Inbound calculator
 
Welcome. This calculator helps you to plan synchronous contact; communications where agents and customers 'talk' in real time such as telephone calls and web chat. It provides you with an indication of the number of agents needed in your contact centre to meet a service target level
Start here
Before you start you need to know:  
How many synchronous contacts (e.g. phone calls) you expect to receive in an hour  
The average contact length. This value is the total time you expect an agent to 'talk' to a customer plus time spent updating records (after contact work)  
The service level target. This target is measured as the percentage of contacts to be answered in a given time; for example 80% in 15 seconds  
Select appropriate parameters on the Calculate agents tab  
Calculate agents
Expected contacts per hour 
Select the number of
contacts you expect
to receive in an hour
Average contact length (seconds)
Contact length =
Time spent 'talking' +
After contact work
in seconds
Contacts to be answered (%)
Target percentage of contacts
to be answered within the
number of seconds entered
below
in  how many seconds
You need   agents
What the results mean
The calculated number of agents -above-  indicates the number of people that must be either 'talking' to customers or available to handle contacts at all times in the hour to meet the target service level  
But real people take breaks, require training, have reviews………. so the actual number of people you need to be working is likely to be higher  
Limitations and Caveats
This calculator is designed to provide general guidance only. No specific advice is given or implied.  
Get in touch - kenneth.reid@me.com
Copyright Kenneth Reid.