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Introduction

The Busy Times report provides a clear, hour-by-hour graphical representation of your call volumes for each day. Drill down into any hour to see a detailed breakdown of calls by type for that hour.

This report is ideal for identifying call traffic trends and very quickly highlights your busy days and times, allowing you to more effectively plan your staffing requirements.


Running the report

On the Reports screen, click on Busy channels in the reports list and then press theSelect this reportbutton.


The following report selection criteria window will appear:

Selecting the reporting period

Every report requires a period to run over. This is generally defined as the "Reporting period".


There are several preset periods that can be selected from a drop-down list. The predefined periods are based on a standard Gregorian calendar and are defined as follows:

PeriodDescription
TodayThe start and end dates are set to the current date. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
YesterdayThe start and end dates are set to the current date minus one day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This weekThe start date is set to the first day (normally Monday) of the current week. The end date is set to the current day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last weekThe start date is set to the date of the last Monday, and the end date is set to the start date plus seven days. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This monthThe start date is set to the first day of the current month. The end date is set to the current day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last monthThe start date for this period is set in three stages. The day is set to 01, the month is set to the current month minus one, or in the case of January, it is set to 12. The year is set to the current year, unless it is a new year, in which case the year is reduced by one. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
This yearThe start date is set to the first day of the first month of the current year, whilst the end date is set to today's date. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
All callsThe start and end dates and times are set to the date and time of the first and last call in the entire call database, respectively.
Custom periodEnter the start and end dates and times into the boxes below. The start and end times are linked to their respective dates.

If you want to be more specific, you can choose the Custom period from the drop-down list. This option will allow you to define the Start date and End date yourself, as well as the Start time and End time of the calls you want to report on.


When the report is executed, the reporting engine will substitute the start and end dates based on the current date or the relevant selection made by the user.

Once you have set the report's period, click on theNextbutton to set more of the report's parameters or select theFinishbutton to run the report.

Selecting the reporting entity

The reporting entity paramater allows you to select which part of your organisation you want to run the report for (site, extension group, channels or individual extensions).


Site

TIM Plus will allow you to log information from up to five sites. If you want to report on a particular site, select your preferred site from the drop-down list, alternatively leave the default settings as All sites.

Sites
All sites

 

The username and password you have been allocated might be restricted to a specific site or group. If you need additional permissions, please contact your system administrator.

Group

There is no limit to the number of groups you can create on one site. Groups, like sites are available as a drop-down list. You can choose to report on a specific group or leave the default setting as All groups.

Groups
All groups

Please note that the drop-down list for each group will appear only if a site has already been selected.

User

Once a site and group has been selected, you can also choose to report on a particular user from the drop-down list, or you can leave the default setting as All users.

User
All users

Once you have set the report's entities, click on theNextbutton to set more of the report's features or select theFinishbutton to run the report.

Selecting the report filters

This option allows you to filter out certain calls from your results, by selecting the values of the parameters. 


These filters allow you to be very specific, when deciding the call information you would like to display in the final report.If you do not want to select any filters, simply press theNextbutton to skip.

Please find a brief description of all filters below:

Account code

If you want to produce a bill consisting of all chargeable calls made using a particular account code, enter this code in the field provided. 

Account code
0140

To report on more than one account code, you can use a comma to separate the entries.

Call type

This filter allows you to define the type of call you would like to report on. If you would like to report on all calls, leave the default setting as All calls.

Call type
All calls

If you want to report on one call type in particular, expand the drop-down list and select from the available options.

Carrier

If you use more than one carrier, you can choose which carrier's calls to report on. To report on all calls from all carriers, leave the default setting as All carriers.

Carrier
All carriers

If you only use one carrier, there will be no drop-down list available and no option to choose a different carrier.

CLI

The Caller Line Identification (CLI) is a phone number that calls your organisation. This is sometimes withheld by the person making the call.

You may choose to report on calls from a particular CLI or from numbers beginning with a particular CLI. For example, for calls from Tri-Line you would enter 02072652600.

CLI
02072652600

This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and * (e.g. to exclude calls from Tri-Line, you would use !020726526*). To report on more than one CLI, user a comma to separate the entries.

Cost

If you want to add a filter for call costs, type in the cost you wish to define, as shown below. 

