# What is Average Handle Time (AHT)?

> The average time an agent spends actively working a ticket, from open to wrap-up.

Canonical: https://www.decimal.app/glossary/average-handle-time · Last reviewed: 2026-09-23

Average handle time measures the total active time spent on tickets divided by the number of tickets handled. It usually includes reading, researching, replying, and after-ticket work like notes and tagging.

## Why it matters

AHT drives staffing math. On technical support teams, it's dominated by research time: finding the right log, the right account setting, or the engineer who knows. Cutting research cuts AHT without rushing customers.

## Best practices

1. Segment by ticket type. A password reset and an API failure shouldn't share a target.
2. Don't optimize it alone. Pair AHT with CSAT and reopen rate so speed doesn't come at the cost of quality.
3. Find the research tax. Track how much of each ticket is spent gathering context. That's the part automation removes.

## How Decimal helps

Decimal hands agents a pre-investigated ticket with the relevant evidence attached, so the time goes to the customer, not to digging.

## Related terms

- [First Response Time (FRT)](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/first-response-time): How long a customer waits for the first human or agent reply to a ticket.
- [Resolution Time](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/resolution-time): Elapsed time from a ticket's creation to its final resolution.
- [Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/csat): The share of customers who rate a support interaction as good after it closes.
- [Reopen Rate](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/reopen-rate): The share of solved tickets customers reopen because the issue wasn't fixed.

---

Decimal · Book a demo: https://cal.com/decimal-demo/30m · Markdown index: https://www.decimal.app/llms.txt