Severity levels
Operata raises insights at one of three severity levels, based on the impact and duration of the detected condition:- Minor (Warn) — issues that cause slight degradation, typically brief or low-impact.
- Severe (Critical) — issues that significantly impact call quality or customer experience.
- Terminal — issues that result in call termination or complete communication failure.
Pattern types
Many detections classify how the condition presents during a Contact:- Spike — a sudden, short burst of the condition (under 2 seconds).
- Sustained — continuous presence of the condition over 3 or more seconds.
- Degraded — fluctuating levels that rise and fall over the Contact.
Quick reference
Network
Device
Browser
Audio device
Agent interaction
Audio
Network insights
Network insights detect connectivity and data transmission problems that degrade real-time voice quality.High Inbound Packet Loss
Definition: Loss of data packets sent from the customer to the agent, causing degraded audio or missing speech during a call. Impact: Customer audio drops out or becomes unclear, disrupting conversation flow and potentially causing frustration. The agent needs to ask customers to repeat themselves. Pattern types:- Spike: A sudden, short burst of high inbound packet loss
- Sustained: Continuous high inbound packet loss over a period of time
- Degraded: Fluctuating inbound packet loss that rises and falls over a period of time
- Minor severity: Greater than 5% packet loss for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 5% for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 10% packet loss for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 10% for 3+ seconds
High Outbound Packet Loss
Definition: Loss of data packets sent from the agent to the customer, causing degraded audio or missing speech during a call. Impact: Agent audio becomes choppy or drops out for the customer, reducing communication effectiveness and potentially damaging the customer experience. Pattern types:- Spike: A sudden, short burst of high outbound packet loss
- Sustained: Continuous high outbound packet loss over a period of time
- Degraded: Fluctuating outbound packet loss that rises and falls over a period of time
- Minor severity: Greater than 5% packet loss for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 5% for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 10% packet loss for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 10% for 3+ seconds
Zero Inbound Packets
Definition: No data packets are received from the customer to the agent, indicating a complete loss of inbound audio. Impact: Agent cannot hear the customer at all, leading to miscommunication, repeated phrases, or forced call termination. Pattern types:- Spike: A short period with zero inbound packets
- Sustained: A continuous period with zero inbound packets
- Terminal: The call ends while zero inbound packets are being received, regardless of duration
- Minor severity (Spike): Any single second with zero packets
- Severe severity (Sustained): 5 or more consecutive seconds with zero packets
- Terminal severity: Call ended while experiencing zero inbound packets
Zero Outbound Packets
Definition: No data packets are sent from the agent to the customer, indicating a complete loss of outbound audio. Impact: Customer cannot hear the agent, breaking communication and damaging call continuity. Pattern types:- Spike: A short period with zero outbound packets
- Sustained: A continuous period with zero outbound packets
- Terminal: The call ends while zero outbound packets are being sent, regardless of duration
- Minor severity (Spike): Any single second with zero packets
- Severe severity (Sustained): 5 or more consecutive seconds with zero packets
- Terminal severity: Call ended while experiencing zero outbound packets
High Inbound Jitter
Definition: Variation in the timing of packets received from the customer to the agent, causing uneven or distorted audio. Impact: Customer audio becomes unclear or drops out, disrupting conversation flow and potentially frustrating the agent. Agent needs to be alerted in real time. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden increase in inbound jitter
- Sustained: A continuous period of elevated inbound jitter
- Degraded: Fluctuating inbound jitter levels over time
- Minor severity: Greater than 15ms jitter for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 15ms for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 30ms jitter for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 30ms for 3+ seconds
High Outbound Jitter
Definition: Variation in the timing of packets sent from the agent to the customer, causing uneven or distorted audio. Impact: Customer hears choppy or distorted agent audio, reducing clarity and comprehension. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden increase in outbound jitter
- Sustained: A continuous period of elevated outbound jitter
- Degraded: Fluctuating outbound jitter levels over time
- Minor severity: Greater than 15ms jitter for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 15ms for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 30ms jitter for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 30ms for 3+ seconds
High Round Trip Time
