In the airline business, every second counts, especially when it comes to customer experience. Average Handle Time (AHT) is one of the clearest indicators of how well an airline balances efficiency with service quality. When AHT drags, passengers wait longer, frustration builds, and costs rise.
Top carriers know that cutting AHT is more than speed. It’s about precision. That’s why many turn to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partners who specialize in airline CX. These teams bring the scale, technology, and operational discipline needed to streamline workflows and help agents resolve issues faster - with out sacrificing empathy or accuracy.
Your partner BPO must understand the travel industry inside out and use that in sight to deliver smarter, faster customer support.
The 12 BPO-Led AHT Reduction Tactics
Leading BPO partners approach AHT optimization through a structured blueprint that integrates technology, process refinement, and agent enablement. Each tactic is designed to remove friction from the customer journey while preserving the quality of engagement.
After reading this guide, you’ll gain a few strategies you can apply to your own operation to meaningfully reduce AHT and enhance your customer experience. Let’s dive in.
Process & Technology Streamlining
The foundation of AHT reduction lies in eliminating unnecessary steps and empowering agents with instant information.
1. Hyper-Optimized Knowledge Base & AI-Driven Agent Assist
BPOs recognize that search time is dead time. They replace fragmented systems with a single, comprehensive Agent Knowledge Base (KMS) specifically tailored for the complexities of flight reservations, fare rules, and irregular operations(IROPS).
● Actionable Insight: The KMS is often integrated with AI-powered Agent Assist tools. These tools listen to the live conversation, transcribe it in real-time, and proactively suggest the most relevant policy documents, scripts, and next steps directly on the agent's screen. This can reduce time spent searching for answers by up to30%.
● Aviation Focus: Includes real-time updates for complex topics like baggage policies, customs requirements, and dynamic pricing rules.
2. Unified Agent Desktop (UAD) Integration
A major time sink is agents toggling between multiple screens and applications(e.g., GDS, CRM, ticketing platform).
● BPO Solution: A UAD consolidates all necessary tools and customer data (360-degree view) into a single, intuitive interface. Agents access booking history, loyalty status, and service notes without clicking away.
● Result: This single-pane-of-glass approach dramatically cuts down on "Swivel-Chair Time" and data entry errors, contributing significantly to a lower AHT.
3. Intelligent Call & Skills-Based Routing (SBR)
Directing a call to the right agent on the first attempt is the most critical step in AHT reduction.
● BPO Expertise: Advanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and SBR systems analyze the customer's intent (often through speech analytics or pre-call data) and route the call to an agent with the specific expertise needed—be it rebooking due to IROPS, processing a complex refund, or handling a premium loyalty inquiry.
● Impact: Eliminating unnecessary transfers and escalations saves valuable minutes, boosts FCR rates, and enhances the passenger experience.
4. Post-Interaction Automation (After-Call Work Reduction)
After-Call Work (ACW),which includes data entry, logging notes, and initiating follow-up tasks, is a core component of AHT.
● Robotic Process Automation (RPA):BPOs deploy RPA bots to automate high-volume, repetitive ACW tasks. For example, a bot can automatically update the CRM with call notes based on the agent's summary and trigger an email confirmation, all while the agent prepares for the next call.
● Data Point: Studies show successful ACW automation can reduce overall AHT by 15-20%.
Agent Performance and Training Excellence
Ahigh-performing agent is a quick-resolving agent. BPOs invest heavily in human capital to ensure agents are confident and competent.
5. Industry-Specific Onboarding & Continuous Training
A generic training program won't suffice for the complex, regulated world of airlines.
● BPO Advantage: Outsourcing providers build specialized training academies focusing on Airline Domain Knowledge. Training modules cover global distribution systems (GDS),IATA regulations, ticketing protocols, and cultural nuances for global passengers.
● Methodology: Training utilizes real-world airline scenarios, role-playing, and simulator environments, ensuring agents are prepared for issues like weather delays, mechanical failures, and sudden gate changes, which are all high-AHT risk factors.
6. Real-Time Performance Coaching and Analytics
Monitoring and intervention in real-time prevents minor delays from becoming major time sinks.
● BPO Tools: Speech Analytics software analyzes conversations for keywords, dead air, excessive hold time, and compliance issues. Supervisors receive real-time alerts.
