Multiple Queues http://www.easyerlang.com/papers/multiQ.

htm

Considerations in Call Center Staffing

Workforce management (WFM) software and call center calculators are very useful tools for resource
planning and management. They estimate resource requirements, recommend staffing and scheduling, and
forecast performance. However, these tools possess a somewhat simplified view of the operational structure
of the call center and special considerations must be made in order to apply them correctly in real-world
situations. This article describes several situations that require special attention and proposes methods to
address them:

- Multiple Queues
- Variable Load
- Shrinkage

Staffing for Multiple Queues

The majority of call center WFM tools are based on the Erlang model. This model assumes that all calls
arrive into a single queue and are handled by a single pool of telephone agents. In reality, of course, many
call centers are comprised of multiple queues, each with different call load and performance characteristics
and potentially different service level expectations.

Calculating resource requirements for multi-queue situations depends on the type of multi-queue setup.

Disjoint Queues
Disjoint queues are separate call center queues, in which each queue has its own telephone resources and
agents answer only calls arriving in their queue. Disjoint queues represent the simplest form of multiple
queues in that each queue is independent and has no effect on the other queues; in essence, each queue
behaves as a separate call center.

In a call center with disjoint queues, calculate the resources for each of the queues separately. In most
cases, the resources and forecasted performance can be added or averaged, as necessary.

Joint Queues
The individual queues in many call centers are not truly disjointed. Instead, they operate separately until
queue exceeds its capacity, and calls overflow to a less busy “backup” queue. From that point on, the two
queues are joined and act like one large queue.

When calculating the resources and the performance characteristics of joint queues, the call volume is the
sum of the call volumes of the individual queues. However, the average handling time (AHT) of calls in
different queues is usually different and therefore must be recalculated. It is incorrect simply to average the
AHT of the two (or more) queues. For example, if the AHT of Queue I is 100 seconds and the AHT of Queue II
is 200 seconds, the AHT of the combined queues is not 150 seconds. Not only is it mathematically incorrect to
average numbers that are themselves averages, but the number of calls of each type in the joint queue is
also different. Therefore, the AHT should be a weighted average that is proportionally adjusted to the call
volume of each AHT.

Queue I II
Calls 5000 3000
AHT 100 200

The output of the call center calculator – number of agents, utilization, abandonment rate and so forth – will
be the same for both queues at peak times, when overflow occurs.

Because agents in the backup queue are sometimes less trained or equipped to handle overflow calls, their
AHT is often longer than the AHT of the agents in the original queue. In this case, a better approach is to
determine the maximum call handling capacity of each queue (EasyErlang calculates the maximum capacity
and the percentage of additional capacity required to meet expected peak load) and the estimated number
of overflowed calls. Use the same weighted average method to calculate the resources and performance of
the backup queue during peak time.

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Staffing for Variable Load

The call load in a typical call center varies from hour to
hour and from day to day. The figure on the right shows
changes in daily call load in a typical call center. The
common sense approach that is usually recommended is to
calculate staffing separately for each high load and low
load period. A call center calculator can estimate the
service level for each of these periods, but what is the
overall service level of the entire call center?

To calculate the combined service level for several

periods or for different shifts, one cannot average the
individual service levels. For example, if the service
levels for three shifts were 89%, 91% and 84% of calls
answered in 20 seconds, the overall service level is not 88%. Rather, each service level has to be computed
considering the total number of calls offered and the number of callers that have experienced each service
level.

The same method is used to convert daily service levels to weekly or monthly service level.

Let us consider two periods in the day, one averaging 500 calls per hour, and the other only 280 calls per
hour. Staffing for the peak period, assuming a target service level of 80% in 20 seconds, will require 30
agents. Staffing for the low volume period will require only 18 agents. Because it is impossible to meet the
exact target service level, WFM tools overestimate the required staff. As the table below shows (Row 1), the
service level in each of the two periods, as well as the combined service level, exceed the required
performance target.

If we reduce the headcount in Period I by one, the service level in that period will drop to 78% (Row 2), which
is not significantly worse than the target of 80% and is likely tolerable, especially if the duration of the peak
is short. The overall service level still meets the target.

Row 3 shows what happens when we decrease the headcount of the low volume period (Period II). The
impact on the service performance during that period is more significant, yet the overall service level is still
above the target.

Interestingly enough, moving the headcount that was “saved” from one period to the other improves the
service level during that period, as expected, but the overall service level is actually lower than the one
achieved using the original allocation shown in Row 1 (see Rows 3 and 4).

We conclude that staffing for very dynamic load conditions while maintaining service level agreement and
minimizing inefficiencies is difficult. As the examples show, this type of planning does not require overly
precise measurement of call load in very small increments. Instead of adjusting staffing for each period in
the day, call center managers should consider focusing on overall performance.

Shrinkage
The term shrinkage is used to identify the portion of the time an agent is unavailable to handle calls. This
includes planned shrinkage such as breaks, meetings, training, research and special projects, vacation, and
unscheduled shrinkage such as sick time.

Shrinkage often accounts for more than 20% agents paid time. Ignoring shrinkage will cause a significant
understaffing, especially during peak load time. How can a call center manager adjust staffing to compensate
for this productivity loss? The simplest answer appears to be to increase the headcount by the amount lost to

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shrinkage. If the staffing calculator determines that current service level and call load require 60 agents, and
the anticipated shrinkage is 25%:

60 x 1.25 = 75

The staff of 30 calculated by the staffing calculator is available only at 75% capacity because of the 25%
shrinkage. Therefore, in order to achieve 100% capacity the increase headcount should be:

60 / 0.75 = 80

The difference between the first calculation of 75 agents and this one is 5 FTE, which is quite significant.
Moreover, the agents we add to account for the shrinkage would also be subject to the same shrinkage,
accounting, in this case, to nearly 2 additional FTEs:

5 / 0.75 = 6.7 or 7 FTEs

Therefore, in large call centers, where the shrinkage compensation is significant, a more accurate
adjustment would be to account for the additional shrinkage as well. EasyErlang does this automatically.

As in all other call center staffing calculations, the theoretical results should be monitored, evaluated and
adjusted to fit the specific needs, behaviors and constraints the individual call center .

As a general guideline, call centers that monitor their service levels and staff utilization continuously and
make frequent adjustments can use the first or second approach described above. Call centers that prefer a
more conservative and safe approach and to err on the side of overstaffing, are better off using the third
approach.

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