When it comes to call centers, one of the most important factors to consider is call center capacity or how many calls your call center can handle at any given time.
To ensure your call center runs smoothly and efficiently, it’s important to understand the average number of calls an agent can make daily. This way, you can schedule additional or fewer agents as projects increase or decrease.
Calculating Your Call Center Call Capacity
There are straightforward ways to calculate your call center’s call capacity hourly, daily, weekly, and so on.
For example, if you have five call center agents and each agent works an 8-hour shift, your capacity would be forty calls hourly.
However, there are a few additional factors to consider that will affect your call center’s call capacity. Some call centers have a maximum cap on calls. Others have a minimum.
Additional Factors to Consider
There are a few additional factors to consider when calculating your call center’s call capacity:
Hours of Operation
Your call center’s hours of operation will play a role in call capacity. For example, if your call center is open 24 hours a day, you can likely handle more calls than if your call center was only open during business hours.
Average Time per Call
The average time per call will also play a role in call capacity. If your call center’s agents are on the phone for an average of 30 minutes per call, then you can handle fewer calls than if your call center’s agents are on the phone for an average of 5 minutes per call.
Time Period Limits
There may also be time period limits that affect your call center’s call capacity. For example, if your call center only allows 2 hours of talking time per day, then you can only handle a certain number of calls during that time.
Number of Agents Answering Calls
Of course, the number of agents answering calls will also play a role in call capacity. The more agents you have answering calls, the more call volume your call center can handle.
Communication Skills of Agents
It’s not just the number of agents that matters – it’s also the communication skills of those agents. If your call center’s agents are very efficient communicators, they will likely be able to handle more calls than if your call center’s agents are less efficient communicators.
Call Center Software
Finally, the call center software you use can also affect call capacity. If you’re using a very user-friendly and efficient call center software, your call center will likely be able to handle more calls than if you’re using a call center software that is not as user-friendly or efficient.
How to Improve Call Center Call Capacity
If you seek to improve the number of calls your center takes daily, you can. You can start by:
- Hiring more call center agents
- Training your call center agents to be more efficient communicators
- Implementing more user-friendly and efficient software
Calculate Your Call Center Capacity
To sum it up, when calculating your call center’s call capacity, there are a few additional factors to consider beyond the straight mathematical equation. These include the call center’s hours of operation, the average time per call, any time period limits, the number of agents answering calls, and the communication skills of those agents. Additionally, the call center software you use can also affect call capacity.
By taking all of these factors into consideration, you can ensure that your call center runs smoothly and efficiently.