● Coaching Model: Supervisors use features like "Whisper Coaching" (where only the agent hears the advice) to guide them through complex transactions or to politely take control of an overly verbose conversation, correcting AHT-inflating behaviors instantly.
7. Standardized, Dynamic Talk Tracks (Not Rigid Scripts)
Rigid scripts sound robotic and often fail in complex airline interactions, leading to confusion and longer calls.
● BPO Strategy: BPOs develop dynamic talk tracks (or "smart scripts") that provide the agent with key talking points, compliance phrases, and empathy statements, allowing for natural conversation flow while ensuring all required information is gathered and delivered efficiently.
● Benefit: These tracks are optimized to front-load critical questions, getting to the root cause of the call faster.
8. Emphasis on Call Control and Active Listening
Agents must politely but firmly guide the conversation to resolution.
● Training Focus: BPO agents are coached to use bridging statements ("I see, and to confirm your new itinerary...") and effective summarization techniques to steer the dialogue away from irrelevant chatter and confirm resolution be fore ending the call.
● Objective: Reduce "Unproductive Talk Time" without sacrificing empathy or rapport, maintaining a focus on respecting the customer's time
Data-Backed Insights and Structural Optimization
BPOs utilize powerful analytics and operational redesigns to achieve sustained AHT improvements.
9. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) of High-AHT Calls
Instead of just tracking the metric, BPOs hunt for the why.
● BPO Process: They analyze recordings of calls with unusually high AHT to identify systemic issues: Was it a lack of knowledge? A flaw in the process flow? A system outage? Or was it a self-inflicted customer issue (e.g., confusion over website instructions)?
● Value: By identifying the root cause, the BPO can recommend strategic solutions to the airline, such as improving a self-service option or clarifying a fare rule, thereby proactively eliminating future high-AHT calls at the source.
10. Optimizing First-Contact Resolution (FCR)
FCR is inversely proportional to AHT. Higher FCR means fewer costly, time-consuming follow-up calls.
● Focus: BPOs structure agent training and tools to maximize the chance of resolving the issue in the initial interaction. This is achieved through the UAD, SBR, and comprehensive Knowledge Base (points 1, 2, 3).
● Measurable Result: A BPO focused on FCR can demonstrably lower the total handle time for a customer issue, even if the initial AHT is slightly above average ,because it eliminates the need for a second or third call.
11. Customer Authentication and Verification Streamlining
Security and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable, but lengthy security checks inflate AHT.
● BPO Innovation: BPOs implement advanced, secure authentication methods, such as Voice Biometrics or integrating verification into the IVR/chatbot flow before the customer reaches a live agent.
● Benefit: The agent is presented with a "verified" status and pre-populated customer data, cutting down the crucial 30-60 seconds spent on manual verification at the start of every high-security call (e.g., flight change requiring payment).
12. Strategic Use of Self-Service Deflection (Automation)
The fastest handled call is the one that never reaches a live agent.
● BPO Strategy: BPOs deploy AI Chatbots and Advanced IVR to handle high-volume, low-complexity inquiries (e.g., "What is my flight status?, ""Can I check in online?"). These automation tools offer instant resolution and divert simple inquiries away from human agents.
● Agent Focus: This deflection frees up live agents to focus exclusively on complex, high-value, and high-AHT interactions that require human judgment, ensuring they can dedicate the necessary time to solve the problem without feeling rushed by a long queue of simple calls.
The 1Point1 Advantage: Precision in Airline Call Center Operations
For an airline seeking a partner to achieve sustained, quality-focused AHT reduction, selecting a BPO with deep industry expertise is key.
1Point1 goes beyond generic call center management by integrating these 12 strategies into a single, cohesive framework built around the passenger lifecycle. Our specialization in the travel and hospitality sector means we don't just reduce AHT; we optimize the total service delivery, aligning cost-efficiency with superior passenger satisfaction.
Choosing an expert partner ensures your airline call center moves from a cost center toa strategic asset, delivering rapid, high-quality resolution that strengthens brand trust and passenger loyalty in a hyper-competitive market.
Ready to transform your passenger experience into a real dreamy one? Contact 1Point1.
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