ClarivoxxBy Abdessamad Ghanem

Free tool

Shrinkage Calculator: Shrinkage % and Agents to Schedule

Shrinkage = hours lost ÷ paid hours × 100. Agents to schedule = agents needed on the queue ÷ (1 − shrinkage). An agent paid 40 hours a week who loses 9 hours to breaks, meetings, training, absence and other work has 22.5% shrinkage and 31 productive hours. To keep 20 agents on the queue, schedule 26.

Per agent, per week

Shrinkage

22.5%

Within the range many teams plan with. Schedule 26 agents so that 20 are on the queue.

Productive hours per agent

31 h

Out of 40 paid hours a week.

Agents to schedule

26

6 more than the 20 needed on the queue.

Shrinkage = 9 h lost ÷ 40 h paid × 100 = 22.5%
Agents to schedule = 20 ÷ (1 − 0.225) = 26 (rounded up)

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate shrinkage?
Add up the paid hours agents spend away from customer work: breaks, meetings, coaching, training, absence and other tasks. Divide by total paid hours and multiply by 100. 9 hours lost out of 40 paid hours is 22.5% shrinkage.
What is a normal shrinkage rate?
Many support teams and contact centers plan with somewhere between 25% and 35%, and it is often higher in months with heavy training or holidays. Measure your own numbers for a few months and plan with those rather than a general figure.
How does shrinkage change the number of agents to schedule?
Divide the agents you need on the queue by (1 − shrinkage). If Erlang C says you need 20 agents at any time and shrinkage is 22.5%, you schedule 20 ÷ 0.775 = 25.8, so 26 agents. Planning without shrinkage leaves the queue short every day.

About the author

Abdessamad Ghanem

Customer Experience & Customer Success Consultant · Founder of Clarivoxx

Abdessamad Ghanem works across Customer Support, Sales, Customer Success, Account Management and Partner Management. He writes Clarivoxx Insights for B2B SaaS professionals who own retention, adoption and customer outcomes.

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