Understanding the Concept of Contact in Service Reporting

Updated 

Interactions refer to any instance of communication or engagement between a customer and the system, whether through Voice (calls/conversations) or Non-Voice (cases such as email, chat, or tickets).

Interactions are structured differently across Voice and Non-Voice channels.

  • Voice: In Voice, both Case Number and Conversation ID are used, where a single case may have one or multiple conversations.

  • Digital: Digital, the Case Number serves as the primary entity. At a more granular level, both models converge through the concept of a Contact, which represents the lowest unit of work.

A Contact is created within a conversation (Voice) or a case (Non-Voice) every time it enters a work queue. Each queue entry is treated as a new and independent Contact, even if the same Conversation ID or Case Number re-enters the same queue at a later stage.

Put simply, each queue entry equals one Contact. Every Contact is assigned a unique Contact ID, representing a single, clearly defined unit of queue-level work within the overall case journey. If the same case or conversation enters a queue multiple times, each instance is counted separately and tracked with its own Contact ID.

All performance metrics and KPIs are measured at the Contact level rather than the Case level, ensuring accurate visibility into queue workload and handling activity. Each Contact ID corresponds to a specific queue workload instance, with a defined lifecycle: it begins when the interaction enters a queue and ends when it exits the queue.

When Is a New Contact Created?

A new contact is created whenever a case enters a work queue, including the following situations:

For Voice

  • Transfer from one queue to another.

  • Warm transfer to another queue or agent.

  • Blind Transfer.

For Digital

  • Manual assignment directly to an agent.

  • Reassignment to the same queue due to routing logic.

  • Any case that exits and later re-enters the same queue.

This approach ensures that every unit of queue work is tracked independently, allowing for accurate workload measurement, performance reporting, and service optimization.

Detailed View of Voice and Digital Queue Flows

The detailed view of Voice and Digital Queue workflows is listed below:

The flow of this scenario is explained below:

When you contact the support team, you get one case that tracks your issue from start to finish. Within that case, every time your case moves into the queue is a new contact ID for us to calculate or to measure the performance.

Think of it like this:

Your case would be your issue.

A new Contact ID is generated every time a contact enters the queue. This occurs, for example, during transfers or manual assignments, etc.

Contact ID 1 – First Time Through the Queue. The range spans from A to I.

A — Work Queue 1 Entry

  • The interaction first enters the digital system

  • It is put into Work Queue 1

No agent owns it yet. The system is deciding who should handle it. Queue Time starts here.

Transition: A → B

The interaction is picked up from the queue (by routing logic).

B — Bot Engagement / Routing

A bot or automated logic interacts with or evaluates the request.

  • System attempts self‑service or categorization.

  • Interaction is still not owned by a human agent.

Transition: B → C

  • Bot could not resolve the issue.

  • The interaction must go to a human agent.

C — Agent 1 Assigned

Agent 1 is assigned to the interaction

  • Ownership begins.

  • The agent is now responsible.

Agent Response Time starts. Handle Time will start once the agent acts.

Transition: C → D

Agent 1 prepares to respond.

D — Agent 1 First Response

Agent 1 sends the first reply to the customer.

  • First Response SLA is met.

Transition: D → E

Conversation continues

E, F, G — Ongoing Agent–Customer Conversation

These represent message exchanges.

C1, C2, C3 = Customer replies

  • Active handling.

  • Handle Time continues to accumulate.

Transition: G → H

  • Agent has replied.

  • Now waiting on the customer.

H — Awaiting Customer Response

  • The agent has responded.

  • The customer is expected to reply.

  • Agent is waiting. Case is still owned by Agent 1.

  • Customer Follow‑up Response Time starts.

Transition: H → I

Customer does NOT reply within allowed time.

I — Agent 1 Unassignment

  • Agent 1 is unassigned

  • Interaction is not closed

  • The system frees the agent

  • The interaction must be re‑queued

Contact ID 1 ends here

Contact ID 2 – Second Queue Attempt (This section covers I → L).

Same customer issue enters Work Queue 2 (This is a continuation, not a new problem)

  • Queue Time starts again

Transition: J → K

Routing assigns a new agent

K — Agent 2 Assignment

  • Agent 2 is assigned.

  • Ownership shifts to Agent 2.

  • Agent Response Time starts again.

Transition: K → L

  • Customer does not engage / no activity.

L — Agent 2 Unassignment (No Response)

  • No successful engagement.

  • Agent 2 is unassigned.

Contact ID 2 ends.

Contact ID 3 – Third Attempt (This section covers L → N)

This section covers M → N.

M — Work Queue 3 Entry

  • Issue enters Work Queue 3.

  • Another retry to find the right agent.

Transition: M → N

Agent assigned

N — Agent 3 Assignment

Agent 3 gets the interaction

Contact ID 3 ends.

Contact ID 4 – Final Handling (This section covers N → P).

Transition: N → O

Agent 3 does not resolve and releases ownership.

O — Agent 4 Assignment

  • Interaction is assigned to Agent 4

Transition: O → P

  • Agent 4 responds

P — Agent 4 First Response

  • First response from Agent 4.

  • Customer engages successfully.

  • Issue is resolved.

  • Interaction closes.

Contact ID 4 ends here.

Journey ends.

The letters (A–P) mark every state change of a single customer interaction as it repeatedly enters queues, gets assigned to agents, waits for responses, gets unassigned, and is retried, until one agent successfully completes it.

The flow of this scenario is explained below:

When you contact the support team, you get one case that tracks your issue from start to finish. Within that case, every time your case moves into the queue is a new contact ID for us to calculate or to measure the performance.

Think of it like this:

Your case would be your issue.

A new Contact ID is generated every time a contact enters the queue. This occurs, for example, during transfers or manual assignments, etc.

Contact ID 1 – First Time Through the Queue. The range spans from A to I.

A — Work Queue 1 Entry

  • The interaction first enters the digital system

  • It is put into Work Queue 1

No agent owns it yet. The system is deciding who should handle it. Queue Time starts here.

Transition: A → B

The interaction is picked up from the queue (by routing logic).

B — Bot Engagement / Routing

A bot or automated logic interacts with or evaluates the request.

  • System attempts self‑service or categorization.

  • Interaction is still not owned by a human agent.

Transition: B → C

  • Bot could not resolve the issue.

  • The interaction must go to a human agent.

C — Agent 1 Assigned

Agent 1 is assigned to the interaction

  • Ownership begins.

  • The agent is now responsible.

Agent Response Time starts. Handle Time will start once the agent acts.

Transition: C → D

Agent 1 prepares to respond.

D — Agent 1 First Response

Agent 1 sends the first reply to the customer.

  • First Response SLA is met.

Transition: D → E

Conversation continues

E, F, G — Ongoing Agent–Customer Conversation

These represent message exchanges.

C1, C2, C3 = Customer replies

  • Active handling.

  • Handle Time continues to accumulate.

Transition: G → H

  • Agent has replied.

  • Now waiting on the customer.

H — Awaiting Customer Response

  • The agent has responded.

  • The customer is expected to reply.

  • Agent is waiting. Case is still owned by Agent 1.

  • Customer Follow‑up Response Time starts.

Transition: H → I

Customer does NOT reply within allowed time.

I — Agent 1 Unassignment

  • Agent 1 is unassigned

  • Interaction is not closed

  • The system frees the agent

  • The interaction must be re‑queued

Contact ID 1 ends here

Contact ID 2 – Second Queue Attempt (This section covers I → L).

Same customer issue enters Work Queue 2 (This is a continuation, not a new problem)

  • Queue Time starts again

Transition: J → K

Routing assigns a new agent

K — Agent 2 Assignment

  • Agent 2 is assigned.

  • Ownership shifts to Agent 2.

  • Agent Response Time starts again.

Transition: K → L

  • Customer does not engage / no activity.

L — Agent 2 Unassignment (No Response)

  • No successful engagement.

  • Agent 2 is unassigned.

Contact ID 2 ends.

