How many call center agents do I need?

Enter the contacts in your busiest hour, the average handle time and your service level target. The calculator shows how many agents you need at the same time, and how many to schedule once shrinkage is included.

What formula does this calculator use?

For calls and chat it uses Erlang C, the standard formula for queues where customers wait to be answered. It finds the smallest number of agents that meets your service level while keeping occupancy at or below your maximum. Email has no live queue, so it is worked out from workload instead.

What is a good service level?

A widely used target is 80% of contacts answered within 20 seconds, which is the default here. The right target depends on what your customers expect on each channel, so set your own.

What is shrinkage and what should I enter?

Shrinkage is paid time when agents can't take contacts: breaks, training, meetings and absence. The default is 30%, a commonly used figure. If you track it, enter your own.

How is chat staffing different?

Agents can handle more than one chat at a time. Enter how many chats an agent handles at once, and the calculator divides the workload by that number.

How does the calculator work out email?

It adds up the email workload in hours (emails per day times handle time) and divides it by the hours your team answers email each day, times your maximum occupancy. The result is rounded up.

What doesn't the calculator account for?

Customers who hang up while waiting, outbound calls, and agents who switch between several skills or channels. Real results can differ, so treat the number as a starting point for your schedule.

How many agents do you need? Staffing calculator

Enter your busiest hour, handle time and answer-time target to see how many agents you need on calls or chat, and how many to schedule. No sign-up needed.

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01 / Your busiest hour

How many agents do you need?

Demand

Calls in your busiest hour

calls

Average handle time

min

Talk or chat time plus the wrap-up after it.

Your target

Answered within the target time

Target answer time

seconds

Your team

Shrinkage

Paid time agents can't take contacts: breaks, training, meetings, absence.

Maximum occupancy

How busy you let agents be before adding more.

How it's calculated

The calculator uses Erlang C, the standard queueing formula for contact center staffing.
Workload (in Erlangs) = contacts per hour × average handle time in seconds ÷ 3,600. For chat, the workload is divided by the number of chats one agent handles at once (a simplification).
It finds the smallest number of agents for which the share answered within your target time meets your goal and occupancy stays at or below your maximum.
Email (no live queue, so no Erlang C): workload in hours = emails per day × handle time ÷ 60. Agents needed = workload ÷ (hours a day your team answers email × maximum occupancy), rounded up.
Agents to schedule = agents needed ÷ (1 − shrinkage), rounded up.
The defaults for service level (80% in 20 seconds), shrinkage (30%) and maximum occupancy (83.3%) follow commonly used industry standards (Call Centre Helper). Volume and handle time are examples. Enter your own figures for a result based on your setup. Erlang C assumes no one hangs up while waiting, so real results can differ.

02 / Your result

Agents needed at the same time

In your busiest hour, to answer 80% within 20 seconds

Agents to schedule

including 30% shrinkage

Answered within target

—

Average wait

—

Occupancy

—

What one agent more or less changes

Agents	Within target	Avg wait	Occupancy

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Results are estimates based on the figures you enter.

How many agents do you need? Staffing calculator

How many agents do you need?

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