Agent vs Requester Wait Time
Agent Wait Time and Requester Wait Time measure different waiting periods in customer service or support systems. Agent Wait Time tracks how long support agents are idle between handling requests, indicating potential workforce inefficiency or overstaffing. Requester Wait Time measures how long customers or users wait before their issue is addressed by an agent, directly reflecting the customer experience and service quality. While one focuses on agent productivity and resource allocation, the other emphasizes customer satisfaction and service responsiveness.
A customer support manager should focus on Agent Wait Time when evaluating staffing levels or agent productivity, particularly when looking to optimize costs or workforce efficiency. For instance, consistently high Agent Wait Times might indicate overstaffing during certain shifts, suggesting a need to redistribute resources. In contrast, Requester Wait Time should be prioritized when assessing customer experience and satisfaction metrics, especially during peak periods or after implementing new support processes. If a company notices increasing Requester Wait Times despite reasonable Agent Wait Times, this might indicate inefficient ticket routing or skill matching rather than simple understaffing, requiring process improvements rather than just hiring more agents.
Agent Wait Time
Requester Wait Time
What is it?
Agent Wait Time (Calendar) is the total combined time a ticket was in the pending status. Not to be confused with user-facing metrics such as First Response Time or Resolution Time, Agent Wait time measures the time the support agent has to wait between interactions. Task switching and waiting for replies is an inevitable part of the job but, the longer an agent has to wait for a reply, the less efficient and effective they will be at solving the problem.
Requester Wait Time (Calendar) is the total combined time a ticket was in the new, open, and on-hold statuses. This number is measured only after a ticket's status changes to pending, solved, or closed. Unlike Full Resolution Time, Requester Wait Time does not take into account pending time – the status set when a ticket is waiting for an answer from the requester.
Who is it for?
Categories
Formula
Example
After answering the user's ticket and waiting 4 hours to hear back, our support agent required an additional 26 hours to gather necessary information before responding to the ticket. The total Agent Wait Time was 30 hours.
A user submits a ticket at 9am. This ticket is marked as new and eventually open as a customer support rep is assigned. At 10am the user receives a reply from the support agent, and the ticket is now categorized as pending. It's not until 12 noon that the user replies to the agent, marking the ticket as open again. At 2pm the support agent fully answers the user's question and marks the ticket as solved. Requester Wait Time is 1 hour + 2 hours = 3 hours
Published and updated dates
Date created: Jan 23, 2023
Latest update: Jan 27, 2023
Date created: Jan 23, 2023
Latest update: Jan 27, 2023