How to Reduce Average Handle Time Without Making Support Worse

## What AHT Actually Measures

Average handle time is the total time an agent spends on a ticket from open to close. It includes reading the initial message, researching the issue, writing a response, waiting for customer replies, and any follow-up work.

It's a useful metric. But it's not a goal.

If you optimize for AHT alone, you get agents who rush through tickets, give incomplete answers, and close tickets prematurely. The customer writes back, a new ticket opens, and your actual cost-per-r...