Contact ID 3 – Third Attempt (This section covers L → N)

This section covers M → N.

M — Work Queue 3 Entry

  • Issue enters Work Queue 3.

  • Another retry to find the right agent.

Transition: M → N

Agent assigned

N — Agent 3 Assignment

Agent 3 gets the interaction

Contact ID 3 ends.

Contact ID 4 – Final Handling (This section covers N → P).

Transition: N → O

Agent 3 does not resolve and releases ownership.

O — Agent 4 Assignment

  • Interaction is assigned to Agent 4

Transition: O → P

  • Agent 4 responds

P — Agent 4 First Response

  • First response from Agent 4.

  • Customer engages successfully.

  • Issue is resolved.

  • Interaction closes.

Contact ID 4 ends here.

Journey ends.

The letters (A–P) mark every state change of a single customer interaction as it repeatedly enters queues, gets assigned to agents, waits for responses, gets unassigned, and is retried, until one agent successfully completes it.

The flow of this scenario is explained below:

When you call the support team, your call is tracked as part of a single conversation so we can support you smoothly from start to finish, even if your call is briefly transferred or rerouted. The definition is explained below:

  • Case Number: Covers your entire journey from start to finish and remains the same throughout the call, even if a transfer is attempted.

  • Conversation ID: Represents the single, continuous call and does not change in this scenario because the warm transfer was cancelled.

  • Contact IDs: Contact ID 1 tracks your main interaction with Agent 1, while Contact ID 2 is briefly created when the warm transfer to another queue starts, solely to capture queue‑level timing and workload.

This diagram shows what happens when an agent starts a warm transfer (bringing another team in to help you) but then cancels that transfer and continues helping you themselves.

High‑Level Structure

Conversation ID 1

  • Contact ID 1 → original inbound call.

  • Contact ID 2 → temporary contact created during warm transfer.

Only one conversation exists, but the warm transfer creates a second contact that is later cancelled.

Conversation ID 1 begins

Contact ID 1 - (This section covers A → G)

A — IVR Entry

  • Customer dials the number.

  • Call enters IVR.

Call intent is identified. Language, menu choices, or routing logic applied.

A → B

  • IVR completes routing.

  • Call is passed to a work queue.

B — Work Queue 1 Entry

  • Call enters Work Queue 1.

  • WQ1 Queue Time starts.

  • Queue‑level metrics begin.

B → C

  • Routing logic selects an agent.

C — Agent 1 Assignment / Ringing

  • Call is assigned to Agent 1.

  • Phone rings for the agent.

  • Agent Ring Time starts.

C → D

  • Agent answers the call.

D — Agent 1 Accepted

  • Live conversation begins.

  • Agent Handle Time starts.

Contact ID 2- (This section covers D → E)

Warm Transfer Attempt (Contact ID 2 Created)

At this point, Agent 1 decides to warm‑transfer the call.

D → E

  • Agent initiates warm transfer.

  • Secondary queue is involved.

E — Work Queue 2 Entry (Contact ID 2)

  • A new contact (Contact ID 2) is created.

  • Call is placed into Work Queue 2.

  • Customer may be on hold.

  • Original agent still maintains control.

  • Agent 1 is still connected.

Contact ID 2 ends here.

Warm Transfer Cancelled

E → F

  • Agent 1 cancels the warm transfer.

F — Agent 1 Cancels Transfer & Continues Call

  • Transfer does NOT complete.

  • Work Queue 2 contact is abandoned.

  • Agent 1 fully resumes the call.

Call End and Wrap‑Up (Back to Contact ID 1)

F → G

  • Call concludes from customer side

G — Customer Disconnects

  • Customer hangs up.

  • Active talk time ends.

G → End

  • Agent performs after‑call work.

Contact ID 1 ends here.

Agent 1 After‑Call Work (Final State)

  • Agent fills ACW (After Call Work).

  • Agent is unassigned from the case.

  • Contact ID 1 is closed.

