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Contact Center Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W ZAbandoned Call
The caller hangs up before reaching an agent.
Adherence To Schedule
A general term that refers to how well call center agents adhere to their schedules. (also called Compliance or Adherence).
Administration
The day-to-day management of the sotware configuration. This includes adding contact centers, modifying users, changing threshold values, maintaining subscription lists, etc. In general, once the software is initially configured, Administration is only a few hours per week by one person.
Advanced call routing
See skills-based routing.
After-Call Work (ACW)
Also called Wrap-up and Post Call Processing (PCP). Work that occurs immediately following a call. ACW includes entering data, filling out forms and making calls necessary to complete the transaction. The agent is considered unavailable to receive another call while in this mode.
Agent
The person who handles incoming or outgoing calls. Also referred to as customer service representative (CSR), telephone sales or service representative (TSR), operator, customer service professional, staff member, and attendant.
Agent Group
Also called Split, Gate, Queue or Skills Group. A group of agents that share the same skill set, such as handling delinquent accounts.
Agent Out Call
An outbound call placed by an agent.
Agent Status
The availability of an agent (Talk Time, After-Call Work, Unavailable, etc.).
All Trunks Busy (ATB)
When all trunks are busy in a specified trunk group.
Analog
See skills-based routing
Advanced call routing
Non Digital signal created by a telephone transmission which is analogous to the original signal.
Announcement
A recorded message played to callers.
Answer Supervision
A signal sent by the ACD to the telephone service provider acknowledging acceptance of a call. Therefore billing for the caller or call center commences.
Answered Call
A call received by an agent.
Application Based Routing and Reporting
A capability by the ACD to route and monitors calls based off the type of service required (e.g. account payments, sales, complaints.)
Application Program Interface (API)
A common method of communications between applications. It is used by an application to request and carry out lower-level services performed by the operating system of a computer or telephone system.
Architecture
How a system is designed. Determines how the systems work together, system capacity, upgradeability, and the ability to integrate with other systems.
Assisted Browsing
See Collaborative Browsing
Audiotex
The ability for callers to automatically receive pre-recorded announcements based off a voice processing capability. See Voice Processing.
Auto Available
A feature performed by the ACD which automatically lists agents as available after their call is disconnected. Any other status must be done manually by the agent.
Auto Greeting
Agent's pre-recorded message that plays automatically when a call arrives.
Auto Wrap-up
A feature performed by the ACD which automatically lists agents as doing post call work after their call is disconnected. After the wrap-up work is completed the agent must manually redefine their status as available.
Automated Attendant
An Auto Response System which prompts callers to respond to certain choices. (If this press "1" if that press "2") The answers given by the caller then tells the ACD how to direct a call.
Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
The specialized telephone system used in incoming call centers. It is a programmable device that automatically answers calls, queues calls, distributes calls to agents, plays delay announcements to callers and provides real-time and historical reports on these activities.
Automatic Call Sequencer (ACS)
A less sophisticated system much like the ACD with similar functionality.
Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
A telephone network feature that passes the number of the phone the caller is using to the call center, real-time. ANI may arrive over the D channel of an ISDN PRI circuit (out of band signaling), or before the first ring on a single line (inband signaling). ANI is delivered from long distance companies. Caller ID is the local phone company version of ANI, and is delivered inband. ANI is a North American term, and Calling Line Identification (CLI) is an alternative term used elsewhere.
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
A technology that translates voice signals into text.
Auxiliary Work State
AA agent who is working on items not associated with handling telephone calls.
Availability
See Adherence to Schedule
Available State
Agents who are recognized by the ACD as available to receive calls.
Available Time
The total amount of time waiting for calls by an agent or agent group.
Average Delay
See Average Speed of Answer
Average Delay of Delayed Calls
The average delay time for all delayed calls. Take the amount of total delay time and divide that number by the total number of delayed calls and that will give you your average delay of delayed calls. See Average Speed of Answer.
Average Handle Time (AHT)
The average time it takes to handle a call. This includes talk time and after call work.
Average Holding Time on Trunks
The average time transactions occupy the trunks. This can be figured out by adding the delay time plus the talk time divided by the total amount of calls handled.
Average Number of Agents
The average number of agents logged on.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
Also called Average Delay.
Average Time to Abandonment
The average time that callers wait in queue without talking to an agent before hanging up.
Base Configuration
Describes the minimum necessary components to make the software operational. This includes access to at least one source system, the application framework, Informiam's source rules package and one visualization channel.
Base Staff
TThe minimum number of agents needed to achieve acceptable service levels. Also called Seated Agents.
Basic Rate Interface (BRI)
TOne of two basic levels of ISDN service. A BRI line provides two bearer channels for voice and data and one channel for signaling (commonly expressed as 2B+D). See Primary Rate Interface (PRI) and Integrated Services Digital Network.
Beep Tone
An audible signal notifying an agent that a call has arrived or that their call is being monitored.
Benchmark
TA task of standardization to test effectiveness in comparing products against each other trying to identify new ideas and areas of improvement.
