neonnow

Contact Centre Glossary

The contact center glossary defines the most common vocabulary, measurements, metrics, and phrases related to call center software and the field of customer experience. It’s a comprehensive list of all the need-to-know terminology every contact center team can use to effectively communicate. Each index definition provides clarity around the meaning of a particular term used within the industry.

SEARCH
ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) is a telephony system that automatically routes incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or department based on predetermined criteria.
Agent Desktop is a software interface that provides agents with access to tools and information needed for customer interactions.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) used to evaluate and measure the performance of contact center agents.
Tool or system that provides agents with predefined scripts, prompts, or guidelines to follow during customer interactions to ensure consistency and accuracy.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a technology platform that enables businesses to manage interactions and relationships with customers, typically by centralizing customer data and providing tools for sales, marketing, and customer service.
CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) is a technology that enables the integration of telephony systems with computer systems, allowing for seamless communication and data exchange between the two.
Supervisory feature allowing managers to join ongoing calls between agents and customers to provide assistance or guidance.
Call Center Analytics involves the analysis of call center data to gain insights into performance, trends, and customer behavior. It encompasses metrics such as average handle time, first call resolution, customer satisfaction scores, and agent performance indicators.
Technique or technology used to divert incoming calls away from the contact center to self-service channels or automated systems for issue resolution, reducing call volume and agent workload.
Call Monitoring involves real-time or retrospective analysis of phone conversations to assess agent performance and customer interactions.
Call Queuing is the process of placing incoming calls in a queue when all agents are busy, ensuring callers are served in the order they were received.
Call Recording is the process of capturing and storing audio recordings of phone conversations for quality monitoring and compliance purposes.
Call Routing is a telephony feature that determines how incoming calls are directed or distributed within a contact center based on predefined criteria such as caller identification, dialed number, or agent availability.
Redirect ongoing calls to another agent or department within or outside the contact center for prompt handling.
Supervisory feature allowing managers to listen in on live calls between agents and customers without the knowledge of either party.
Allow customers to request a return call from an agent at a preferred time instead of waiting in queue.
A Cloud Contact Centre is a contact center solution hosted in the cloud, offering flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. It allows businesses to leverage cloud-based infrastructure, software, and services to manage customer interactions across multiple channels, such as voice, email, chat, and social media.
Practice of contracting third-party service providers to manage specific contact center functions or processes on behalf of an organization.
Technology that analyzes voice tone, pitch, and other vocal cues to identify and classify emotions expressed during customer interactions, helping agents gauge customer sentiment and improve engagement.
FCR (First Call Resolution) is a performance metric that measures the percentage of customer inquiries or issues resolved during the initial contact with customer support, without requiring follow-up interactions.
Adherence to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines to protect personal data and privacy rights of individuals within the European Union (EU).
Adherence to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations to safeguard protected health information (PHI) and ensure patient privacy and confidentiality in healthcare settings.
IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is a telephony technology that allows interactions with callers to be automated through voice prompts and keypad inputs.
Automatically direct calls to suitable agents or departments based on predefined criteria, enhancing efficiency and first contact resolution.
Real-time messaging system that allows customers to communicate with agents or automated systems via text-based chat for assistance or support.
Centralized repository of information accessible to agents to assist in resolving customer inquiries and issues, ensuring consistent and accurate responses.
Capability to provide assistance or service in multiple languages to accommodate diverse customer demographics and preferences.
AI technology that enables computers to understand and interpret human language, allowing for more intuitive interactions between users and machines.
Metric used to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction based on the likelihood of customers to recommend a product or service to others.
Omnichannel refers to a multichannel approach to customer service that provides a seamless and integrated experience.
Initiate proactive calls to customers or prospects for sales, marketing, or service purposes.
Outbound Dialing involves placing calls from a call center to customers or prospects for sales, marketing, or service purposes. It encompasses activities such as lead generation, telemarketing, appointment scheduling, and customer follow-up.
Adherence to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) regulations to protect sensitive payment card information during processing and storage.
A Predictive Dialer is an automated dialing system that dials multiple numbers simultaneously and connects answered calls to available agents. It uses algorithms to predict agent availability and call answering behavior, optimizing dialing rates to maximize agent productivity.
Process of evaluating and assessing agent interactions with customers to ensure service quality and adherence to standards.
Agent who performs contact center duties remotely, often from a location outside the traditional office setting, using telecommunication technologies and remote access tools.
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is a communication protocol used to establish, modify, and terminate real-time sessions, such as voice and video calls, over IP networks.
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is a communication protocol used to establish, modify, and terminate real-time sessions, such as voice and video calls, over IP networks. It facilitates multimedia communication services, including voice, video, instant messaging, presence, and file transfer, with interoperability and extensibility.
SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a contractual agreement between a service provider and a customer that defines the level of service expected, including metrics such as response time, resolution time, and uptime.
Predefined dialogues or prompts to guide agents during customer interactions, ensuring consistency.
Centralized point of contact for handling customer inquiries, requests, and technical support issues, often within an IT environment.
Technology that analyzes spoken language in recorded calls to extract insights and identify patterns, sentiments, and keywords for quality assurance and business intelligence purposes.
Enable customers to opt for a callback instead of waiting on hold during peak call volume, reducing abandonment rates.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that enables voice communication over the internet using IP networks instead of traditional telephone lines.
Workforce Management involves the strategic planning and optimization of staffing resources to meet service level objectives and operational goals. It encompasses activities such as forecasting, scheduling, real-time adherence monitoring, and performance management.