This journey shows an inbound voice call where Agent 1 initiates a warm transfer, cancels it before completion, resumes the call, and completes after‑call work following customer disconnect, with each letter (A–G) marking a specific state change.

The flow of this scenario is explained below:

When a customer calls the support team, the call first enters the IVR system, where basic routing and menu options help identify the purpose of the call. It is then placed into the appropriate work queue, where the system assigns it to an available agent based on skills and capacity. The assigned agent answers the call, assists the customer, and if needed, may initiate a warm transfer to another agent for specialized help. During a warm transfer, both agents briefly connect to discuss the issue before the customer is smoothly handed over. Once the conversation finishes, the customer disconnects and the agent completes after‑call work to close the interaction properly.

Contact ID 1 — Initial Call Flow (A → H)

A — IVR (Call Entry Point)

Customer calls the service number and enters the IVR system.

A → B

IVR determines routing and sends call to Work Queue 1.

B — Work Queue 1 Entry

The call enters Work Queue 1.

  • Queue Time WQ1 Begins

  • System waits for an available skilled agent.

B → C

Queue routing assigns Agent 1.

C — Agent 1 Assignment

Call is ringing on Agent 1’s phone.

  • Agent Ring Time begins.

C → D

Agent 1 picks up the call.

D — Agent 1 Accepted

Agent 1 is now speaking with the customer.

  • Agent 1 Handle Time starts (C→A1R).

  • Conversation continues.

Warm Transfer Initiation (D → J)

Agent 1 Initiates Warm Transfer

Agent 1 decides they need help from another queue/skill.

Contact ID 2 — Warm Transfer Flow (D → J)

D → E

A warm transfer is initiated to Work Queue 2.

E — Work Queue 2 Entry

Warm transfer creates Contact ID 2.

  • This is a new system contact for Agent 2.

  • Customer remains connected to Agent 1.

E → F

Queue assigns Agent 2.

F — Agent 2 Assignment

Agent 2 receives the warm transfer request and phone rings.

F → G

Agent 2 accepts.

G — Agent 2 Accepts; Consult Starts

Agent 2 has accepted the transfer but customer is still connected to Agent 1.

  • A three‑way consult bridge exists:

    • Agent 1

    • Agent 2

    • Customer (not yet moved)

Agent 1 and Agent 2 discuss before bringing the customer in.

Transfer Completion — Customer Moves to Agent 2 (G → H)

H — Agent 1 Completes Transfer

Agent 1 presses Complete Transfer.

  • Customer is now fully moved from Agent 1 to Agent 2.

  • Agent 1’s call ends.

  • Agent 2 continues the call alone.

Warm transfer successfully completed.

Contact ID 1 ends here.

H → I

Customer disconnects from Agent 2 → ACW starts

I →J

Agent 2 is completing After‑Call Work (ACW)

J — Agent 2 Completes ACW

Contact ID 2 ends here

Agent 2 completes wrap‑up tasks (notes, disposition, updates) and becomes unassigned.

Once ACW is finished, the system closes Contact ID 2.

Post‑Transfer Ending (H onward)

Customer Disconnects

Customer hangs up while speaking to Agent 2.

Agent 2 ACW (After Call Work)

Agent 2 performs wrap‑up tasks and gets unassigned.

Agent 1 ACW

Agent 1 also performs ACW (from the warm transfer initiation side).

(Note: per the note in the diagram, for Samsung: Consult time is removed from Agent 1’s AHT.)

Summarising it, a customer call goes to Agent 1, Agent 1 performs a warm transfer to Agent 2, both agents enter a consult, Agent 1 completes the transfer, Agent 2 continues the call, the customer disconnects, and both agents complete post‑call work.

When you call the support team, your entire interaction is tracked as one continuous conversation, even if multiple agents are involved. In this scenario, Agent 1 consults Agent 2, but the call is never transferred. Agent 2 joins only temporarily to assist, and Agent 1 continues with the customer until the call ends.

From the customer's perspective, this still feels like one seamless call.

However, behind the scenes, the system creates multiple Contact IDs to accurately capture queue times, workload, and agent effort.

