LL - Call Center Terminology
https://www.globalresponse.com/resource-center/the-call-center-glossary/
A.
Abandoned After Threshold
A key performance indicator (KPI) measuring number of calls disconnected after waiting in queue beyond a previously established time threshold. It is important to measure versus calls where immediate customer hang-ups do not reflect an adequate opportunity for performance.
Abandoned Before Threshold
A key performance indicator (KPI) measuring number of calls disconnected before reaching a previously established time threshold.
Abandoned Call
A phone call that has been received by a call center’s communications switch, but is terminated by the caller before any conversation begins
Abandonment Rate
The percentage of callers who hang up before a Brand Specialist answers, or before they make a selection in an interactive voice response (IVR) unit. The inverse of answer rate.
ACD
See automatic call distribution.
Activity Codes
Codes that indicate the state of a Brand Specialist that are usually initiated by the Brand Specialist.
ACW
See after-call work.
Adherence
Also known as compliance, adherence measures the ability of a Brand Specialist to stay committed to his or her schedule. Also used to measure the Brand Specialist’s ability to adhere to a script, message, policy, practice or process as trained.
After-Call Work (ACW)
The Brand Specialist activity that directly follows a call, email, chat, social media or SMS inquiry. ACW encompasses data-entry, activity codes, dispositions, form completion and post-call communication.
Agent
Also known as a telephone/customer service representative (CSR) or Brand Specialist. An agent handles customer interactions and contacts in the call center.
Agent Availability
Often conveyed as a percentage, agent availability is a measure of the time that Brand Specialists are available to accept inbound calls.
Agent Occupancy
The amount of time a Brand Specialist is actively in talk time or after-call work versus idle (waiting for a call), frequently expressed as a percentage. To calculate agent occupancy, the total handle time is divided by the reporting period.
Agent Status
The functional state of a Brand Specialist, be it available, on call, off-phone work or other designation.
Agent Utilization
Measured as a percentage or in raw time, utilization compares a Brand Specialist’s in-call and/or after-call work time to their total logged or clocked time.
AHT
See average handle time.
AI
Artificial Intelligence. The ability of a computer to mimic human cognitive skills such as learning and understanding.
Analytics (Contact Center Analytics)
Using a variety of methods to collect customer data across all platforms in an effort to identify customer needs, increase customer engagement, optimize call center performance and increase customer satisfaction levels. Often used in reference to the visual representation of data driven insights. See business analytics.
ANI
See automatic number identification.
Announcement
A pre-recorded directive played to callers. May include pre-interactive voice response brand promotions, as an example.
Answer Rate
Number of calls answered by Brand Specialists in comparison to the number of calls offered.
Answer Supervision
The signal sent by the automatic call distributor (ACD) or other device to the local or long distance carrier to accept a call and begin applying long-distance charges, when applicable.
AOV
See average order value.
Application-Based Routing and Reporting
The capability of the automatic call distributor (ACD) to route and track transactions by type of call, or application (sales or service, for example), versus the traditional method of routing and tracking by trunk group and Brand Specialist group.
Apps
Software applications for mobile devices that allow users to perform particular functions. Brands and e-commerce companies, for instance, provide apps to customers to facilitate purchases and service.
Architecture
The fundamental structure of a system. This establishes the workings of all the components necessary to the system and how they are integrated.
Area Code
The three-digit precursor to the rest of a telephone number in any area of the United States and Canada.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The ability of a computer to mimic human cognitive skills such as learning and understanding.
ASA
See average speed of answer.
ATT
See average talk time.
Auto Available
System configuration to ensure Brand Specialists are automatically made available after wrapping up a call and disconnecting.
Auto Wrap-Up
Directly related to auto available, auto wrap-up conversely puts a Brand Specialist into after-call work as opposed to available. Brand Specialists are required to put themselves back into available states promptly after completing after-call work.
Automated Attendant
A telephone processing system that offers callers a recorded menu of choices designed to direct their call to the desired party. For instance, a recording will direct the caller to press one for customer service, press two to place an order and then connect them to the party they have chosen. See interactive voice response.
Automated Greeting
A prerecorded salutation that plays automatically when a call is answered.
Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
A specialized phone system used for handling incoming calls. The ACD recognizes an incoming call and scans for predetermined identifying information. This information is cross-referenced against a database of call routing instructions and distributes the call accordingly.
