The duration representing the mean length of a customer service interaction, encompassing talk time, hold time, and any related tasks completed by the representative after the call but directly related to the interaction. For instance, if a call center handles 100 calls in a day, totaling 5000 seconds of talk time, 1000 seconds of hold time, and 2000 seconds of after-call work, the calculation would involve summing these durations and dividing by the number of calls. This results in a metric, expressed in seconds, indicating the typical time investment per interaction.
This metric serves as a crucial performance indicator for contact centers, impacting resource allocation, staffing strategies, and cost management. Historically, tracking this value has allowed businesses to optimize operational efficiency and improve customer satisfaction by identifying areas for process improvement. Monitoring fluctuations can highlight training needs, system inefficiencies, or procedural bottlenecks that affect service delivery. Its implications for forecasting workloads and ensuring adequate staffing levels are substantial.