Blended Agent
A contact center agent who handles both inbound and outbound contacts simultaneously.
Blockage
Callers prohibited from entering a queue. See Blocked Call.
Blocked Call
A call that cannot be connected.
Busy Hour
TA telephone traffic term, referring to the hour of time in which the most calls are recieved during the day. The busy hour is identified based off averages of call volume over days and weeks.
Call
Communication between agent and a client whether the channel be web, phone, webchat.
Call Blending
CCombining inbound and outbound agent groups into one group responsible for both inbound and outbound contacts.
Call By Call Routing
The process of routing each call to the optimum destination according to real-time conditions.
Call Center
An umbrella term that generally refers to reservations centers, help desks, information lines or customer service centers, regardless of how they are organized or what types of transactions they handle. The term is being challenged by many, because calls are just one type of transaction and the word center doesn't accurately depict the many multi-site environments.
Call Control Variables
A set of rules the ACD uses to route calls.
Call Detail Recording
Data on each call, captured and stored by the ACD. Information includes trunk used, time in queue, call duration, agent who handled the call, number dialed (for outgoing), and other information.
Call Forcing
A feature on most ACDs that delivers the calls to available agents ready to take calls. Notification is given that the call has arrived (beep tone) but no action is necessary by the agent in order to answer the call.
Call Load
Call load is the average talk time plus average after call work multiplied by call volume for a given period.
Caller ID
See Automatic Number Identification
Caller-Entered Digits (CED)
Information callers enter using their telephone keypads. The ACD, VRU, or network can prompt for CEDs.
Calling Line Identity (CLI)
See Automatic Number Identification
Calls In Queue
A real-time profile of the number of calls received by the ACD system but not yet answered to an agent.
Carrier
A company that provides telecommunications services.(both local telephone and long distance providers.
Centum Call Seconds (CCS)
100 call seconds, a unit of telephone traffic measurement. The first C is the Roman numeral for 100. 1 hour = 1 Erlang = 60 minutes = 36 CCS.
Circuit
A path for transmission between two points.
Informiam for Contact Centers
Informiam's industry solution for Contact Centers utilizing Informiam's technology.
Informiam for Business Operations
Our industry solution for IT Operation utilizing the Informiam's technology.
Client/Server Architecture
A network that shares hardware/ software and capabilities.
Click-to-talk
Exactly what it says.the ability to click on a button and speak with an agent over the internet.
Collaborative Browsing
Much like a Webex. The ability to link browsers so both parties can see the same webpage, but is controlled by only one of the party members.
Collateral Duties
Work that doesn't require a call center agent to be on the phone. This work is meant to be flexible so that the work can be completed while call volumes are low.
Communicate
Describes our ability to publish the right information to the right individual in the right timeframe to successfully deal with the event. Communication takes place across multiple channels including Enterprise, FrontLine Advisor, and Mobile Advisor.
Compliance
See Adherence to Schedule
Component
See Module
Computer Simulation
An event which is simulated with several variables in order to try and predict the outcome.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
Call Center software that integrates computers and telephones so that they can work together within a contact center.
Conditional Routing
An ACD capability that allows calls to be routed based off of current conditions within the call center. Based on "if-then" statements it allows calls to be directed based on agent availability from one call center group to another.
Consolidate
The ability to gather data from disparate data systems and normalize it into common context that uniquely allows the data to be analyzed.
Continuous Improvement
optimization of contact center processes.
Contact Center
A call center capable of processing inquiries from multiple communications channels, such as phone, fax, and VoIP, using the same call center applications.
Controlled Busies
The ability of an ACD to generate a busy signal when the contact center call queue backs up beyond a user defined threshold.
Converged Communications
The integration of voice, data and Internet services over common networks and systems used by many contact centers.
Correlate
The ability to analyze multi-variant data points (events) and determine relationships between these points. Ultimately the "cause and effect" relationship of events allows our software to determine the root cause of the issues through our active stream analysis. Informiam has the unique capability to analyze asynchronous feeds and determine cause. This creates "continuous event analysis" that doesn't require all data to be in sync before anomalies can be detected.
Cost Center
A term used by accountants that refers an organization or department which doesn't generate profit. This is a pot shot at historical call centers.
Cost of Delay
The cost a company incurs while queuing callers calling their contact center on a toll free line.
Cost Per Call
Total costs that a call center incurs divided by the total number of calls taken over a given amount of time.
Cross-Media Queuing
The process of handling and distributing contacts -whether email, fax, web-chat, email, or a call- through your contact center.
Customer Contact
See Call
Customer Resource Management (CRM)
The ability for an enterprise to manage customer relationships in an organized way using software and internet capabilities.
Database Call Handling
An application handled by the CTI whereas the caller inputs information and the ACD uses this information within a database to direct the call to the appropriate call center agent.
Day of Week Routing
A service within the ACD that routes calls based on the day of the week. Usually used during non-business hours.
Delay
Same as queue time. The time a caller waits for an agent to become available.
