Call Center Glossary

All the key terms you need to navigate call center metrics, tools, and strategies with ease.

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ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)

A system that routes incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or queue based on predefined rules.

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ANI (Automatic Number Identification)

Technology displaying the caller's phone number to the agent or system.

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APN Technology (Access Point Name)

A configuration connecting devices to a specific network for data communication.

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ARN

Amazon Resource Name

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ASR

Automated Speech Recognition

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AX

Agent Experience

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Abandoned Call

A call disconnected by the caller before being answered.

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Abandonment Rate

The percentage of calls that are disconnected by the customer before being answered by an agent.

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Active Listening

A communication technique where the listener fully concentrates, understands, and responds thoughtfully to the speaker.

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Adherence

A metric showing how closely agents follow their scheduled shifts.

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After Call Work

The tasks an agent completes after a customer interaction, such as updating CRM records or sending follow-ups.

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Agent

Call Centre Staff who take calls

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Agent Desktop

Portal for answering calls

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Agent Surplus

More agents than calls

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Agent Utilization

A metric measuring the percentage of an agent's working time spent on call-related activities.

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Agile Contact Centre

A flexible and adaptable contact center model focused on rapid response to changes and continuous improvement.

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Amazon CCP (Contact Control Panel)

A web-based interface for managing calls in Amazon Connect contact centers.

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Annual Leave

Paid time off granted to employees for personal use, typically measured in days or hours per year.

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Asynchronous Communication

Communication where responses are not expected immediately, allowing participants to reply at their convenience.

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Auto Dialler

A system that automatically dials phone numbers for agents, increasing efficiency in outbound calls.

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Average Handling Time

The average duration of an interaction, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work.

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Average Handling Time (AHT)

The average duration of an interaction, including talk time, hold time, and wrap-up time.

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Average Handling Time (AHT)

Average Handling Time

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Average Speed of Answer

The average time it takes for a call to be answered by an agent.

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Average Speed of Answer

The average time it takes for a call to be answered by an agent.

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BPO

Business Process Outsourcer

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Blended Agent

An agent who handles multiple types of contacts, such as inbound/outbound calls, emails, chats.

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Border Gateway Protocol

It’s the system that decides how data travels across the internet.

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CCP

Contact Control Panel

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CCaaS

Call Centre as a Service

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CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)

Cloud-based solutions providing contact center functionalities like call routing and analytics.

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CFL

Contact Flow Logs

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CPPO

AWS Marketplace Consulting Partner Private Offer

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CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Software used to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the lifecycle.

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CSAT

Customer Satisfaction

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CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)

A metric measuring customer satisfaction with a service or product.

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CTI

Computer Telephony Integration

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CX

Customer Experience

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CX Monitoring

Continuous observation and analysis of customer interactions to improve experience.

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Call Back Rate

The percentage of customers who call back within a specific time frame.

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Call Deflection

Redirecting calls to alternative, often self-service, channels.

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Call Recording

Recording calls for quality assurance or training purposes.

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Call Volume

The total number of calls handled within a specific period.

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Chatbot

AI-driven automated chat service that interacts with customers.

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Collector

Operator component collecting data

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Conductor

Operator component collecting data in Amazon Connect

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Contact Lens

AWS Contact Lens for CCaaS

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Crossed Line

Multiple phone calls connected in error

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Customer Surplus

More customers than agents

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DDI/DID

Direct Dial-In/Direct Inward Dial number

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DTMF

Dual Tone Multi-Frequency

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Escalation

When a call or issue is forwarded to a higher authority or expert.

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First Call Resolution (FCR)

The percentage of calls resolved on the first contact without a follow-up.

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Forecasting

Predicting call volumes and staffing needs based on historical data.

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GA

Google Analytics

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GSM

Operata Global Service Monitor for AWS Connect instances worldwide

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Gamification

The use of game-like elements, such as leaderboards and rewards, to motivate and engage employees.

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Garbage collection timing

Garbage collection (GC) timing refers to the way modern web browsers clean up memory that’s no longer in use by a webpage or application.

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Genesys Care

Acquired by Genesys for platform expansion

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Genesys Cloud

Genesys Cloud offering

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Genesys Engage

Genesys multi-cloud platform

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Genesys Multi-Cloud

AI-driven customer engagement

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Genesys Predictive Routing

AI-driven agent selection

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Grade of Service

A measure of the percentage of calls answered within a specified time frame in a contact center.

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Group A

Operata representation of a contact centre

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Hairpinning

An inefficient P2P connection

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Handle Time

The total time spent on a customer interaction, including after-call work.

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Hierarchy

Agents' reporting chain

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Hold Time

The amount of time a customer spends on hold during a call.

