What Is Shrinkage?

What is Call Centre Shrinkage?

Call centre shrinkage refers to the amount of time agents are unavailable to handle calls despite being scheduled to work.

This can include breaks, training, meetings, or other activities that pull agents away from their core duties. Shrinkage is typically calculated over a 12-month period, providing insight into how much time is lost due to factors beyond actual call handling.

How to Calculate Call Centre Shrinkage?

The Shrinkage Formula

To calculate call centre shrinkage, you can use the following formula:

Shrinkage (%) = (Total Time Lost / Total Time Available) x 100

Example

For instance, if agents are scheduled to work 1,000 hours in a month, but 150 of those hours are lost to breaks, meetings, and other non-call-related activities, the shrinkage rate would be:

Shrinkage (%) = (150 / 1000) x 100 = 15%

A shrinkage rate of 15% means that 15% of the available time is spent on activities other than taking calls, reducing the call centre’s overall capacity.

Shrinkage is normally expressed across a complete 12-month period.