Hold time is the total time an agent places a contact on hold during an interaction segment. Hold time might indicate agent efficiency or training needs. Hold time is tracked for both agents and queues.

For example, suppose an agent talks with a contact for two minutes and then places the contact on hold for two minutes. The agent returns to check in with the contact for 30 seconds, and then places the contact on hold for 45 seconds. The agent returns to the call and talks to the contact for two minutes before disconnecting.

There is one 2-minute hold time segment and one 45-second hold time segment in this interaction.

  • Total hold time (THT): Cumulative of all hold times for interactions.
  • Maximum hold time (MHT): Longest hold time on an interaction in a given time.
  • Average hold time (AHT): Hold time per interaction segments/# of interaction segments
Note: For email, chat, and messaging interactions, Genesys Cloud counts the time agents spend working on other interactions as hold time. The hold time appears in the agent’s row on an interaction’s timeline and in hold metrics on performance views and reports.