Since summary functions reduce data to a single line (based on the field that has been summarized) and groupings pull like/matching data together according to a specific field/value, the most meaningful data comes from utilizing the two in tandem.
It doesn't matter which you apply first, but that you do both (unless every field has a summary function applied to it, in which case a grouping would not be necessary).
Summary functions perform simple calculations on an entire column in order to produce a new piece of data. By applying summary functions to specific fields, new data points can be quickly created, including average, minimum, maximum, and so on.
Depending on the type of data in a particular field, you may have several, or few, summary function options available. Generally, only summary functions that will work as expected with a particular field's data should show as available options.
Applying a summary function to a field
To apply one or more summary functions to a field, click the gray calculator icon that appears next to the field's name in the Fields tab of the side configuration panel. Then, check one or more summary functions, and hit Build to see the results.
Let's look at an example. Here's a basic report:
It contains five fields: Agent Name, Queue Call Manager ID, Wait Time, Agent Talk Time, and Agent Hold Time. As built, this would be a useful report to use to access particular interaction record details—or to sort results by a field in particular.
Applying some summary functions will help convert this raw data into more actionable insights.
Applying a single summary function
To apply a summary function, click on the calculator icon next to the field (in the Fields tab) you want to summarize. Then, simply check the function you wish to apply. Here's what it looks like to add a function to the Wait Time field—in this case, an average.
On hitting the Build button, here's the result:
Notice the top of the third column: now, instead of saying Wait Time it says Wait Time (avg). This means our summary function is properly applied.
What happened to the rest of the data?
When one field/column is summarized, it impacts the accuracy of other fields/columns.
In this case, when the summary function reduces the values in the Wait Time (avg) column to a single data point (00:02:49, as shown above), the other columns have not been summarized. They simply display the top row of data for any non-summarized fields.
The other columns now need to be addressed as well. Compare the data shown in the original report (below) to what winds up in the summarized report. (above). The data for Agent Name, Queue Call Manager ID, Agent Talk Time, and Agent Hold Time are just whatever was in the top row of data (in this case, data around the interaction with the QCMID 9473970.
This means the other columns need to be addressed as well, to prevent misunderstandings.
We'll get to that shortly.
Applying multiple summary functions to a field
A single field is capable of having multiple summary functions applied to it. By clicking multiple boxes and re-running the report, the number of columns increase. For example, if we wanted to see both the average wait time as well as the max wait time, we could just check both boxes:
Adding multiple summary functions to a single field results in one or more columns being added to the report. You can see this below—two columns are showing data related to Wait Time.
Addressing the rest of the data with summary functions
To make the other columns accurate, they would need summary functions applied as well—or the fields need to be hidden/removed.
Agent Name
The only summary function available for this field is COUNT. In this case, let's just hide the field for now.
Queue Call Manager ID
Counting this field is a great way to generate a total number of interactions. In this example, it will provide context for the Wait Time fields by displaying how many interactions are being included in the report and its calculations.
Agent Talk Time, Agent Hold Time
The same summary functions that were available for Wait Time are available for these fields. I'm going to summarize them both with the AVG and MAX functions.
With these additional summary functions implemented, here's the result:
Using groupings in tandem with summary functions
Groupings offer a way to parse the data that's been summarized. This report shows us holistic data around interactions handled in the Q. By adding a grouping, though, we can break the data down in a lot of different ways.
In this case, we can easily compare these statistics on an agent-by-agent basis, by adding Agent Name as a Grouping (to do this, simply add Agent Name under the Groupings tab, the same way fields are added via the Fields tab.
Now, every column of this report provides accurate, summarized data into each agent's basic handle time metrics.
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