welcome to managing metrics a series of videos highlighting contact center metrics
that matter to managers i'm bruce belfiore ceo of benchmark portal here to talk to you about after
call work time also known as wrap time since it refers to the time needed to wrap up the call
record in this video we will define the metric and its component parts mention some typical ranges
discuss how it impacts other key metrics and note how important proper management of this metric is
to your financial and operational success this video is brought to you by benchmark portal the
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just like this okay so let's define after call work time also referred to as acw
time along with wrap time it's the time taken from the moment the customer hangs up the call
to the moment the agent becomes available for the next call during this time the agent is completing
tasks related to the call just handled these tasks may include finishing the customer record
in the customer relationship management system and performing other tasks related to the call such
as sending emails or faxes or calling other parts of the enterprise to resolve a call related issue
the average acw time metric is calculated by taking the total after call work time for the
center and dividing it by the total number of agent-handled calls i note that acw time is also
one component of average handle time which is the subject of another managing metrics video linked
for you above when we look across all industries we see that the average acw time is a bit under
1.3 minutes while the upper quartile is under a minute there is a considerable variation in acw
time based upon call types and the nature of the work performed in each industry vertical if you
want more specific information on how you compare to others in your industry look for our published
industry reports which you can find through the resource links in the description below
acw is an important metric to understand and manage because it has an influence on cost per
transaction agent availability and utilization the longer after call work time is the more
the interaction costs the company here's a simple illustration a center that moves from a two minute
average acw time to one minute will save half the time spent on this metric
to simplify let's say a center computes a cost per agent call of ten dollars let's say that
acw time represents twenty percent of total handle time or two dollars of the ten dollars total cost
saving half of that time will save one dollar on average per call
for a center that takes 500 000 calls per year that represents a half million dollars in savings
after call work also has important impacts on operations it is important for workforce
managers once they have forecasted call volumes to multiply those volumes by the average handle time
to help determine staffing needs reducing average handle time by 10 due to reduced after call work
time as per our simplified example will reduce the number of head count needed
so managing your after call work time is important for scheduling and staffing costs as well a best
practice is to benchmark your average acw time against other centers in your industry
that take similar calls to the ones your center handles when your average acw time
is higher than the industry average you should look for root causes for that performance gap
typical areas of opportunity include improved agent speed and keying and screen navigation up
training supervisors on coaching skills that can improve agents ability to expeditiously handle
after call work responsive and seamless crm and knowledge management technology and possible abuse
of after call time by some agents you should also review your current documentation requirements are
they still all applicable could they be reduced is there some duplication if so then you have a prime
opportunity to improve your acw performance note that agents should not be directed to
compress after call work time so much that they do a poor job in detailing the customer record
if that happens the next agent who deals with the customer will find a confusing and poorly
worded summary of the transaction which will cause the next call to be unduly extended
and may seriously damage the customer's experience and cause customer satisfaction to suffer
it's also a negative influence on the morale of the next agent who deals with that customer
instead your supervisor should empower agents by giving them tips on how to enter information
efficiently while on the call these include so-called talk and type dual tasking skills
that can effectively reduce acw time you can also provide technology with hot button responses
which are keys that will instantly populate parts of the customer record with typical responses to
speed things along other items you may consider include providing your agents with two screens
or eliminating the need for cut and paste from one desktop application to another or introducing new
software designed to consolidate multiple desktop apps that may be slowing down agents i know that
some centers code a standard acw time into their system for example 30 seconds after the caller
drops from each call rather than allowing the agent to put themselves into and out of after
call work time this approach can be good or bad it may allow for just the right amount of time to
wrap up the call or it may be a waste of paid time it can also be a source of stress if the standard
amount of time allowed is not sufficient for the agent to finish the call record in good order
a smaller number of centers do not allow for any after call work time
and instead require their agents to complete the customer record before finishing the call
this may have some advantages or disadvantages for the customer experience in some contexts
centers that allow agents to determine their own after call work time for each call usually will
take a trust but verify approach that is they will emphasize from early training that after call work
time must be properly used and they will trust agents to use it properly until proven wrong they
will also verify proper use by having supervisors monitor anyone for whom the metric is getting
too long as with other contact center metrics there's a balance you want to optimize after call
work time getting it as short as possible while still providing great service and obtaining good
useful records of the transactions and now a question for you on after call work time
what approach does your center take with after call work time and do you feel it optimizes
handle time please let us know in the comments below would love for you to share your thoughts
and ideas you can also find links to some of our other valuable resources in the description below
and don't forget to like and subscribe to our channel to get great content delivered to you
good luck optimizing your average after call work time in a healthy balanced way