Lucent Technologies CentreVu Call Management System Release 3 Version 5 Manual

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Guidelines for Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports3-3
lIf the number of calls handled by a split/skill shows a strong trend 
that is unrelated to previous times, Current Trending may be an 
effective forecast method for you to use. Choose whether the Days 
between historical data points field is 1 or 7 based on the 
length of the current trend. If the trend so far is short, use 1; but if the 
trend is as long as a month, use 7.
lIf a split/skill handles calls 7 days a week, then you can effectively 
use the Days between historical data points field (set to 
1). If the split/skill only handles calls 5 days a week, then you must 
use Days Between Historical Data Points (set to 7).
lIf you know a day of data to be used in a forecast is problematic or 
unreliable, lower the data weight associated with it. The value of this 
weight compared to the unchanged weight of 10 should reflect your 
assessment of that data. (For example, if the data is only 80 percent 
reliable, change the weight from 10 to 8.)
lIf the day for which you are forecasting has special characteristics 
unlike your normal daily call handling, use the Special Day Forecast. 
This forecast requires you to save special day data whenever you 
have an unusual day, so that it can be used for Special Day 
Forecasts. When you are having (or know you will have) a special 
day, administer a Special Day for the split/skill before you run the 
Forecast Manager for that day, so that the data will be stored. 
Examples of special days are holidays and days affected by special 
advertising or promotions.
The following guidelines allow you to interpret some of the results you 
may get on some Call Volume/Agent reports:
lIf an interval of time between the First interval start time 
field and the Last interval start time field is missing, it is 
because that interval is missing in the Call Handling Profile 
and/or the Costs Profile you specified.
lIf a row on a Call Volume/Agent report contains zeros for 
Forecast calls carried, Num Agents Reqd, and under 
the Profile Results columns, it is because no historical data 
was found (as collected by Forecast Manager from the historical 
tables into the Forecast tables or in the Hypothetical Data) for the 
dates on which the forecast is based.
lProfile results are given on the Call Volume/Agent reports so that 
you can compare them directly with your objectives in the Call 
handling profile. The calculation of Num Agents Reqd 
field uses the objectives in the Call handling profile field for 
each interval of time as boundary conditions for the answer. It is 
normal for one or two of the Profile Results field(s) to be  
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Guidelines for Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports3-4
close to the corresponding objective. By comparing the Profile 
Results and objectives and selecting the item in which the 
Profile Result is closest to the objective, you can determine 
which objective to change in the Call handling profile field 
to alter the Num Agents Reqd field.
NoteSee “Data Used for Call Volume/Agents Forecast” in this 
chapter and Chapter 6, “How the Forecast System 
Generates Data,” for more details. 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-5
Current Day Report3
Purpose3The Current Day Forecast tells you, for today, how many calls you can 
expect for a split/skill in each intrahour interval and how many agents you 
will need to handle those calls.
Since current day forecast data is saved for the number of days you 
specify on the Current Day Configuration window, you can retrieve 
current day forecasts for days past. You may want a current day forecast 
of a past day if you want to see how the forecasted calls and required 
agents compare with the days actual calls and agent staffing.
Figure 3-1:  Current Day Report Administration Overview 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-6
Prerequisite 
System 
Administration
3
lYou must have read permission for the Forecast subsystem and the 
split/skill for which you are running the report.
lYou must have defined a current day configuration for the split/skill 
for which you are running a forecast.
lThe Forecast Manager must have run and generated the current 
day forecast data before you can actually display the forecast.
lFor an accurate report, you should have at least 4 weeks of data 
stored in the forecast input tables.
lIf you want to use seasonal trending, you must have at least 8 
weeks of data in the forecast input tables.
Current Day Input 
Window
3
To run a Current Day Forecast, you must fill in the Current Day Input 
window (Figure 3-2
).
Figure 3-2:  Current Day Input Window
NoteTo understand how CentreVu CMS generates forecast data, 
see Chapter 6, “How the Forecast System Generates Data.” 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-7
Field Descriptions3Split/Skill:
Enter the number or name of the split/skill for which you want a current 
day forecast.
