Plan the desk around a fixed window: Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7, and coverage chosen then starts January 1. Size staff from handle time and occupancy, put scope of appointment, disclaimer and recording steps in place before October 15, and buy only as many calls as your agents can answer.
When is AEP, and what happens in each phase?
The Annual Enrollment Period, which the regulation calls the annual coordinated election period, runs October 15 through December 7 every year under 42 CFR 422.62(a)(2)(iii), and Medicare.gov lists the same dates. In that window, a person eligible for Medicare Advantage can move from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, return to Original Medicare, or join a Medicare Advantage plan from Original Medicare. Elections made during the window take effect on January 1 of the following year under 42 CFR 422.68(b). Plans and their agents may start marketing the next year's plans on October 1 under 42 CFR 422.2263(a), two weeks before enrollments open. For a call desk that means three phases: an October run-up when callers start asking about next year, a 54 day enrollment window with 38 weekdays in 2026 and Thanksgiving inside it, and a hard stop on December 7, after which most of these election changes wait for other enrollment periods.
| Date | What happens | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Marketing of next year's plans may begin | 42 CFR 422.2263(a) |
| October 15 | AEP opens for Medicare Advantage election changes | 42 CFR 422.62(a)(2)(iii) |
| December 7 | AEP closes | 42 CFR 422.62(a)(2)(iii) |
| January 1 | Coverage chosen during AEP takes effect | 42 CFR 422.68(b) |
How many agents does an AEP desk need?
Work out how many billable calls one agent can handle in a day, then divide your daily call target by that number. Calls per agent per day equal productive minutes divided by minutes per call. Productive minutes are selling hours times 60 times your target occupancy; minutes per call are average handle time plus after-call work.
Worked example
These inputs are hypothetical. Replace them with handle times from last year's recordings or a test week before you hire.
| Input | Value | Math |
|---|---|---|
| Selling hours per agent per day | 7 | 7 × 60 = 420 minutes |
| Target occupancy | 70% | 420 × 0.70 = 294 productive minutes |
| Handle time plus after-call work | 24 + 6 = 30 minutes | Average per billable call |
| Calls per agent per day | 9 | 294 ÷ 30 = 9.8, rounded down |
| Daily target | 120 billable calls | 120 ÷ 9 = 13.3, so 14 agents working |
| Absence cover | 10% out on any day | 14 ÷ 0.9 = 15.6, so schedule 16 |
Across the 38 weekdays of the 2026 window, 14 working agents at 9 calls each can take about 4,788 billable calls. If your forecast is lower, buy fewer calls instead of pushing agents past the occupancy you planned, because callers who ring out or sit on hold are lost enrollments.
The staffing calculator runs the general version of this math. What makes AEP different is the hard stop: capacity you leave unused before December 7 cannot be spent on these election changes later.
What compliance should be in place before the first AEP call?
Settle scripts, licensing and records before October 15, because changing a script mid-window means retraining every agent inside the enrollment window itself. These are the federal items most inbound Medicare desks build around; your carriers and FMO add their own.
- Licensing and appointment: 42 CFR 422.2274(b)(1) requires agents to be licensed and appointed under state law where state law requires it. The licensing basics page explains resident and non-resident licenses.
- Training and testing: 42 CFR 422.2274(b)(2) requires annual training and testing with a score of 85 percent or higher on all forms of testing.
- Scope of appointment: record it before the personal marketing conversation, inbound calls included, under 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(3)(i). See the scope of appointment guide.
- TPMO disclaimer: read it during sales calls before any benefits are discussed, under 42 CFR 422.2267(e)(41)(ii). See the TPMO disclaimer guide.
- Recording: under 42 CFR 422.2274(g)(2)(ii), plan contracts with TPMOs must ensure marketing and sales calls are recorded in their entirety and kept at least 6 years. State consent rules apply too; see call recording consent.
- No cold calling: 42 CFR 422.2264(a)(2)(iv) bars unsolicited telephone solicitation, and (a)(3) says a call the beneficiary starts or consents to is not unsolicited.
How should you buy inbound calls during AEP?
Buy to capacity. Set a daily call target from the staffing math, then use buying controls to keep calls inside the hours and states your agents can cover.
