After Conversation Work
After Conversation Work (ACW) is a configurable period in Salesforce Omni-Channel where service agents are protected from new work assignments immediately after a customer interaction ends, giving them dedicated time to complete wrap-up tasks: writing notes, updating case fields, setting follow-up tasks, dispositioning the conversation, capturing learnings.
Definition
After Conversation Work (ACW) is a configurable period in Salesforce Omni-Channel where service agents are protected from new work assignments immediately after a customer interaction ends, giving them dedicated time to complete wrap-up tasks: writing notes, updating case fields, setting follow-up tasks, dispositioning the conversation, capturing learnings. ACW is part of the Omni-Channel routing engine and applies across the channels Omni-Channel handles: voice calls through Service Cloud Voice, chats through Live Agent or Messaging for In-App and Web, cases assigned through Omni-Channel.
ACW is one of the unglamorous but operationally critical configurations in any service center deployment. Without ACW, the routing engine assigns the next work item the moment the agent ends a call or closes a chat, with no time to capture what happened. Agents either rush the wrap-up (producing poor case data) or refuse new work (looking like they are stalling). With ACW, the agent has a defined window for wrap-up, the routing engine knows the agent is busy, and the case data quality stays high because the agent has time to do the documentation properly.
How After Conversation Work fits the service workflow
The ACW window mechanics
When an agent ends a customer interaction (the call disconnects, the chat closes, the case status moves to a resolved state), Omni-Channel marks the agent as in After Conversation Work for the configured duration. During this window, the routing engine treats the agent as busy and does not assign new work. The window can be configured per channel (different ACW durations for voice versus chat versus case), per workforce, and in some configurations per work item type. Common durations are 30 to 120 seconds for chat, 60 to 300 seconds for voice, longer for cases that require substantial wrap-up. The agent sees a countdown timer in the Omni-Channel widget showing how much ACW time remains.
Wrap-up tasks during ACW
The wrap-up work that happens during ACW varies by channel and case complexity. For voice calls, typical tasks include writing the call summary into the related Case or Contact, updating the Case Status, setting any follow-up tasks for the customer, capturing the disposition code (Resolved, Escalated, Callback Required). For chat, similar tasks apply plus saving the chat transcript if not automatic. For complex cases, the wrap-up might include researching a follow-up question, sending a confirmation email, or escalating to a senior agent. The ACW window gives time for all of this without the pressure of an incoming interaction.
Configuring ACW per channel
Omni-Channel allows ACW configuration per Routing Configuration. Each Routing Configuration applies to specific work item types and queues, and each can have its own ACW duration. A service center handling chat, voice, and case might configure 30 seconds of ACW after chat (quick wrap-up), 90 seconds after voice (more notes), and 180 seconds after case (full disposition). The configuration is set in Setup under Omni-Channel Routing Configurations. Each Routing Configuration's ACW value applies to every work item routed through it; admins do not customize per individual interaction.
ACW versus break time
ACW is conceptually different from break time. ACW is automatic and tied to the just-completed interaction; break time is agent-initiated when the agent needs a real break (lunch, training, personal time). Both make the agent unavailable for new work, but the metrics distinguish them: ACW counts as productive activity tied to the prior interaction, break time counts as away time. Agents who try to extend ACW as an unofficial break stretch the legitimate wrap-up window and inflate the average handle time per interaction. Mature service centers monitor ACW duration per agent to catch this pattern; agents whose ACW consistently maxes out the configured window may need coaching or the window may need adjustment.
Impact on service center metrics
ACW affects the standard service center metrics: average handle time includes ACW time, agent occupancy includes ACW as productive time, queue wait times depend on how quickly agents return to available status. Designing the ACW configuration requires balancing case data quality (more ACW means better wrap-up) against capacity (more ACW means fewer interactions per agent per hour). The right balance depends on the business model: high-volume low-complexity interactions need short ACW, low-volume high-complexity interactions need long ACW. Monitoring the metrics monthly and adjusting the configuration is part of mature service center operations.
Ending ACW early
The Omni-Channel widget lets agents end their ACW window early if they finish wrap-up faster than the configured duration. Clicking End ACW returns the agent to available status and the routing engine assigns the next work item. Encouraging agents to end ACW early when they are genuinely finished improves capacity utilization. Trained, experienced agents typically end ACW early on routine interactions and use the full window on complex ones. Newer agents tend to use the full window consistently because they need the time. The flexibility lets the configuration accommodate both populations through a single setting.
