What is Agent Occupancy?
Agent occupancy is the percentage of time agents spend actively handling customer interactions versus waiting for work. It's calculated by dividing handle time (talk time + after-call work) by total logged-in time. High occupancy means agents are constantly busy; low occupancy means idle time between calls.
Calculating Occupancy
Occupancy = (Talk Time + After-Call Work) / Total Logged-In Time × 100
Example: An agent who handles calls for 45 minutes out of every hour has 75% occupancy.
Optimal Occupancy Rates
Target occupancy varies by contact center type:
- 75-85% — Typical target for inbound call centers
- 85-90% — May be acceptable short-term but risks burnout
- Above 90% — Unsustainable; leads to fatigue and turnover
Occupancy vs Utilization
Agent utilization includes all productive activities (training, meetings, coaching), while occupancy focuses only on customer-facing work. Both metrics together give a complete picture of agent productivity.
Track occupancy in real time. Platform28's analytics dashboard shows live occupancy rates by agent and team. Learn more.
Real-time workforce analytics
Platform28 provides live visibility into agent occupancy and performance.
Free consultation • No commitment required