I don't think that having agents standing around waiting for a seat would create a positive environment. The agents who ARE working won't be pleased that the others are just standing around (even for a little while). Also, would you pay the un-needed agents for the shift or part of it, would they be sent home or just stay, etc? Seems like a lot of complications for little payoff.
Our 24/7 center experiences a LOT of call volume variability. We do hire & schedule more people than we may need at times, but never more than we have seats for. It is also helpful to have a few agents who are willing to be "on call" -- we call reach them if it gets busy.
There are obviously a lot of variables here. If this is the type of info you are looking for, feel free to contact me directly at
bonini@amerigas.com.