How Automating Time Off Requests Supports Agents and Planners

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 organisations 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‘

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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 recognising 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 kind of any admin overheads, and they can focus on kind of building visibility into lead 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 of process, it’s a great example of how the right technology can support both sides, in terms of improving data experience of agents, while obviously helping the operations run much more smoothly behind the scenes.”

Author
Robyn Coppell

Robyn Coppell has worked as Digital Content Manager for Call Center Helper since 2021. After University her first job was in a contact centre and has stayed in this space ever since.

She has experience of contact centre operational management, software systems, css and php coding. She edits a lot of the guest content that is published on Call Centre Helper.

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