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Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial.

HFC stands for Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial. It's a type of broadband connection used in many homes and small businesses, especially in countries like Australia (think NBN), the US, and parts of Europe.

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ICE/ICE Server

Server for Interactive Connectivity Establishment

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IO

Infrastructure Outsourcing

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ISV

Independent Software Vendor

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IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

An automated system that interacts with callers, gathers information, and routes calls.

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IVR Load Testing

Testing an IVR system’s capacity to handle simultaneous calls.

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JTBD/Jobs To Be Done

Describing tasks customers want to do

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Jabra Engage Audio Insights

Connector capturing audio data with Jabra headsets

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Jitter

Change in message delivery speed

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KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

A measurable value demonstrating how effectively a contact center achieves its goals.

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Knowledge Base

A repository of information agents and customers use for reference.

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Latency

Time taken for data to travel

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MO

Mobile originating

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MOS Score

Mean Opinion Score for call quality

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MOS Score (Mean Opinion Score)

A numerical measure of call quality rated by users.

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MSP

Managed Service Provider

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MT

Mobile terminating

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Media/Softphone Media

Voice portion of a WebRTC call

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Multichannel

Supporting multiple customer interaction channels but without full integration.

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NLP

Natural Language Processing

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NLU

Natural Language Understanding

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NPS

Net Promoter Score

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Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A metric measuring the likelihood of customers to recommend a service/product.

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OKR

Objectives and Key Results

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OPUS/OPUS Codec

Audio transmission protocol

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Omnichannel

An integrated approach for seamless customer interactions across various channels.

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Outbound Call

Calls initiated by the contact center to customers, often for surveys or telemarketing.

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PCM-A

PSTN Audio Codec International Standard

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PCM-U

PSTN Audio Codec for USA/Japan

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PESQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality)

A method to assess the quality of speech signals in telecom systems.

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POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis)

A standard for measuring voice quality in telecom systems.

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PSTN

Public Switched Telephone Network

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Packet Loss

Data loss percentage during communication

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Peak Hours

Times when call volume is at its highest.

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Predictive Engagement

Pure Cloud platform

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Pure Cloud

Pure Connect platform

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Pure Connect

Genesys help center

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QA Call Center

A process to evaluate agent performance and ensure service standards are met.

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Quality Assurance (QA)

Processes ensuring interactions meet company standards.

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Queue

A line of calls waiting to be answered by available agents.

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RTT/Round Trip Time

Round trip time for data

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RX

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Recursive

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SBC

Session Border Controller

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SLA (Service Level Agreement)

Agreed standards for service, such as response and resolution times.

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SLA/SLO

Service Level Agreement/Objective

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SRE

Site Reliability Engineer

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SWG (Secure Web Gateway)

SWG is a security checkpoint for your internet traffic.

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Script Adherence

Following a pre-defined script during customer interactions.

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Self-Service

Tools allowing customers to resolve issues without agent assistance.

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Signaling/Softphone Signaling

WebRTC communication handshakes

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Silent Monitoring

Supervisors listen to calls without the agent or customer knowing.

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Skill-Based Routing

Routing calls to agents with specific expertise.

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Social Listening

Monitoring social media platforms for brand mentions and customer feedback.

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Softphone

Virtual phone for customer calls

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TFN

A Toll-Free Number (TFN) is a telephone number that allows callers to reach businesses or organizations without incurring a charge for the call.

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TLD

Top Level Domain

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TX

Transmitting data

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Talk Time

The amount of time an agent spends conversing with a customer.

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Ticketing System

Software to manage and track customer issues and inquiries.

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True Calls Per Hour

A metric measuring the number of calls an agent handles in an hour, excluding non-productive time.

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VDI

Virtual Desktop Interface

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VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the internet.

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Voice Load Testing

Simulating heavy call volumes to test system performance under load.

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Voice of the Customer (VoC)

Feedback from customers about their experiences and expectations.

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WFO

Workforce Optimisation

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WSS (Web Security Service)

Web Security Service or Web Security Solution or Secure WebSocket

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WebRTC

Real-Time Communication in browsers

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WebRTC Detection

Identifying and analyzing WebRTC traffic in real-time communication platforms.

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WebRTC Platform

A framework enabling real-time communication through browsers without plugins.

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WebRTC Servers

Framework for Real-Time Communication

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Workforce Management (WFM)

Tools and processes to optimize agent scheduling and performance.

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Wrap Up Code

Code at the end of a customer interaction

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Wrap-Up Time

The time an agent spends finalizing a call after it ends.

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ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access)

A secure way to give users access to apps and systems only after verifying who they are and that their device is trusted, no automatic trust based on being "on the network."