What is the average call length, and how do you measure it and shorten it without losing results?
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Average call length is total talk time ÷ the number of answered calls. Leave out ringing and unanswered calls, and count each type of call separately: a price question, a booking and an order take different times. The number tells you how many operators you need and what per-minute billing costs a month: for example, 60 calls a day × 2.5 minutes × 800 so‘m = 120,000 so‘m. Shorten calls with ready answers and precise questions: cut the extra words, not the result.
How to measure average call length
- Take a month of calls: from the PBX report, your provider’s itemised bill or the Sado portal.
- Remove unanswered calls and calls that dropped after a few seconds.
- Count talk time only: ringing and queue time are separate numbers.
- Divide total talk time by the number of answered calls.
- Look at the median too: one or two 20-minute calls pull the average up. Sort the calls by length and take the one in the middle.
It depends on the type of call
| Type of call | Length, for example | What makes it longer |
|---|---|---|
| Price or address question | 1–2 minutes | Reading out the whole price list |
| Booking an appointment or viewing | 2–3 minutes | Asking an open “When suits you?” |
| Order with delivery | 3–4 minutes | Asking for the address and landmark twice |
| Reminder or confirmation | 1 minute | Extra sales talk |
| Complex consultation | 5 minutes or more | Answers not prepared in advance |
These numbers are an example, not a measurement. Measure your own calls with the steps above.
What the number is for
- Headcount: daily talk time = calls × average length. Add the time spent on notes after each call.
- Monthly budget: with per-minute billing, cost follows minutes directly. For example, 60 calls × 2.5 minutes = 150 minutes × 800 = 120,000 so‘m a day, about 3.6 million so‘m a month.
- Script quality: if one type of call suddenly gets longer, customers are asking something new or an answer is unclear.
- Number of lines: the longer the calls, the more of them overlap.
How to shorten calls without losing results
- Give the price in one sentence, then ask one question.
- Offer two time options: “Tomorrow morning or evening?”
- Repeat the name, address and time once at the end, so nobody has to call back.
- For a question with no ready answer, say “We’ll check and call you back” rather than keeping the caller on hold.
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Oq Gilam carpet cleaning, this is Malika.
Caller: Hello. How much is carpet cleaning?
Sado: 12,000 so‘m a square metre, with free pickup and return. How big is your carpet?
Caller: Two of them, three by four.
Sado: Got it, two at 3 × 4. When shall we pick them up: tomorrow morning or evening?
Caller: Evening, please.
Sado: Booked for tomorrow between 18:00 and 20:00. What’s your address?
This call takes about a minute and a half: the price in one sentence, then precise questions and two options.
When a long call is good
With an expensive purchase such as a flat, a car or a course, customers ask a lot, and that’s a good sign. Judge those calls by outcome, not length: how many booked a viewing or a meeting. What to cut is repetition and waiting.
Call length in the Sado portal
The portal’s Calls section shows the length, cost, recording and transcript of every call. Download the results to Excel and work out the average and the median. With Sado, call length doesn’t change the price per minute: 800 so‘m a minute for any call. The AI operator takes answers from your company’s facts; when an answer isn’t there, it says a manager will call back and creates a task. More: AI operator for incoming calls. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How long should an average call be?
There’s no single right number: a price question can take a minute, an order with delivery three or four. Measure each type separately and watch how your own number changes.
If a call with the AI operator is shorter, is it cheaper?
Yes, the cost follows talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute, whatever the call length. Removing extra sentences from the script lowers the cost directly.
Where do we get call lengths from?
From your PBX or cloud PBX report, your provider’s itemised bill, or the Sado portal, which shows the length and cost of every call.