The Call Volume Heatmap on the Phone IQ page is a powerful tool designed to help you visualize and understand your practice’s phone activity. This heatmap displays call volumes based on missed, inbound, and outbound calls throughout the week, highlighting peak times to optimize staffing and improve call handling efficiency.
1. Navigating the Heat Map
What is the heat map?
The heatmap shows call activity broken down by hour and day of the week. Each type of call (Missed, Inbound, and Outbound) has its own heatmap view, where color intensity represents the call volume. Darker shades indicate higher call volumes, and lighter shades represent lower volumes.Switching Between Call Types:
You can toggle between Missed Calls, Inbound Calls, and Outbound Calls by selecting the respective buttons below the heatmap. Each view provides insights into a different type of call activity.
2. Understanding Call Types and Colors
Missed Calls (Red Shades):
This view highlights times when calls were missed. Dark red blocks indicate periods with the highest number of missed calls, which may signal times when additional phone coverage could reduce missed opportunities.
Inbound Calls (Purple Shades):
This view shows incoming calls received by your practice. Darker purple areas represent higher inbound call volumes, allowing you to see when patients typically reach out most.
Outbound Calls (Blue Shades):
This view reflects calls made by your practice. Darker blue areas indicate times with more outbound calls, helping you evaluate if your practice is reaching out to patients at optimal times.
3. Leveraging Insights from the Heatmap
Identifying Peak Hours:
The heatmap helps identify high-traffic periods when call volume is at its highest. Use this information to plan staffing accordingly, ensuring more team members are available during peak times.Missed Call Management:
If you notice certain times with frequent missed calls, consider adding more team members or implementing follow-up processes to catch any missed calls quickly.Balancing Inbound and Outbound Calls:
By comparing inbound and outbound call patterns, you can balance patient communication and ensure that your outbound efforts don’t interfere with handling incoming patient calls.
4. Interacting with the Heatmap
Date Range Adjustments:
Use the date range settings at the top of the page to view call data for specific time periods. This flexibility allows you to compare call patterns across weeks, months, or even seasons for deeper insights.Color Scale Interpretation:
The color scale to the right of each heatmap shows the range of call volumes. Darker colors on the scale represent higher call numbers, providing a quick visual summary of call density.
5. Best Practices for Using the Heatmap
Staffing Based on Demand:
Align your staffing schedules with high-call periods indicated on the heatmap to ensure more team members are available to answer calls during these times.Reducing Missed Calls:
Utilize the missed calls data to strategize call handling improvements, such as assigning more team members during peak hours or setting up automated callback systems.Patient Engagement Timing:
Use outbound call data to determine when your practice should contact patients, ensuring that calls are made during times with lower inbound traffic to avoid overwhelming staff.