Understanding Time-on-Task
    • 27 Oct 2024
    • 2 Minutes to read
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    Understanding Time-on-Task

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    Article summary

    ‘Time-on-task’ is a metric unique to Dialpad WFM and represents the percentage of total scheduled hours spent on-task.

    This metric is an alternative to the industry standard of "adherence", and indicates how well the agent actively followed their schedule across the entire shift.

    Let's dive into the details.

    What we track

    Dialpad WFM uses the ticket metadata in your linked ticketing systems to identify which tickets agents worked on, and at what time.

    We also use email addresses to match the agents in your ticketing system to their Dialpad profile.

    Dialpad WFM then creates a timestamp every time a 'comment' is made on a ticket or the ticket status changes.

    How we calculate ticket time

    Dialpad calculates the time spent on a ticket by using the average handle time (AHT) associated with the queue where the ticket was assigned.

    The type of action determines how AHT is used. In these examples, we'll assume AHT is 300s:

    • Comments: Using AHT, we count backward from the timestamp, assuming the agent was writing before sending the comment.

      • Example: A comment was made at 9:05 » 9:05 minus 300s AHT = 9:00 » We assume the agent worked for 5 minutes.

    • Open: Using AHT, we count forwards from the timestamp, assuming the agent will read or work the ticket from that time.

      • Example: A ticket opened at 10:00 » 10:00 plus 300s AHT = 10:05 » We assume the agent worked for 5 mins.

    • Closed: Using AHT, we count backward from the timestamp, assuming the agent was working on the ticket before closing it.

      • Example: A ticket closed at 12:00 » 12:00 minus 300s AHT = 11:55 » We assume the agent worked for 5 mins.

    • On hold: Using AHT,  we count backwards from the timestamp, assuming the agent was working the ticket before putting it on-hold.

      • Example: A ticket put on-hold at 13:30. 13:30 minus 300s AHT = 13:25. We assume the surfer worked for 5 mins)

    Notes

    To account for the natural time spent transitioning between tasks, agents are allotted a 2-minute grace period after closing a ticket.

    When an agent works on multiple tickets in succession, AHT is increased by 25% to account for the time spent switching between tasks.

    This allows for a seamless transition between tasks without negatively impacting their time-on-task metrics.

    Dialpad uses 'Friendly Time' to account for transitions when an agent changes scheduled activities. Friendly Time includes the scheduled start time, plus the agent's AHT.

    For example, if Sam switches from Phone to Email at 10:00 but doesn’t begin working on tickets until 10:04, Friendly Time applies by adding an AHT of 300 seconds (5 minutes) to the scheduled start time. This grace period ensures Sam’s performance score isn’t impacted during the transition between activities.

    How ticket sessions are created

    Ticket sessions represent periods of time spent working on tickets and are composed of one or more events that occur on the same ticket within a reasonable timeframe.

    The reasonable timeframe is determined by 125% of the stretched Average Handle Time (AHT). Events that overlap are grouped together into a single ticket session.

    • Session Start Time: If the first event in the session is an "open," its timestamp is used as the session's start time.

    • Session End Time: If the last event is "closed," its timestamp is used as the session's end time.



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