Technician utilization is the share of paid time spent on productive work. Which "productive" you mean changes the answer a lot. This calculator shows the same day both ways. Nothing you enter is saved or sent.
The formulas
- Booked utilization = hours booked on the board ÷ paid hours
- Real utilization = hours on site working (wrench time) ÷ paid hours
- Drive share = hours driving ÷ paid hours
- Idle and other = whatever's left: waiting for windows, paperwork, breaks, supply runs
The first number is what most scheduling reports show. It counts a booked block as utilized even when a third of that block is a drive. That's why a board can read 100% on a day the technician spent half the shift working. The full explanation is in 100% booked is not 100% utilized.
Which number should you manage to?
Use both, for different things:
- Booked utilization tells you whether demand is filling the board. If it's low, you have a sales or marketing problem.
- Real utilization tells you whether the board is any good. If booked is high and real is low, the gap is drive and idle time created by how jobs were scheduled.
The technician utilization rate article covers a third formula, billable utilization, and when to use each.
Where to get the inputs
Job records with arrival and completion timestamps give you hours on site. The gaps between one job's completion and the next job's arrival are drive plus waiting. If your system only records the booked block, start by logging actual arrival and departure for one week. That alone is usually revealing.
What to take away
- Booked utilization measures the calendar. Real utilization measures the technician.
- The gap between them is drive and idle time, and most of it is created when jobs are booked.
- Fixing the gap means checking travel before a slot is offered. See travel-time scheduling.
Common questions
What is a good technician utilization rate?
It depends on the trade and on which formula you use. Booked and real utilization can differ by tens of points for the same day. Track your own real utilization over time, and watch the gap between it and booked utilization.
How do you calculate technician utilization?
Divide productive hours by paid hours. Decide first whether "productive" means booked time, time on site or billable time. Each gives a different, valid number for a different purpose.
Does this calculator store anything?
No. It runs entirely in your browser.