Is Intraday Management Finally About to Get Easier?

Intraday management is widely acknowledged as one of the most challenging roles in the contact centre, but is AI set to finally ease the pressure? Perhaps not quite as soon as some would like!

So, what is happening with intraday management right now? We’ve brought together the latest Call Centre Helper research, as well as expert commentary from Dan Smitley and Juanita Coley, to put the spotlight on where AI will make the biggest difference – and where it won’t.

Even With Perfect Attendance, Schedule Adherence Isn’t Guaranteed

At its core, intraday management is about responding to variability. Forecasts provide a roadmap, but customer behaviour is notoriously unpredictable. Calls may surge in the morning instead of the afternoon, emails can spike following a marketing promotion, and chat demand often fluctuates based on digital campaigns or social trends.

On the agent side, availability can change in an instant – and, even with perfect attendance, schedule adherence isn’t guaranteed. Agents may be logged in but in the wrong state, on auxiliary tasks, or simply not where they need to be. A day can unravel in moments!

As Juanita Coley, CEO & Founder of Solid Rock Consulting, puts it:

“Every single day you’re balancing unpredictable customer demand with equally unpredictable agent behaviour. That’s not a trend. That’s just the job ANDDD why I think WFM – specifically RTAs – is so critical.”

It’s little wonder that intraday management is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful areas within WFM. Leaders have to think on their feet, make rapid adjustments, and constantly prioritize tasks – all while ensuring service levels and customer satisfaction remain high.

Will AI Be a Game-Changer for Intraday Management?

The good news is that AI is increasingly seen as a potential game-changer for intraday operations.

Particularly as AI-powered features can help address long-standing challenges, including:

• Real-time adherence monitoring and alerts
• Predicting absenteeism and attrition
• Automating shift-swaps and time-off approvals

The potential is clear, but it hasn’t been fully realized just yet, as Coley emphasizes:

“Given the stressful nature of an RTA role, it’s unsurprising to see real-time adherence monitoring and alerts high on the wish list. Predicting absenteeism and automating shift-swaps are also high priorities. The leading vendors are investing heavily, so it hopefully won’t be long before this wish list becomes reality.”

And whilst AI may not eliminate intraday challenges, it can provide the insight and automation needed to reduce the firefighting that dominates these roles.

Uneven Adoption of Technology Is Holding Back Progress

However, technology adoption is disappointingly (but not surprisingly) uneven in this space, as our 2025 Report: What Contact Centres Are Doing Right Now reveals:

• 66% of contact centres now use some type of WFM system (29.1% hosted, 20.4% specialist, 16.5% on-premise).

• Spreadsheets remain prevalent at 60.2%, with some centres still relying on pen and paper.
• Usage of standalone Erlang calculators continues to decline, used by 44.7% of centres in 2025.

With so many organizations still playing catch-up, it will be a long time before all RTAs are working on a level playing field. After all, how can an RTA benefit from the latest AI-driven features if they don’t have a WFM system in place to start with?

Technology Can Set the Stage, But Cannot Replace the Human Judgement Required

Even for those who have the latest tech, the role of the intraday manager remains as challenging as ever. Forecasts, algorithms, and technology can set the stage, but they cannot replace the human judgement required to balance:

• Sudden spikes or drops in customer demand
• Unexpected agent absences or deviations from schedules
• Queue build-ups and real-time service level adjustments

As Coley summarizes so succinctly:

“Customer behaviour keeps you on your toes. Intraday success isn’t about avoiding problems; it’s about managing them.”

Absence Is One of the Most Enduring Challenges for Intraday Managers

The very nature of the workforce continues to put RTAs on the backfoot too, particularly around absence and lateness, as Dan Smitley, Founder of 2:Three Consulting, explains:

“Contact centres have historically been entry-level roles. These are jobs often filled by people who may not care so much about the work, so they approach schedules with a little more carefreeness.

That creates a challenge for WFM, as lateness and absence really come down to the difficulty of scheduling an entry-level workforce.”

High absence and low adherence are often compounded by rigid scheduling structures too, where traditional full-time shift patterns often fail to align with fluctuating demand, leaving some periods overstaffed while others are under-resourced.

Yet the role remains pivotal, as contact centres that master intraday management not only maintain service levels but also improve agent engagement, customer satisfaction, and overall operational efficiency.

Intraday Management Will Always Be a Daily Balancing Act

So, what does the future hold? Despite our latest research showing that Resource Planning teams are gradually adopting WFM systems and AI-powered tools, challenges persist that will continue to underpin intraday management as a high-stress role that demands quick thinking and sharp situational awareness to succeed.

In short, intraday management isn’t just a role – it’s a daily balancing act that can make or break a contact centre’s performance. And that may never change.

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman