Handling time is the amount of time between when the system puts the customer on hold until the moment an agent becomes available (or the caller hangs up).

The average hold time is calculated by adding up all inbound customer call hold times and dividing that by the number of inbound customer calls answered by the agent or interactive voice response (IVR) system.

Firms have various options for reducing their average hold time:

1. Increase their call handling staff to meet demand
2. Offer more or better IVR to provide some of the services automatically
3. Reduce handle times through improved call handling procedures, training and system development