New hire ramp planner: ticket targets for a new support agent's first weeks
A new agent is not at full speed on day one. Set a ramp for the first four weeks and see the targets, and how many tickets the rest of the team needs to cover.
Week 1 target
7.5 a day
Week 2 target
15 a day
Week 3 target
22.5 a day
Week 4 target
30 a day
Tickets in the first four weeks
375
Behind a trained agent
225
Plan for the gap: the other agents or a temporary backlog absorb it. Pair the new hire with a buddy in the first two weeks and raise the target only when quality holds.
Questions
How long does a new support agent take to ramp up?
Most agents reach full speed in four to eight weeks, depending on how complex your product is and how much shadowing and review they get.
What should the first week look like?
Mostly learning: reading past tickets, shadowing and answering a few easy ones with review. A target of around a quarter of full speed is common.
Should I count quality as well as volume?
Yes. Review a sample of every new hire's replies each week and only raise the target when the quality is steady.
How do I cover the gap?
Other agents absorb it, or you allow a short backlog. Plan for it before the hire starts, not after the queue grows.
Do the percentages have to rise evenly?
No. Adjust them to your product. A simple product may reach 75 percent in week two while a complex one stays near 50 for a month.
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/new-hire-ramp-planner">New hire ramp planner</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.
- Support team onboarding: a first-month checklist for new agentsA week-by-week plan for training a new support agent: tools, product knowledge, shadowing, supervised replies and a first review.
Running support on a small team?
Flatdesk is $49 per agent per month, with 100 AI resolutions per agent included. Try it free for 14 days, no card.
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Made by Flatdesk, a help desk for small support teams at one flat price per agent.