- 01Match hours to shiftsOn Callmart, optional campaign hours let you set one Eastern-time window per weekday, or the same window every day. Leave them off and calls come any time your lines are on.
- 02Set states per lineEach line accepts calls only from the states you choose, so match it to the licenses of the agents on that line. A line with no states selected receives no calls.
- 03Pick a bufferCallmart's retail prices for the Medicare Advantage campaign are $25 for 20 seconds, $35 for 30 seconds, $55 for 90 seconds as of November 2, 2026. Choose the tier with the cost per enrollment method in the Medicare call cost guide.
- 04Size line capacityPhone number and SIP lines can take more than one call at a time, with capacity set by owners and managers. Each Callmart App phone, in the browser or the iPhone app, takes one call at a time.
- 05Fund ahead of busy daysCalls draw against a prepaid wallet, and delivery pauses when the balance cannot cover a call, so fund before the shifts you expect to be busiest.
- 06Switch off when nobody can answerTurn receiving off, pause the line or switch a campaign off for lunch, meetings and shift changes.
Budget is daily target times price times selling days. At a hypothetical $45 per billable call, 120 calls a day costs $5,400 a day and $27,000 for a five day week; swap in the tier you actually buy. Callmart does not promise call volume and calls are not exclusive, so treat the budget as a ceiling, not a forecast. Larger buyers can apply for wholesale rates.
Which numbers should you watch every day of AEP?
Review a short list every day and act on it the same day. A problem you spot on November 30 has one week left to fix.
- Answer rate: the share of delivered calls an agent picks up. A drop means calls are outrunning staff.
- Billable rate: the share of answered calls that pass your threshold.
- Enrollments per billable call, by agent and by campaign.
- Cost per enrollment: call spend divided by enrollments.
- Handle time compared with the figure you staffed for.
- Compliance spot checks: listen to a sample of recordings for the scope of appointment and the disclaimer.
In Callmart, call history shows each call's campaign, caller state, duration, charge, status and recording, with filters and CSV export. Owners and managers can see who is receiving and each member's call activity. Coaching means reviewing recordings after the call; buyers do not get live listen-in, barge or whisper.
What mistakes break AEP call desks?
- Hiring and certifying agents in mid-October, so new agents learn on live callers.
- Running last year's script with the old SOA timing or the old disclaimer wording.
- Buying calls for states nobody on shift is licensed in.
- Leaving lines on through lunch and shift changes, when nobody can answer.
- Planning headcount with no absence cover.
- Waiting until December to compare cost per enrollment by source.
What belongs on an AEP readiness checklist?
- Licenses and carrier appointments confirmed for every agent and every state on their lines.
- Annual training and testing complete.
- Scripts updated for the current scope of appointment and TPMO disclaimer rules.
- Recording on for every line, with storage planned.
- A daily call target set from handle time and occupancy.
- Campaign hours, states and line capacity matched to shifts.
- Wallet funded for the first busy stretch.
- A daily report for answer rate, billable rate and cost per enrollment.
- A plan for after December 7; the post-AEP guide covers the months that follow.
Common questions
01When does AEP start and end?
The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7 each year under 42 CFR 422.62(a)(2)(iii), and coverage chosen then starts January 1 under 42 CFR 422.68(b). Marketing for the next year's plans may begin October 1 under 42 CFR 422.2263(a), but AEP elections open October 15.
02How many agents do I need for AEP?
Divide your daily billable call target by the calls one agent can handle in a day, then add absence cover. With 7 selling hours, 70 percent occupancy and 30 minutes per call, one agent handles about 9 calls a day, so 120 calls a day needs 14 agents working and about 16 on the schedule.
03Do inbound Medicare calls have to be recorded?
For TPMOs, 42 CFR 422.2274(g)(2)(ii) says plan contracts must ensure marketing and sales calls are recorded in their entirety and kept at least 6 years, in audio format for the first 3 years. State consent laws also apply. Confirm how your carriers apply this with your FMO or counsel.
04Should I keep buying Medicare calls after December 7?
Fewer people can change plans after AEP, but some can. A person already in a Medicare Advantage plan may make one election during the first 3 months of the year under 42 CFR 422.62(a)(3), and special election periods cover qualifying events through the year. See the Medicare SEP guide.