After-Call Work (ACW) is a key metric for contact center operations, directly influencing efficiency and productivity. This article provides a full and detailed guide on the work an agent performs after ending a call.
Defining After-Call Work (ACW)
After Call Work (ACW) is the post-call activities that contact center agents undertake to wrap up a customer interaction. These activities may include updating customer records in a CRM system, scheduling follow-up calls, escalating issues to a supervisor, or completing quality assurance tasks.
Differences between ACW and Average Wrap-Up Time
These terms are sometimes considered synonymous. While both refer to tasks agents perform after a call, there is a slight distinction:
- ACW (After-Call Work) is a general term describing all the tasks agents perform after a call. It includes updating databases, creating tasks, and analyzing the call. ACW represents a process that takes time.
- AWUT (Average Wrap-Up Time) is a contact center KPI measuring the average time an agent spends on all ACW tasks after a single call. It is a quantitative indicator of ACW duration.
Thus, AWUT is part of ACW. AWUT is a specific metric for assessing agent and overall contact center performance. By monitoring AWUT, centers can identify bottlenecks in the call wrap-up process and implement solutions to address them.
Understanding the difference between ACW and AWUT allows contact centers to more accurately identify which steps in the wrap-up process require optimization.
How has the after-call work changed in the era of omnichannel contact centers?
With the rise of omnichannel contact centers, where customers can reach out through various channels (phone, live chat, email, etc.), the concept of after-call work (ACW) has expanded. It is no longer just about call wrap-up but about interaction wrap-up, meaning that after any interaction with a customer—regardless of the channel—agents must perform several tasks to ensure continuity of service and improve the customer experience.
Why are these changes important?
In an omnichannel environment, all customer interactions must be interconnected. This means that customer information gathered on one channel must be accessible on others. A unified customer profile ensures seamless service, allowing agents to address inquiries efficiently, no matter the channel.
Interaction wrap-up allows for a smooth transition between different channels and guarantees that no details are overlooked. In this way, call wrap-up has evolved into interaction wrap-up, becoming a more universal and integrated part of omnichannel customer service.
What tasks does after-call work involve?
The ACW process includes a series of actions that a contact center agent completes after ending a conversation with a customer. These actions include:
- Updating the CRM system: entering detailed information about the interaction, including the reasons for the call, conversation outcomes, and changes in the status of the inquiry.
- Creating new tasks: generating and assigning tasks for other departments (e.g., technical support or sales) when additional follow-up is needed.
- Analyzing the interaction: evaluating conversation effectiveness, identifying mistakes and oversights, and finding ways to improve interaction scripts.
- Documenting customer feedback: collecting and organizing feedback that can be used to enhance products, services, and service processes.
It is important to note that after-call work time is an integral part of Average Handling Time (AHT) and significantly impacts the overall efficiency of a contact center.
How To Calculate ACW Formula
This formula calculates the average time spent on after-call tasks per call. If we break down its components:
Total time spent on after-call tasks – this number includes all activities performed by agents after concluding a call, such as updating records, entering notes, and scheduling follow-up actions.
Total number of calls handled – this simply refers to all calls managed by agents during the specified period for which you want to calculate ACW.
What Should The After-Call Work (ACW) Time Be?
The average after-call work time in a contact center depends on the industry type, the complexity of inquiries, internal processes, and the agents’ skill level. For example, in e-commerce contact centers, where post-call procedures are generally simpler, the after-call work time may range from 30 seconds to 1 minute. In more complex sectors like finance or medical contact centers, after-call work can take several minutes as it often requires detailed documentation or the involvement of additional departments.
Why Track After-Call Work (ACW) is Important at Contact Center?
Tracking the after-call work time is essential to a contact center’s efficiency, and here are some key reasons why:
Optimizing Agent Productivity
Knowing ACW time enables contact center managers to identify factors that slow down agents and implement measures—like training or process automation—to enhance overall productivity.
Reducing Staffing Costs
Effectively minimizing ACW reduces the workload on agents, allowing more inquiries to be handled with fewer staff. This is crucial for high-volume centers, as reducing ACW lowers the need for additional resources and reduces operational expenses.
Customer Satisfaction
The faster an agent completes ACW, the sooner they can handle the next inquiry, reducing customer wait times. This directly correlates with service quality and boosts customer satisfaction.
Improving Contact Center Processes
Tracking ACW time reveals opportunities for process improvement or automation. For instance, high post-call processing times in survey calls may indicate a need for tools like speech recognition and transcription for efficiency.
How to Reduce After-Call Work (ACW) in a Contact Center
Why is it important to focus on reducing ACW time in contact centers? The answer is simple: shorter ACW means greater agent efficiency, lower operational costs, and an improved customer experience. Here are five effective tips for reducing ACW time across all communication channels in modern contact centers.
Optimize and Automate Routine Tasks
Use automated tools like Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems, AI, speech analytics, and call transcription. These technologies help agents quickly complete routine ACW processes, allowing them to move on to the next customer inquiry promptly.
Provide Clear and Comprehensive Templates
Equip agents with standardized templates for various communication channels. This simplifies inquiry documentation and reduces unnecessary time spent searching for where to input information.
Invest in Contact Center Software
The less time agents spend switching between windows, the faster ACW can be completed. A unified contact center platform with a streamlined, intuitive interface—like Global Bilgi’s Sirius cloud contact center—consolidates all necessary functions, improving efficiency.
Set Realistic ACW Time Goals
Use analytics tools to track ACW time and set realistic targets that encourage agents to work efficiently without compromising quality. Monitoring service quality and adjusting ACW goals reduces stress and prevents agent burnout.
Conclusion
After-Call Work (ACW) time is a key efficiency metric that measures the time agents spend on additional tasks after a conversation or inquiry is handled. Optimizing ACW improves contact center productivity and reduces wait times for the next customer.
As a seasoned contact center outsourcing provider, Global Bilgi offers services for auditing and optimizing contact center KPI review, including ACW. We help you enhance your contact center’s performance, establishing efficient processes that enable quick and quality customer service.