Automatic Dialer (Auto Dialer)
A phone system used to dial outbound calls from a call list, and route the answered calls to Brand Specialists.
Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
A protocol for providing phone number information to a receiving phone system, such as an automatic call distributor (ACD). ANI essentially functions as caller ID, often delivered via tonal frequencies carried over the phone line.
Auxiliary Work State
A time in which a Brand Specialist performs tasks other than taking calls, such as sending emails or preparing paperwork. During this time, Brand Specialists will not receive calls.
Available State
Describes a Brand Specialist’s status while signed into the automatic call distribution (ACD) system and ready to take a call.
Available Time
Status in which a Brand Specialist is able to take calls.
Average After-Call Work Time (AWT)
Also known as not-ready time, this is the average amount of time Brand Specialists work on customer accounts after ending a call, thus being unavailable to answer another call.
Average Call Value
Total revenue divided by total number of calls for a given period of time.
Average Contacts Per Hour
The number of contacts that a Brand Specialist handles divided by the number of hours the Brand Specialist works.
Average Delay of Delayed Calls (DEADLY)
The average wait callers experience when awaiting connecting with a Brand Specialist.
Average Delay to Abandon
The average time callers wait before the call is abandoned.
Average Delay to Answer
Metric used to calculate the average time a call remains in the queue until a Brand Specialist has picked it up. This is also called average speed of answer.
Average Handle Time (AHT)
A key performance indicator, AHT measures the average length of an interaction, including hold time, talk time and after-call work.
Average Order Value (AOV)
Sales metric providing insight into cost of a typical order, calculated as total sales revenue divided by total number of orders. A key performance indicator in sales-focused contact center programs.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
Metric used to calculate the average time a call remains in the queue until a Brand Specialist has picked it up. This is sometimes called average delay.
Average Talk Time (ATT)
Normally expressed in minutes and seconds, this measures the time spent speaking with a customer. It is one component of average handle time (AHT).
AWT
See average after-call work time.
Best Practices
Procedures or methods that are accepted as the most effective to achieve an objective.
Big Data
High-volume data that can be analyzed to understand behaviors, relationships and trends.
Blended Call Center
A call center handling a mix of different contact types, such as inbound and outbound calls, emails, chats, social media and SMS.
Blockage
A scenario in which phone lines or other communication channels are filled to capacity with in-progress and queued contacts, potentially causing additional inbound contacts to be blocked.
Blocked Call
A call that is unable to be completed because of a busy condition.
BPO
See Business Process Outsourcing
Brand Loyalty
The customer passion and confidence that compels them to repeatedly return to purchase from a company’s brand over time.
Brand Passion
The strong feeling of enthusiasm, excitement and devotion that a Brand Specialist, customer or others have for a brand. The commitment to represent the brand and the ability to assist and satisfy the brand’s customers.
Brand Reputation
The tangible and intangible value of a brand, how it is perceived by the population and the mission statement that upholds the brand. This element should be considered during every interaction.
Brand Specialist
Also known as a telephone/customer service representative (CSR) or agent, a Brand Specialist handles customer interactions and contacts in the call center.
BRI
See basic rate interface.
Brick and Mortar
The physical building or facilities in which a company does business, as opposed to online or virtual operations. Brick and mortar can refer to a traditional business, or the physical facilities of a company that also has e-commerce or mobile operations.
Business Analytics
Data analysis techniques that drive empirical insights (see Analytics), used to support various business functions. Example applications include predictive modeling for sales projections and staffing requirements, decision analysis for capital expenditures, and consumer insight analysis to enable precision-targeting in marketing initiatives.
Business Continuity Plan
An organized plan for routing calls to a different site in case of an emergency or disaster. Also called a disaster recovery plan, it provides contingencies for a variety of additional functions in the call center in the event of emergency as well.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
Contracting a business function, such as finance, human resources or contact center services, to a third-party provider.
Business to Business (B2B)
Describes inbound and/or outbound contacts that are generally between businesses.
Business to Consumer (B2C)
A term used to describe inbound and/or outbound contacts that are primarily between an enterprise and an individual consumer.
Busy Study
A study provided by a telephone carrier that shows the number of calls attempting to be connected on incoming trunks. Also shows the percentage of attempts that failed due to insufficient trunk capacity, resulting in a busy signal to the caller.
Magic Quadrant report.
Calibration
The process of aligning performance with the prescribed quality level to achieve the desired goals.
Call Blending
The method of organizing the inbound/outbound flow of calls, as well as emails, chats and other interactions, to a set of Brand Specialists. Contact blending can be accomplished manually or by means of automated systems that route the contacts to the Brand Specialists within a specified skillset utilized to improve efficiency.
Call-By-Call Routing
In accordance with real-time conditions, call-by-call routing is the method of directing calls to the optimal destination. See percent allocation and network inter-flow.
Call Center
An operation combining human, technical and physical resources to field inbound and/or place outbound phone calls. Call centers support a number of different industries and functions, and often handle contacts via channels beyond the telephone, including email, chat, social media and SMS. Call centers deploy technological solutions and operational processes to distribute contacts to teams of Brand Specialists, often located in one or more locations. Also see contact center.
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Call Center Attrition
Brand Specialist turnover in the call center environment. Attrition generally does not include adjustments in personnel for seasonal or other volume fluctuations.
Call Center Forecasting
Calculations based on rigorous mathematics and experience that are used to predict call volume. The expected volume is in turn used to project the required staffing in the given time. Many different factors can affect the forecast, including seasonality, marketing, promotions and organic brand growth.
Call Center OutsourcingCall center outsourcing refers to the business strategy of partnering with an external company to manage customer contacts. The outsourced call center may reside internally, externally or virtually depending on the needs of the parent company. The benefits of outsourcing include delegating the costly and time consuming efforts dedicated to hiring, training, quality assurance and staffing, while creating the opportunity to focus your time on customer service strategy, insights and the performance of your business.
Call Center Service Level
Can refer generally to agreed-upon levels of service in either an outsourced or internal call center environment. The term service level also commonly refers to the specific metric measuring the percentage of calls answered within a predetermined time threshold. For example, an 80/20 service level refers to a target of 80 percent of inbound calls being answered within 20 seconds.
Call Closing
The end of a call between a customer and agent, or Brand Specialist, which may include elements on the agent’s part such as a thank you and a question of whether there is anything more they can do to assist.
Call Control
The act of controlling the flow of a conversation, usually by asking questions.
Call Control Variables
A gauge for judgment used to process calls. Includes routing criteria, overflow parameters, recorded announcements and timing thresholds.
Call Detail Recording
Data on each call, acquired and stored by the automatic call distributor (ACD). Includes trunk used, time in queue, call duration, Brand Specialist who handled the call, number dialed (outgoing) and other information.
Call Drivers
The reasons for which customers make calls to a contact center. Drivers can also apply to other channels, such as email, chat or social media.
Call Forcing
An automatic call distribution (ACD) feature that automatically delivers calls to Brand Specialists who are available and ready to take calls. The Brand Specialist hears a notification that the call has arrived (a beep tone, for instance), but does not have to press a button to answer the call.
Call GreetingThis is the salutation to the customer at the start of a call with a Brand Specialist, or agent. The basic call opening may include a welcome, the company’s name and the agent’s name, but can include elements to reflect contact center culture or other information deemed important enough to be stated at the onset of a call.
Call Guide
A tool (or template) that outlines the natural flow of the call, providing Brand Specialists with questions to ask and product information to assist them with call control. Call guides are often put online in a computer application.
Call Length
The amount of time it takes to process one customer interaction, generally expressed as an average. See average handle time.
Call Metering
Limiting the number of incoming callers that can get through the switch at one time. This may be used when demand far exceeds planned forecast. The customer may hear a fast busy signal during this time.
Call Opening
This is the salutation to the customer at the start of a call with a Brand Specialist, or agent. The basic call greeting may include a welcome, the company’s name and the agent’s name, but can include elements to reflect contact center culture or other information deemed important enough to be stated at the onset of a call.
Call Recording
Storing data from phone interactions, often with the goal of being able to provide additional training to the Brand Specialist by monitoring for quality control, all in an effort to enhance customer satisfaction. Additionally, call recording also can be used as documentation of a transaction, offer, action to be taken by both or either parties or a conversation.
Call Review Assessment
An assessment of a Brand Specialist’s call-handling proficiency, usually scored and conducted by a member of a call center quality assurance team.
Call Strategy
The plan or approach that a Brand Specialist will take in handling a customer call. Includes the desired outcome of the call.
