Calculate agents

Estimating the number of operators – Erlang C Calculator

This calculator, based on the Erlang C load estimation model, allows you calculate the number of operators you need in your call-center depending upon the expected number of incoming calls processed per hour, the average call duration and the average permissible delay in answering a call.

The number of operators is an important parameter while planning the operations of a call-center. If the number of operators is insufficient, the call wait time will be longer and, consequently, you risk losing some of your clients. Too many operators can lead to wastage of critical resources.

Load estimation model

The Erlang C load estimation model, used for assessing the productivity of a call-center, was developed by the Danish scientist A.K. Erlang. This model is based upon the load estimation formula for a telecommunication system that includes the occurrence of random signals and putting them in a wait queue. A Poisson distribution is used to simulate the random probability of calls.

The Erlang C calculator is designed in such a way that even with tolerance of a longer call wait time, it does not display values below a certain minimum in the event that a further reduction in the number of operators could lead to the operational instability of the entire system.