Definition: Delay in data transmission between agent and customer, affecting real-time communication flow. Impact: Customer and agent experience noticeable audio delay, causing conversation overlap or awkward pauses. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden increase in round trip time
- Sustained: A continuous period of elevated round trip time
- Degraded: Fluctuating round trip time levels over time
- Minor severity: Greater than 350ms RTT for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 350ms for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 500ms RTT for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 500ms for 3+ seconds
Low Inbound Mean Opinion Score (MOS)
Definition: The Mean Opinion Score (MOS) reflects voice quality based on network performance from customer to agent. Low MOS indicates degraded audio quality. Impact: Agent hears poor or distorted audio from the customer, making communication difficult and potentially requiring repeated questions. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden drop in MOS value
- Sustained: A continuous period of low MOS value
- Degraded: Fluctuating low MOS values over time
- Minor severity: MOS value of 3.6 or lower detected in the worst 2%, 10%, or 33% of the call
- Severe severity: MOS value of 3.0 or lower detected in the worst 2%, 10%, or 33% of the call
Low Outbound Mean Opinion Score (MOS)
Definition: The Mean Opinion Score (MOS) reflects voice quality based on network performance from agent to customer. Low MOS indicates degraded audio quality. Impact: Customer hears poor or distorted audio from the agent, reducing overall call quality and potentially impacting customer satisfaction. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden drop in MOS value
- Sustained: A continuous period of low MOS value
- Degraded: Fluctuating low MOS values over time
- Minor severity: MOS value of 3.6 or lower detected in the worst 2%, 10%, or 33% of the call
- Severe severity: MOS value of 3.0 or lower detected in the worst 2%, 10%, or 33% of the call
Device insights
Device insights detect hardware performance problems on the agent’s machine that affect application responsiveness and audio output.High CPU Utilization
Definition: Excessive processing load on the agent’s device during a call. Impact: Affects application and audio performance. Customer may hear audio glitches or delays caused by the agent’s device performance issues. Agent may experience application lag or freezing. Pattern types:- Spike: A short, sudden increase in CPU utilization
- Sustained: A continuous period of high CPU utilization
- Degraded: Fluctuating CPU utilization levels over time
- Minor severity: Greater than 90% CPU utilization for less than 2 seconds, OR 2+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 90% for 3+ seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 98% CPU utilization for less than 2 seconds, OR 4+ spikes over 10 seconds, OR sustained above 98% for 3+ seconds
Media Delivered to VDI
Definition: Call media (voice) has been delivered to a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment before being routed to the agent. Impact: VDI environments can introduce additional latency and audio processing overhead, potentially degrading call quality. Detection thresholds:- Severe severity: Detected when media is delivered to a VDI environment
Browser insights
Browser insights flag web browser versions that are outdated enough to affect performance or security.Legacy Browser Use
Definition: Use of a web browser version that is significantly outdated compared to the latest available version. Impact: Legacy browsers may have reduced performance, security vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues with modern web applications. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Browser is more than 2 versions behind the latest release
- Severe severity: Browser is more than 10 versions behind the latest release
Audio device insights
Audio device insights detect microphone and speaker configuration problems that reduce call audio quality.Internal Microphone
Definition: Use of a computer’s built-in internal microphone rather than an external or headset microphone. Impact: Internal microphones typically provide lower audio quality, pick up more background noise, and may be positioned suboptimally for voice capture. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Internal microphone detected
Mixed Audio Devices
Definition: Use of different devices for microphone input and speaker output during the interaction (e.g., headset microphone with laptop speakers). Impact: Mixed audio device configurations can lead to audio feedback, echo issues, and inconsistent audio quality. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Different microphone and speaker devices detected
Microphone Changed
Definition: The agent’s microphone device changed during the interaction. Impact: Changing microphones mid-call can cause audio disruption, quality changes, and potential communication gaps. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Microphone changed to the same underlying device (e.g., different software interface to same hardware)
- Severe severity: Microphone changed to a completely different physical device
Virtual Audio Device