Call Time
The duration of a call. See average handle time.
Call Transfer
The telecommunications technique that sends a customer call from its current destination to another phone location, which can be another agent, supervisor or a device. Transfers can be unannounced, which is called a cold transfer, or announced, which is called a warm transfer.
Caller-Entered Digits
Using the telephone keypad, callers can enter digits to navigate a directory or leave a request for callback message.
Caller ID
Displays a caller’s information on the telephone or on a separately attached screen. This allows the receiving end to identify who is trying to contact them. Important to consider company branding on outbound calls.
Calling Line Identity (CLI)
This, essentially, is caller ID, which delineates a caller’s information on the telephone or on a separately attached screen. See automatic number identification.
Calls Handled
A variable in call center metrics that represents the volume of calls answered from the queue before being dropped.
Calls In Queue
A real-time report on the number of calls received by the automatic call distribution (ACD) system but not yet connected to a Brand Specialist.
Calls Offered
Number of calls available for answer. Key indicator of staff required to satisfy call volume.
Calls Per Agent
A metric based on the calculation of dividing the calls handled by the total number of Brand Specialists taking calls in a particular time.
Carrier
A business that supplies telecommunications circuits, or carries signals between two points. It can include both domestic and international providers.
Case Management
Managing a set of customer service relationships, which will begin from initial contact interaction until the last communication has been completed and the customer is completely satisfied. Similar to CRM.
CCS
See centum call seconds.
Central Office (CO)
Can refer to either a telephone company switching center or the type of telephone switch used in a telephone company switching center. The local central office receives calls from within the local area and either routes them
locally or passes them to an inter-exchange carrier (IXC). On the receiving end, the local central office receives calls that originated in other areas, from the IXC.
Centum Call Seconds (CCS)
Centum is 100 call seconds. Widely considered a unit of telephone traffic calibration. 1 hour = 1 Erlang = 60 minutes = 36 CCS.
CES
See customer effort score.
Channel
Paths of communication, such as phone, email, chat and social media. In retail, it can also be used to define delivery method.
Chat
Like an instant message system, this allows any logged-in computer Brand Specialist and customer to have a written conversation online and in real-time.
Chat Bot
A computer program that replicates conversation via internet messaging, sometimes used in e-commerce, call centers and customer service as a virtual agent to provide information on a limited topic.
Circuit
Facilitates a network to transmit information between two points.
Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise
A Cisco Systems product that provides call center computer telephony integration, contact routing and multichannel contact management. It includes automatic call distributor functions and IP telephony.
CLI
See calling line identity.
Click to Chat
A service that facilitates an online chat, or instant message conversation, about a product or service, typically initiated via icon or a website.
Client/Server Architecture
An arrangement of computers and computer systems that all share an infrastructure in which their capabilities and devices are combined.
Clienteling
The retail practice of building customer relationships by suggesting purchase selections based on data from previous purchases. Another layer of personal touch that can apply in communications on any channel.
Co-Browse
See collaborative browsing.
Coaching
The process of optimizing Brand Specialist and program performance through positive reinforcement and encouragement. Conducted in conjunction with call monitoring and quality assurance evaluation sheets to assist in identifying opportunities for improvement.
Cold Transfer
This is the telecommunications technique that sends a customer call from its current destination to another phone location or agent unannounced. The cold transfer is simply switched from one phone to another without any introduction of caller to the next agent.
Collaborative Browsing
Synchronized internet browsing by at least two people, known as co-browsing. This can be used by Brand Specialists to guide customers in website navigation. The difference between co-browsing and similar internet communication tools like screen sharing is that both participating parties may have control over the browsing window.
Collateral Duties
Business activities that don’t require phone calls. These duties can be allotted to improve utilization.
Command Center
A group within a call center program that has responsibility for such workforce management functions as real-time schedule adherence, agent skilling, scheduling, forecasting and reporting.
Command Center Analysts
People within a contact center Command Center who assess real-time reporting and situations to make workforce adjustments as needed.
Common Causes
Causes of variation that are inherent to a process over time. They cause the rhythmic, common variations in the system of causes and they affect every outcome of the process and everyone working in the process. See special causes.
Compliance
The act of fulfilling official or government requirements and regulations in the call center. For instance, Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards require measures that include protecting financial transactions and credit card information
Completed Call
A call that has undergone total treatment by a Brand Specialist.
