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Appointment Slot Capacity Calculator

Work out appointment slot capacity instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Appointment Slot Capacity Calculator

Slot capacity is open minutes divided by the effective slot length, which includes the buffer between appointments. Buffers are what prevent overruns cascading through the day, and their cost in lost capacity should be a conscious decision rather than an accident.

Formulas

Effective slot length

Effective = Slot length + Buffer

Daily capacity

Capacity = floor(Open minutes / Effective slot) x Practitioners

Worked example

With the default values below, Appointment Slot Capacity Calculator returns Daily appointment capacity of 45. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Open minutes per day
540
Slot length
30
Buffer between appointments
5
Practitioners available
3

Results

Daily appointment capacity
45
Slots per practitioner
15
Effective slot length
35
Minutes absorbed by buffers
225

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Effective slot length
  3. 3Daily capacity
  4. 4Daily appointment capacity= 45
  5. 5Slots per practitioner= 15
  6. 6Effective slot length= 35
  7. 7Minutes absorbed by buffers= 225

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a buffer worth the lost capacity?

Usually yes. Without it, one overrunning appointment delays every subsequent one, which costs more in no-shows and complaints than the slot saved.

Should slot lengths vary by appointment type?

Yes. A single slot length forces either wasted time on short appointments or overruns on long ones.

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