Forecast date (mm/dd/yy or -n):
Enter a date as a relative day (for example, -2 means 2 days ago and 
0 means today) or in mm/dd/yy format. This is the date for which you 
want a forecast of call traffic and required agents.
You can get a forecast for any date in the past, up to the number of 
current day forecasts you told 
CentreVu CMS to save.
First interval start time:
Enter a time of day in hh:mm format, either as military time (for example, 
13:30) or with am or pm appended (for example, 10:15am).
lThis time tells CentreVu CMS what time the current day forecast 
should begin.
lThe time should match the beginning of an intrahour interval. In 
addition, the call handling profile selected in the Current Day 
Configuration window must include this interval.
Last interval start time:
Enter a time of day in hh:mm format, either as military time or with am or 
pm appended (for example, 10:15am).
lThis time tells CentreVu CMS which intrahour interval is the last 
interval that it should include in each current day forecast.
lThe time should match the beginning of an intrahour interval. In 
addition, the call handling profile selected in the Current Day 
Configuration window must include this interval. 
CentreVu CMS will 
generate forecast data through the end of this intrahour interval.
Report destination (Select one):
Enter an x next to Terminal, Printer, or File.
lTerminal is the default destination.
lIf you selected Printer and want to use a printer other than your 
default printer, enter the printer name in addition to the x.
lIf you selected File, enter a file name. If the file name already 
exists, the existing file will be overwritten with the new report data.  
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-8
The file is in your home directory in the UNIX* system (/usr/) or 
Solaris system (/export/home/) unless you specify a full path name.
*UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open 
Corporation.
Current Day 
Forecast Report 
Example
3
A description of each report item follows the report example in the 
Current Day Forecast Report Description table.
Figure 3-3:  Current Day Forecast Report Example
NoteCentreVu CMS stores current day forecast data in the 
CentreVuCMS database so that the data can be included in the 
standard Split/Skill Forecast Summary report and in custom 
reports. Data derived from the Current Day Configuration (the 
data appearing at the top of the forecast) is stored in the f_cday 
table. Current day forecast data is stored in the f_cdayrep 
table. Ta b l e 3 - 1
 lists the database items that store the data, along 
with the tables that contain the items. You will need to know this 
information if you create custom reports that include forecast 
data. 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-9
Table 3-1:  Current Day Forecast Report Description 
Report Heading What It Measures Database Item Table
ACDThe ACD of the forecasted split/skill.ACD f_cday
f_cdayrep
PrintedThe date and time the report was run.
No database 
item.Not applicable.
Split/SkillThe name of the split/skill for the forecast.SPLIT f_cday
f_cdayrep
Forecast forThe date for which you want the forecast.ROW_DATE f_cday
f_cdayrep
Historical data 
used (weight)The current data points used for the 
forecast, and their respective weights (0 to 
10), as specified on the Current Day 
Configuration window.HDATE1  WT1
HDATE2  WT2
HDATE3  WT3
HDATE4  WT4f_cday
% Change FactorThe adjustment, expressed as a 
percentage, that 
CentreVu CMS made to 
its initial forecasted calls carried. 