Computer Simulation
Used to predict a future occurrence, usually quantitatively, using multiple variables. Designed to test solution outcomes based on possible or probable events.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
The amalgamation of the telephone and computer system, which holds the database from which the company functions. This provides for smoother negotiation and handling.
Concierge
Brand Specialists who assist customers with a wide range of services related to the company or product, often going beyond what is expected to satisfy the request.
Conditional Routing
The capability of the automatic call distributor (ACD) to route calls or contacts on an “if…then” basis. Routing conditions can include any day of week, time of day, Brand Specialist availability, type of call and service needed.
Consumer Affairs
Any action taken by a customer to express their questions, concerns or comments about a product, service, policy or action taken by a Brand Specialist in an effort to meet the needs of the customer.
Contact
Any communication between a customer or prospect and a Brand Specialist, primarily through a call, email, chat, fax, letter, social media or SMS.
Contact Center
Usually synonymous with call center. A contact center will handle email, chat, social media, SMS and faxes – not just calls. The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) defines a contact center as a coordinated system of people, processes, technologies and strategies that provides access to information, resources and expertise, through appropriate channels of communication, enabling interactions that create value for the customer and organization.
Contact Center Management
As defined by the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), the art of having the right number of properly skilled people and supporting resources in place at the right times to handle an accurately forecasted workload, at service level and with quality.
Contact Center OutsourcingContact center outsourcing refers to the business strategy of partnering with an external company to manage customer contacts. The outsourced contact center may reside internally, externally or virtually depending on the needs of the parent company. The benefits of outsourcing include delegating the costly and time consuming efforts dedicated to hiring, training, quality assurance and staffing, while creating the opportunity to focus your time on customer service strategy, insights and the performance of your business.
Contact Management
A system that tracks lines of communication to organize call center information. Processed through software applications.
Contingency Planning
Describes preliminary actions to be taken in the case of unfavorable situations within a business. Defines actions to be taken and by whom in terms of prevention, reaction and recovery.
Contract Staffing
A service used by call centers in which staff from separate sources are employed to work in the call center. The staff recruited and trained by the contract staffing agency consists of employees of that agency rather than employees of the call center. This strategy may be deployed during business peaks.
Conversion Rate
A measure of a Brand Specialist’s sales proficiency. The number of sales made divided by the number of calls taken. The conversion rate can also measure qualified leads, surveys, memberships and pledges, among others.
Conversational Commerce
Conversational commerce involves using technologies such as chat and messaging to connect the consumer with brands, companies and services via artificial intelligence, or bots. Chris Messina, formerly of Uber, is frequently credited with creating the term.
Cost Benefit Analysis
A study quantifying the costs and benefits of a decision or project over a specified period of time, as well as the costs and benefits of the alternatives.
Cost Per Call
A metric used by calculating the total cost of running a call center divided by the number of calls handled in a given period.
Courtesy Callback
Rather than remaining on hold, callers have the option of using their telephone keypad to leave a message or a telephone number for subsequent callback from a Brand Specialist.
CRM
See customer relationship management.
Cross Sell
To increase order value, complementary or support items are offered to a customer that are likely to be purchased. The customer receives products that are of use to their purchase and the call center increases the value of the order.
Cross Sell Matrix
Selection of items in a sales environment determined to have a superior rate of conversion based on the customers’ browsing experiences and/or purchase decisions. The cross sell matrix is a useful tool in ecommerce support and sales contact centers, allowing Brand Specialists to tailor product suggestions to specific customer behavior. The cross sell matrix functions as a tool to boost cart size and average order value.
CSAT See customer satisfaction score.
CSR
See customer service representative.
CTC
Web click-to-call. Also see web click-to-talk.
CTI
See computer telephony integration.
CTT
See web click-to-talk.
Culture
The unique environment or personality of a call center, based on beliefs and approaches that manifest throughout the center.
Customer
Individuals or organizations that purchase from your company.
Customer Care
Customer service that creates high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Customer-centric
A business strategy that is concentrated on the customer’s needs and satisfaction.
Customer Effort Score (CES)
A customer satisfaction survey used to measure the degree of effort the customer felt they had to expend to resolve their issue. The second version of the survey asks the customer to agree or disagree to the statement that the organization made it easy for them to handle their issue. The first version of CES asks the customer to rate the amount of effort they had to put forth to handle their request.
