Agent Utilization

Agent utilization measures the percentage of an agent's working time actually spent on customer contact, as opposed to waiting, admin work, or breaks.

The formula is simple: agent utilization = (time spent on customer contact ÷ total available working time) × 100%. If an agent works 8 hours and spends 6 hours actually handling conversations, their utilization rate is 75%.

Overly high utilization (for example above 85-90%) often leads to burnout and quality loss, because agents have no room for admin work, training, or catching their breath between conversations. Overly low utilization (below 60%) points to overstaffing: more agents are scheduled than needed, driving up unnecessary labor costs.

As a rule of thumb in customer service, a utilization rate between 65-80% is considered healthy: enough room for peaks and admin work, without structural understaffing.

Bugalou's dashboard gives visibility into agent utilization per team member, so team leads can distribute workload fairly and spot overburdened team members early.