What it means
A caller reaches an agent who needs to check an order, and the agent places the caller on hold for a minute. That minute belongs in hold time, not in the earlier queue wait, which is measured before the call is answered.
NiCE describes average hold time as time callers spend on hold after connecting with an agent, and Genesys likewise treats it as distinct from talk and after-call work. Average handle time typically combines talk, hold and after-call work under platform definitions, so confusing these metrics can produce the wrong staffing decision.
Depending on the platform, a transfer or consultation can be measured differently, and repeated holds within one call may or may not be summed. Check the reporting definition before comparing teams, and report any changes in tooling or metric definitions.
A fictional retailer handles 1,000 calls and records 1,500 minutes of hold time, which gives 1.5 minutes per handled call when divided by all handled calls. A fictional utility team has 300 calls with holds among 1,000 total, so the same 1,500 hold minutes amount to five minutes per held call, not 1.5.
Both figures are useful as long as the denominator is labelled. Long holds may arise from slow systems, unclear procedures or complicated questions, and they do not always mean an agent is unprepared, so investigate the reason before setting a rigid target.
An agent can reduce hold time by rushing and give a wrong answer, which is why quality, first-contact resolution and customer feedback should be reviewed alongside speed. A brief hold is often better than a long silence or an incorrect guess, and the customer should know what is happening, so explain the reason for a hold and return with an update, bearing in mind that local call-handling expectations differ by industry.
Peak periods may bring different call types, so compare similar issues and times, because a product recall can raise holds when agents need careful case-specific information. A fictional bank sees hold time rise after a new verification process and checks whether the additional checks are required and whether the tools are slow, since removing checks merely to hit a target would create risk.
A fictional travel team reports a high monthly average during a disruption and separates disrupted bookings from ordinary inquiries, which helps managers understand demand rather than blame staff. Measure totals and distributions as well as averages, because a few extremely long holds may deserve investigation even when the average looks acceptable, and customers who abandon after a long hold are missed by an average built only from completed handled calls.
Improvement can come from better access to records, fewer approval bottlenecks, a searchable knowledge base, clear escalation routes and coaching, and a fictional hardware supplier that built a guide for common compatibility questions saw hold time fall while accuracy stayed stable because agents no longer called a specialist for every routine inquiry. Average hold time tells how much connected-call time is spent paused, so define its denominator, distinguish queue wait and use it with quality measures.
In practice
Real-world examples.
Example
An agent at a retailer's contact centre places a caller on hold for ninety seconds while checking an order in the warehouse system. The ninety seconds is recorded as hold time for that call, not as queue wait. It adds to the team's total hold minutes for the day.
Example
A service team compares hold time per handled call (1.5 minutes) with hold time per held call (five minutes). The first figure suits a view of overall customer effort, while the second shows how long a hold feels when it happens. The team labels both clearly in its weekly report.
Example
A manager reviews the longest holds after a system change and finds a handful of calls above fifteen minutes. The overall average barely moved, but those customers were the most likely to abandon. A fix to a slow lookup screen is prioritised ahead of a general push to shorten every call.
Formula
Calculation
Hold time per handled call = total hold minutes / handled calls. Hold time per held call = total hold minutes / calls with at least one hold. Label whichever denominator is used.
Worked example. A support team handles 1,000 calls in a week and records 1,500 minutes of hold time, with 300 of those calls involving at least one hold. Per handled call, the average is 1,500 / 1,000 = 1.5 minutes. Per held call, it is 1,500 / 300 = 5 minutes.
Both figures are correct and answer different questions. The first shows the effort spread across all customers, while the second shows how long a hold lasts when it happens. The share of calls with a hold is 300 / 1,000 = 30%, which is a useful third number to report beside them.Case study
Seen in the real world.
In this fictional case, Birch Support records 1,500 minutes of hold across 1,000 handled calls. Its reported all-call average is 1.5 minutes. A review finds that only 300 calls involved a hold, averaging five minutes each. The team fixes a slow lookup screen rather than imposing an arbitrary zero-hold rule. Later, Birch changes its reporting vendor.
The new system excludes consultation time from hold time, so the average drops overnight, but the team treats the lower number as a definition change rather than better service. It shows the old and new definitions side by side until the figures are reconciled. Separately, a fictional insurance desk gives its agents a faster claims-status view. Hold time falls and call-back requests also decline. The combined evidence is stronger than a single speed metric would be.
Watch out
Common mistakes.
- Confusing hold with pre-answer queue waiting.
- Comparing averages that use different denominators.
- Reducing hold time by skipping necessary checks.
Questions
People also ask.
Is average hold time the same as handle time?
No. Handle time also covers other call and after-call work.
Should all holds be eliminated?
No. A necessary check can be better than a wrong answer.
What else should be measured?
Call outcomes, quality, abandonment and long-hold outliers.
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