Calculate average speed of answer (ASA) with workforce management

Calculate average speed of answer (ASA) with workforce management

Is there a formula you can use to compute or forecast a program's average speed of answer (ASA)?

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There are several workforce management (WFM) programs and systems available in the marketplace for almost every size of call center and business. Depending upon your need, these systems offer a variety of options for forecasting and scheduling as well as service modeling.

If your needs are simpler and you would just like to know an anticipated average speed of answer (ASA) or service level, there are several free online calculators from companies such as Preferred Solutions and KoolToolz. Enter the appropriate call volume, handle times, etc. and the calculator will provide the anticipated ASA (and service level). More often, these tools are used to calculate the number of people needed for a given volume, handle time and target performance.

This was first published in June 2007