How to Make After-Call Work More Efficient – Without AI

After-call work (ACW) is a critical but often overlooked part of customer service. And while AI-powered auto-summaries are increasingly being used to streamline ACW, many contact centres still don’t have budget sign-off for this technology.

Not only that, but not every contact centre is even “AI ready” just yet. With so much still to sort out – from expanding team capabilities, data cleansing, and more – AI implementation can feel a long way off.

But that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying to shave precious seconds off ACW in the interim! That’s why we spoke to customer contact experts to put the spotlight on the key areas where leaders can continue to drive efficiencies – without the help of AI.

Make Sure Agents See the Value in Good-Quality Call Notes

When ACW is both accurate and consistently completed, it makes life easier for all involved. But it’s not enough just for leaders to know this, the frontline need to understand it too!

So set aside time to explain the purpose and importance of ACW to your agents, so they understand the importance of the task they’re being given and how cutting corners can have a knock-on effect on their colleagues and the customer experience. They’ll be far more engaged in the process if they understand the “why” behind what you’re asking them to do.

“Shortcuts often appear when people don’t see the value in what they’re being asked to do. If after-call work feels like a tick-box exercise, it’s unlikely to be done thoroughly – even if it’s technically efficient.

Leaders should be explicit about how notes are used, who relies on them, and the impact they have on customer experience.

When everyone understands this, it can make a noticeable difference.” – Adrian Hawes, Award Winning, Transformational Resource Planning & Contact Centre Professional

Create Templates to Reduce the Need for Repetitive Typing

Another way to make ACW more efficient is through standardization – with the use of templates and common disposition codes in CRMs to help reduce the need for repetitive typing.

“When agents can select predefined options to quickly summarize interactions, it saves them from writing lengthy notes from scratch.

Templates can also help, allowing them to fill in just the customer’s name and a brief description of the enquiry.

Quite simply, if you can invest some time upfront in creating more structured ways for your agents to document calls, it can save lots of time in the long run.” – Arlyne Pardo, Workforce Senior Manager at DASH BPO

By giving agents a structured format, you also reduce variability in quality and save time, while still capturing the most critical information.

Train Agents to Type Faster

It’s not just about giving agents templates. Typing speed can also be a significant bottleneck, particularly for those who have not had formal keyboard training before.

“You can improve performance by helping agents type faster. Encouraging practice through online typing tests, speed drills, or even gamification can dramatically reduce after-call work times without sacrificing quality.

This is a key area where even small gains in speed can make a big difference.” – Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company

For advice on improving agent typing skills, read our article: How to Improve Agents Typing While Talking and Listening

Incentivize Agents to Suggest Process Improvements

If you’re worried standards have been slipping for a while now, get your agents directly involved in process improvement initiatives to help turn things around.

After all, those on the frontline often have the best insights into what takes the most time and where savings could be made.

“If you’re struggling with inefficient after-call work, give your agents the opportunity to talk about it in a structured way, so they can put forward their suggestions.

You could even set up a quarterly competition where teams can propose improvements, and the winners get to implement their ideas – providing both recognition and actionable results.” – Bryce Ackerman, Workforce Management Internal Consultant at Roche

This approach not only helps identify practical solutions but also boosts morale. When agents feel empowered to improve their own workflows, they are more likely to adopt changes and maintain high-quality practices.

Make Sure to Strike the Right Balance Between Speed and Quality

Of course, these efficiency gains should never come at the expense of quality. After all, if you just focus on making things more efficient, the quality will go down. What you need to do is make it more effective!

“Rather than aiming to squeeze after-call work time down to the bare minimum, leaders should be asking whether agents are being given the space and clarity to capture the right information, consistently and to a good standard.

Done well, effective after-call notes reduce repeat effort, improve continuity, and make the next customer interaction smoother for everyone involved.” – Keith Stapleton, Director at Select Planning Ltd and Associate Consultant at The Forum

Sadly, in many contact centres, ACW notes are rarely assessed with the same rigour as the call itself. That’s a missed opportunity!

Therefore, another key way to underpin any improvement strategy is to include ACW in your QA framework to reinforce its importance across the operation.

Look Out For and Address Any Outliers

Within this process, be sure to look out for and address any outliers too! By comparing handling times and ACW durations across all of your agents, you can see where things are slowing down unnecessarily with certain individuals.

“When people are falling out of the loop individually, it’s a coaching issue to help keep them on track and get them aligned with everyone else.

For example, if a standard call lasts 10 minutes but an agent is taking 10 minutes to complete the follow-up, there is likely a process issue or training gap. It may even be that the system is too complex, or maybe the agent doesn’t know how to navigate through it.

Whatever the reason, regular monitoring enables team leaders to spot these discrepancies and coach to improve them before they become long-term habits.” – Irina Hollatz, WFM Transformation Consultant at RightWFM

Also be mindful, however, that variations aren’t always negative – sometimes complexity or unique customer needs justify longer ACW.

The key is to distinguish between systemic inefficiencies and unavoidable exceptions, and to coach agents accordingly to address them.

For a closer look at what’s happening with talk time and after-call work, read our article: Why You Should Embrace the Complexity of Longer Talk Time

Avoid the “Gotcha” Game to Stop Agents Second-Guessing Themselves

Finally, don’t undo all your efforts by undermining your agents’ confidence!

It’s all too easy to get into the habit of playing the “gotcha” game when trying to drive efficiencies in your ACW, but be mindful of the long-term pain of penalizing agents for minor mistakes.

This can backfire massively, as when agents lose their confidence and self-doubt creeps in, they often over-summarize or double-check everything – driving UP your ACW times!

Instead, set realistic expectations, balance accuracy with efficiency, and foster a supportive culture that recognizes that mistakes happen – so agents spend less time overcompensating and more time focusing on meaningful ACW.

And there you have it! While AI-powered tools offer a quick path to ACW efficiency, there are still plenty of creative ways leaders can achieve significant efficiency gains without automation.

What Have You Tried to Make After-Call Work More Efficient – Without AI?

Click here to join our NEW Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.

With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

• Adrian Hawes, Award Winning, Transformational Resource Planning & Contact Centre Professional
• Arlyne Pardo, Workforce Senior Manager at DASH BPO
• Bryce Ackerman, Workforce Management Internal Consultant at Roche
• Irina Hollatz, WFM Transformation Consultant at RightWFM
• Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company
• Keith Stapleton, Director at Select Planning Ltd and Associate Consultant at The Forum

If you are looking for more advice on managing ACW in the contact centre, read these articles next:

• What Is After Call Work (ACW) and How Can It Be Improved?
• What Is Wrap Time and How Can I Reduce It?
• 10 Top Tips to Reduce Call Centre After-Call Work (ACW) Time

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson