Wrap-Up / After Contact Work (ACW)

What it does

Wrap-up (ACW) is the period after an agent ends a conversation where they complete notes, select disposition codes, or handle post-interaction work before becoming available for the next contact. Can be configured as auto-ending (agent becomes available after timer expires), supervisor-forced (supervisor must close the wrap-up session), or unrestricted (no timer). During wrap-up, the agent's presence state and capacity consumption are configurable independently.

Key facts

Wrap-up timer can be disabled entirely, set to auto-end after N minutes, or require supervisor intervention to close
Agent presence during wrap-up (e.g., "Wrap-Up," "Away," or still "Busy") is a separate setting from capacity; an agent can consume capacity while in wrap-up or be unavailable for routing
Disposition codes are user-configurable and often required for compliance, quality assurance, or reporting workflows
The conversation itself closes independently of wrap-up closure: an agent can still do wrap-up work after the customer has disconnected
Wrap-up is tracked in agent availability reports and affects queue wait time perception (agents in wrap-up are not available for inbound)
Capacity is not automatically released when wrap-up starts; you must configure capacity behavior separately

When to use / skip

Use ACW when you have post-call processes: quality assurance notes, capture customer feedback, issue categorization, or internal routing to fulfillment teams. Wrap-up is essential in compliance-heavy environments (financial services, healthcare) and contact centers with high first-contact resolution expectations. Skip or disable wrap-up only in high-volume, low-touch channels (e.g., high-speed chat where issues are fully resolved in conversation) where post-work adds no value. Even then, consider keeping it for at least disposition reporting to enable analytics.

Configuration decisions

Wrap-up timer mode: Choose between disabled, auto-end (with duration), or supervisor-controlled based on process maturity and agent discipline
Capacity release timing: Decide if agents release capacity immediately upon conversation end, or only after wrap-up closes
Required fields: Define which fields (notes, disposition, tags) are mandatory vs. optional to balance compliance needs with agent friction
Default disposition code: Pre-select a "no disposition" or "resolved" code to reduce clicks for simple cases
Presence state during wrap-up: Align with business rules: some centers keep agents "Busy" to prevent new assignments, others shift to "Away" for visibility
Timer enforcement: If auto-end is enabled, set duration based on average post-call work time (typically 2–5 minutes) to avoid timeout frustration

Gotchas

Wrap-up presence state is not the same as availability for routing. Agents can appear "Available" while their capacity is consumed in wrap-up.
If wrap-up timer is too short, agents rush or skip notes. If too long, queue wait times appear inflated (agents in wrap-up won't accept new work).
Disposition codes are not required by default. If compliance or reporting depends on them, enforce via form validation, not training alone.
Supervisor-controlled wrap-up can become a bottleneck if supervisors are also taking contacts. Ensure a supervisor queue and monitoring.
Metrics can be skewed. "Average Handle Time" may exclude wrap-up by default, making agents seem faster than they are.
Conversation close and wrap-up close are separate events. Failing to track the difference obscures process inefficiencies.

Consultant notes

Disposition code enforcement via form validation, not training, is the lesson most clients learn post-go-live when reporting shows incomplete data. If dispositions matter for QA or analytics, make them required fields: don't rely on agent discipline to complete optional ones consistently.
Wrap-up timer duration should be set based on actual post-call work timing from the client's current process, not a guess. 2 minutes is too short for complex cases; 10 minutes inflates queue wait times unnecessarily. Ask the operations team what their current after-call work actually looks like.
The presence/capacity during wrap-up distinction is worth explaining carefully in the supervisor training. Agents can appear available on the presence indicator while their capacity is still consumed in wrap-up: that discrepancy between what the real-time dashboard shows and what actually routes through causes confusion for supervisors monitoring live.

Source last updated: 2026-04-30 | Review when: Configuration changes, after agent feedback on timer duration, or during AHT baseline reviews