ACW and outcome capture
Beyond simple wrap-up, ACW is often the right moment to capture interaction outcomes that drive analytics and coaching. Disposition codes (Resolved, First Call Resolution, Escalated, Customer Frustrated), sentiment ratings, knowledge article references used, and other outcome data are most accurately captured immediately after the interaction. ACW gives agents the time to record this data thoughtfully. Without ACW, agents either skip the outcome data or capture it inaccurately. Service centers that take outcome capture seriously usually have a deliberate ACW configuration that supports the capture workflow, with the right fields easily accessible on the case detail page during the wrap-up window.
ACW in workforce planning and capacity modeling
The ACW duration is a meaningful input to workforce planning. Capacity models multiply expected interaction volume by average handle time (which includes ACW) to determine the staffing requirement for a given service level. A team handling 1,000 calls per hour with an average handle time of 4 minutes (3 minutes talk plus 1 minute ACW) needs roughly 67 concurrent agents to maintain steady throughput, assuming each agent is on the phone or in ACW continuously. Adjusting ACW upward or downward shifts the staffing requirement proportionally. Workforce planners account for this in their headcount models and schedule forecasts. Service center leaders who do not understand the ACW-capacity relationship sometimes over-staff or under-staff in subtle ways that cost real money. Aligning ACW configuration with capacity planning produces more accurate staffing and reduces the surprise during peak periods. The math is straightforward but easy to overlook, and the operational consequence of getting it wrong scales with the service center size. Larger service centers gain disproportionately from getting this right because small percentage adjustments multiply across hundreds of agents over months of operation.
Configure After Conversation Work effectively
Setting up ACW well requires thinking about per-channel needs, agent training, and the broader wrap-up workflow. The walkthrough below covers the standard sequence for configuring ACW in an Omni-Channel-based service center.
- Analyze wrap-up requirements per channel
Document what agents need to do after each type of interaction: voice call wrap-up tasks, chat wrap-up tasks, case wrap-up tasks. Estimate the time needed for each set of wrap-up tasks based on observed agent behavior or pilot testing. The estimates inform the ACW duration per channel: chat probably needs less time than voice, voice less than complex case work. Document the analysis so the configuration choices have a clear rationale.
- Configure ACW per Routing Configuration
From Setup, navigate to Omni-Channel and the relevant Routing Configurations. For each Routing Configuration, set the After Conversation Work duration to the analyzed value. Save the configuration. The change applies to new interactions routed through that configuration; existing interactions in progress are not affected. Test the configuration with a sample interaction in sandbox to confirm the ACW window appears in the agent widget with the expected duration.
- Train agents on wrap-up workflow
Train agents on what to do during the ACW window: which fields to update, which disposition to capture, when to use End ACW early versus letting the timer expire. Provide a quick-reference card that agents can keep handy during the wrap-up window. Run a brief refresher each quarter or after any significant case-data field changes. The training is what turns ACW from administrative overhead into a productive workflow component.
- Monitor metrics and tune
Monitor ACW metrics monthly: average ACW duration per channel, percentage of ACW ended early, correlation between ACW duration and case data completeness. If ACW is consistently maxing out the configured window, consider extending it or improving the wrap-up tools so agents work faster. If agents are consistently ending early without complete wrap-up, training may need refreshing. Tune the configuration based on what the data reveals.
- ACW counts as productive time in agent occupancy metrics. Wrong-sized ACW skews the metrics one way or the other.
- Agents can extend ACW as informal break time. Monitor for the pattern and address it through coaching rather than reducing the configured window.
- ACW configuration is per Routing Configuration. Multi-channel service centers need to configure each channel's value separately.
- Ending ACW early returns the agent to available immediately. Agents who consistently end early without complete wrap-up undermine case data quality.
- Sandbox testing of ACW requires Omni-Channel configured the same way as production. Differences between sandbox and production routing configurations can mask real behavior.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on After Conversation Work.
- Omni-Channel OverviewSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. How does After Conversation Work help support agents be more productive?
Q2. What business function does After Conversation Work primarily support?
Q3. What customer experience metric would After Conversation Work help improve?
Discussion
Loading discussion…