> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cobalt-ia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bench management: reposition consultants proactively

> How Cobalt anticipates mission endings, prepares targeted proposals, and reduces bench time through a proactive rather than reactive approach.

Bench time is one of the most controllable challenges in an IT staffing operation — and one of the most damaging when left unmanaged. Most teams treat bench time reactively: the mission ends, then the scramble starts. Cobalt flips that model. It tracks every mission end date, anticipates upcoming gaps well in advance, and prepares targeted proposals before a consultant ever leaves their current engagement.

## The proactive repositioning playbook

<Steps>
  <Step title="D-60 — The alert before the problem arises">
    Cobalt detects upcoming mission endings and alerts your team well in advance, while the consultant is still on their current engagement. You have time to start proactive outreach to client accounts rather than reacting under time pressure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Portfolio analysis — surface the best opportunities">
    Cobalt analyses your account portfolio and surfaces the opportunities where the consultant's profile is the strongest fit — based on past missions, tech stack, sector, and client history. No manual searching through spreadsheets.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Proposals ready to send">
    For each identified account, Cobalt prepares a contextualized outreach email and an anonymized, branded skills document. Your Business Manager reviews and approves before anything goes out — nothing is sent without a human in the loop.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Centralized tracking and automated follow-ups">
    Replies are tracked directly in the CRM. For accounts that haven't responded, automated follow-up sequences handle the next touch. Your team focuses on closing, not chasing responses.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Levers for reducing bench time

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="D-60 anticipation" icon="clock-rotate-left">
    Cobalt alerts your team well before a mission ends — early enough to start proactive outreach while the consultant is still in their current role.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Proactive matching" icon="arrows-to-circle">
    Consultant profiles are continuously matched against active client accounts, so the best opportunities surface automatically as a mission approaches its end date.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Targeted BM alerts" icon="bell">
    Business managers receive actionable alerts with ready-to-send proposals — no manual triage, no scanning through account lists.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Internal mobility catalog" icon="list">
    See every consultant currently available or soon-to-be-available in one unified view. Coordinate repositioning across your whole team.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Weekly pipeline review" icon="chart-bar">
    Regular monitoring of upcoming mission endings keeps your team ahead of the curve — before gaps become problems.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Full CRM traceability" icon="database">
    Every proposal sent, every reply received, and every follow-up triggered is logged in the CRM automatically. Nothing falls through the cracks.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  All proposals and skills documents are submitted to your Business Manager for review and approval before sending. You stay in full control of what goes to clients — Cobalt prepares the work, your team makes the call.
</Info>

## Related features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Balt, AI agent" icon="robot" href="/en/fonctionnalites/pipeline-taches">
    Powers proactive matching, proposal drafting, and BM recommendations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Skills documents" icon="file-lines" href="/en/fonctionnalites/dossier-competences">
    Anonymized, client-branded CVs generated and ready to attach in seconds
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sequences" icon="arrow-progress" href="/en/fonctionnalites/sequences">
    Automated follow-up sequences keep non-responders in the pipeline
  </Card>

  <Card title="Semantic search" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/en/fonctionnalites/recherche-semantique">
    Find the most relevant profiles for each account in natural language
  </Card>
</CardGroup>