Visual Business Analytics: Using the Example of a Call Center

Abstract

In this article we will examine an approach to the analysis of semi-structured log data using the example of a call center as a subsection of a central corporate service center. In such data all events of a caller passing through the routing are stored. Consequently, it is possible to trace more precisely what the customer experiences during his call. However, this information is only available in semi-structured form. A little-known approach in Anglo-Saxon literature, the Visual Business Analytics (VBA), represents a holistic concept for achieving added value from semi-structured data. In the VBA, data is initially transformed and structured and then prepared for analysis purposes. The goal is to derive recommendations for supporting management decisions in a call center. In the further course, the development of the approaches of information representation is examined first, then the VBA is presented and applied to the log protocols in a call center. Finally, other call center applications of VBA are considered, and an outlook is given on other industries in which the use of VBA offers advantages.