If you’re trying to figure out which calls are helping your business and which are just eating up everyone’s time, you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone using Novocall who wants to actually understand what’s going on with their call data—not just stare at pretty charts and hope for the best.
Whether you’re running sales, support, or anything in between, this is about turning call metrics into clear next steps (not a pile of spreadsheets you’ll never look at again).
1. Get Your Bearings: What Novocall Tracks (and What It Doesn’t)
Before you get lost in filters and charts, let’s be honest about what Novocall actually gives you—and what’s just wishful thinking.
What you CAN track in Novocall:
- Total number of calls (inbound, outbound, missed)
- Call duration
- Call outcomes (answered, missed, voicemail, etc.)
- Call source (where the call was initiated—website widget, campaign, etc.)
- Who handled the call (agent, team, or department)
- Time and date of each call
- Basic caller info (if captured)
What you WON’T get (at least, not natively):
- Call transcripts or audio recordings (unless you’ve enabled call recording, which may have legal hoops)
- Automated sentiment analysis (don’t expect “AI magic” summaries out of the box)
- Deep CRM-style reporting—Novocall isn’t a full-blown analytics suite
Pro tip: Don’t waste time hunting for data that isn’t there. Focus on what’s actually in the dashboard. If you need more, look into integrations or export options.
2. Step-by-Step: Tracking Call Performance in the Novocall Dashboard
Step 1: Log Into Your Novocall Account
Obvious, but worth saying—don’t use incognito windows or multiple logins at once. Novocall sometimes gets fussy with session handling.
Step 2: Head to the Analytics or Dashboard Section
- Usually, it’s labeled “Analytics,” “Dashboard,” or sometimes just “Reports.”
- If you see a sidebar, it’s often in the main menu.
Pro tip: If you’re an admin, you’ll see more data. If you’re a regular agent, your view may be limited.
Step 3: Pick Your Date Range (Don’t Ignore This)
- Most teams screw up here: they forget to adjust the date filter and end up analyzing a random week from last year.
- Set your custom date range—last 7 days, this month, last quarter, whatever makes sense.
Why it matters: Trends and patterns only show up when you compare apples to apples.
Step 4: Break Down Calls by Type
- Use the filters to separate inbound from outbound calls.
- Triage further: answered, missed, or sent to voicemail.
- You can usually filter by agent/team, too.
What’s worth tracking? - Missed calls: If these are high, you’ve got a coverage or routing problem. - Outbound calls: Useful for sales or follow-up campaigns. - Repeat callers: Often a sign of unresolved issues (or a really chatty customer).
Step 5: Dig Into Call Duration
- Find the average call length. Are your calls too short (rushed) or too long (inefficient)?
- Compare high performers to the average. If one rep consistently has short calls but low conversions, that’s worth a closer look.
- For support teams, longer calls aren’t always bad—just make sure they’re solving problems, not spinning wheels.
What to ignore: Superficial “call volume” spikes—unless you know why they’re happening, don’t panic over one busy Monday.
Step 6: Check Call Outcomes and Conversion Rates
- If you’re logging outcomes (e.g., call resulted in demo booked, sale closed, issue resolved), use these filters.
- Calculate conversion rate: Number of “successful” calls divided by total calls.
Why this matters: High call volume means nothing if no one’s making progress.
Pro tip: If you’re not logging call outcomes consistently, start now. Otherwise, you’re just guessing.
Step 7: Analyze Call Source
- Novocall tracks where the call came from (website widget, Facebook ad, Google ad, etc.).
- Use this to see which channels actually deliver real conversations—not just clicks.
- Cut spending on sources that drive lots of calls but few real outcomes.
Step 8: Export Data for Deeper Analysis (If Needed)
- Novocall usually lets you export call logs as CSV or Excel files.
- This is your plan B if you want to create custom reports or slice data in ways the dashboard doesn’t allow.
- Import into Google Sheets or Excel, and pivot to your heart’s content.
Heads up: Exports are only as good as your data hygiene. “Garbage in, garbage out” applies.
3. Making Sense of the Numbers (and Avoiding Rabbit Holes)
Once you’ve got a handle on the basics, here’s how to actually use the data—without drowning in it.
What’s Worth Tracking Long-Term
- Missed call rate: If more than 10–15% of your calls go unanswered, something’s off.
- Average response time: If Novocall tracks callback speed, monitor this. Fast responses win deals.
- Agent/team performance: Who’s consistently nailing it? Who needs a hand?
- Channel effectiveness: Are paid campaigns turning into real conversations?
What’s Usually Not Worth Stressing Over
- Micro-fluctuations in daily call volume
- Vanity metrics (“We had 1000 calls!” means nothing if nothing happened)
- Super-granular time-of-day breakdowns (unless you’re staffing a call center 24/7)
Watch Out For:
- Outliers: One super-long or super-short call can skew averages.
- Data gaps: If agents aren’t logging call outcomes, your conversion numbers are fiction.
- Feature creep: Don’t spend hours configuring custom dashboards you’ll never use.
4. Real-World Workflows: How Teams Use Novocall Metrics
Here’s how actual teams use Novocall’s analytics—without getting bogged down.
For Sales Teams
- Track daily/weekly outbound call counts per rep.
- Match call data to CRM deals—did more calls mean more sales?
- Review missed call patterns to plug leaks in the follow-up process.
For Support Teams
- Measure average resolution time.
- Flag repeat callers for follow-up or escalation.
- Use missed call data to adjust staffing or shift schedules.
For Marketing Teams
- Attribute calls to campaigns or landing pages.
- Double down on sources generating real conversations, not just leads.
Pro tip: Pick two or three metrics that actually move the needle for your team. Ignore the rest, unless there’s a really good reason.
5. What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Regular, quick reviews (weekly or biweekly) to spot trends and problems early - Simple dashboards that show only what you care about - Actually acting on the data—adjust staffing, change campaigns, coach reps
What doesn’t: - Obsessing over every little spike or dip in calls - Forcing everyone to log endless call details (unless you really need them) - Relying on “automatic insights” or “AI suggestions” (they’re rarely as smart as advertised)
What to ignore: - Most “advanced” features unless you have a clear use case (call scoring, complex tagging, etc.) - Dashboard widgets you never reference—hide them
6. Staying Sane: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t try to build the perfect reporting setup on day one. Start with the basics, see what helps you make better decisions, and tweak as you go. Most teams get more value from clear, simple metrics reviewed regularly than from a monster dashboard no one understands.
Track what matters, ditch what doesn’t, and use Novocall to get answers—not just more noise.