How to Track Average Handle Time (AHT) in Zendesk

Zendesk has no built-in Average Handle Time (AHT) metric for email and web tickets. To get one, install Zendesk's free Time Tracking app, which records agent time into a "Total time spent" ticket field, then build a calculated metric in Explore with the formula VALUE(Total time spent (sec))/60. Building that metric needs Explore Professional or Enterprise (included in Suite Professional at $115 per agent per month, billed yearly) and an Editor or Admin role in Explore. Messaging tickets are the exception: Explore already reports a native "Handle time" metric for them.

Does Zendesk track AHT out of the box?

Not for email, web form or API tickets. Zendesk doesn't record how long an agent actively works a ticket unless something times it. The traditional AHT formula (talk time plus hold time plus wrap-up, divided by contacts handled) comes from phone support, and it maps poorly onto email or chat, where one agent may have several conversations open at once.

So Zendesk leaves the definition to you. The Time Tracking app is how you supply the raw data.

What is the Zendesk Time Tracking app?

Time Tracking is Zendesk's own app in the Marketplace. It's free, has 10,000+ installs, and adds a timer to the ticket sidebar. It's available on all Suite plans and on Support Professional and Enterprise.

It captures actual work time. The timer records how long an agent spends on a ticket, and each submission is written to two numeric ticket fields.

It works on ticket updates across channels. Phone, email or chat, the time is logged against the ticket update the agent submits.

It feeds Explore. Those fields sync to Explore, where you turn them into an average handle time by agent, team or month.

It has limits worth knowing before you roll it out. It doesn't run in side conversations, the bulk ticket editor or the Zendesk Support mobile app. Light agents can't use it. If you uninstall it, the recorded time values stop being visible on tickets.

How do you set up time tracking in Zendesk?

Setup takes a few minutes. Here's how:

Step 1: Install the Time Tracking app

1. In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar
2. Select Apps > Channel apps
3. Click Zendesk Marketplace
4. Search for "Time Tracking" and click the app title
5. Click Install and choose your account
6. Configure any settings you want (like role restrictions or group restrictions)
7. Click Install to complete the setup

The app automatically creates two custom ticket fields: "Time spent last update" and "Total time spent". These fields store the time tracking data that you'll use later to build your AHT metrics.

The settings page has a dozen options. The ones that change your numbers most are Auto pause (pauses the timer when an agent leaves the ticket), Edit time submission (lets agents correct their time before it saves) and Block large time spent submissions (stops a timer left running overnight from skewing the average).

Step 2: Add the custom fields to your ticket forms

If you use multiple ticket forms, add the two fields Time Tracking created to every form. In Admin Center, go to Objects and rules > Tickets > Forms, open each form and drag both fields onto it. Otherwise time isn't recorded on tickets that use the missing form.

Step 3: Start tracking time

Agents need to do a one-time browser refresh to see the Time Tracking app after installation. Once they do, they'll see a timer in the Apps panel when viewing tickets.

Agents can:

• Click play to start the timer when working on a ticket
• Click pause if they need to take a break or switch tasks
• Click the refresh button to reset the timer to zero
• Submit their time when they're done working on the ticket

On submit, the app writes to the Total time spent (sec) and Time spent last update (sec) fields. Agents can open Show timelogs on a ticket to see how long each agent spent on it.

How do you calculate AHT in Zendesk Explore?

You'll need Explore Professional or Enterprise, and Editor or Admin permissions in Explore. Explore Lite, which comes with Suite Team and Growth, only has prebuilt dashboards, so it can't hold a custom metric.

Creating the calculated metric

Create a standard calculated metric in the Support: Tickets dataset:

1. In Explore, click the Reports icon
2. Click New report
3. Select Support > Support - Tickets, then click Start report
4. Click the Calculations menu and select Standard calculated metric
5. Name your metric (e.g., "Ticket handling time (min)")
6. Enter this formula: VALUE(Total time spent (sec))/60
7. Click Save

The app stores time in seconds, so dividing by 60 gives minutes. For hours, use VALUE(Total time spent (sec))/60/60. Add the metric to a report with the AVG aggregator and you have average handle time per ticket.

If you installed the app recently, give it time. The fields sync to Explore on a schedule, so fresh data may not be there yet.

Which AHT reports should you build?

Handling time by ticket. Individual ticket handling times with Ticket ID, Assignee name, Requester name and Ticket solved - Date. Useful for spotting outliers and the tickets that eat the most time.

Average handling time trends. Total and average handling time by month and by Ticket organization name. Useful for tracking change over time and comparing customer segments.

Zendesk's own recipe walks through both reports step by step: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6756291938330

What should you watch when you report on AHT?

Speed versus quality. A low AHT can mean agents are closing tickets before the problem is fixed. Judge it against the kind of help your customers actually need.

Read it next to other metrics. Track AHT alongside Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), First Contact Resolution (FCR) and Net Promoter Score (NPS). A falling AHT with a falling CSAT is a warning, not a win.

Compare like with like. Phone, email and chat have different natural handle times, and so do billing questions and technical bugs. Set targets per channel and per category rather than one number for the whole team.

Know what the number counts. The app only measures time the timer was running. Work done outside the ticket, such as a side conversation or a mobile reply, isn't in it.

How is handle time measured on messaging tickets?

If you use Zendesk messaging, you already have a native "Handle time" metric in the Messaging tickets dataset. It measures the time agents spend interacting with end users on messaging tickets, aggregating the time between start/restart events and pause events where at least one agent message was sent.

The clock starts when an agent is first assigned or the customer replies and reopens the ticket. It pauses when the ticket is submitted as Pending, On-hold or Solved, when it's unassigned or reassigned, or when the agent's capacity is released after 10 minutes without a customer message. If most of your volume is messaging, you may not need the Time Tracking app at all.

Are there other ways to track AHT in Zendesk?

Yes, but they take more work. If you run Zendesk with a third-party phone system, you can pull talk and hold time from the telephony platform's API into custom ticket fields and report on those. That needs custom development and isn't officially documented by Zendesk.

For most teams, the Time Tracking app is the most reliable and maintainable option.

Related metrics

How to reduce Average Handling Time: Proper agent training, self-service resources like knowledge bases, and regularly reviewing call recordings can all help optimize AHT while maintaining service quality.

First Contact Resolution (FCR): This metric pairs well with AHT. If your FCR is high and your AHT is reasonable, you're likely providing efficient support. If AHT is low but FCR is also low, agents might be rushing through tickets without fully resolving issues.

Agent productivity metrics: Beyond AHT, consider tracking tickets solved per hour, average time in queue, and agent occupancy rates to get a holistic view of team performance.

Frequently asked questions

Does Zendesk have a built-in average handle time metric?

Only for messaging tickets, through the Handle time metric in the Messaging tickets dataset. For email, web and API tickets you need the Time Tracking app plus a calculated metric in Explore.

Is the Zendesk Time Tracking app free?

Yes. It's built by Zendesk and free to install from the Marketplace, on all Suite plans and on Support Professional and Enterprise.

What formula calculates AHT in Zendesk Explore?

VALUE(Total time spent (sec))/60 for minutes, or VALUE(Total time spent (sec))/60/60 for hours, as a standard calculated metric in the Support - Tickets dataset.

Can I build an AHT report on Suite Team?

Not as a custom metric. Suite Team includes Explore Lite, which only has prebuilt dashboards. Custom calculated metrics need Explore Professional (included in Suite Professional) or Enterprise.

Why is my AHT report empty after installing the app?

The time fields sync to Explore on a schedule, so recent data can take a while to appear. Also check that both fields are on every ticket form you use.