Available time in a contact center refers to the total amount of time during a specified period that an agent is ready and available to handle customer interactions. It encompasses the time when an agent is not on break, in a meeting, or engaged in any other non-work-related activities and is prepared to receive incoming calls, chats, emails, or other forms of communication from customers.
Available time is also known as 'On Queue' time in Bramble, and appears on the Agent Daily Metrics table. It includes:
Time spent actively handling customer interactions: This includes talking to customers on the phone, responding to chat messages, answering emails, or assisting customers through other communication channels.
Time spent in auxiliary activities: While not directly interacting with customers, available time may also include periods when agents are engaged in auxiliary tasks such as training sessions, team meetings, administrative work, or post-interaction wrap-up tasks.
Time spent in waiting or idle status: If there are no incoming customer interactions or if an agent is waiting for a call or task assignment, this time may still be considered as available time, provided the agent remains ready and accessible.
Available time is an important metric for contact centers as it indicates the capacity and availability of agents to handle customer inquiries and support requests. Maximizing available time while maintaining high levels of productivity and service quality is a key objective for contact center managers, often achieved through effective scheduling, workload management, and training programs.