Call Center Glossary

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

#

Abandoned Call

A call disconnected by the caller before being answered.

#

Abandonment Rate

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

#

ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)

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

#

Active Listening

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

#

Adherence

A metric showing how closely agents follow their scheduled shifts.

#

After Call Work

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

#

Agent

Call center staff who take calls

#

Agent Desktop

Portal for answering calls

#

Agent Surplus

More agents than calls

#

Agent Utilization

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

#

Agile Contact Center

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

#

Amazon CCP (Contact Control Panel)

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

#

ANI (Automatic Number Identification)

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

#

APN Technology (Access Point Name)

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

#

ARN

Amazon Resource Name

#

ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition)

Technology that converts spoken language into written text in real time.

#

Asynchronous Communication

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

#

Auto Dialler

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

#

Average Handling Time

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

#

Average Handling Time (AHT)

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

#

Average Handling Time (AHT)

Average Handling Time

#

Average Speed of Answer

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

#

Average Speed of Answer

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

#

AX

Agent Experience

#

Blended Agent

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

#

Border Gateway Protocol

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

#

BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)

The contracting of specific business operations to external service providers.

#

Call Back Rate

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

#

Call Deflection

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

#

Call Recording

Recording calls for quality assurance or training purposes.

#

Call Volume

The total number of calls handled within a specific period.

#

CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)

A cloud-based platform that provides the tools and infrastructure for running a contact centre without needing on-premise hardware.

#

CCP

Contact Control Panel

#

CFL

Contact Flow Logs

#

Chatbot

AI-driven automated chat service that interacts with customers.

#

Collector

Operator component collecting data

#

Conductor

Operator component collecting data in Amazon Connect

#

Contact Lens

Real-time speech analytics, sentiment analysis, and transcription capabilities for contact centers.

#

CPPO

AWS Marketplace Consulting Partner Private Offer

#

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

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

#

Crossed Line

Multiple phone calls connected in error

#

CSAT

Customer Satisfaction

#

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)

A metric measuring customer satisfaction with a service or product.

#

CTI

Computer Telephony Integration

#

Customer Surplus

More customers than agents

#

CX

Customer Experience

#

CX Monitoring

Continuous observation and analysis of customer interactions to improve experience.

#

CX Observability

Real-time monitoring and analysis of customer interactions to optimize experience quality.

#

DDI/DID

Direct Dial-In/Direct Inward Dial number

#

DTMF

Dual Tone Multi-Frequency

#

Escalation

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

#

First Call Resolution (FCR)

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

#

Forecasting

Predicting call volumes and staffing needs based on historical data.

#

G.711

Standard phone audio format at 64 kilobits per second for clear voice.

#

GA

Google Analytics

#

Gamification

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

#

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.

#

Genesys Care

Acquired by Genesys for platform expansion

#

Genesys Cloud

Genesys Cloud offering

#

Genesys Engage

Genesys multi-cloud platform

#

Genesys Multi-Cloud

AI-driven customer engagement

#

Genesys Predictive Routing

AI-driven agent selection

#

Grade of Service

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

#

Group A

Operata representation of a contact center

#

GSM

Operata Global Service Monitor for AWS Connect instances worldwide

#

Hairpinning

An inefficient P2P connection

#

Handle Time

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

#

Hierarchy

Agents' reporting chain

#

Hold Time

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

#

ICE/ICE Server

Server for Interactive Connectivity Establishment

#

IO

Infrastructure Outsourcing

#

ISV

Independent Software Vendor

#

IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

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

#

IVR Load Testing

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

#

Jabra Engage Audio Insights

Connector capturing audio data with Jabra headsets

#

Jitter

The variation in time between data packets arriving they don’t come in evenly spaced, which can cause disruptions in real-time communication.

#

JTBD/Jobs To Be Done

Describing tasks customers want to do

#

Knowledge Base

A repository of information agents and customers use for reference.

#

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

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

#

Latency

The time it takes for data to travel from one point to another across a network often measured in milliseconds (ms).

