Turning on unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Unified agent statusesare part ofomnichannel routingand allows agents to control availability for email, voice, and messaging from a single menu in the Agent Workspace. With Zendesk Workforce Management (WFM) unified agent status synchronization, WFM synchronizes agent statuses and activity data directly from Zendesk’s omnichannel routing.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Enable unified agent status synchronization for Workforce Management to streamline agent availability across channels. This feature maps agent statuses to workstreams, enhancing real-time accuracy in adherence, utilization, and reporting. It replaces general tasks with unified statuses for better tracking and insights. Admins or those with permissions can activate or deactivate this synchronization to suit operational needs.</p>
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<p class="p" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5133523363226" target="_blank">Unified agent statuses</a> are part of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409149119514" target="_blank">omnichannel routing</a> and allows agents to control availability for
email, voice, and messaging from a single menu in the Agent Workspace. With Zendesk Workforce
Management (WFM) unified agent status synchronization, WFM synchronizes agent statuses and
activity data directly from Zendesk’s omnichannel routing. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Unified agent status synchronization with WFM allows admins and <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443314455834" target="_blank">users in custom roles with permissions</a> to map agent statuses to
specific workstreams. This eliminates the need for agents to update their availability in two
systems and improves real-time accuracy in adherence, utilization, and reporting. You can
calculate adherence and track activities using agent statuses configured in omnichannel
routing instead of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7069811858586" target="_blank">general tasks</a>.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">This article contains the following topics:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_b5r_dt2_whc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="#topic_kcp_yv1_cbc">Considerations for turning on
unified agent status synchronization with Zendesk WFM</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="#topic_u4m_l52_whc">Turning on unified agent status
synchronization for Zendesk WFM</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="#topic_egl_w52_whc">Turning off unified agent status
synchronization for Zendesk WFM</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Related articles</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_x2h_sv1_cbc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10117789027610" target="_blank">Mapping unified agent statuses in WFM</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5133523363226" target="_blank">About unified agent statuses</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Considerations for turning on unified agent statuses synchronization with Zendesk WFM</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Make sure you understand how synchronizing unified agent statuses with Zendesk
WFM affects WFM features and metric calculations.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Specifically, when unified agent statuses are synchronized with WFM:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc__ul_rt3_ht2_whc">
<li class="li">Instead of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443354661402" target="_blank">using the WFM time tracker</a> agents should <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4410545721114#topic_xvw_ytp_m5b" target="_blank">set their unified agent statuses</a> in the Agent
Workspace. At the end of their shift, they should log out of Zendesk Support or close
their computer, unless an <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443374423066" target="_blank">end day automation</a> is in place.<div class="p" dir="ltr">
<div class="note attention">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> When agents start working on a ticket, Zendesk WFM automatically
starts tracking their time and attendance. However, if their day starts with a status
that does not include working on tickets, they must still manually start their day by
clicking <strong class="ph b">Start day</strong>
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443354661402" target="_blank">using the WFM time tracker</a>. </div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7069811858586" target="_blank">General tasks</a> become unavailable in WFM. However,
historical general task data remains available.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Instead of general tasks, WFM uses unified agent statuses for adherence and
occupancy calculations, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10115130172826" target="_blank">real-time dashboards</a>, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970#topic_css_zf5_ngc" target="_blank">agent activity reporting</a>, and <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/wfm/introduction/" target="_blank">public API</a> data streams. Adherence and occupancy data refreshes
automatically every few minutes in near real time. Also see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10929786056474" target="_blank">Best practices for unified agent status synchronization with Zendesk
WFM</a>.</li>
<li class="li">You’ll need to update your <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443365957274" target="_blank">schedule</a> and <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443345205402" target="_blank">shift settings</a> to replace general tasks with unified agent
statuses. If necessary, republish your schedule.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">When using unified agent statuses, adherence is calculated
as:<p class="p"><code class="ph codeph">scheduled activity vs. agent’s unified status + ticket
