What is Total Handle Time?

• A. The total amount of time agents spend handling interactions, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work; for outbound calls includes dialing and contacting time.
• B. The total time from when an interaction enters the queue until it is completed.
• C. The time an agent spends in the login screen before handling any interaction.
• D. The sum of hold time and after-call work only.

Answer: (A)

Total Handle Time is the total amount of time an agent spends actively handling a contact, from the moment the interaction is connected to the agent until it is completed. It includes talk time (when the agent is speaking with the customer), hold time (when the customer is on hold), and after‑call work (wrap‑up tasks after the interaction ends). For outbound calls, it also includes dialing and contacting time. This differs from the time a customer spends waiting in the queue, which would be counted in wait time rather than handle time. It also isn’t just hold time and wrap‑up time, since the agent’s spoken time is part of the total as well.