Call analytics is the practice of turning telephone system records into information that helps you run a business. It answers questions such as how many people called, how many were answered, when the busy periods are and which teams are handling the load.
Where the data comes from
Most business phone systems produce call detail records (CDRs). Each record describes a piece of a call: who called, which number or extension it reached, when it started, how long it lasted and how it ended. Analytics software collects these records and organises them.
The core measures
- Call volume — how many calls arrived in a period
- Answered calls — how many reached a person
- Missed calls — how many did not, and whether they were returned
- Busy hours — when demand peaks
- Extension activity — how calls were distributed across people and teams
Why the counting method matters
A single customer call can generate several records as it passes through menus, queues and ring groups. If analytics simply counts records, volumes and missed calls will be overstated. Good analytics groups related records into one logical call before calculating anything. Always ask a supplier how this is done.
Live versus historical
Live views help teams react during the day. Historical reports help managers plan staffing, judge the effect of changes and spot long-term trends. You usually need both.
Reading the numbers responsibly
- Compare like with like: the same days of the week and similar seasons
- Be cautious with small samples
- Treat any metric the source data cannot reliably support as unavailable rather than estimated
Getting started
Begin with a short list of questions you actually want answered. Choose reports that answer them, review them regularly and adjust. Analytics is useful when it changes a decision; otherwise it is just more numbers.
See it with your own call patterns
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