activity</code></p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc__ul_mpg_nt2_whc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__in_adherence_time" target="_blank"><strong class="ph b">In adherence</strong></a>: An agent is considered in
adherence when their active unified agent status is mapped to a workstream they are
scheduled to work on. For example, if an agent is scheduled for Workstream A and is
either working on a Workstream A ticket or in a status mapped to Workstream A, the
agent is considered in adherence. The agent is also considered in adherence if the
agent is online but not working (idle time).</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__out_of_adherence" target="_blank"><strong class="ph b">Out of adherence</strong></a>: If the agent is in a
status not mapped to their scheduled workstream or working on the wrong ticket, the
agent is considered out of adherence. The “Offline – sign out” status is also excluded
from adherence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__adherence_rate" target="_blank">Adherence rate</a> percentage is calculated
as:<p class="p"><code class="ph codeph">ratio of time in mapped activities vs. scheduled time</code></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818-WFM-custom-report-metrics#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__idle_time" target="_blank">Idle time</a></strong> replaces <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__untracked_time" target="_blank">untracked time</a>, offering more precise time
tracking and better insight into agent availability versus productivity. <p class="p">Idle time
duration is available in the Agent activity page, in the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970#topic_ub5_whd_tzb" target="_blank"><strong class="ph b">User summary</strong> for the agent</a>. It can also
be calculated by <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970#topic_css_zf5_ngc" target="_blank">exporting agent activity</a> and summing status
durations for Online, Away, and Transfers only entries without ticket activity.</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc__ul_xwy_hwp_xjc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Without UAS</strong>: Untracked time appears when agents are logged in but no activity
is recorded.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">With UAS</strong>: Agent status is always known, so untracked time becomes idle time
in specific statuses, such as Online, Away, and Transfers only. <p class="p">Idle time
availability is determined by the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5133588225690" target="_blank">status type in Admin Center</a>. </p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Productive versus unproductive</strong> classification: Each status is classified as
productive or unproductive based on business rules and WFM configuration. For example,
Away - Lunch can have routing enabled, which means it counts as idle time, but it can
still be configured as unproductive. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10117789027610" target="_blank">Mapping unified agent statuses in WFM</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443331680538#topic_ocb_3n4_52c__occupancy_rate_ocr" target="_blank">Occupancy percentage</a> is calculated as:<p class="p" dir="ltr"><code class="ph codeph"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__ticket_time" target="_blank">Ticket time</a> + <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__productive_time" target="_blank">Productive status time</a>) / (Ticket time +<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818-WFM-custom-report-metrics#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__idle_time" target="_blank">Idle time</a> - <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__unpaid_general_task_time" target="_blank">Unpaid status time</a>)</code></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__utilization_ocr" target="_blank">Utilization percentage</a> is calculated as:<p class="p" dir="ltr"><code class="ph codeph">(<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__ticket_time" target="_blank">Ticket time</a> + Idle time - <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__unpaid_general_task_time" target="_blank">Unpaid status time</a>) / (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443331680538#topic_ocb_3n4_52c__total_time" target="_blank">Total time</a> - Unpaid status
time)</code></p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">It’s the percentage of paid time that agents are logged
in and either working or available to work: Logged paid time / Paid time. </p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">The <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443331637018" target="_blank">Agent status page</a> provides real-time visibility of
who is online, offline, and idle. Data refreshes every 10 seconds, giving supervisors near
real-time insights into:<ul class="ul" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc__ul_qm4_pmc_c3c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Who is currently online or offline</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Which workstream each agent is working on</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">How long agents remain in each status or activity</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Whether they are adhering to their scheduled workstreams</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">The <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970" target="_blank">Agent activity page</a> provides detailed, intraday
visibility of what agents worked on and when. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<div class="p" dir="ltr">Only the following <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443314435610" target="_blank">automations</a> are available when WFM is using unified agent
statuses:<ul class="ul" id="topic_kcp_yv1_cbc__ul_d1c_lz4_23c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Send message</strong>: Send in-app or Slack notifications to agents or
supervisors.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">End day automation</strong>: Automatically end the agent’s day after a
defined period of inactivity.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Task creation, status switching, or time-tracking automations are not
