In a call centre environment driven by metrics, understanding how to calculate average calls per hour is essential for tracking performance and resource planning.
Whether you’re assessing individual agent productivity or overall contact volume across the centre, this metric helps you make informed decisions and optimize staffing levels.
So when Scott asked our Community of industry professionals for information on this, we wanted to share their advice with you:
Needing a good formula for calculating average calls per hour per agent & average calls per hour for the whole centre
Calculating Average Call Per Hour Per Agent & Per the Whole Centre
Divide the Number of Calls By the Number of Hours
Generally to find the number of calls per hour per agent you would take the number of calls over a week and divide that by the number of hours actually worked.
You should be able to get these figures from your ACD reports.
The Calls Per Hour Formulas
Calls Per Hour Formula
To calculate the average number of calls handled per hour across your entire contact centre, first add up the total number of calls received or handled during the time period you’re measuring (e.g., a day, week, or month). Then, add up the total number of working hours during that same time period, and finally divide the total number of calls by the total number of hours.
The calls per hour formula is:
Calls Per Hour = Total Number of Calls ÷ Total Number of Hours
Calls Per Hour Per Agent Formula
To calculate the average number of calls handled per hour per agent, take the total number of calls that specific agent handled over the period you’re measuring. Then, determine the total number of hours that agent actually worked during that time, and finally divide the number of calls by the number of hours worked.
The calls per hour per agent formula is:
Calls Per Hour Per Agent = Total Number of Calls Handled by an Agent ÷ Total Number of Hours Worked by the Agent
Working Out Calls Per Hour Using Average Handling Time
It is possible to work out the potential number of calls per hour using average handling time:
Calls Per Hour = 60 ÷ Average Handling Time (Minutes)
So for example, if the average handling time is 5 minutes:
Calls Per Hour = 60 ÷ 5 =12 Calls Per Hour
Caution About Using AHT
A note of caution – this calculation does not include shrinkage, you also have to be careful that maximum occupancy does not exceed 85%.
For more on maximum occupancy watch the video below:
Contributed by: Jonty
This article was made possible due to the great community of experts we have at Call Centre Helper, to get involved just join our LinkedIn Community and and if you aren’t already make sure you are following us on LinkedIn to see our latest content.
If you are looking for more information on calculating contact centre metrics, read these articles next:
- How to Calculate Your Cost Per Inbound Call
- How to Calculate Productivity in the Contact Centre
- How to Calculate Required FTE for Inbound Call Volumes
Author: Jonty Pearce
Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell
Published On: 12th Apr 2022 - Last modified: 9th May 2025
Read more about - Call Centre Questions, How to Calculate