Customer Experience (CX)
The culmination of a brand interaction. The specific outcome and the corresponding emotional reaction that results from a customer’s interaction with a Brand Specialist. The goal of a Brand Specialist is to satisfy customers and go beyond, creating experiences in which customers feel that their well-being is the top priority for both the Brand Specialist and the brand.
Customer Journey
The total of all experiences a customer has during their interactions with a company or Brand, as opposed to the experience from one contact for a single transaction.
Customer Journey Mapping
Graphically depicting the story of the customer’s entire experience with an organization that identifies key interactions and discusses the customer’s feelings and motivation. A customer journey map helps the organization learn about its customer and provides insight into gaps in the experience that can be used to improve the process.
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
A company’s revenue or profit from transactions with a customer over the lifetime of the relationship.
Customer Loyalty
One of three levels of value in the call center, providing distinguished service that improves customer retention and transforms customers into advocates, according to the International Customer Management Institute. The other two levels are efficiency and strategic value.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The strategy of identifying customer needs, improving customer interactions and customizing contacts, sales approaches and automation to provide optimum service to each type of customer to maximize the bottom line benefits to the organization. It is a broad term that takes into account people, processes and technology related to the acquisition and retention of customers, and the maximization of the value of each customer relationship.
Customer Satisfaction
The degree to which a customer feels their expectations have been fulfilled by a company’s products and services.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Represents customer satisfaction. CSAT, used to calibrate the product delivered against the customer’s anticipation for the product, is expressed as a percentage with 100 percent reflecting complete customer satisfaction. There can be a large discrepancy between the CSAT scores of companies even within the same industry. When comparing scores, it is necessary to investigate the process in which the scores and benchmarks are assigned.
Customer Service
Working on behalf of and for the satisfaction of a customer.
Customer Service Contact Center
A center that serves as an enterprise’s central point for the management of all customer service contacts, interactions and customer relationship management (CRM).
Customer Service Representative (CSR)
One who handles customer calls and contacts. He or she answers any inquiries, dissatisfaction or support calls. Also known as Brand Specialist or agent in a contact center.
CX
See customer experience.
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GOS
See grade of service.
Grade of Service (GOS)
A measurement of how many calls are answered and how many are abandoned, expressed as a percentage.
ACD software packages and call detail recording systems.
Hit Rate
The number of successes achieved as a percentage of the total number of attempts for an activity. For instance, if 10 consumers are contacted and four choose to buy a product, the success ratio or hit rate is 40 percent.
Home Agent
An agent who works from home or another location outside of a call center’s central location.
Hospital Call CenterAn operation combining human, technical and physical resources to field inbound and/or place outbound phone calls in support of hospital care. Hospital call centers support a number of different functions, such as nurse triage; appointment scheduling; nurse, physician help lines; patient financial services; patient care coordination; and lab information lines, among others. They often handle contacts via channels beyond the telephone, including email, chat, social media and SMS. Hospital call centers, which should be compliant with healthcare regulations including HIPAA, deploy technological solutions and operational processes to distribute contacts to teams of Brand Specialists, often located in one or more locations. Also known as hospital contact center.
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Inbound sales
Sales opportunities that are initiated by incoming calls, emails, chats, social media or SMS inquiries from customers and prospects.
Incoming Call Center Management
The recruiting and selection of an agreed number of experienced Brand Specialists along with the support of ample technological resources to handle a forecasted workload qualitatively.
Incremental Revenue (Value) Analysis
A cost- and revenue-based method of analysis that is used to assist in the decision-making process to add Brand Specialists to the team or to reduce the number of team members.
Index Factor
In forecasting, a proportion used as a multiplier to adjust another number.
Information Mailbox
Similar to an automated attendant, an information mailbox directs callers to a pre-recorded menu system. This is often used to give callers directions to a website, provide hours of operation, offer instructions or anything else that can be done without the need for human interaction.
Information Technology (IT)
Involves computer systems and applications, especially their augmentation, establishment and implementation.
Instagram
A social media photo-sharing app available for download on smartphone and tablet devices. Followers see their friends’ photos on their feeds and vice versa. Anyone can comment and like a photo. See social media customer care.
Instagram@Reply
On Instagram, the ampersat (@) is used in front of a user’s handle to tag them in a photo and copy their response to the photo.
