Why Traditional Methods of Reducing AHT Fall Short
Before exploring Voice AI, let’s take a look at why traditional methods often miss the mark.
It’s important to understand where previous strategies fall short, because if they worked, we wouldn’t still be talking about AHT as a problem.
1. Hiring More Agents
Many call centers think that hiring more agents will solve the AHT problem.
But what ends up happening is that you’re simply spreading the same workload across more people, without necessarily improving the speed or quality of the service.
More agents equal more payroll, and the increase in human resources doesn’t guarantee a reduction in AHT. It might even make the situation worse by introducing new inefficiencies.
2. Optimizing Call Flows
Reworking call scripts and optimizing workflows might feel like progress, but it only goes so far.
Streamlining the process can help agents handle calls more efficiently, but it doesn’t solve the core issue: many calls still involve repetitive questions, long hold times, and unnecessary transfers.
These inefficiencies persist no matter how much you tweak the flow.
3. Training and Up-Skilling Agents
While improving agent performance is essential, it’s not the silver bullet. Training programs are costly and time-consuming, and the results can be inconsistent.
Even with the best-trained agents, the speed at which they can resolve customer queries doesn’t change much, especially when call volume spikes.
4. IVR Systems
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems were a step forward in automation, but they’ve become more of a headache than a help.
Customers still encounter long menus, frustrating prompts, and endless loops before reaching the right person.
Worst of all, IVR systems struggle with handling complex issues, which only increases AHT.
