Shrinkage calculator
Build your shrinkage profile from named components — breaks, meetings, training, sick leave, absence — and see how many agents you need to schedule to have the right number seated and available.
Total shrinkage
Seated → scheduled
Multiplier: 1.429×
Component breakdown
Understanding shrinkage
What is shrinkage?
Shrinkage is the fraction of an agent's paid time during which they are not available to handle customer work. Every paid hour has some non-productive time built in: statutory breaks, team meetings, 1:1 coaching, training sessions, unplanned absence, and system downtime all count.
Seated vs scheduled
The capacity calculation (Erlang C for voice, or the backlog model for email) gives you seated agents: the number who must be present and handling work at any given moment. Scheduled agents is what you put on the rota — a higher number to absorb the shrinkage. Formula: scheduled = seated ÷ (1 − shrinkage).
Typical shrinkage ranges
Contact centers typically run 20–35% total shrinkage. Healthcare and back-office teams often run slightly lower. Very high shrinkage (40%+) may indicate excessive meeting load, poor absence management, or understaffed teams that cover for each other constantly.
Planned vs unplanned
Planned shrinkage (breaks, meetings, training) can be scheduled precisely. Unplanned shrinkage (sick calls, lateness, unexpected absence) must be estimated from historical data and added as a buffer. Track both separately to understand which part of your shrinkage you can control.
Apply shrinkage across a full schedule
The free calculator converts a single seated requirement. Turnella applies shrinkage across every interval in your forecast and connects the result to your shift schedule and cost model.