Question 1

What is an FTE in workforce management?

Accepted Answer

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) represents one full-time employee's available working hours. In contact centres, FTE calculations account for shift length, days worked, and shrinkage to determine total headcount needed to cover contact volume.

Question 2

How do I calculate FTE from call volume?

Accepted Answer

Multiply monthly volume by AHT in seconds, divide by 3600 to get handle hours. Divide by monthly agent hours (shift × days × 4.33 weeks). Then divide by (1 − shrinkage%) to get adjusted FTE.

Question 3

What shrinkage percentage should I use?

Accepted Answer

Industry benchmark is 23%. This includes vacation (5%), sick (3%), training (4%), breaks (8%), meetings (2%), and coaching (1%). Use the Shrinkage Calculator for a precise compound figure based on your actuals.

Question 4

What is the difference between FTE and headcount?

Accepted Answer

FTE is a standardized unit based on full-time hours. Headcount is actual people. If your operation includes part-time agents, headcount will be higher than FTE. For example, 100 FTE might be 120 headcount with a mix of full and part-time.

Question 5

Why is this different from Erlang C results?

Accepted Answer

This calculator gives a monthly average. Erlang C accounts for call arrival patterns and queue dynamics at the interval level (15 or 30 minutes). Erlang C typically requires more agents for peak intervals. Use FTE for budgeting, Erlang C for scheduling.

FTE Headcount Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tools