Frequently asked questions
Quick answers on the terms and assumptions behind the calculator.
What is AHT?
Average Handle Time — the average amount of time it takes to fully complete one unit of work, from start to finish. In a contact center that's talk time plus after-call work; in back-office processing it's however long one case or ticket takes to close. The calculator accepts it in seconds, minutes, or hours.
What counts as shrinkage?
Shrinkage is any paid time that isn't available for handling work: vacation, holidays, sick days, training, team meetings, coaching, and breaks. If someone is being paid but isn't available to take the next item of work, it's shrinkage. Typical total shrinkage runs anywhere from 20% to 35% depending on the operation.
What's a good occupancy target?
Most operations target somewhere between 75% and 90%. Above roughly 90%, agents are handling something almost every available second, which tends to drive burnout and quality issues over time. Below about 75%, you're likely overstaffed relative to the workload. The right number depends on how variable your volume is — more variability generally calls for a lower target to leave room to absorb spikes.
Why does the required headcount round up, not to the nearest whole number?
Because a fractional person is still a shift someone has to cover. If the math says you need 13.2 FTEs, you still need to schedule 14 people (or cover the gap with overtime) — rounding down would leave a real coverage gap.
Does this work for teams outside of contact centers?
Yes. The math only needs a volume of work and an average time to complete each unit — that applies to claims processing, order fulfillment, warehouse picking, field service, IT ticket queues, and most other task-based operations.
Is this the same as an Erlang C calculator?
No. Erlang C models queueing behavior at the interval level — it answers "how many agents do I need in this specific 30-minute window to hit an 80/20 service level." This tool answers a simpler, longer-horizon question: on average, across a week, how many people does this workload require. See the methodology page for the full breakdown.
Is my data saved or sent anywhere?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser using JavaScript — nothing you type is transmitted to a server or stored anywhere. See the privacy policy for details.
Can I calculate backwards — how much volume a fixed team can handle?
Yes — switch the "Calculate" dropdown on the calculator to "Capacity from headcount," enter your FTE count, and it returns the maximum weekly volume that team can handle at your chosen occupancy target.