Member Bytes Call Centres 12:31 Solo Presenter

Erlang C Explained: How Many Agents Do You Really Need?

Justin Tippett
Justin Tippett Presenter
CEO | ACXPA
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Speaker details are current and may differ from what is shown in the video.

Every contact centre leader has been there. Someone wants to cut headcount, add a compliance script or launch a promotion, and you know your customers will wait longer. But when you're asked how much longer, all you have is a gut feel.

Erlang C is the formula that replaces that gut feel. Built for the Copenhagen Telephone Company in the early 1900s, it still answers the question every contact centre asks each day: how many people do you need answering calls to hit your service level?

In this 12-minute Member Byte, ACXPA CEO Justin Tippett walks through Erlang C with one simple scenario, step by step. You'll see why the basic maths always understaffs you, and how to prove with real numbers what any change will do to your customers' wait times.

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Want to know how many agents you really need?

Put your own calls, handle time and service level target into ACXPA's free Erlang C Calculator and see the agents you need in seconds.

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Want to model every scenario in this video yourself?

Every number in this Member Byte came from the Service Levels Simulator in ACXPA's WFM Hub. Upgrade your membership to run it, the Interval Planner and the Staffing Levels Simulator on your own numbers.

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Ready to find your own tipping points?

Open the WFM Hub and run your numbers through the Service Levels Simulator, Interval Planner and Staffing Levels Simulator used in this Member Byte.

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