Targets for Email AHT

Email AHT

I’m in the process of setting up a dedicated written response team, so they will be handling all the emails in our contact centre. I’m interested to hear what others have as their AHT targets for emails? We do sales and customer service emails so enquiries are generally simple to handle – there are very few complex enquiries.

Question asked by Nicky

Answer for Email AHT

I would suggest a good starting point is to complete a time in motion study for around 2-4 weeks to gain some averages in order to be able to set some realistic targets with your team should you wish to pursue an AHT target. Personally I do not measure my team against AHT but instead, we have a service level agreement in which all correspondence is completed along with measuring FCR which may be more beneficial and easy to measure unless you are using a reliable dashboard which will provide accurate reporting?

With thanks to Jamie

Answer for Email AHT

The whole world is moving away from setting AHT as a target.

Now most contact centres don’t have AHT as an agent target, as it drives the wrong behaviours.

I would instead look at other factors that look at outcomes, such as customer satisfaction, or First Contact Resolution.

With thanks to Jonty

AHT for Email

I’m having a wild time deciding what to apply AHT to – any advice would be great! I’m running a time motion study to model the size of an email-based support center. And we have SF case info, but in the quantity field of the multi-channel model do I apply:

1. only emails received
2. only emails generated
3. every email interaction? (i.e. sending and receiving and just reading and closing?)

I’m confusing myself proper!

With thanks to Fenna