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Using Alarm Thresholds to Monitor the Effectiveness of Delay Announcements
A system manager or calling group supervisor can use a simple formula to set alarm thresholds in such a way that Calls-in-Queue Alarm buttons can indicate whether or not delay announcements are functioning optimally. Generally, the interval between delay announcements (called the announcement interval) should be no shorter than the length (in seconds) of the secondary announcement. Ideally, the announcement interval should be the product of the secondary announcement�s length multiplied by the anticipated number of calls in queue during a busy time. For example, if the secondary announcement is 10 seconds long and 5 calls are expected in the queue, the announcement interval should be set to at least 50 seconds.
To set up alarm thresholds, follow these preliminary steps:
|
Calls Waiting for Secondary Announcement (N) |
Length of Secondary Announcement in Seconds (Z) |
Announcement Interval in Seconds (Y) |
Max. # of Calls in Queue before Alarm Signals (Y/ Z) |
N * Z |
N * Z > Y? |
|
3 |
10 |
30 |
3 |
30 |
No |
|
3 |
20 |
30 |
2 |
60 |
Yes |
|
5 |
15 |
90 |
6 |
75 |
No |
|
10 |
15 |
90 |
6 |
150 |
Yes |
When the number of calls waiting for a secondary announcement multiplied by the length of that announcement is greater than the announcement interval, an alarm is triggered. The table above illustrates situations where a programmed Calls-in-Queue Alarm button would or would not indicate a problem.
If problems arise, use the display at the calling group supervisor DLC console to monitor the situation while the problem is most severe. Try to adjust the secondary announcement�s duration and the interval setting so that the announcement interval is greater than or equal to the length of the secondary announcement multiplied by the number of calls waiting for the secondary announcement (Y >= N * Z).
If your calculations indicate a problem, take one or more of the following measures:
