Telephony traffic information

To estimate telephony traffic, you need two numbers. One is the number of busy hour calls you expect Blueworx Voice Response to handle. The other is the estimated call hold time you expect after Blueworx Voice Response is installed. Also, you should think about other factors, especially the impact that your use of Blueworx Voice Response will have on telephony traffic.

Number of busy hour calls

The number of busy hour calls is the number of calls you receive during the busiest 60 minute period of an average day in your busiest month. You might already know how many busy hour calls you are handling—if not, you may be able to use ACD reports, trunk traffic statistics, or telephone bills to estimate the number. Use this number as a starting point for calculating the number of busy hour calls you expect to receive once Blueworx Voice Response is installed.

Call hold time

Call hold time is the average amount of time, in seconds, that a call takes from start to finish. This includes the time it takes to set up a call, greet the caller, perform the requested transaction (including database access and speaking the results to the caller), and get ready for the next call. The time it takes to set up a call includes ring time and the time it takes the switch to recognize a disconnect signal. ACD reports, billing records, and trunk monitoring information can help you estimate existing call hold time. Otherwise, you can time a representative sample of actual calls.

If agents are already performing the transactions that you plan to include in your voice applications, you can use the existing call hold time as a starting point for calculating what the call hold time should be once Blueworx Voice Response is installed. If Blueworx Voice Response is to perform new transactions, use modeling and simulation techniques to estimate both the busy hour calls and the call hold times. Remember that host system or remote data base access can introduce significant delays, especially at peak times.

Other factors to consider

You might want to adjust the number of busy hour calls and call hold time to allow for some additional factors. Here are a few to consider:

Growth: Your business plan might call for an increase in business, which will probably cause an increased amount of traffic.
Expanded hours: When Blueworx Voice Response is installed, your business can operate 24 hours a day. This is likely to smooth out the telephony traffic.
Expanded scope: Blueworx Voice Response can expand the scope of operations by offering additional services, thus increasing traffic.
Demand stimulation: After Blueworx Voice Response is installed, callers often call more frequently because they find it more convenient.

In addition, if you also decide to replace channel associated signaling with ISDN, you need to think about the reduced call-setup and clearing times, which could result in shorter call hold times for the same talk-time.