Average speed of answer (ASA) is the mean time customers wait in queue before connecting with a live agent, measured from the moment they enter the queue until an agent picks up.

ASA matters because it directly correlates with customer frustration and abandon rates. Every second in queue erodes patience—research consistently shows abandonment spikes after 60-90 seconds for most contact centers. For fintech and insurance companies handling urgent issues like fraud alerts or claims, a high ASA can turn a recoverable situation into a lost customer.

The trap with ASA is optimizing it in isolation. Teams that staff up purely to hit an ASA target often tank their agent occupancy and blow their cost-per-contact. The better approach: use ASA as a diagnostic alongside first reply time and call abandon rate to understand where queue friction actually lives. If your ASA is high but abandon rate is low, customers might be more patient than you think—or your IVR is doing its job filtering simple queries.

Related terms: Average wait time, First reply time, Call abandon rate, Agent occupancy