This article explains the difference between the Service Level Agreement (SLA) metrics displayed in the Inbound+ dashboard and the Overview+ dashboard, and why these percentages often do not match.

Overview of SLA metrics

% Inbound within SLA (Inbound+ dashboard)

This metric calculates the percentage of all inbound calls (answered and unanswered) that were answered within the defined SLA threshold.

Formula:

% Inbound within SLA = (Inbound within SLA / Total Inbound Calls) * 100

You can refine this calculation by excluding certain unanswered call reasons (for example, outside of hours) using the Exclude from SLA filter.

% Inbound in SLA (vs answered) (Overview+ dashboard)

This metric focuses specifically on the percentage of answered inbound calls that were answered within the SLA threshold.

It does not consider unanswered calls in its calculation, which makes it more focused on the performance of calls that were actually answered.

Key difference between the metrics

  • % Inbound within SLA (Inbound+):
    • Includes all inbound calls (answered and unanswered) in its calculation.
  • % Inbound in SLA (vs answered) (Overview+):
    • Only considers answered inbound calls, providing a more targeted view of SLA performance for calls that were actually answered.

Why % Inbound in SLA (vs answered) is usually higher

It is normal for % Inbound in SLA (vs answered) to be higher than % Inbound within SLA. Here is why:

  • % Inbound within SLA includes all inbound calls (answered and unanswered).
    • If there are unanswered calls or calls that exceeded the SLA threshold, they are counted and will reduce this percentage.
  • % Inbound in SLA (vs answered) only looks at answered calls.
    • Unanswered calls are excluded entirely from this calculation.
    • Since unanswered calls, which often negatively impact SLA, are not included, this percentage is typically higher because it focuses solely on the performance of calls that were successfully answered.