Definition: Use of a virtual audio device that processes or modifies audio (e.g., Krisp, Sanas, or other noise cancellation/voice enhancement software). Impact: Virtual audio devices can introduce processing latency and may alter audio characteristics in unexpected ways. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Virtual audio device detected
Agent interaction insights
Agent interaction insights detect patterns in how agents use call controls — hold and mute — that affect contact duration and customer satisfaction.Large amount of Hold
Definition: Excessive use of the hold function during the call, keeping the customer waiting for extended periods. Impact: Long hold times frustrate customers and extend call duration, negatively impacting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Greater than 25% of call duration in hold state AND total hold time exceeds 30 seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 50% of call duration in hold state AND total hold time exceeds 60 seconds
Large amount of Mute
Definition: Excessive use of the mute function during the call, preventing the customer from hearing the agent. Impact: Extended mute periods can create customer confusion and reduce interaction quality, as customers are unsure if the agent is still present or working on their issue. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Greater than 25% of call duration in mute state AND total mute time exceeds 30 seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 50% of call duration in mute state AND total mute time exceeds 60 seconds
Call Ended on Hold
Definition: The call ended while the customer was on hold for an extended period. Impact: Ending a call while the customer is on hold creates a poor customer experience and may indicate an agent or system issue. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Call ended after 30+ seconds of hold
- Severe severity: Call ended after 120+ seconds (2 minutes) of hold
Call Ended on Mute
Definition: The call ended while the agent’s microphone was muted for an extended period. Impact: Ending a call while muted may indicate communication breakdown or technical issues, creating a confusing experience for the customer. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Call ended after 30+ seconds of mute
- Severe severity: Call ended after 120+ seconds (2 minutes) of mute
Audio insights
Audio insights detect problems with speech volume, background noise, and silence that affect how clearly each party hears the other.Low Customer Audio
Definition: Customer audio levels are unusually low, making it difficult for the agent to hear the customer. Impact: Agent may struggle to understand the customer, requiring frequent requests for repetition and extending call duration. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Average audio energy of 3,000 or lower during customer speech periods (10+ seconds minimum)
- Severe severity: Average audio energy of 2,000 or lower during customer speech periods (10+ seconds minimum)
Low Agent Audio
Definition: Agent audio levels are unusually low, making it difficult for the customer to hear the agent. Impact: Customer may struggle to understand the agent, leading to miscommunication and frustration. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Average audio energy of 3,000 or lower during agent speech periods (10+ seconds minimum)
- Severe severity: Average audio energy of 2,000 or lower during agent speech periods (10+ seconds minimum)
High Customer Background Noise
Definition: High levels of background noise detected in the customer’s audio when the customer is not speaking. Impact: Background noise can make it difficult to hear the customer when they do speak and may indicate a poor calling environment. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Average background audio energy of 200 or higher when customer is not speaking (10+ seconds minimum)
- Severe severity: Average background audio energy of 400 or higher when customer is not speaking (10+ seconds minimum)
High Agent Background Noise
Definition: High levels of background noise detected in the agent’s audio when the agent is not speaking. Impact: Background noise from the agent’s environment can distract the customer and appear unprofessional, potentially affecting customer satisfaction. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Average background audio energy of 200 or higher when agent is not speaking (10+ seconds minimum)
- Severe severity: Average background audio energy of 400 or higher when agent is not speaking (10+ seconds minimum)
Large amount of Silence
Definition: Excessive periods of silence during the call where neither the agent nor customer is speaking. Impact: Long silence periods may indicate poor engagement, technical issues, or inefficient call handling, potentially frustrating customers. Detection thresholds:- Minor severity: Greater than 35% of call duration in silence state AND total silence time exceeds 45 seconds
- Severe severity: Greater than 60% of call duration in silence state AND total silence time exceeds 90 seconds
Related
- Insights overview — how insights relate to signals, observations, and contacts.
- Data summary and frequency — what Operata collects and how often.
- WebRTC session — the per-second metrics most network insights run against.
- Operata API — Getting started — query insights via the API.