#

Media/Softphone Media

Voice portion of a WebRTC call

#

MO

Mobile originating

#

MOS Score

Mean Opinion Score for call quality

#

MOS Score (Mean Opinion Score)

A numerical measure of call quality rated by users.

#

MSP

Managed Service Provider

#

MT

Mobile terminating

#

Multichannel

Supporting multiple customer interaction channels but without full integration.

#

NAT (Network Address Translation)

Technique that translates private IP addresses to public ones for internet access. Example: A CCaaS WebRTC softphone runs in an agent’s browser behind a home router.

#

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

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

#

NLP

Natural Language Processing

#

NLU

Natural Language Understanding

#

NPS

Net Promoter Score

#

OKR

Objectives and Key Results

#

Omnichannel

An integrated approach for seamless customer interactions across various channels.

#

OPUS/OPUS Codec

Modern audio codec for clear voice and music with low delay and bandwidth.

#

Outbound Call

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

#

Packet Loss

When data packets don’t reach their destination at all causing gaps in communication or information.

#

Packet Reordering

Packet reordering happens when data packets arrive at their destination out of order from how they were sent.

#

PCM-A

PSTN Audio Codec International Standard

#

PCM-U

PSTN Audio Codec for USA/Japan

#

Peak Hours

Times when call volume is at its highest.

#

PESQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality)

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

#

POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis)

A standard for measuring voice quality in telecom systems.

#

Predictive Engagement

Pure Cloud platform

#

PSTN

Public Switched Telephone Network

#

Pure Cloud

Pure Connect platform

#

Pure Connect

Genesys help center

#

QA Call Center

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

#

Quality Assurance (QA)

Processes ensuring interactions meet company standards.

#

Queue

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

#

Recursive

#

RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol)

Method for carrying call audio and video with timing so playback stays smooth

#

RTT (Round Trip Time)

Round trip time for data - The latency measured as the time for a packet to go to a destination and back.

#

RX

#

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)

A cloud-delivered framework combining network security and wide area networking.

#

SBC

Session Border Controller

#

Script Adherence

Following a pre-defined script during customer interactions.

#

Self-Service

Tools allowing customers to resolve issues without agent assistance.

#

Signaling/Softphone Signaling

WebRTC communication handshakes

#

Silent Monitoring

Supervisors listen to calls without the agent or customer knowing.

#

Skill-Based Routing

Routing calls to agents with specific expertise.

#

SLA (Service Level Agreement)

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

#

SLA/SLO

Service Level Agreement/Objective

#

Social Listening

Monitoring social media platforms for brand mentions and customer feedback.

#

Softphone

Virtual phone for customer calls

#

SRE

Site Reliability Engineer

#

SWG (Secure Web Gateway)

SWG is a security checkpoint for your internet traffic.

#

Talk Time

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

#

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.

#

Ticketing System

Software to manage and track customer issues and inquiries.

#

TLD

Top Level Domain

#

True Calls Per Hour

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

#

TX

Transmitting data

#

UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service

A cloud-delivered platform that provides integrated communication and collaboration tools.

#

UC (Unified Communications

An integrated system that combines multiple communication channels into one platform.

#

VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)

Centrally hosted virtual desktops deliver secure, standardized agent workstations on demand.

#

Voice Load Testing

Simulating heavy call volumes to test system performance under load.

#

Voice of the Customer (VoC)

Feedback from customers about their experiences and expectations.

#

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

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

#

WebRTC Detection

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

#

WebRTC Platform

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

#

WebRTC Servers

Framework for Real-Time Communication

#

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication)

A technology that lets browsers and apps make voice, video, and data connections directly, in real time with no plugins needed.

#

WFO

Workforce Optimisation

#

Workforce Management (WFM)

Tools and processes to optimize agent scheduling and performance.

#

Wrap Up Code

Code at the end of a customer interaction

#

Wrap-Up Time

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

#

WSS (Web Security Service)

Web Security Service or Web Security Solution or Secure WebSocket

#

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."

Get Started

Ready to bring Observability to your CX stack?

See how Operata empowers IT and Ops teams to intelligently resolve issues and improve interactions in your contact center.