Cost
<2.00

This filter allows you to specify a range (-) or use comparison operators (>, <, ! and *).

Destination

If you want to filter calls to a specific, known destination, you can type the destination in the field provided. This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *.

For example, if you want to exclude all calls to France, enter !France*, as shown below:

Destination
!France*

Dialled number

To filter calls to a specific number, type the number that was dialled in the box provided. The dialled number can be a number that you dial out, or a DDI number within your organisation that someone dials in to get to a particular extension.

To filter calls to a specific area, a partial number may be entered (e.g. 0033, for calls to France). 

Dialled number
0033

This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and (e.g. to exclude calls to 0207 265, enter !0207265* ).

Duration

To filter calls above or below a particular duration, enter the number of seconds and the relevant symbol in the box provided. This filter allows you to specify a range (-) or use comparison operators (>, <, ! and *).

Duration
>1800

In the above example, the filter will look for calls longer than 1800 seconds (30 minutes). Alternatively, you may want to exclude calls below a certain threshold (e.g. below 3 seconds).

LCR code

If you are using Least Cost Routing (LCR), you may want to filter your results the by LCR code, in order to check a bill from your LCR provider. To do this, enter the LCR code in the box provided.

LCR code
162

This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and * (e.g. to exclude a specific LCR code, add the code with the required operators !162*)

Response

This option allows you to filter calls based on their response time.The results will be filtered according to the response time threshold that you define in the provided field. The threshold you specify will be measured in seconds.

Response time
>10

In the above example, the search results will display calls that have a response time above 10 seconds.

Start time

This option allows you to filter calls based on the start time of the call, which is basically the time of day the call started. Enter your preferred start time in the field provided, using the following format hh:mm:ss.
For example, if you want your results to include calls logged after 10 a.m. only, you need to enter 10:00:00 in the Start time field, as shown below:

Start time
10:00:00

Trunk access code

If you want to filter your results by a trunk access code, enter this in the field provided.  For example, to exclude all calls with access code 9, add !9 in the filed provided.

Trunk access code
9

This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *.

Selecting the report options

This section allows you to further narrow down your report results, by excluding certain types of calls or sorting the results in a particular manner.The filters are fairly self-explanatory. For example, if you would like to exclude weekend calls from the report, simply tick the option to exclude weekend calls. If you would like to ignore missed calls shorter than a specific duration, simply enter the duration in the box.


Exclude weekends

If you would like to exclude weekend calls from the search results, simply select the tick-box to exclude weekend calls.

 

Exclude weekends

Exclude transfers

Select this option if you would like to exclude transfers from the search results. For example if you want to see only how well calls were answered when first presented, you would choose to exclude transfers.

 

Exclude transfers

If you would like to exclude short calls from your report, enter the duration below which you'd like to ignore calls. If you would like to exclude very short calls (e.g. calls below 3 seconds), simply enter the number 3 in the box provided:


Selecting the report format

This section allows you to choose the output format of your report. To select the desired format, click on the drop-down list and choose from the available options: Web, PDF, Excel, CSV and XML. More details about each report format are available in the Setting the report format section above.

Creating the report

When you have chosen a reporting period, and are happy with your selections, you have two options:

  • run the report now
  • schedule the report for future delivery

If you click on theRun nowbutton, the report will run instantly in your chosen format.

If you want to schedule the report to run at a later time, follow the instruction given in the Schedule a report section.

The report's results

When selecting WEB as the output format, this report will appear as below.


As with all reports, the header of the report includes:

  • the report title
  • the date and time of the report
  • the name of the report, if applicable

The WEB format allows for complete flexibility when viewing any report. All headers are clickable allowing you re-arrange the report layout in seconds, to sort the calls in ascending or decending order based on the header clicked. To view details of any filters or selection parameters used in creating this report, click on About this report on the top-right corner of the page.

 

The larger darker red dots represent your busier periods and the smaller greener dots, the quieter periods. This report is truly interactive. To see how many calls for any period, simply float over it to see more details.

To see more details for any time slot, simply click and details of all calls contained within this period are shown as follows:


All calls are shown on the front page and clear colour coded tabs allow you to easily sort by call type (e.g. inbound, outbound etc.)

