Below is a list of terms used across Branded Call data and analytics tools and their definitions, followed by an explanation of how Hiya samples call data and what the Margin of Error means.
Jump to:
- Branded Call dashboard
- Branded Call performance
- Why Hiya uses sampled data for analytics
- What is the Margin of Error?
- Increasing call volume for more accurate reporting
Branded Call dashboard
Phone numbers
The total of all phone numbers being managed for branding, regardless of branding status
Branded calls
Total outbound branded calls across all active networks
This is the exact, billed count of your branded calls — it's the figure to check against your invoice.
Phone number utilization
Percentage of your branded phone numbers making calls each month
Call duration
When a branded call is answered, the length of time the call lasts
Caller display
The entire display configuration for a phone number. Includes brand, logo, and call reason.
Pending
Number of phone numbers that are pending branding approval
Needs attention
Number of phone numbers that need attention before the caller display can be approved
Branded Call performance
Performance
Estimated call volume
An estimate of total outbound calls made with call branding
Answer rate
The percentage of outbound calls answered on the Hiya Network
Average answer rate
The average answer rate for the duration of the report
Unique answer rate
The percentage of individual phone numbers that answered your calls within a specified time frame
Average unique answer rate
The average unique answer rate for the duration of the report
Recipient call back rate
The percentage of recipients who called back after receiving a call
Who ended the call
The percentage of calls ended by the recipient or the caller
Call duration
When a call is answered, the length of time that the call lasts (in seconds)
Answer rate per attempt
For each attempt to call a unique phone number, how often the call is answered within a specified time frame
Margin of Error
The possible deviation from the value shown in a report. See what the Margin of Error is for more detail.
Reputation
Spam label rate
The percentage of calls on the Hiya Network labeled as spam
Spam report rate
The percentage of calls on the Hiya Network reported as spam
Blocked caller rate
The percentage of calls on the Hiya Network blocked due to a user's block list
Call Feedback
Reported number
The outbound phone number that was reported for a spam call.
Category
The spam category that was selected when the call was reported as spam.
Comment
The comment (optional) left by the call recipient when the call was reported as spam.
Why Hiya uses sampled data for analytics
All call data is not created equally. Some call analytics tools use limited data from carriers and applications, which prevents them from accurately calculating key metrics like answer rate or call duration. This can distort one's ability to measure the call outcomes one cares about.
To address this challenge, Hiya leverages a representative sample from data sources that can correctly identify calls answered by humans. This allows Hiya to provide analytics for answer rate, call duration, and other key metrics based on real conversations, not voicemails or automation. This sampling method also allows Hiya to build a foundation for providing additional analytics not available from other providers.
Because these are statistical estimates rather than complete counts, the performance and reputation metrics above — including Estimated call volume — cannot be reconciled against your invoice. If a number here doesn't match a number on your bill, that's expected, and not a sign that something's wrong with your account or your branding. If you need to verify billed call volume, use Branded calls on the Branded Call dashboard instead — that figure is a complete count, not a sample.
What is the Margin of Error?
All sampling involves a Margin of Error (MoE), a statistical measure that reflects the level of uncertainty, or potential error, of a sample of data compared to the full data set. The MoE helps us understand that the reported results are not an exact representation of reality but rather a range within which the true value is likely to fall.
Consider a scenario where you make 1,000 phone calls. The margin of error would be between 0.3-2.0%, depending on your answer rate. This margin is critical when analyzing trends or comparing different data sets. If the MoE for different data points overlaps, it could suggest that the analytics for these groups are essentially the same. You can learn more about the margin of error on Wikipedia.
Hiya uses MoE calculations to help you better understand your data. Research shows that Hiya's samples are large enough that the typical MoE is negligible.
Using the Margin of Error in the console
You can view the Margin of Error for each data point by selecting the Margin of Error option and checking "Display margins of error for sample-based data".
Increasing call volume for more accurate reporting
When the margin of error could be significant, Hiya automatically recommends changing the view to increase the call volume used for the data sample.
Hiya makes this recommendation so you can make the most informed decisions possible and know if the results might be inconclusive. The way you'd increase the volume of calls will depend on which report you're interested in:
Trend reports (Answer rate, Unique answer rate)
For trend reports, call volume is calculated by the number of calls in each data point. For example, a weekly report should have enough call volume for each week in the report.
If you don't have enough call volume for trend reporting, change the view to a higher level of aggregation (monthly instead of weekly) to view more trends with more data.
Histograms (Call duration, Answer rate per attempt)
For histograms, call volume is calculated for each bar in the chart for the overall timeframe of the report.
If you don't have enough call volume for a histogram report, lengthen the time frame of the report. This will include more data in the report.