Properly accounting for your base staff is one of the basics of contact center planning. According to ICMI's nine-step Call Center Planning and Management Process, Erlang C is the most common calculation method.
Step 4 of the process states, "Most developed contact centers use Erlang C or variations of it to calculate staffing requirements. Capabilities such as skills-based routing and complex network environments present challenges that may require computer simulation and modeling."
In a recent Quick Poll, ICMI asked, "How are you currently calculating base staff in your contact center?" Nearly 80% of those who responded are using some form of Erlang C. 42% replied, "Software based on the Erlang C formula" and 36% said, "Manually, using the Erlang C formula." Many of you are still calculating base staff, but in different ways. 15% replied "Manually, using another method" and 6% are using software that follows another method.
ICMI wants to know how you're calculating base staff. Are you using a form of Erlang C? If not, what are you using? And has it been successful? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments!
