Held work stops when the person who must approve it is away. An approver absence cover plan prevents that: for each type of item an AI agent holds, it names the primary approver, one or two deputies with matching authority, how cover is switched on, how long items may wait, and what happens if nobody with authority is available.
Why does held work need a cover plan?
An agent that holds items for a named person is only as fast as that person. When they are on leave, ill or in meetings all day, the queue grows, customers wait, and someone eventually approves items they should not, just to clear the backlog. Each of those is a control failure. A hold is only a control if someone with authority is there to clear it, which is why cover is planned alongside train, shadow, certify, widen.
The answer is not to let the agent act instead. It is to make sure another named person, with the same authority, picks up the work. The process is set out in how to cover approver absence for an AI agent's held work.
When should you use it?
Write it before an agent starts holding work for approval, and attach it to the AI agent deployment plan. Review it whenever the named approver roster changes, and before peak holiday periods.
Cover also affects capacity. If deputies are drawn from a team that is already stretched, the plan is a wish. Check it against how you plan capacity for AI agents.
How do you fill in each field?
- Held item type follows the agent's capabilities: refunds above limit, payment releases, complaint responses, account changes.
- Primary approver comes from the roster.
- Deputies must hold authority at least equal to the item's value or risk. A deputy with a lower limit is not cover for items above it.
- Activation says how cover switches on: automatically when the primary sets an out-of-office, or manually by a team lead. Automatic is better; people forget.
- Maximum wait is the time an item may sit before it escalates. Set it by the customer impact, not by convenience.
- Fallback says what happens if no one with authority is available. The right answer is almost always "the item waits and the customer is told", not "a lower-authority person approves".
- Excluded deputies names anyone who must not cover, such as the person who configures the agent.
The template
| Field | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Agent | Name and ID |
| Held item type | From the capability list |
| Authority required | Limit or role needed to approve |
| Primary approver | Named person |
| Deputy 1 | Named person with equal or higher authority |
| Deputy 2 | Named person with equal or higher authority |
| Activation | Automatic on absence, or manual by whom |
| Maximum wait | Hours before escalation |
| Escalate to | Named role |
| Fallback if no authority available | Wait and inform; never lower authority |
| Customer message on delay | Approved wording |
| Excluded deputies | Roles that may not cover |
| Reviewed | Date |
A filled example
A hypothetical retail bank's servicing agent.
| Held item type | Authority | Primary | Deputy 1 | Deputy 2 | Max wait | Escalate to | Fallback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee refund over 100 | Refund limit 1,000 | Servicing team lead A | Servicing team lead B | Servicing manager | 4 business hours | Servicing manager | Customer told decision within 2 working days |
| Payment to a new payee over 2,000 | Payments approver | Payments supervisor | Payments supervisor (other shift) | Head of payments operations | 1 hour | Head of payments operations | Payment held; customer told |
| Complaint final response | Complaints authority | Complaints lead | Senior complaints handler | Head of customer outcomes | 1 working day | Head of customer outcomes | Holding response sent within deadline |
| Account closure request | Closure authority | Servicing manager | Operations manager | None | 1 working day | Head of operations | Customer told; closure waits |
Activation: automatic when the primary's calendar shows absence. Excluded deputies on every row: the servicing systems analyst who maintains the agent.
Look at the complaint row. Complaint responses have deadlines. The fallback is a holding response sent on time, so the deadline is met even if the final answer waits.
For the wider staffing picture as agents take on more volume, see how to plan staffing when an AI agent takes on volume.
Questions people ask
Can the agent pick a deputy itself?
It can route to the deputy the plan names. It should not choose among people based on its own judgement, because who approves is an authority decision.
What if items keep hitting the maximum wait?
You have a capacity problem, not a cover problem. Add approvers, or look at which held items are always approved unchanged and gather evidence for a higher depth.
How many deputies should each item type have?
Two is usually enough. One deputy leaves you exposed when both people are away; three or more blurs accountability.