What is Average Speed of Answer (ASA)?

Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is the average time a customer waits in the queue before their contact is answered by an agent. Most common in chat and phone support, it measures queue wait specifically (not how long the whole interaction takes), and it's a direct driver of abandonment and satisfaction.

How ASA works

ASA counts only the time between a customer entering the queue and an agent picking up. It excludes the conversation itself. A rising ASA is an early warning that you're under-staffed for your volume — customers are waiting longer, and abandonment usually climbs alongside it.

ASA vs first response time

They're related but distinct: ASA is the queue wait for synchronous channels (chat, phone), while first response time measures the wait for the first reply across any channel, including async email. On live channels, a low ASA is what keeps customers from giving up before they're helped.

Formula

ASA = Total wait time before answer ÷ Number of answered contacts

Example: If 60 answered chats accumulated 1,200 seconds of total wait, ASA = 1,200 ÷ 60 = 20 seconds.

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Questions about Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

What's a good ASA for live chat?

Under ~30 seconds is strong for chat; phone targets are often expressed as answering a set percentage of contacts within a threshold (e.g. 80% within 20 seconds). Match the target to the channel's expectations.

How do I reduce ASA?

Staff to your peak volume, route efficiently, and let an AI agent handle the front line so many customers are answered instantly and never enter the human queue at all.

Related terms

First Response Time (FRT)

First Response Time (FRT) is the average time between a customer reaching out and getting the first human (or AI) reply. It's a first impression metric: a fast first response reassures customers their issue is being handled, even if the full resolution takes longer. It strongly influences satisfaction.

Abandonment Rate

Abandonment rate is the percentage of customers who leave a support queue (a chat or call) before ever connecting with an agent. It's a direct symptom of waiting too long: when the queue is slow, customers give up, and every abandoned contact is an unhappy customer and a lost chance to help.

Average Handle Time (AHT)

Average Handle Time (AHT) is the average total time it takes to handle a single customer contact — including talk or chat time, any hold time, and the after-contact work like notes and follow-ups. It's a core efficiency metric, but it should never be optimized at the expense of resolution quality.

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