ClarivoxxBy Abdessamad Ghanem

Free tool

Ticket Backlog Calculator

Days to clear = open tickets ÷ (tickets solved per day − new tickets per day). With 600 open tickets, 180 new and 210 solved per day, the backlog shrinks by 30 a day and clears in 20 days. To clear it in 10 days, a team of 6 needs 5 more solved tickets per agent per day.

Days to clear the backlog

20

That misses your 10-day target. Each agent needs to solve about 5 more tickets per day, or you need temporary help on the queue.

Net change per day

-30

The backlog shrinks every day.

Extra per agent per day

5

On top of 35 solved per agent today, to clear it in 10 days.

Days to clear = 600 ÷ (210 − 180) = 20
Needed per day = 180 + 600 ÷ 10 = 240
Extra per agent = (240 − 210) ÷ 6 = 5

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate how long a ticket backlog takes to clear?
Subtract new tickets per day from tickets solved per day to get the daily burn-down, then divide the open backlog by it. 600 open tickets with 210 solved and 180 new per day shrink by 30 a day, so the queue clears in 20 days.
What if new tickets arrive faster than the team solves them?
Then the backlog never clears at the current pace and grows every day. Add capacity, deflect repeat questions with help center content or macros, or pause low-value work until solved tickets per day are back above new tickets.
How many extra tickets per agent do we need to hit a deadline?
Add the backlog divided by your target days to the new tickets per day, subtract what the team solves today, and divide by the number of agents. For 600 tickets in 10 days that is 180 + 60 = 240 a day, 30 more than today, or 5 more per agent for a team of 6.

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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