Technology continues to play a vital role in improving the way contact centres operate, but beyond efficiency and performance, the right tools can also support how agents feel about their work.
One area where this is becoming increasingly clear is in the way organizations manage agent time off.
To find out more, we asked Johnny Basra, Senior Account Executive at Peopleware (formerly injixo), to explain how automating the time-off process benefits agents and planners.
Video: New Ways Tech Is Helping Agents: Automate the Time-Off Process to Give Agents Instant Responses
Watch the video below to hear Johnny explain the new ways technology is helping contact centre agents and how automating the time-off process gives agents instant responses:
With thanks to Johnny Basra, Senior Account Executive at Peopleware (formerly injixo), for contributing to this video.
This video was originally published in our article ‘10 New Ways Tech Is Helping Agents Right Now‘
The Problem With Manual Time-Off Requests
For many agents, requesting time off is a source of frustration, as the process is often slow and unclear, and agents may also need to follow up several times, wait days for a response, or remain unsure if their request has even been seen.
“When we talk about new ways technology is helping contact centres, I think there’s a real focus towards supporting agents, not just about how they work but naturally how they feel about work and the flexibility.
One of the ways technology is doing this is through better time-off management. Something agents deal with all the time, and when the process is kind of slow, it’s unclear, and you’re asking for multiple follow-ups, waiting for days for approval in terms of where your request stands.
Naturally they’re going to feel a level of kind of stress and anxiety.”
This uncertainty can create unnecessary stress and a sense of lost control over their own schedule.
How Automation Improves the Experience
More contact centres are now recognizing the benefit of improving these daily interactions, and by automating time-off requests through their workforce management (WFM) platform, they make the process quicker and more transparent, as Johnny explains:
“I think more organizations are recognizing the benefits of improving these small daily interactions and automating the time-off process through their WFM platform.
So again, instead of asking a team leader, or checking internally, agents can see exactly what leave is available, submit a request, and get an instant response in terms of whether that’s going to be accepted or rejected.
It sounds simple, but this kind of transparency makes a big difference in terms of how agents feel about controlling their own working schedule.”
By automating the time-off process agents can:
- See available leave in real time
- Submit a request directly in the system
- Receive an instant response – approved or declined
This level of clarity gives agents more control, reduces stress, and improves how they feel about their job overall.
Benefits for Workforce Planners
Automation doesn’t just help agents, it also benefits the planning team, as Johnny continues:
“From a planning side it’s a win, because if you’re automating the time-off process, it reduces any admin overheads, and they can focus on building visibility into leave trends.”
Removing the manual admin involved in processing time-off requests saves time and reduces errors, and allows planners to spend more time analysing trends, understanding leave patterns, and making proactive decisions.
A Win–Win for Contact Centres
This is a simple but powerful example of how the right technology can support both agent experience and operational efficiency.
By making small improvements in daily processes, contact centres can boost morale, reduce pressure, and run more smoothly behind the scenes.
“As I mentioned, naturally, it’s a win–win solution for everyone. So if you automate the time-off process, it’s a great example of how the right technology can support both sides, in terms of improving the experience of agents while obviously helping operations run much more smoothly behind the scenes.”
If you are looking for more great insights from the experts, check out these next:
- From Guesswork to Data-Driven QA
- 7 Practical Ways to Build Psychological Safety in Your Team
- How VoC Programmes Are Changing
Author: Robyn Coppell
Reviewed by: Rachael Trickey
Published On: 21st Nov 2025
Read more about - Video, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Employee Engagement, Peopleware, Videos, Workforce Management (WFM)
