Support ticket volume forecast: how many agents will you need?
Volume that grows a few percent a month adds up faster than it feels. Enter this month's tickets and your growth to see where you will be in a year, and when your current team stops keeping up.
Tickets in month 12
2,402
Agents needed in month 12
5
Agents needed now
3
Next hire needed
Month 5
At this pace you would need 2 more agents than today by month 12. Hiring takes weeks to train, so start before the month shown.
| Month | Tickets | Agents needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,560 | 3 |
| 2 | 1,622 | 3 |
| 3 | 1,687 | 3 |
| 4 | 1,755 | 3 |
| 5 | 1,825 | 4 |
| 6 | 1,898 | 4 |
| 7 | 1,974 | 4 |
| 8 | 2,053 | 4 |
| 9 | 2,135 | 4 |
| 10 | 2,220 | 4 |
| 11 | 2,309 | 4 |
| 12 | 2,402 | 5 |
Questions
How do you forecast support ticket volume?
Take this month's tickets and apply the average monthly growth you saw over the last six months, compounding it forward. 1,500 tickets growing 4% a month reach about 2,400 in twelve months.
What growth rate should I use?
Work out the month-over-month change for each of the last six months and average them. If the months vary a lot, run the tool twice with a low and a high rate and plan for the range.
How many tickets can one agent handle?
Divide tickets closed by agents over a normal month. It depends on your product, the channels and how much time goes to meetings and training, so use your own number, not an industry average.
Does this include seasonal peaks?
No. It is a smooth trend. If you have a peak season, add a second run with the peak month's volume as the starting point.
When should I start hiring?
Early enough that a new person is trained by the month shown as the first shortfall. Several weeks of lead time is common, so start before it, not in it.
Link to this page
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<a href="https://flatdeskfinal.vercel.app/free-tools/ticket-volume-forecast">Ticket volume forecast</a>Guides that go with this tool
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