CentreVuCMS makes changes, if any, 
based on the Change Factor you enter on 
the Current Day Configuration Input 
window.CHANGE f_cday
Forecast methodThe method, as specified on the Current 
Day Configuration window, used to 
determine forecast data as follows:
lSeasonal trending
lCurrent trending
lNo trending.FMETHOD  f_cday
Base dateA past date, as specified on the Current 
Day Configuration window, that is similar to 
the current date. This date is used only for 
seasonal trending.TRENDBASE f_cday
TimeThe start time of each intrahour interval 
included in the forecast. STARTTIME f_cdayrep
Forecast Calls 
CarriedThe number of calls forecasted to arrive at 
the split/skill for the associated intrahour 
interval.FCALLS f_cdayrep 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-10
Number Agents 
Req’dThe number of agents that must be logged 
into the split/skill for the intrahour interval in 
order to handle the forecasted calls, given 
the call handling objectives.NUMAGREQ f_cdayrep
Avg Speed 
Answer 
(Call Handling 
Profile)The targeted average time calls should 
wait before an agent answers. This 
objective is specified in the Call Handling 
Profile selected in the Current Day 
Configuration window.AVGSPEEDANS f_cdayrep 
Service Level % 
(Call Handling 
Profile)The targeted percentage of calls that the 
agents will answer within the time specified 
in the Service Level sec field. SERVLEVELP f_cdayrep
Service Level 
sec 
(Call Handling 
Profile)The targeted number of seconds within 
which the Service Level % of calls should 
be answered. This objective is specified in 
the Call Handling Profile selected in the 
Current Day Configuration window.SERVLEVELT f_cdayrep
Agent Occ % 
(Call Handling 
Profile)The targeted average percentage of time 
agents should spend on Automatic Call 
Distribution (ACD) calls while logged in. 
This objective is specified in the Call 
Handling Profile selected in the Current 
Day Configuration window.AGOCC f_cdayrep
Avg Serv Time 
(Call Handling 
Profile)The targeted average number of seconds 
each agent should spend on an ACD call, 
including talk time and (After Call Work) 
ACW time. This objective is specified in the 
Call Handling Profile selected in the 
Current Day Configuration window. AVGAGSERV f_cdayrep
Avg Speed 
Answer 
(Profile Results)The forecasted average time calls will wait 
before an agent answers. 
CentreVu CMS 
calculates this average after calculating the 
number of agent positions required to meet 
the call handling profile objectives. 
Normally, the forecasted average will be 
slightly lower than the Average Speed of 
Answer objective.RAVGSPEEDANS f_cdayrep Table 3-1:  Current Day Forecast Report Description  (Contd)
Report Heading What It Measures Database Item Table 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Current Day Report3-11
Service Level % 
(Profile Results)The forecasted percentage of calls that the 
agents will answer within the time specified 
in the Service Level sec field. 
CentreVu CMS calculates this percentage 
after calculating the number of agent 
positions required to meet the call handling 
profile objectives. Normally, the forecasted 
percentage will be slightly higher than the 
Service Level % objective.RSERVLEVELP f_cdayrep
Agent Occ % 
(Profile Results)The forecasted average percentage of time 
agents will spend on ACD calls while 
logged in. 
CentreVu CMS calculates this 
percentage after calculating the number of 
agent positions required to meet the call 
handling profile objectives. Normally, the 
forecasted percentage will be slightly lower 
than the Agent Occ % objective. RAGOCC f_cdayrep Table 3-1:  Current Day Forecast Report Description  (Contd)
Report Heading What It Measures Database Item Table 
						

							  Call Volume/Agents Forecast Reports CentreVu CMS R3V5 Forecast  585-215-825
Longterm Report3-12
Longterm Report3
Purpose3The Longterm Forecast tells you, for any day up to 35 days in the future, 
how many calls you can expect for a split/skill in each intrahour interval 
and how many agents you will need to handle those calls.s.
Figure 3-4:  Longterm Report Administration Overview
Things to Know 
About Report 
Data
3
If you select 1-day-apart data points and one or more of those data points 
had no activity (as, for example, on a weekend), 
CentreVu CMS will still 
use those data points. Therefore, your forecast could be severely 
skewed.
Prerequisite 
System 
Administration
3
lYou must have read permission for the Forecast subsystem and the 
split/skill for which you are running the forecast.
lYou must have defined a call handling profile to use with the 
split/skill for which you are running a forecast.
lFor you to get accurate forecasts, the Forecast Manager must have 
collected the forecast input data as follows:
— For 1-day-apart data points, 4 days of data
— For 1-week apart data points, 4 weeks of data
— For seasonal trending, at least 8 weeks of data.
Data Storage Allocation
Call Handling Profile
Forecast Manager
Longterm Forecast
NoteFor a detailed explanation of how CentreVu CMS generates 
forecast data, see Chapter 6, “How the Forecast System 
Generates Data.”