Inbound Call Auxiliary Time
Definition
Inbound Call Auxiliary Time
Inbound call auxiliary time is the interval when a call-centre agent is logged into the ACD system but marked unavailable to receive inbound calls — signed into training, coaching, breaks, or admin queues. Auxiliary (AUX) states let workforce planners separate productive occupancy from planned and unplanned off-phone activity across the schedule.
Every AUX code writes to the ACD’s real-time and historical database, so team leads can see who is on lunch, in a huddle, or handling post-call work. That visibility drives fair adherence scoring and truthful capacity forecasts.
The concept sits between raw talk time and full shift length. It is the reason two agents on the same rota can post very different occupancy scores at the end of the week.
Key takeaways
- Inbound call auxiliary time captures every logged-in minute an agent spends off inbound queues, tagged by reason code.
- AUX splits into three buckets: paid productive, paid non-productive, and unpaid, each with its own workforce impact.
- Healthy inbound centres target 15-25% total AUX inside paid hours, with breaks and coaching pre-scheduled and unplanned AUX flagged for review.
- Poorly labelled AUX inflates shrinkage, breaks the service level agreement, and hides coaching gaps.
- Real-time AUX dashboards from Genesys, Avaya, and NICE push exception alerts to team leads within seconds of a code flip.
How it works
Every time an agent presses an AUX button on the softphone, the call center platform logs a state change. The system stores the code, start time, end time, and duration, then rolls the totals into agent, team, and site reports.
Workforce planners split those minutes into three families:
| AUX family | Examples | Payroll status | Counted as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid productive | Coaching, outbound callbacks, training, huddles | Paid | Planned shrinkage |
| Paid non-productive | Bio break, water, system reboot, IT ticket | Paid | Unplanned shrinkage |
| Unpaid | Lunch, unpaid personal time | Unpaid | Excluded from paid hours |
The blended figure feeds two headline numbers. Occupancy = (talk + hold + wrap) / (logged-in time − AUX) × 100. Shrinkage = (total AUX + absence + leave) / scheduled hours × 100. Both flow into next-week’s forecasting and staffing model.
ICMI’s 2024 contact-centre benchmark study pegs total shrinkage at 30-35% across North American inbound centres, of which roughly half is AUX-driven. Sites that publish live AUX dashboards see 3-5 points less unplanned AUX within a quarter, according to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Contact Center Survey.
The auxiliary work state itself is set through the ACD’s admin console — Avaya CMS, Genesys Cloud, NICE CXone, and Amazon Connect all ship pre-built reason codes that can be renamed to fit local payroll rules.
Examples
Concentrix, Manila. A 900-seat inbound insurance programme runs 22 AUX codes tied to Verint Workforce Optimization. Team leads receive a Teams alert when any agent stays on “Break” longer than 15 minutes, so shrinkage inside a shift stays visible.
Foundever, Bogotá. The bilingual retail account uses Genesys Cloud with three “paid productive” codes for coaching, e-learning, and callback follow-up. Because those minutes are ring-fenced, the site posts an occupancy of 78% while still hitting the 90-minute weekly coaching target.
TTEC, Nova Scotia. The healthcare programme built a Power BI overlay on top of NICE CXone AUX logs. In Q1 2025 the team cut unplanned AUX by 4.2 points after switching agents from a shared “misc” code to five specific reasons: IT, hardware, weather, wellness, and personal.
Alorica, Cebu. An outsourced telco line ties AUX to badge swipes at the coaching room door, so training AUX cannot be entered from the seat. That single control lifted adherence from 84% to 91% inside two quarters.
Related terms
- Auxiliary work state: the underlying ACD status flag that triggers AUX time.
- Auxiliary (AUX) time in percent: the same interval expressed as a share of logged-in time.
- Occupancy rate: productive time divided by non-AUX logged-in time.
- Shrinkage: the roll-up metric that absorbs AUX into planned and unplanned buckets.
- Workforce management: the discipline that plans AUX allowances up front.
- Service level agreement: the answer-time promise AUX drift can easily break.
FAQ
What counts as inbound call auxiliary time?
Any interval where the agent is logged into the ACD but tagged with an AUX reason code instead of an “available” state. That covers breaks, coaching, training, bio breaks, callbacks, and IT tickets.
What is a healthy AUX percentage for an inbound team?
Most inbound centres run 15-25% total AUX inside paid hours, with lunch tracked separately. ContactBabel’s 2024 UK report finds financial-services teams average 22% and retail teams 18%.
Does auxiliary time hurt occupancy?
Yes — indirectly. AUX minutes are removed from the occupancy denominator, so heavy AUX can flatter the number. Workforce planners cross-check with adherence to catch misuse.
How is AUX different from wrap time?
Wrap (or after-call work) sits inside the “available” bucket and is tied to a specific call. AUX is a discrete state the agent selects when they are not handling inbound calls at all.
Can AUX be automated?
Modern ACDs auto-shift agents into a “System AUX” state when the softphone loses network, reboots, or the queue is drained. That protects live-agent counts from being blamed for planned outages.
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