Call Abandonment Rate Calculator
Analyze your call center efficiency by calculating the percentage of disconnected calls.
How to Calculate Call Abandonment Rate in Excel
In a call center environment, the Abandonment Rate is a critical Key Performance Indicator (KPI). It measures the percentage of callers who hang up the phone before they are connected to a live agent. Understanding how to calculate this in Excel allows managers to track service levels over time.
The Basic Formula
The mathematical formula for Call Abandonment Rate is:
(Abandoned Calls / Total Calls Offered) x 100
Using Excel for Calculations
If you are managing your call data in a spreadsheet, follow these steps to calculate the rate:
- In cell A2, enter your Total Calls Offered.
- In cell B2, enter the number of Abandoned Calls.
- In cell C2, enter the following formula:
After entering the formula, click the "%" button in the Excel Ribbon (Home tab) to format the decimal as a percentage.
Handling "Short Abandons" in Excel
Many industry leaders exclude "Short Abandons" (calls that hang up within the first 5 to 10 seconds) because these are often wrong numbers or callers who changed their minds immediately, rather than people frustrated by wait times. To account for this in Excel:
=(Abandoned_Calls – Short_Abandons) / (Total_Calls – Short_Abandons)Example Calculation
Suppose your call center had the following stats for a Monday morning:
- Total Calls Offered: 500
- Abandoned Calls: 40
- Short Abandons (under 5s): 5
The calculation would be: (40 – 5) / (500 – 5) = 35 / 495 = 7.07%.
Why This Metric Matters
High abandonment rates usually indicate long wait times or insufficient staffing. Most industry benchmarks suggest maintaining an abandonment rate between 2% and 5%. If your rate exceeds 10%, it is a clear signal that customer satisfaction is at risk and immediate operational adjustments are needed.