What is Call Time?
Call time is a contact center term that refers to the length of time a caller is on an individual call with an agent. It typically includes talk time and agent-initiated hold time, but not post call wrap time. The length of an individual call normally isn't useful for a call center to monitor, except perhaps to identify outliers that need investigation. For example, if an agent has several calls with unusually high call times it may be an indication that he isn't putting himself in the right phone status when he ends calls prior to taking breaks. However, calculating Average Talk Time can be very useful.
Contact centers typically favor a closely related KPI, average handle time (AHT). AHT factors in call time plus wrap time, to get a truer picture of time spent supporting calls. It is an important input to calculating staffing needs and producing agent schedules, as well as calculating cost per call. An increasing AHT, as well as a high average call time, could indicate potential agent inefficiencies or a change in the mix of calls coming in.
Call time is captured by automatic call distribution (ACD) systems and is usually a component of standard reports. But because it measures an individual call, call time may not be viewed very frequently.
How NICE can help
NICE is the market leader in providing customers the cloud contact center software they need to deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences. Benefits include:
- Modern ACD providing digital-first omnichannel routing and increased business agility
- Extensive, detailed historical reporting and real-time dashboards
- Integrated and comprehensive workforce management solutions to engage and empower contact center agents to achieve business goals
- Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to enhance the customer experience and automate routine agent tasks
- Omnichannel customer journey management
CXone provides an intelligent, unified suite of applications covering the breadth of contact center management disciplines, simplifying administration and streamlining the user experience.
