Average Speed to Answer
Definition
Average Speed to Answer
Average speed to answer is the mean time callers wait in queue before an agent picks up, counted across answered contacts only. It is a word-order variant of average speed of answer, not a separate metric, and both names measure the same wait.
The standard form is average speed of answer (ASA). Vendors, dashboards and tender templates also print “speed to answer” and plain “answer speed”. Same maths, different word order. Treat them as one number wearing three name tags.
That sounds trivial until two providers’ reports sit side by side. The name never tells you where the clock starts, whether abandoned calls were dropped from the average, or how long the reporting window ran.
Key takeaways
- Average speed to answer and average speed of answer (ASA) are the same metric under two names.
- ASA is a mean — so it quietly hides the long tail of unlucky callers.
- Definitions move with clock start, abandon handling and reporting interval.
- Pin all three down in writing before you compare two vendors’ numbers.
How it works
You total the queue wait across every answered contact in a period, then divide by the number of answered contacts. Abandoned calls usually drop out of the sum, which is why answer speed and abandon rate have to be read together.
The formula is simple — the definitions underneath it are not.
Clock start is the first fork. Some platforms begin counting the moment a call lands on the switch — so menu prompts and self-service time count against the average. Others start only when the caller enters an agent queue.
The second fork is abandon handling. If someone hangs up after four minutes and the report ignores them, the mean drops even though service got worse. Read abandon rate alongside it, every time.
The third fork is the reporting interval. A monthly average smooths over a brutal Monday morning. A 30-minute interval exposes it, which is the grain most contact center operations teams actually staff against.
The fourth fork is channel scope. Voice, chat and email queue at completely different speeds, so folding them into one mean produces a figure that describes no channel accurately and flatters whichever one runs fastest.
Here is what to settle in writing before anyone quotes a target at you.
| What to pin down | The question to ask | Why the number moves |
|---|---|---|
| Clock start | Does timing begin at call arrival or at queue entry? | Counting menu time can inflate the average by whole minutes. |
| Abandon handling | Are abandoned contacts excluded from the mean? | Excluding long waits flatters the result while service worsens. |
| Reporting interval | Is this a 30-minute, daily or monthly average? | Wider windows bury the peaks staffing is meant to cover. |
| Channel scope | Voice only, or chat and email folded in? | Blended channels with different pacing distort a single mean. |
| Tail cap | Is a maximum wait ceiling reported next to the mean? | A mean alone says nothing about the worst-served caller. |
That last row matters most. Because ASA is an average, a handful of very long waits can sit inside a comfortable-looking figure, so forecasters in workforce management pair it with a hard ceiling on the tail.
Ask for the distribution too, not just the average. A median wait, a 90th percentile and a stated ceiling together tell you far more about lived caller experience than any single mean ever can.
Examples
Three situations show why the naming variance is more than pedantry. Each one involves the same four words in a slightly different order, and each one carries a different measurement contract underneath the label printed on the report.
Two vendors, one tender. Provider A reports 22 seconds “speed to answer” measured from queue entry, excluding abandons. Provider B reports 41 seconds “average speed of answer” measured from call arrival, abandons included.
Provider B may well be the better operator. Its clock simply starts earlier and its denominator is larger. Comparing the raw figures side by side would pick the wrong partner.
Ask both providers to restate their figure on the other’s definition. Whichever one refuses, or cannot produce it from their own platform, has told you something useful about how tightly they measure the queue.
Regulated outbound. In outbound dialling, “answer” means something else entirely.
Under the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule at 16 CFR part 310, a call counts as abandoned if a person answers and no representative connects within two seconds of their greeting.
The safe harbour at 310.4(b)(4) protects sellers whose technology holds abandonment to no more than 3 percent of calls answered by a person, measured across a single campaign running under 30 days or over each successive 30-day period.
The same rule requires letting the line ring at least 15 seconds or four rings before disconnecting an unanswered call. None of that is queue wait — it is the consumer’s wait after they pick up. Same vocabulary, opposite direction of travel.
Public-sector reporting. The US Social Security Administration publishes an annual performance plan and an annual performance report covering its service-delivery targets.
Public documents like those show how service commitments get stated formally, and how carefully the wording has to be read before anyone treats a published target as a like-for-like benchmark.
The staffing constraint behind the number. Answer speed is bought with headcount, and headcount always has a price attached.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median hourly wage for customer service representatives at $20.59 in May 2024.
The same source projects employment for the role to decline 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, with about 341,700 openings each year on average over the decade. Faster answering is a budget decision — not just a scheduling one.
Related terms
These five entries surround average speed to answer in most reporting packs. Start with the standard-form entry if you only read one, then work outward through the metrics that qualify, cap or explain the average you are being handed.
- Average Speed of Answer (ASA): the standard form of this same metric, and the wording to use in contracts.
- Maximum Delay to Answer: the ceiling that caps the long tail a mean quietly hides.
- Service Level: the share of contacts answered inside a stated threshold.
- Queue Time: the single-contact wait that the average is built from.
- Expected Wait Time: the forecast wait announced to a caller while they hold.
FAQ
Is average speed to answer different from average speed of answer?
No. They are the same metric written two ways, and average speed of answer (ASA) is the standard form you should use in contracts and reports.
Why do so many versions of the name exist?
Reporting platforms, tender documents and industry glossaries all adopted slightly different phrasings, and none of them ever converged. The abbreviation ASA stayed stable while the spelled-out name drifted. Read the definition, never the label.
What should I check before comparing two vendors’ figures?
Check the clock start, whether abandoned contacts are excluded, and the reporting interval. Get all three written into the agreement rather than assumed. A written definition beats a shared assumption every single time.
Does a low average mean every caller was served quickly?
Not necessarily, because a mean can absorb a small number of very long waits without moving much. That is why a maximum wait ceiling belongs beside it.
Should the metric be reported on its own?
No, it should be read alongside abandon rate, service level and a stated ceiling on the longest wait.
Browse Outsource Accelerator to see how providers and buyers define answer-speed targets before they sign.
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