If you would like to go back and view any report for a larger section of the organisation, simply click on the appropriate link in the breadcrumb as shown below:


 

 

Introduction

The Busy Times report provides a clear, hour-by-hour graphical representation of your call volumes for each day. Drill down into any hour to see a detailed breakdown of calls by type for that hour.

This report is ideal for identifying call traffic trends and very quickly highlights your busy days and times, allowing you to more effectively plan your staffing requirements.

Busy times

Running the report

On the Reports screen, click on Busy times in the reports list and then press the Select this report button.

Busy times

The following report selection criteria window appears:

Reporting period

Every report requires a period to run over. This is generally defined as the "Reporting period".

Busy times

There are several pre-defined periods that can be selected from a simple drop-down list as shown above.

The built-in periods are based on a standard Gregorian calendar and are defined as follows:

Period Description
Today The start date and end date is set to the current date. The default start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Yesterday The start date and end date is set to the current date minus one day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This week The start date is set to the Monday of the current week, whilst the end date is set to the current day. The default start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last week The start date is set to the last Monday, whilst the end date is set to the start date plus seven days. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This month The start date is set to the 1st day of the current month and the end date to today. The default start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last month The start date for this period is set in three stages. The day is set to 01, the month is set to the current month minus one, or in the case of January, it is set to 12. The year is set to the current year, unless it is a new year, in which case the year is reduced by one. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
This year The start date is set to the first day of the first month of the current year. The end date is set to today's date. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
All calls The start date is set to the date of the first call in the database, whilst the end date is set to the date of the most recent call in the database. Times are also set to the times of the first and last calls in the database.
Custom period Enter the start and end dates and times into the boxes below. The start and end times are linked to their respective dates.

If you want to be more specific, you can choose the Custom period from the bottom of the drop-down list. This option will allow you to define the start date and end date yourself, as shown below. When you need to be even more specific, you can also choose a start time and end time.

Busy times

When the report is executed, if the user has selected an in-built period, the reporting engine simply substitutes the start and end dates based on the current date and the period the user selected.

Once you have set the report's period, click on the Next button to set more of the report's features or select the Finish button to run the report.

What do you want to report on?

In addition to the reporting period, each report offers you the opportunity to define exactly what you want to report on. This is generally a site, group or user.

Site
Busy times

TIM Plus will allow you to log information from up to five sites. If you want to report on a specific site, select that site from the drop-down list or to select all sites' data, leave it at the default All sites as shown above.

NOTE: The username and password you have been allocated may mean you are restricted to specific sites or groups. If you have any difficulty accessing other sites or group, please contact your system administrator and check that access has been enabled.
Group
Busy times

There is no limit to the number of groups available on each site. Groups, like sites are available as a drop-down list. You can choose to select a specific group or leave at the default All groups. Please note that the drop-down list for each group can only appear if a site has already been selected.

User
Busy times

Once a site and group has been selected, you can decide whether you would like to report on all users or select a particular user from the drop-down list as shown above.

Once you have set the report's entities, click on the Next button to set more of the report's features or select the Finish button to run the report.

Filter call information

Busy times

You have the option of filtering the information, based on a number of call filters. These filters allow you to be very specific, when deciding the call information you would like in the final report.

If you do not want to select any filters, simply press the Next button to skip.

Please find a brief description of all filters below:

Account code

If you want to produce a bill consisting of all chargeable calls made using a particular account code, enter the account code in this filed. To report on more than one account code, simply comma separate.

Account code
Call type

This filter allows you to define the type of call you would like to report on. If you would like to report on all calls, leave at the default All calls.

Call type
Carrier

If you use more than one carrier, you can choose which carriers calls you would like to report on.

To report on all calls from all carriers, leave at default.

If you only use one carrier, there will be no drop-down list available and no option to choose a different carrier.

Carrier
CLI

The Caller Line Identification (CLI) is the number associated with the incoming call. This is sometimes withheld by the person making the call.

You may choose to report on calls from a particular CLI or from numbers beginning with a particular CLI by entering the number in here. For example, for calls from Tri-Line you would enter in "02072652600". This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *, e.g. to exclude calls from Tri-Line use "!020726526*".

To report on more than one CLI, simply comma separate.

CLI
Cost

If you want to add a filter for call costs, simply type in the cost you wish to define as shown nearby and add the appropriate above, below and between symbol . This filter accepts range (-) and comparison operators (>, <, ! and *).

