How to Reduce AHT in a Call Center

11 Best Ways to Reduce AHT in Your Call Center.
We will talk about training, information systems, greetings, good processes and many more...
Find more at www.careforcustomers.com

[@jamaicasky]

AHT Factors 1) Employee Training 2)Customer Greetings both automated and spoken 3) Information Systems 4) Telephone Systems 5)IVR and Auto Attendants 6)Service Level 7) Business processes 8)Call control 9) Call types 10) Staff experience 11)Cx Self Help

[@markdelacruz3036]

This video was really great help for me since AHT is always my opportunity for improvement. I'm still struggling but I make it a point that I also follow my supervisor's advice during coaching sessions regarding how can I make my calls shorter.

[@CareforCustomers]

Good to hear. I think you are taking the right approach.

[@ibrahimchaib6644]

you have posted good materials. I always wondered why I have higher AHT, but I realized goal of the call centre is to fix the customer then their issue.

[@thanhomerae]

Because recently, I'm trying to get a job from a call centre and find out that it's very stressful in this kind of work environment... The conclusion makes me feel better... we are not robot..

[@CareforCustomers]

You are right, it can be a very stressful work environment. But also know that others will feel the same. Seek out someone who is doing well and learn from them. They may have some pointers that can help you become more successful. It takes times, especially if the product or service is complicated. Give it time.

[@XanthIllion]

Also realise that there's a great many knock-on effects between those factors. Are the agents suddenly expected to do more? Or cater to a new call-demand? Not only has that extra work going to increase AHT, but also bear in mind the Training for those new processes will often be lacking. Which leads to confusion among the Agents, which Drives AHT up further. Also make sure that ALL effected departments are alerted to a change in process. I've seen a case where one specific department used to always handle a certain Demand. However, one day, that Demand was removed from that team and assigned to a different team. Not only were other teams still directing customers through to this team, since they weren't updated. But the Agents in the team in question didn't even know who the new team was, or how to reach them. Other than; "Not us."

[@alster724]

I have been working in a call center for over a year. The key here is product mastery and paraphrasing by making shorter versions of each disclaimer can reduce AHT and if your AHT is already low enough, focus on your QA and surveys.

[@CareforCustomers]

Agree - QA (Quality Assurance) and listening to calls is critical to long term success.

[@jccrellin7625]

I have done customer service for years, but this is a new environment for me. The comments on business processes, call control and pace were very beneficial.

[@CareforCustomers]

JC Crellin Glad you found it useful.

[@malmon8609]

Disconnect those calls, best way to lessen AHT... ;)

[@richardc3732]

U accidentally disconnected the call or what lmao

[@weirdangel4025]

Some ppl intensionally disconnect.

[@jpace4revolution]

This video is informative to a certain extent. However if you work in a sales call center and the goal is to sell then conversion comes into play. If one rep makes converts at 42% with high AHT yet the average rep on the floor converts at 18% why hassle the proven performer? Management will say that if you take more calls you'll get more sales and still convert at 42%. That is simply not true. I can sell multiple products to multiple people on the same call. I am still waiting for the day when they can play one of my calls and tell me when I should've stop selling. It's gotten to the point now to where it's a relief when the customer says no the first time. Instead of focusing on the customer and selling to their needs I now have to decide if the sale is worth it knowing that I'm gonna be hassled about AHT the next day. An experienced sales professional can qualify a caller to determine how much time to invest on that call. I have been the number one rep out of 200+ met my annual quota in four months yet still get hassled about AHT. If I was in customer service I could understand AHT and cost per call but I'm in sales. when I can take less calls and still sell more than the entire sales floor it's doesn't make sense to pull me away and hassle me about it. What am I missing? The more I talk and build rapport with the customer the more they trust and buy from me. Customers buy emotionally and make decisions intellectually. The angry customer is one of the easiest to sell.

[@CareforCustomers]

You are not missing anything, I agree with your thoughts. Here is the simple math why you are the better Sales Agent: If your AHT was 20 mins per call and your conversion was 42% you would make 1.26 sales per hour on the 3 calls that you take in an hour. If the 18% converter person had half your AHT, say only 10 mins, they would only make 1.08 sales per hour on the 6 calls they took in the hour. I would also bet your sales "stick", meaning the customers will keep the product or service because you took the time to explain the value. Shorter call don't always allow that kind of interaction with the customers. And the 18% converter talked to ~5 customers that didn't buy in the hour. The company can't call those customers back for while. You only missed ~2. in the hour. So you sold more and "wasted" less customers. P.S. I would never talk to you about AHT, I would talk to all the other Agents about coping what you do, because YOU add more value to the company - it is simple to prove. Keep doing what you are doing!!

[@daniellekirby1557]

Aht does have its downsides. It drives perverse behaviours. In my call centre the aht target is set too low meaning people simply put the phone down on the customer if they have a complex query that will take a long time to fix

[@tjjtjj5720]

horror fan ya, thats why you hope that call doesnt get QA'd and move on

[@johneduardoctavianoiv9749]

@The Great SteveO or should I say in that case, the call center company can no longer afford to pay more people to answer the calls? It's a ratio between number of customer vs ONE agent. Lowest possible aht like below 5 minutes usually applies to account query only. 🤭

[@tonyband.4334]

Most of the time the company tolerates some of these dirty tricks just to set the expectations of the clients.

