Average Speed of Answer: What It Is and How It Impacts Your VoIP Call Center

When customers call your business, average speed of answer, the time it takes for a call to be picked up by an agent after ringing. Also known as ASA, it's not just a number—it's the first impression your customers get of your service. If it’s too high, people hang up. If it’s too low, your team might be overwhelmed. The sweet spot? Under 20 seconds for most businesses. That’s the goal most VoIP providers track in their SLAs—and the metric you should be measuring daily.

AHT, average handle time. Also known as average call duration, it’s the total time spent on a call, including hold and after-call work. But AHT doesn’t mean much if your answer time, how quickly calls are answered. Also known as waiting time, it’s the delay before the call connects is 45 seconds. You can have the fastest agents in the world, but if customers sit on hold too long, they won’t care how efficient your follow-up is. That’s why ASA is the gatekeeper metric—it filters out bad experiences before they even start. Top call centers use real-time VoIP analytics to watch ASA alongside FCR and CSAT, adjusting staffing or routing on the fly. One company cut ASA from 32 to 14 seconds by moving from a rigid queue to a skill-based routing system, and their customer satisfaction jumped 22% in three months.

It’s not just about speed—it’s about predictability. If your VoIP provider claims a 15-second ASA but your logs show 30 seconds on Tuesdays at 11 a.m., you’re being misled. That’s why SLA tracking matters. You need hard data from your own system, not vendor promises. Tools that auto-log call times, tie them to agent performance, and flag spikes help you enforce accountability. And if your team handles international calls, remember: ASA varies by region. A 25-second wait might be normal in Brazil but unacceptable in Germany. Know your numbers, know your customers, and don’t assume one-size-fits-all.

Below, you’ll find real-world guides on how to measure, improve, and enforce answer time across your VoIP system. From SLA tracking tricks to how codec choices affect call setup speed, these posts give you the tools to turn ASA from a vague metric into a lever for growth.