# Reports data and metric definitions

Understand what report figures count, which activity is excluded and how much historical data is available.

*Release 3.3 · admin, developer, supervisor*

**Reports** · **Settings › Account › Operators** · **Settings › General Settings › Regional Settings**

## What it is

Report figures describe a particular set of activity. The same date range can produce different results when one report counts conversations, another counts replies and another counts sales. Column descriptions and data-availability information help you make a fair comparison.

## Who uses it and why

Supervisors use these definitions when explaining performance. Administrators check operator exclusions and regional settings. Developers use them when checking integration results against INSIDE reports.

## Where to find it

Open **Reports** and read the information icon beside the selected report and its column descriptions. The availability information states the period the portal contains for the selected website.

Operator exclusion is at **Settings › Account › Operators**. Website time and formats are at **Settings › General Settings › Regional Settings**.

## How it works

Before comparing figures, match the website, report, date range, filters and counting unit.

| Measure | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Chat requests | Invitations sent or requests received, according to the column. |
| Conversations | Conversations meeting that report's selection rules. |
| Operator actions or replies | Activity events, which can occur repeatedly on one conversation. |
| Conversion | Sales divided by the chats or visitors used by that row. |
| Average order value | Total sales value divided by the number of sales. |
| Service-level percentage | Hits divided by hits plus misses. |

Use the report's total row for the combined result. Averaging percentages or averages from individual rows gives each row equal weight, even when their volumes differ.

Historical availability reflects completed reporting periods. It does not establish that every later purchase or change to an earlier conversation is already reflected. **Performance Overview** can include recent operational activity beyond its historical reporting boundary, so it need not match a historical table at the same moment.

## Configure it

With the **Settings** or **Manager** role, open the operator account and review **Exclude from reports**. Its default is off. Use it for accounts whose activity should be left out of applicable report calculations.

With the **Settings** role, review the website's **Regional Settings**. Also check your operator timezone when comparing timed results, especially around midnight or when colleagues work in different timezones.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exclude from reports | Settings › Account › Operators | operator | Off | Settings role, Manager role | Excludes the operator from report calculations that use operator exclusions. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Reports | View reports and their metric descriptions. |

## Limits and good to know

- Exclusion does not mean the operator's conversations have been deleted.
- Do not treat **Engagements**, handled conversations and distinct visitors as interchangeable counts.
- A sale can appear after its associated chat. Earlier chat-date results can therefore change when later sales become available.
- A time displayed as a duration measures the interval described by that column, not necessarily the total age of the conversation.
- The availability message is not a guaranteed refresh interval.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Report selection and filters](REP-001.md): Use the reporting workspace to select and inspect historical reports.
- **Configured in** [Website and regional settings](ADM-004.md): Regional settings supply website time and display formats.
- **Configured in** [Operator settings](ADM-010.md): Operator settings include exclusion from reports.
- **Related** [Reporting data availability and warning logs](REP-030.md): Data availability and warning logs help investigate missing or inconsistent report figures.

### Used by

- **Configures** [Proactive chat control group sales comparison](COM-022.md): Operator exclusions described in reporting settings affect the comparison results.
- **Configures** [Missed opportunity estimates and reports](REP-014.md): Operator exclusions and regional settings affect the inputs used for estimates.
- **Related** [Visits and returning visitors](VIS-002.md): Check report definitions before comparing reported visitor totals with the live returning-visitor marker.
- **Related** [Stats Bar and My Stats](CON-024.md): Match measure definitions and periods when comparing My Stats or the statistics bar with reports.
- **Related** [Service levels and response timers](CHAT-029.md): Metric definitions explain which responses count when assessing a service-level result.
- **Related** [Report selection and filters](REP-001.md): Metric definitions explain how to interpret the selected report.
- **Related** [Chat performance and tab visibility reports](REP-003.md): Metric definitions explain the different counting units and reporting periods.
- **Related** [Operator productivity reports](REP-004.md): Metric definitions explain exclusions and the time measures used in productivity comparisons.
- **Related** [Sales attribution and conversion reports](REP-008.md): Metric definitions explain counting units, date bases and reporting availability when reconciling sales.
- **Related** [Ticket reports](REP-011.md): Metric definitions explain why ticket creation totals differ from handling activity.
- **Related** [Service Overview performance comparisons](REP-015.md): Metric definitions help explain differences between historical reports and recent dashboard activity.
- **Related** [Service Overview dashboard](REP-016.md): Check metric definitions, exclusions and freshness when comparing dashboard figures with reports.
- **Related** [Favourite reports and column selection](REP-020.md): Metric definitions help explain the measures selected for display in report columns.
- **Related** [Reporting data availability and warning logs](REP-030.md): Metric definitions help distinguish reporting coverage issues from different counting rules.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why do two reports show different totals for the same dates?

Check what each report counts and which date it uses. Also match filters, operator exclusions and data availability.

### Why is an operator absent?

Check the operator filter, team or subsite restrictions and **Exclude from reports** on the account.

### Why does today's report lag behind the live dashboard?

Historical reports use available reporting data. Live views can include more recent activity. Check the availability information and reload the historical report later.

### Why does my calculated average differ from the total row?

Combine the underlying counts or durations before dividing. Do not average row percentages or row averages.