is an important metric because it can help to reduce the workload on human agents and improve the overall efficiency of the customer support team.
Chatbot abandonment rate: This metric measures the percentage of chatbot conversations that are abandoned by customers before being resolved. Chatbot abandonment rate can be used to identify areas where the chatbot needs to be improved.
Chatbot engagement rate: This metric measures the percentage of customers who interact with the chatbot. Chatbot engagement rate can be used to gauge the overall popularity of the chatbot and its effectiveness at attracting and engaging customers.

In addition to these metrics, it is also important to consider the specific goals and objectives that you have set for your chatbot. For example, if your goal is to reduce AHT, then you will want to focus on tracking AHT and other metrics that are related to efficiency. If your goal is to improve customer satisfaction, then you will want to focus on tracking CSAT and other metrics that are related to customer satisfaction.

Role of Botbuz chatbot in improving average handling time (AHT) :

Automating repetitive tasks: Botbuz can automate repetitive tasks such as collecting customer information, routing customers to the right agent, and following up with customers after their issue has been resolved. This can free up agents to focus on more complex issues, which can lead to a reduction in AHT.
Providing 24/7 support: Botbuz can provide 24/7 support to customers, even when agents are not available. This can help to reduce the amount of time that customers have to wait for support, which can lead to a reduction in AHT.
Resolving customer issues quickly and efficiently: Botbuz can resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently, especially for common issues. This is because Botbuz has been trained on a large dataset of customer interactions and can quickly identify and resolve customer issues.
Providing proactive support: Botbuz can provide proactive support to customers, such as by sending them messages about new products or services, or by reminding them about upcoming appointments. This can help to reduce the number of customer issues that need to be resolved in the first place, which can lead to a reduction in AHT.
Collecting data and insights: Botbuz can collect data and insights about customer interactions. This data can be used to identify common customer problems and develop solutions, which can lead to a reduction in AHT in the long term

Botbuz can also improve AHT in specific industries or for specific customer segments. For example, Botbuz improves AHT for customer support teams in the e-commerce industry. It automates tasks such as order tracking & return processing. Botbuz can also improve AHT for customer support teams that support enterprise customers. It automates tasks such as troubleshooting complex technical issues.

Botbuz can be a valuable tool for improving AHT in customer support. It automates repetitive tasks, providing 24/7 support. It also resolves customer issues, providing proactive support & collecting data and insights. Thus, Botbuz can help businesses to reduce AHT and improve the customer experience.

Conclusion :

Average Handling Time (AHT) is an important metric in customer support as it measures the average time it takes to resolve a customer issue. A low AHT indicates that the customer support team is efficient and resolves customer issues quickly. There are a number of factors that can affect AHT, such as the complexity of the customer issue, the experience of the customer support agent, and the availability of resources.

Chatbots can play a significant role in reducing AHT. Chatbots can automate repetitive tasks, such as providing basic information and answering common questions. This can free up customer support agents to focus on more complex issues. Additionally, chatbots are available 24/7, so they can provide support to customers even when customer support agents are not available.