High‑Level Interaction Structure

Conversation ID 1: Represents the full voice call from start to finish.

Contact ID 1: The main interaction handled entirely by Agent 1.

Contact ID 2: A temporary contact created only for the consult request in Work Queue 2.

Tracks Agent 2’s assignment, ringing, and consult time.

Ownership never moves—Agent 1 remains the primary agent for the entire conversation.

Conversation ID 1 Begins

Customer dials the support number.

The call enters the IVR.

Routing logic identifies the correct queue for the issue.

A → B

A — Work Queue 1 Entry

The call enters Work Queue 1.

Contact ID 1 is created.

Queue time and ASA (Average Speed of Answer) begin tracking.

B → C

C — Agent 1 Assignment / Ringing

The system assigns the call to Agent 1.

Agent 1’s phone rings.

Ring time is recorded.

C → D

D — Agent 1 Accepted

Agent 1 answers the call.

The live conversation starts.

Agent 1’s Handle Time (AHT) begins.

Consult Workflow Begins (Contact ID 2 Created)

At this moment, Agent 1 needs additional help and initiates a consult.

D → E (Consult Triggered, Contact ID 2 Created)

E — Work Queue 2 Entry

Agent 1 initiates a consult.

Contact ID 2 is created specifically for consult handling.

The consult request enters Work Queue 2.

Work Queue 2 queue time and ASA begin.

The customer stays connected with Agent 1 at all times.

Agent 2 Joins for the Consult

E → F

F — Agent 2 Assignment / Ringing

The system selects Agent 2.

Agent 2’s phone rings.

Ring time is tracked.

F → G

G — Agent 2 Accepts / Consult Starts

Agent 2 accepts the consult.

A consult session begins between Agent 1 and Agent 2.

The customer may be placed on hold depending on process/policy.

Consult time is tracked for both agents.

Customer is not transferred—still owned by Agent 1.

Consult Ends (No Transfer)

G → H

H — Agent 2 Drops Consult

Agent 2 disconnects after providing the needed assistance.

Contact ID 2 ends here.

The call remains entirely under Contact ID 1.

Agent 1 continues handling the customer alone.

Call End and Wrap-Up

H → I

I — Customer Disconnects

The customer ends the call.

Agent 1 enters After‑Call Work (ACW).

Once ACW is complete, Agent 1 becomes unassigned.

Contact ID 1 closes, ending the entire conversation.

Summary of the Entire Flow

A customer calls support and is routed through IVR to Work Queue 1.

Agent 1 answers and assists the customer. When additional help is needed, Agent 1 initiates a consult to Work Queue 2, creating Contact ID 2. Agent 2 joins briefly, provides support, and disconnects without ever taking over the call. Agent 1 continues and finishes the interaction. After the customer hangs up, Agent 1 completes ACW and the call is closed.

The system logs:

One Conversation ID (the entire customer call)

Contact ID 1 (Agent 1’s full handling)

Contact ID 2 (temporary consult segment for Agent 2)

The Contact ID is instrumental for queue-level reporting and is consistently featured in queue-based reports. Beyond its inclusion in these reports, the Contact ID serves to unify insights across different queues, agents, and cases. This comprehensive connectivity is essential for precise workload measurement, effective demand forecasting, strategic capacity and staffing planning, and gaining clear visibility into agent performance. These insights help ensure support resources are aligned with customer needs and that your requests are handled efficiently and consistently. The following reports help us see the complete picture of how customer requests move across different channels:

Use Cases of Queue Reports

  • Accurate workload measurement: Understand exactly how much work is being generated as customer requests move through support queues, helping ensure every interaction is counted and nothing is overlooked.

  • Workload forecasting: Identify patterns in incoming requests over time so future demand can be predicted more accurately and support teams are better prepared.

  • Workforce and capacity management at the queue level: Ensure the right number of agents are available in each queue to reduce wait times and improve response speed.

  • Agent productivity and performance analysis: Measure how effectively agents are supporting customers, such as the number of requests each agent handles, to support coaching, planning, and service improvement.