- 24 Jan 2025
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Understanding Alternative Average Interaction Time
- Updated on 24 Jan 2025
- 1 Minute to read
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To blend individual interactions with calls, emails or messages into performance timelines, Dialpad WFM applies an Average Interaction Time (AIT) to each interaction.
This allows the system to more accurately measure the time agents spend on each interaction within a conversation, building into an Average Conversation Time (ACT); a more accurate way of measuring Average Handle Time (AHT), excluding time spent waiting for customer replies.
Let’s look at how Alternative Interaction Time works.
Who can use this
Dialpad WFM is available to all Dialpad users.
Contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss adding Dialpad WFM to your plan.
This feature is not applicable to Voice or Phone Channel queues.
What is an interaction?
In Dialpad WFM, an interaction is classified as:
A comment added to a ticket.
E.g. sending a reply or adding an internal note.
When the status of a ticket changes.
E.g. open, on-hold, closed.
Set an Alternative Interaction Time
For most queues, Average Conversation Time (ACT), i.e. the average time agents spend on the whole conversation, is the best metric to use to calculate coverage requirements and as a basis for measuring the time agents spend on each conversation within performance reporting.
However, for messaging channels like email or web chat, it is often more suitable to use an alternative Average Interaction Time when creating performance timelines. This adjustment captures the unique pacing of each channel, helping teams better assess productivity.
To use an alternative Average Interaction Time for a queue, head to Dialpad WFM.
Select Forecasts
Select Queues
Beside the desired queue, select Edit
Navigate to Performance
Check the box labelled “Add time spent per interaction”
Enter the applicable Average Interaction Time (AIT)
Select Save
How do I find my AIT number?
If you're already tracking performance, Dialpad WFM will provide this number for you in the Performance reports.
From Dialpad WFM:
Select Reports
Select Performance
Select the Weekly view
Select the agents and/or teams that work in the queue
Filter by activity
Note the AIT across the last 4 weeks
Create an average of these numbers and enter that in the relevant queue
If you've just joined Dialpad WFM or are creating a brand new queue, you'll need to enter an estimation until the system will provide you with the data you need. We recommend starting with 180s.