Cost
Destination

If you want to filter calls to a specific destination and that destination has been added to your locations field, simply type the destination in here. This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *, e.g. to exclude all calls to France use "!France*".

Destination
Dialled number

To filter calls to a specific number, type the number in the dialled number field. To filter calls to a specific area, a partial number may be entered here e.g. "0033" for calls to France. This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *, e.g. to exclude calls to 0207 265, enter "!0207265*".

Dialled number
Duration

To filter call above or below a particular duration, simply enter the number of seconds and the relevant symbol. This filter accepts range (-) and comparison operators (>, <, ! and *).

In the example nearby, the filter will look for calls above 1800 seconds (30 minutes). Alternatively you may want to exclude calls below a certain threshold e.g. below 3 seconds.

Duration
LCR code

If you are using Least Cost Routing (LCR), you may want to filter by LCR code in order to check a bill from your LCR provider. To do this simply enter the LCR code in the LCR field. This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *, e.g. to exclude a specific LCR code, simply add as follows "!162*".

LCR code
Response

This filter allows you to filter based on the response times to calls. You have the option of filtering for calls above or below a threshold. You can define this threshold in the box alongside.

The figure relates to seconds. e.g. the example nearby shows 10 seconds. By selecting from the drop-down list, you will be able to filter calls that took more than 10 seconds to answer or see calls answered in less than 3 seconds.

Response
Start time

This filter allows you to filter calls based on the start time. This is the time of day when the call started in the format hh:mm:ss, e.g. if you want calls after 8 a.m. only, then enter the start time in as "08:00:00" as shown nearby.

Start time
Trunk access code

If you want to filter by Trunk access code, simply enter the Trunk access code in this field. This filter accepts the comparison operators ! and *. The * is not needed if it's an exact match, so the 9 for TAC should just be "!9", e.g. to exclude all calls with access code 9, add "!9" to the TAC field.

Trunk access code

Specific Options

Busy times

This section allows you to add more specific filters to your report. The filters are fairly self-explanatory. If you would like to exclude weekend and transfer calls from the report, simply select the two tickboxes. If you would like to ignore missed calls shorter than a specific duration, simply enter the duration in the box. In the example above, a filter has been added to exclude weekends and any calls shorter than 3 seconds.

Exclude weekends

This option gives you the option of excluding weekend calls from any results shown. If you would like to exclude weekend calls, simply select the tickbox to exclude weekend calls.

Busy times
Exclude transfers

Select this option if you would like to exclude transfers when running a report. For example if you were running an incoming call analysis report and wanted to see only how well calls were answered when first presented, you would choose the option on excluding transfers.

Busy times
Ignore missed calls shorter than

If you would like to exclude short calls from your report, enter the duration below which you'd like to ignore calls. If you would like to exclude very short calls, e.g. calls below 3 seconds, simply enter the number '3' in the box, as shown here.

Busy times

Creating the report

When you have chosen a reporting period, and are happy with your selections, you have two options:

  • Run the report now
  • Schedule for future delivery
Busy times

To choose your preferred option, select the appropriate button.

If you choose to run the report now, click the Run now button. The results will appear immediately in your chosen format.

To schedule the report for delivery at a later date, follow the instruction given on the Schedule a report section.

Busy times - The results

When selecting Web as the output format, this report will appear as below.

The Web format allows for complete flexibility when viewing any report. To view details of any filters or selection parameters used in creating this report, simply click on About this report at the top right of the page.

As with all reports, the header of the report includes the report title, any name you may have given to it, and the date and time it was run.

The larger darker red dots represent your busier periods and the smaller greener dots, the quieter periods. This report is truly interactive. To see how many calls for any period, simply float over it to see more details.

Busy times

All headers are clickable allowing you re-arrange the report layout in seconds, to sort the calls in ascending or decending order based on the header clicked. The headers of this report are as follows:

To see more details for any time slot, simply click and details of all calls contained within this period are shown as follows:

Busy times

All calls are shown on the front page and clear colour coded tabs allow you to easily sort by call type e.g. Inbound, outbound etc.

If you would like to go back and view any report for a larger section of the organisation, simply click on the appropriate link in the breadcrumb as shown below:

Breadcrumbs
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