Contact center efficiency: 4 proven strategies to lower AHT and enhance customer service

Every CX manager or service manager is evaluated based on two seemingly conflicting KPIs: speed and quality. Cutting Average Handling Time (AHT) is critical to winning efficiency gains in the contact center and slashing service costs, but never at the expense of customer trust. This article outlines four practical executive-level strategies for reducing AHT in call centers, structured as clear levers you can activate today to improve operational KPIs and customer loyalty.

What is Average Handling Time (AHT)?

For CX leaders in industries from US telcos to American banks, AHT is one of the first indicators that reveals whether a call center is operating efficiently. It’s often used as a benchmark by executives to understand the balance between productivity and customer satisfaction. Before exploring techniques to improve it, it’s important to clarify what AHT actually measures and why it matters for business performance.

Definition and how to calculate It

Average Handling Time (AHT) is the average duration of a customer interaction, from the first “hello” to the final after-call note. To calculate it, you sum up talk time, hold time, and after-call work (ACW), then divide the total by the number of interactions handled. 

Average Handling Time Formula. Source: Covisian

Understanding this formula is essential for CX leaders because it establishes the baseline against which improvements in efficiency and service quality can be measured.

Why AHT is crucial for operational efficiency

From an executive perspective, AHT is more than just a number on a dashboard, it tells the story of your customer experience. Imagine a client waiting on hold or navigating multiple transfers: every extra minute is effort they’re spending, and every extra minute costs your business.

Slashing AHT can lower service costs and free up agents to handle more complex issues, but pushing too hard for speed can hurt the experience. The stakes are real: research shows that 70% of consumers will leave a brand after just two poor experiences, and 24% after only one.

Managing AHT effectively is about striking the right balance between efficiency and customer loyalty, ensuring your team works smarter without sacrificing the relationships that drive long-term value.

Proven techniques to reduce Average Handling Time

Reducing AHT starts with making processes smoother for both employees and customers. The most effective strategies focus on tackling the repetitive, predictable parts of calls while equipping agents with the tools they need to respond quickly and confidently to complex issues.

Here are 4 proven strategies contact center leaders use to cut AHT:

1. Automate repetitive processes
2. Optimize customer service scripts
3. Provide continuous agent training
4. Leverage AI for quick support

Let’s explore how each of these strategies works in practice and why they make such a difference in balancing efficiency with customer satisfaction.

Automating repetitive processes

In most contact centers, a significant portion of interactions comes from routine requests: billing questions, account updates, or service changes. When these processes rely entirely on manual handling, each small step adds seconds that accumulate across hundreds or thousands of calls.

Modern CCaaS platforms, such as Smile.CX, illustrate how AI can automate repetitive tasks in a contact center. By offloading routine work, agents are freed to focus on interactions that truly add value, building stronger customer relationships and enhancing the overall experience. In a real-world use case, the platform cut handling times by up to 50% and achieved 52% savings on repetitive activities, showing the tangible impact of intelligent automation on both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

By reducing manual workload, companies can optimize resource utilization, lower AHT, and ensure that human effort is invested where it matters most: in meaningful interactions that drive long-term customer loyalty.

Optimized customer service scripts

Scripts are not meant to be read word-for-word; they are tools to guide conversations efficiently. Poorly designed scripts can slow calls, frustrate customers, and force agents to improvise or repeat information. Optimized scripts, however, adapt in real time to each customer’s situation, helping agents respond faster while keeping the conversation natural and relevant.

Modern call centers increasingly rely on AI-assisted scripts that provide dynamic prompts and next-best-action suggestions based on customer history and intent. This allows agents to focus on resolving issues rather than searching for answers, while ensuring consistency and quality across every interaction.

In practice, optimized scripts streamline conversations, enhance agent confidence, and improve both AHT and customer satisfaction, turning every call into a more effective and meaningful interaction.

How to improve AHT without compromising service quality

Reducing AHT is important, but speed alone isn’t enough. The real challenge when automating in contact centers is working smarter while preserving the human touch. Meaningful customer interactions still require empathy, judgment, and personal engagement from agents. And contact centers in the U.S. know all too well that rushing calls at the expense of quality can quickly backfire. The next two strategies show how to maintain speed without losing the human connection, giving agents the right support from AI to deliver both efficiency and care.

Continuous agent training

Even the best tools cannot replace a well-prepared agent. Continuous, targeted training equips your team to handle complex scenarios confidently while making the most of the technology at their fingertips. When agents understand how to leverage AI assistants, dynamic scripts, and knowledge bases, they can work faster without losing the human touch.

Effective training approaches include:

• Microlearning and scenario-based exercises that focus on the most frequent or challenging interactions, helping agents apply skills in real-world situations.
• Real-time coaching and analytics, providing actionable feedback during live calls to guide decision-making and reinforce best practices.
• Interactive performance dashboards that allow agents to monitor customer experience, track key KPIs like AHT, First Contact Resolution (FCR), and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and adjust their approach in real time.

With consistent, hands-on training, agents can reduce handle time while maintaining high-quality interactions, resolving issues efficiently, and using available tools in harmony with their own judgment and empathy.

Leveraging AI for quick support

AI is most effective when it acts as a co-pilot for agents, supporting rather than replacing them. By handling repetitive tasks, suggesting next-best actions, and providing relevant knowledge in real time, AI allows agents to focus on the aspects of the interaction that truly require human judgment and empathy.

Practical applications include:

• Agent assist: AI delivers context-driven prompts and recommended actions, helping agents respond quickly while maintaining a personal, human touch.
• Predictive routing: connects customers to the agent best equipped to resolve their issue efficiently.
• Automated documentation: summarizes calls and updates CRM entries automatically, reducing after-call work and freeing agents to engage more fully with the customer.

By combining AI-driven efficiency with human expertise, contact centers can reduce AHT, improve resolution rates, and enhance the overall customer experience, ensuring that agents and technology work in symbiosis to deliver both speed and quality.

Ready to reduce Average Handling Time (AHT) while keeping the human touch in your contact center? Contact us today to explore how you can achieve both speed and quality.

FAQ

What is a good Average Handling Time (AHT) in call centers?

A good AHT in US call centers is typically 4 to 6 minutes. Anything lower may risk service quality, while higher times can raise costs. The best-performing companies balance speed with customer satisfaction.

How can call centers reduce AHT without hurting customer experience?

The fastest-growing US call centers reduce AHT by automating routine tasks, optimizing scripts, and using AI-driven agent assist tools. These methods cut handle time while keeping conversations personalized and human.

Why is AHT important for contact center efficiency?

AHT is a key KPI because it shows how efficiently your team resolves calls while maintaining service quality. Lowering AHT reduces costs, increases agent availability, and improves overall customer experience.

What role does AI play in lowering AHT?

AI is a game-changer in the US market: 

• Automates repetitive processes 

• Suggests next-best actions 

• Summarizes calls instantly 

This helps agents focus on complex issues, reducing handle times by up to 50%.

How does agent training impact AHT?

Continuous agent training improves both speed and quality. US companies that use microlearning, real-time coaching, and performance dashboards see faster resolutions and higher customer satisfaction scores.