AI Agent Escalation Coverage Calculator

Blend agent auto-resolution rates, knowledge deflection, and analyst staffing to evaluate whether escalations stay within the team's capacity.

Total incidents, tickets, or conversations the AI agent triages each month.
Share of interactions the agent resolves end-to-end without human escalation.
Portion deflected to self-service content. Defaults to 5% when left blank.
Time a human analyst spends on each escalated case. Defaults to 12 minutes when blank.
Combined monthly capacity for the analyst pool. Defaults to 160 hours when blank.

Operational planning aid. Validate agent performance and staffing decisions against contractual service levels and incident review data before implementing changes.

Examples

  • 12,000 interactions, 62% auto-resolution, 10% deflection, 14 minute handle time, 320 analyst hours ⇒ Automation coverage 72.00%, 3,360 escalations needing 784.00 hours (~4.90 FTE), leaving a 464.00-hour backlog.
  • 8,500 interactions, 55% auto-resolution, deflection left blank (defaults 5%), 10 minute handle time, 200 analyst hours ⇒ Coverage 60.00%, 3,400 escalations needing 566.67 hours (~3.54 FTE) and a 366.67-hour shortfall.

FAQ

How should I estimate the auto-resolution rate?

Use tagged conversation outcomes from your agent platform over the past full month. Exclude sessions reopened by customers so the metric reflects true one-touch resolution.

Can I model seasonal surges?

Yes. Re-run the calculator with peak-month interaction volumes and adjust the analyst-hours input to include temporary staff or overtime allocations.

Why assume 160 hours per FTE?

160 hours approximates 40 hours per week over four weeks. Adjust the available-hours field if your analysts follow different schedules or spend time on non-escalation duties.

Additional Information

  • Result unit: coverage reported as a percentage plus workload hours in hours and FTE equivalents.
  • Knowledge deflection defaults to 5% when omitted to reflect a modest self-service baseline.
  • Available analyst hours default to 160 when blank, mirroring one fully allocated FTE.

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