Instructor-led classroom training
Training of agents, or Brand Specialists, that is conducted by a human teacher onsite in the contact center or at a designated location, as opposed to interactive or online training.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
International objectives assigned to telephone transmission which provides a digital network, out-of-hand signaling and greater bandwidth than older telephone services. Basic rate interface (BRI) and primary rate interface (PRI) are the two standard levels of ISDN.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
An automated retrieval and processing device that provides information to callers via telephone keypad signaling and/or voice recognition. The response may be a recorded, artificial or synthesized voice. Common applications include bank by phone, check on my order and store locator.
Interflow
Calls that are manually or automatically rerouted from the contact center to a different site. This usually occurs when an automatic call distribution (ACD) group cannot handle every call coming in due to an excessive amount of calls. See overflow and intraflow.
Internal Help Desk
When more complex calls are received by a Brand Specialist group (Tier 1), the calls may be escalated to another team (Tier 2) that is trained to handle this higher level of call. The Tier 2 team may take over the call or provide information to the Brand Specialist group (Tier 1) to contact the customer and resolve the case.
Internal Response Time
A measure of the time taken for an escalation team or other support group to handle an assigned transaction. Often defined by key performance indicators (KPIs) that are unique to the specific function.
Internet “Call Me” Transaction
This allows a customer to receive a call from the call center via an internet option while they explore a website. Interconnection of the automatic call distribution (ACD) system requires an internet gateway.
Internet Phone
Rather than using the long-distance network, online users can make calls via the internet.
Intraflow
Calls that are manually or automatically rerouted to a different group of Brand Specialists.
Invisible Queue
When callers are waiting to be connected with a Brand Specialist and are unaware of how long they will be on hold and waiting in a queue. In this case, the call center does not provide any insight as to how long the wait will be.
ISDN
See integrated services digital network.
ISO 9001/2000
An international standard for the creation and maintenance of a quality assurance system within a company.
IVR
See interactive voice response.
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Omnichannel
An extension of the multichannel approach, emphasizing the synergies across all channels for an enhanced shopping and customer care experience whether the customer is shopping online from a personal computer or mobile device, by telephone, or in a store. For example, a customer can purchase an item online and then pick it up at the brick-and-mortar location.
Onboarding
The process of bringing a new employee, client or customer into the folds of a company, by showing them the ropes of their job, the culture of the company or the way a company works in partnership with its clients. Onboarding may involve formal orientation and training, or a series of events designed to bring the personnel up to speed and able to work as part of the relevant team.
Online Review Management
The process of managing, curating and responding to online customer reviews and comments to protect a brand’s reputation. Online reviews are written by customers commenting on services or products and are accessible to potential customers for use as guidance in making purchasing decisions.
Open Ticket
A customer contact that is awaiting completion.
Outbound
Contacts made by Brand Specialists to reach customers and prospects. Includes calls, emails and chats. The opposite of inbound.
Outsourced Call Center
Outsourced call center refers to the business strategy of partnering with an external company to manage customer contacts. The outsourced call center may reside internally, externally or virtually depending on the needs of the parent company. The benefits of outsourcing include delegating the costly and time-consuming efforts dedicated to hiring, training, quality assurance and staffing, while creating the opportunity to focus your time on customer service strategy, insights and the performance of your business.
Outsourced Contact CenterOutsourced contact center refers to the business strategy of partnering with an external company to manage customer contacts. The outsourced contact center may reside internally, externally or virtually depending on the needs of the parent company. The benefits of outsourcing include delegating the costly and time consuming efforts dedicated to hiring, training, quality assurance and staffing, while creating the opportunity to focus your time on customer service strategy, insights and the performance of your business.
OutsourcingContracting with an outside company to handle some or all of an organization’s contacts with customers and prospects.
Outsourcing Medical Call CenterMedical call center outsourcing refers to the business strategy of partnering with an external healthcare company to manage customer contacts. The outsourced medical call center may reside internally, externally, or virtually depending on the needs of the parent company. The benefits of outsourcing include delegating the costly and time consuming efforts dedicated to hiring, training, quality assurance and staffing, while creating the opportunity to focus your time on customer service strategy, insights and the performance of your business. Also known as outsourcing medical contact center.