[@BoyerzUrashima]

Even i was trained and coached well but AHT should be excepted from elderly for technical support. Because you can't force elders to do the hardwork. But its easier to lower AHT if the elderly person wants a service call then i can easily setup right away and be on ACW for a few seconds to do call logging then auto in after that. I can avoid ACW if it's super avail then i can do call logging easily once its available but queuing will be difficult to do ACW so i can put accurate notes on every customers account so in case they get the same problem the next agent can refer to the notes. I sacrifice AHT for a better metrics then customers never callback on the same day

[@BoyerzUrashima]

horror fan thats a good thing so its easier for the reps to read the notes without making the caller repeat themselves I would feel the same way

[@CareforCustomers]

Agree, AHT is but one of many measures in a call center. To many companies think AHT is THE key measure of success. What you want is an appropriate AHT for your business. Not one that drives unwanted behaviours. Thanks for the valuable comment Danielle.

[@ZealVD]

This video is a professional presentation (and would be better understood by Business people) of what I do naturally but could never explain in words the why I do what I do other than “it just provides a better customer experience” Thank you for helping me with Adulting talk :D

[@vijaymishra1008]

You are making Leaders: Really helping people..God bless you

[@CareforCustomers]

Thank you for such a nice comment.

[@PurpleHazeJKU]

Thank you! This was great information. Going to start on a few of these right away.

[@skillsgd.7086]

Notice that i appreciate that informational video a lot. You can't imagine how, thanks 😊

[@CareforCustomers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sudhirsaleakanomad2051]

The coolest one "processes are made by people sitting in a calm & cool environment" that's true 😛

[@CareforCustomers]

We all appreciate air conditioning at some point.

[@TheBham]

Are you saying that AHT should not be the reason for the Service Level to fail? Im confused

[@misscsb1]

I absolutely LOVE this video and it is still relevant today. I appreciate all of the great information and I absolutely plan to implement your strategies!

[@CareforCustomers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@elite_tv75]

Awesome advice

[@VK47blue]

Very nice video. I am wondering if you would have add discussion with agents as well. Because those are the one knows best about calls and different customers.

[@CareforCustomers]

Yes that is a very good idea. Agents do the job all day/night long. They will have lots of suggestions if they are asked.

[@JSJAYME2009]

Thank you. Learned a lot.

[@1matim]

thanks, good video

[@amandaallen9460]

I have the highest sales rate for my team at Centerpoint..currently I'm at like 18% mtd where goal is 7%

[@CareforCustomers]

If you run a sales department this might help kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHK0ZGujbKuBaNU

[@yamunayamu2298]

Without hearphone speaking even 30 calls my ear starts to pain...please give me some tips..how much minimum calls we should speak per day?

[@CareforCustomers]

Please have your employer get you and your team proper headsets. They will enhance your performance, and that will pay back their costs. The number of calls that you take depends on the hours you work and the length of the calls. There is no "correct" number. Agents need to have some time between calls to ensure good performance. No one can do a good job when they are on back to back calls all day long. I hope you get what you need to do your job.

[@yamunayamu2298]

@@CareforCustomers I got fear because of this ear pain sir ..that's why asked approximate calls a normal person should speak per day...

[@bhabylove25]

This really help us :) Thank you for this video.

[@CareforCustomers]

Marvin Lim Glad to know. You are most welcome.

[@jasminerice154]

Marvin Lim HOY AHT MO LAGING NAMUMULA MARVIN!!

[@ranjitjojo]

cant ask for anything better than this. Thanks a billion

[@CareforCustomers]

Thank you for the compliment.

[@wadagher]

Very informative - thank you

[@gloriadasill8900]

URGENT! Kindly if you are reading this, and have been in a customer care/Call center environment. I need help brainstorming the kind of projects customer care can undertake /do? Also, for QA team in call centers, what projects can be done to improve as a team? Please help. Thanks in advance.

[@CareforCustomers]

Gloria, I think it would help the reader if you better defined what it is you are looking for help on.

[@andrewmassino5536]

Ptpop?!

[@rizwanpasha8835]

Very good presentation

[@CareforCustomers]

Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@donshasi26]

Wonderfull Well said. Thank Very much for the meaningfull video.

[@CareforCustomers]

And to you for the kind words of support.

[@mrhariom3272]

Very good information

[@sarojbhatia5347]

Thank you! Excellent overview.

[@CareforCustomers]

Saroj Bhatia Thank you for the comment and for watching!

[@amreeksingh1977]

great work

[@CareforCustomers]

amreek singh Thanks for the compliment.

[@rickfutureradio]

thank you a lot

[@CareforCustomers]

Glad you found it helpful.

[@technicaluser6855]

awesome video

[@CareforCustomers]

blushing..

[@angelar7973]

Very Helpfull thx

[@CareforCustomers]

Sweetprison Blue Thanks for the kind words.

[@teimozzy]

"it depends, it depends on what you are looking for"

[@Frottagecub]

in a perfect, cookie-cutter world, in a company that gives you the tools to address the customer's situations ... you'll be able to SHINE with the KPIs including those AHTs expectations - guess what? You can have all these down to a "T" and the company's never going to recognize that if you don't push that customer in some "Adderall/Meth" super speed filled 7 minutes. Guess what, that aspect doesn't work for elderly people who need more TLC on the phone lines. Let's STOP MAKING a VIDEO(S) LIKE THIS AND ADDRESS KPIs in a realistic manner, please.

[@CareforCustomers]

The video's idea was to give viewers a list of areas within a contact center that they should or could look at IF they need to decrease AHT. In my experience, very few contact centers every get it all right at one time. Sometimes following an establish best practice will improve CSAT and AHT.