Handle time calculator: how many tickets one agent can close
How long a ticket takes decides how many an agent can close. Enter your average handle time, wrap-up time and occupancy to see capacity per agent and the team your volume needs.
Tickets per agent per day
33.6
Tickets per agent per month
672
Total handle time
10 min
Agents needed
1.5
Handle time varies a lot by ticket type, so use the average of a typical month. Keep occupancy below about 85 percent, since agents with no slack cannot absorb a busy day.
Questions
What is average handle time?
It is the average time an agent spends on one ticket, from opening it to finishing the wrap-up work. Add the working time and the wrap-up time to get the total for each ticket.
How many tickets can one agent handle in a day?
Divide 60 by the handle time in minutes to get tickets per hour, then multiply by support hours and occupancy. At 10 minutes, 7 hours and 80 percent occupancy that is about 34 tickets.
What is occupancy and why not use 100 percent?
Occupancy is the share of working time an agent spends on tickets. At 100 percent there is no room for breaks, training or a busy hour, so queues and burnout both rise. Many teams plan for 75 to 85 percent.
Should I try to lower handle time?
Only where it removes wasted effort, such as better saved replies and context in the ticket. Pushing agents to rush hurts quality and tends to raise reopens.
How is this different from the staffing calculator?
This one starts from the time each ticket takes and gives capacity per agent. The staffing calculator adds peaks and service level targets to work out how many people you need at each hour.
Link to this page
Free to use and share. If it helped, a link back is the best thanks.
<a href="https://flatdeskfinal.vercel.app/free-tools/handle-time-calculator">Handle time calculator</a>Guides that go with this tool
- When to hire your next support agent: a practical way to tellSigns your support team is stretched, how to work out how many agents you need, and what to try before hiring.
- A 30-minute weekly support review for small teamsA simple weekly routine for a small support team: which numbers to look at, which tickets to read, and what to decide before the meeting ends.
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