The Center of CX
Subscribe
Reference

Shrinkage

The share of paid time agents are not available to take contacts: breaks, meetings, coaching, training, time off, absence and system downtime.

Also called: agent shrinkage.

Why it matters

It turns the agents a queue needs into the agents you schedule and pay. Underestimate it and the schedule misses service every day.

How it is calculated

Total shrinkage
The sum of every category, each entered as a percent of paid hoursCategories on one base add. The total stops at 99%, because scheduling divides by what is left; a larger sum is corrected and disclosed.As published in the Shrinkage Planner method, version 1.1.
Agents to schedule
Agents needed on the queue ÷ (1 − total shrinkage), rounded upThe same gross-up the Staffing Calculator applies. Multiplying the need by one plus shrinkage understates it.As published in the Shrinkage Planner method, version 1.1.

Before you compare

  • Some count it as a share of paid hours and some as a share of scheduled hours; the two give different figures.
  • Planned shrinkage (breaks, training, time off) can be scheduled; unplanned (absence, outages) has to be allowed for.

Published figures

What publishers report for this measure. Each counts something slightly different, so read the definition before you compare; nothing here is averaged across publishers.

ShrinkagePractice range

Total shrinkage, planned and unplanned, as a share of paid time. Practice figures; none comes from a survey of actuals.

Call Centre Helper, updated 30 Jul 2026. How to Calculate Contact Centre Shrinkage.
  • 30% to 35%Where shrinkage normally comes out
  • 35%Dimension Data benchmark average, as quotedThe original report is no longer published.
  • 6.5%Short-term agent absence, US, 2023Benchmark studyMedian of centers' reported absence, one part of unplanned shrinkage; over a quarter of centers report above 15%.ContactBabel, read on RingCentral, 2024. The US Contact Center Decision-Makers' Guide 2024, HR benchmarks.

Measure yours