Overflow
Calls that are rerouted to another group of Brand Specialists or site in the effort to balance a workload resulting in the reduction of delay to answer a call. See interflow and intraflow.
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Quality Assurance
The activities put in place by a company or organization to ensure that the quality requirements for a product or service are achieved.
Quality Analyst
An employee or consultant with responsibility for reviewing processes and procedures of a company.
Quality Monitoring
The process of reviewing calls, emails, chats, social media and SMS inquiries and screen activity to make sure that all processes and production meet standards and the brand message is being presented properly. Brand Specialists can be monitored or from a remote location.
Quantitative Forecasting
Use of statistical evidence as the basis to predict future events. Time series and explanatory approaches are the two major sectors of quantitative forecasting.
Queue
Sequencing process where a call, email, chat, social media or SMS inquiry is held until a Brand Specialist is available to accept the interaction.
QuikStaff
A tool used for sophisticated mathematical modeling when calibrating staffing and trunking requirements. This is done when evaluating a variety of staffing, service and cost tradeoffs.
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Social Media Management
An effort to regulate social media use in a business concerned with maintaining a positive image.
Social Media Monitoring Software
Software designed specifically to collect data on, manage and regulate social media sites and brand mentions on those sites.
Social Media Response Guidelines
Delineate how a Brand Specialist should respond to online complaints or mentions of a brand.
Social Media Response Protocol
Appropriate response options and combinations for Brand Specialists, based on whether a mention of a brand is negative, positive, or erroneous.
Social Media Response Time
The time it takes a Brand Specialist to respond to a brand mention online.
Social Media Risk Management
Main risks involving social media involve brand reputation, compliance violations and release of confidential information. Risk management is the effort of an organization to minimize these issues, usually involving an integrated team of social media specialists to monitor these sites and respond to mentions of their brand.
Social Media ROI
The return on investment of social media. Can be calculated in monetary return, brand awareness, customer satisfaction, retention or other metrics.
Social Media Tracking
The process of tracking trending social media occurrences in reference to a brand.
Social Media Training
Teaching social media practitioners the strategies, best practices, tools and tactics necessary to fully leverage social media for the benefit of a brand.
Social Network
Internet-based media platforms that facilitate intercommunication and are geared toward staying in touch with people virtually rather than physically in the area. Other uses include brand promotions, common interests and social movements.
Social Presence
A brand’s maintained properties on social networking sites and how users perceive the brand.
Social Service Level
A specified contract or agreement between the customer and the company defining what each party receives in terms of social media and channels, specifically relating to the timeliness of response.
SOW
See scope of work.
Span of Control
A ratio of the number of Brand Specialists to the number of supervisors who manage them.
Speech Analytics
Recording and analyzing calls, often using speech-recognition software, in an effort to better understand the needs of the customer, evaluate the knowledge and skill set of your Brand Specialists and to optimize customer interactions.
Speech Recognition
As with an automated attendant and other voice processing systems, speech recognition entails automated identification of spoken words and phrases that enable interaction with the caller.
Speed Of Answer
The time a caller is waiting to be connected with a Brand Specialist. Service level and average speed of answer (ASA) are both factors in speed of answer.
Split
Split calls allow groups of Brand Specialists with specific skills to accept and handle certain transaction types, dependent upon the needs of callers and services provided.
Staggered Schedules
Instead of all Brand Specialists starting work at the same time, start times may vary or be staggered every 15 or 30 minutes, for instance, to accommodate extended service hours or peak periods.
Stakeholder
Someone who holds a share or an interest in an organization or place of business. Clients, customers, managers, Brand Specialists and various other people can be stakeholders.
StellaService
A closely followed service that measures and rates online customer service.
Strategic Value
Gathering, analyzing and sharing customer feedback to drive organizational improvements, as defined by the International Customer Management Institute.
Supervisor
The person that typically has first-line responsibility for the management of a group of Brand Specialists. Responsibilities may include monitoring, measuring performance, coaching, assisting with difficult or escalated calls, training and scheduling tasks.
Y.
Yahoo
Online portal that provides news, a customizable home page, email service and internet search.
Yellow Pages (YP)
Based on location, Yellow Pages serve as a local online search directory, media and advertising company for businesses promoting goods and services.
Yelp
Based on location, Yelp allows users to search online for various services offered in the specified area. Users can also write reviews of their experience while businesses can post offers, direction and links to their website.