How many people do you need?

Set your volume, handle time, and shrinkage — get the required headcount instantly.

Required headcount

0FTE
0%
target occupancy
Total workload0 hrs/wk
Productive hrs / agent0 hrs/wk
Paid hrs / agent0 hrs/wk
Shrinkage0%

Where the hours go

Productive work0h
Occupancy buffer0h
Shrinkage0h

Headcount vs. occupancy target

Holding volume, AHT, schedule, and shrinkage fixed — only the occupancy target changes.

TAT recovery

—

Fill in the TAT recovery inputs to see an estimate.

Volume & handle time

One row per kind of work with its own handle time — calls, tickets, chats, whatever applies. Total weekly workload: 0h across 1 type(s).

Agent schedule

Hours / day

Scheduled days

Shrinkage

24%

One number covering vacation, sick time, training, and breaks combined — use this if you don't want to enter each separately.

Target occupancy

85%

Share of available time actually spent handling work. Above ~90% risks burnout; below ~75% under-utilizes staff.

TAT recovery

Model how long it takes to clear a TAT breach, using the volume and FTEs actually available for recovery.

How many hours of work are sitting outside TAT target. If you track backlog as an item count, multiply by that item's AHT to get hours.

Synced to weekly workload ÷ scheduled days.

Synced to the calculated headcount above.

Synced to your occupancy target above.

Your occupancy target is a target, not a ceiling — push this higher to model running the team harder specifically to clear the backlog, or lower it if recovery work is deprioritized.

Business days you want the backlog cleared within — leave blank to just see the current-pace estimate.

How this calculator works

Required headcount comes down to one comparison: how many hours of work are arriving each week, versus how many productive hours one agent actually delivers once you account for shrinkage and a realistic occupancy target. This tool runs that math live in your browser as you adjust volume, average handle time, schedule, and shrinkage — nothing is sent to a server. For the full formulas and the reasoning behind each input, see the methodology page, or check the FAQ for quick answers on terms like AHT, shrinkage, and occupancy.