The Busy Channels report

Introduction
Running the report
Creating the report
The report's results

Introduction

The Busy Channels report allows you to break down each business day into half-hour periods, showing the maximum and average number of telephone lines in use in any particular half-hour. This report is ideal for determining whether or not you have enough lines, or if you have too many!

Running this report over longer periods increases the reliability of its results.You can opt to exclude weekends, when perhaps not many calls are being made or received, and so as not to distort the averages. You can also concentrate on only incoming or outgoing calls

Running the report

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

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:

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 the Next button to set more of the report's parameters or select the Finish button to run the report.

NOTE: Running this report over longer periods increases the reliability of its results.

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 the Next button to set more of the report's features or select the Finish button 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 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 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

Sort order

Expanding the drop-down list available, you can choose whether you would like the results of the report to appear in ascending or descending order.

You can choose the order in which results are sorted by selecting the appropriate option from the list shown below:

Sort order

Ascending

Sort results by

You may choose the order in which results are sorted by selecting the appropriate option from the list provided:

Sort results by

Time slot

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 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 the Run now button, 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

WEB format

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, simply click on About this report on the top-right corner of the page.

The main report body consists of a graph and a table.

The graph is a quick and easy indication of your line usage, broken down into half hour timeslots. The percentage on the y-axis shows the number of lines utilised. The x-axis shows the start point of each hour of the day. The bars on the graph are coloured to show the maximum number of busy trunks at each particular half hour (light purple), overlaid by a bar showing the average number of trunks busy in the same period (dark purple).

The table shows the actual data for each half hour of the day. It also splits the data into maximum lines busy and average lines busy as well as providing a total for all types of calls. The table holds the following information for each half-hour period:

NOTE: All headers are clickable, allowing you to reorder the report as required.

The Summary information box at the beginning of the report is fairly self-explanatory, as you can see from the example below:

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

PDF format

If you chose to run the report in a  PDF format, the report will consist of three pages.

The first page shows the login name of the person who has prepared/scheduled the report, the entity you are reporting on, the period covered and any filters used in the report. 

The second page has a graph depicting the average and maximum number of channels used as shown below:

The third page breaks this graph down into detail, showing the time slots with the maximum and average number of busy channels and the total duration of time spent on calls, for each time slot depicted.

XML format

If you choose to run the report in XML format, the output might be difficult to read, however, this output is ideal when you need to provide a call logging feed to other applications.

CSV format

If you select the CSV option, this will output the report's results to a CSV file. This can be either opened immediately or saved for future use.

Introduction

The Busy Channels report allows you to break down each business day into half-hour periods, showing the maximum and average number of telephone lines in use in any particular half-hour. You can opt to exclude weekends, when perhaps not many calls are being made or received, and so as not to distort the averages. You can also concentrate on only incoming or outgoing calls.

This report is ideal for determining whether or not you have enough lines, or if you have too many!

Running the report

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

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".

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:

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.

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.

NOTE: Running this report over longer periods increases the reliability of its results.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 *).

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*".

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*".

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.

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*".

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.

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.

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.

Specific Options

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 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. 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.

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.

Sort order

Choose whether you would like the results of the report to appear in ascending or descending order, by selecting from the drop-down box.

Sort results by

You may choose the order in which results are sorted by selecting the appropriate option from the list shown below:

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.

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

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 channels - The results

Output to Web

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.

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 main report body consists of two parts: a graph and a table.

The graph is a quick and easy indication of your line usage, broken down into half-hour timeslots. The percentage on the y-axis shows the number of lines utilised. The x-axis shows the start point of each hour of the day.

The bars on the graph are coloured to show the maximum number of trunks busy in each particular half-hour (light red), overlaid by a bar showing the average number of trunks busy in the same period (dark blue).

The table shows the actual data for each half hour of the day. It also splits the data into maximum lines busy and average lines busy as well as providing a total for all types of calls. The table holds the following information for each half-hour period:

NOTE: ALL headers are clickable, allowing you to reorder the report as required.

Summary information box

The info box at the beginning of the report is fairly self-explanatory as you can see from the sample summary shown below:

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

Output to PDF

This report format appears as a three page PDF report. The first page shows the name of the person who has prepared/scheduled the report. This name is picked up from your login. It also contains the entity you report on, the period covered and any filters used in the report.

The second page has a graph depicting average and maximum number of channels used as shown below:

The third page breaks this graph down into detail showing the time slots with the maximum and average number of channels busy and the total duration of time spent on calls for each time slot depicted.

Output to XML

You can choose to output information as an XML feed for use in external applications. This may look a little odd when presented as shown below but is ideal when you need to provide a call logging feed to other applications.

Output to CSV

The CSV option allows you to output the data to a CSV file. This can be either opened immediately or saved for future use.