available under the unified agent status with Zendesk WFM synchronization. If needed,
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443374423066" target="_blank">create new WFM automations</a> that use unified agent status data. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">If you use the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6676772528026" target="_blank">Zendesk time tracker Chrome extension</a> to map external URLs to
general tasks, you'll need to remap them to unified agent statuses.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_u4m_l52_whc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Turning on unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM </h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">When configured to synchronize unified agent status data, WFM exclusively uses
that data instead of general tasks. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You must be an admin or have a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443314455834" target="_blank">custom role with permission</a> to activate unified agent status
synchronization for Zendesk WFM. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To turn on unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_u4m_l52_whc__ol_yhl_m52_whc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">If you haven’t already, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5866925319962" target="_blank">set up and configure omnichannel routing in Admin Center</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838272410" target="_blank">Workforce management</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_u4m_l52_whc__d8e260" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/gear_icon.png" width="16">
<strong class="ph b">Settings</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Account settings</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">On the <strong class="ph b">General</strong> tab, scroll to Unified agent status synchronization and
select <strong class="ph b">Agent status synchronization</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_u4m_l52_whc__image_g42_t4c_c3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/wfm_unified_agent_status.png" width="650"></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">In the confirmation dialog, review and confirm that you understand the <a class="xref" href="#topic_kcp_yv1_cbc">main impacts of turning on the unified agent
status synchronization with Zendesk WFM and your required actions</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_u4m_l52_whc__image_utz_qpc_c3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/wfm_turn_on_unified_sync.png" width="400"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save and turn on</strong>. <p class="p" dir="ltr">Your changes are saved and may take up to
five minutes to become visible. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10117789027610" target="_blank">Map your WFM workstreams to unified agent statuses</a> for
adherence.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_egl_w52_whc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Turning off unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">When unified agent status synchronization is turned off, WFM reverts to
exclusively using general tasks data. Historical unified agent status data remains visible,
but is not used for new activities. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__untracked_time" target="_blank">Untracked time</a> replaces <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5286614817562#topic_wwb_5l1_cwb" target="_blank">idle time</a>, and general tasks data is used for <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818" target="_blank">adherence and occupancy calculations</a>, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10115130172826" target="_blank">real-time dashboards</a>, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970" target="_blank">agent activity reporting</a>, and <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/wfm/introduction/" target="_blank">public API </a>data streams.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You must be an admin or have a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443314455834" target="_blank">custom role with permission</a> to turn off unified agent status
synchronization for Zendesk WFM. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">To turn off unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_egl_w52_whc__ol_q4v_x52_whc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838272410" target="_blank">Workforce management</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_egl_w52_whc__d8e260" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/gear_icon.png" width="16">
<strong class="ph b">Settings</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Account settings</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">On the <strong class="ph b">General</strong> tab, scroll to Unified agent status synchronization,and
deselect <strong class="ph b">Agent status synchronization</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_egl_w52_whc__image_zss_qqc_c3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/wfm_unified_agent_status.png" width="650"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">In the confirmation dialog, review and confirm that you understand the main
impacts of turning off the unified agent status synchronization for Zendesk WFM and your
required actions. <p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_egl_w52_whc__image_qvq_xqc_c3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/en/wfm_turn_off_unified_sync.png" width="400"></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Click <strong class="ph b">Save and turn off</strong>. <p class="p" dir="ltr">Your changes are saved and may
take up to five minutes to become visible. </p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Verify that your <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443329426330" target="_blank">general tasks</a> are correctly set up.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
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