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Understanding Processing Time in RTB

Processing time in RTB (Real-Time Bidding) refers to how long the platform takes to process an inbound request, evaluate buyers, receive bid responses, and determine the final routing decision.

This metric is extremely important because high processing times can negatively affect call routing, buyer participation, and overall call performance.

What Happens During Processing

When an inbound RTB request is received, the system performs several actions:

Validates the incoming request
Sends the ping to buyers
Waits for buyer responses
Evaluates bids and routing rules
Selects the winning buyer or target
Routes the call

The total time required for these steps is displayed as the processing time.

Example:

Processing Time: 34.418s

Why Processing Time Matters

High processing times can cause:

Delayed call routing
Increased no-bid responses
Buyer timeouts
Failed transfers
Poor caller experience
Lower conversion rates

In RTB environments, speed is critical. Buyers are expected to respond quickly so calls can be routed efficiently.

Common Causes of High Processing Time

Slow Buyer Responses

Some buyers may take too long to respond due to:

API latency
System overload
Slow internal routing
Bid evaluation delays

If buyers do not respond fast enough, the request processing time increases.

Too Many Buyers in the Routing Plan

Large routing plans may increase processing time because the system must:

Ping multiple buyers
Wait for multiple responses
Compare bids and conditions

More routing complexity usually means longer processing.

Network or Infrastructure Delays

Processing time may also increase because of:

Network latency
Slow webhooks
Server performance issues
External API delays

Invalid or Missing Data

Bad request formatting may slow processing while the system attempts validation.

Common examples include:

Missing ZIP code
Invalid caller ID
Incorrect parameters
Empty required fields

Buyer Timeouts

Some buyers may not respond before the timeout limit is reached.

This can lead to:

Delayed routing
No bids
Increased errors

Where to Monitor Processing Time

Processing time can usually be reviewed in:

RTB reporting dashboards
Buyer statistics
Campaign reports
Call logs
RTB request logs

Many systems display average processing times by:

Campaign
Buyer
Publisher
Routing plan

How High Processing Time Affects Performance


Issue	Impact
Slow buyer responses	Delayed routing
Buyer timeouts	Increased no-bids
Long caller wait times	Caller hangups
Delayed transfers	Lower conversions
API latency	Failed routing decisions

How to Reduce Processing Time

Optimize Buyer Routing

Prioritize the most responsive buyers and remove inactive or slow buyers when possible.

Validate Request Data

Ensure all required fields are:

Properly formatted
Consistently populated
Valid before submission

Monitor Buyer Performance

Identify buyers with consistently high response times and review:

API stability
Timeout settings
Bid response behavior

Improve Infrastructure

Review:

Server performance
Network stability
Webhook response times
API connectivity

Infrastructure optimization can significantly improve processing speed.

Best Practices

Monitor processing times regularly
Remove unresponsive buyers
Keep routing plans optimized
Use clean and complete request data
Investigate timeout-related failures
Review RTB logs frequently

Maintaining low processing times helps improve routing efficiency, buyer participation, and overall call performance.