Delay Announcements
Recorded announcements that tell the caller to keep holding and tells them to be ready with certain information or provides the caller with alternatives to the call center.
Delayed Call
A call which cannot be answered immediately and is placed in a calling queue.
Dialed Number (DN)
The number that the caller dialed to speak with a call center.
Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS)
The number dialed by a customer in order to reach you contact center. The ACD then processes the call based of certain criteria within the digits dialed and then is directed accordingly. One trunk group can have several DNIS numbers.
Digital
The use of a 1s and 0s to represent information. (Binary code)
Direct Call Processing
See Talk Time
Dual-Tone Multifrequency (DTMF)
The sounds you hear when dialing numbers on your phone.
Dynamic Answer
A feature within the ACD that automatically reconfigures the number of rings before answering a call placed into the contact center. This is helpful to save money within a call center because costs aren't incurred until the call is answered.
Dialed Number (DN)
The number that the caller dialed to speak with a call center.
E-mail Automation
Providing an automated scripted response based on key words found in a customer-generated e-mail message, or integrating e-mail requests into call distribution, queuing, and routing processes.
Enterprise Advisor
An overview of the information being generated by Informiam's software. The view is both broad and deep and allows for multiple levels of navigation and drill down. It may or may not be specifically relevant to single users operating responsibilities depending on the filtering options being used. Enterprise Advisor most commonly runs on dedicated desktops screens, large panel displays and kiosks.
Envelope Strategy
A process where enough agents are scheduled to handle both inbound calls and off the phone work. When call flow is high then all agents within the call center are to handle phone calls. When the call flow is light then agents are available to do non-call related work.
Erlang
One hour of telephone traffic in an hour of time. For example, if circuits carry 120 minutes of traffic in an hour, that's two Erlangs.
Erlang, A.K.
An engineer who worked for the Copenhagen Telephone Company in the 1900s who developed telephone traffic engineering formulas for telephone traffic within a call center.
Erlang B
A formula developed by A.K. Erlang, used to determine the number of trunks necessary to handle a known amount of calls a one hour period. Based on the fact that callers who hang up don't call back makes this formula susceptible to under estimating the true amount of trunks needed. But it is generally accurate.
Erlang C
Predicts the calculated wait time in a call center queue based on 3 things: The number of agents within the call center taking calls, The number of callers calling the contact center, and the average amount of time it takes to handle each callers issue. This formula tends to over estimate the amount of workforce needed with your contact center due to the fact that it assumes no calls were lost.
Error Rate
This can be defines as either the number of bad transactions or the number of defective processes within a transaction. This term is not specific to call centers or contact centers.
Escalation Plan
A plan that outlines steps to take when call volumes reach unacceptable levels.
Event Matrix
Informiam's trademarked name for our rules processing engine.
Exchange Line
See Trunk
Executive Summary
A brief summary of the key points of a more detailed report or study. What call centers lack today is the ability to create an executive report in real time. (Something Informaim does very well.)
Fast Clear Down
A caller who disconnects immediately when they hear a delay announcement from your call center.
Fax on Demand
A automated system that allows callers to request documents and have them faxed to a fax number they specify through their keypad.
Flowchart
A step by step diagram of a process.
Flushing Out the Queue
Changing thresholds within a system that allows callers to be redirected within the call center to another group with either available agents or shorter queue times.
FrontLine Advisor
Informiam's personalized, low profile view of the information being generated by our software. Designed to run cooperatively with a customers desktop operating environment, FrontLine Advisor delivers context sensitive events notification that is linked directly to a users operating responsibilities. Once notification occurs, FrontLine Advisor offers multiple levels of navigation and data exploration that seamlessly connect users to the enterprise view should they need a broader context to fully understand operating conditions.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
A term used by the accounting department, whereby the number of scheduled hours is divided by the amount of hours within a standard work week. Several part time agents can add up to one FTE.
Gate
See Agent Group
Gateway
A server dedicated to accessing a network.
Grade of Service
The probability that a call will not be connected to a system because all trunks are busy. Grade of service is often expressed as "p.01" meaning 1% of calls will be "blocked." Sometimes, grade of service is used interchangeably with service level, but the two terms have different meanings. See Service Level.
Handled Calls
The number of calls that actually reach a call center agent or by the contact center equipment. This does not include calls that either abandon or receive busy signals.
Handling Time
The amount of time a contact center agent spends talking with a customer plus the after call work time.
Historical Reports
Reports that include data that has happened in the past. Information which is not current.
Holding Time
See Average Holding Time on Trunks
Home Agent
See Telecommuting
Imaging
This is when an image has been scanned and stored in an electronic system.
Incoming Call Center Management
The ability to have the right number of agents at the appropriate time to handle the projected workload while maintaining service level.
Incremental Revenue (Value) Analysis
The estimation that's values of adding or dismissing contact center agents.
Index Factor
While forecasting, a value used as a multiplier while adjusting another value.
Inter Exchange Carrier (IXC)
A long-distance telephone company.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
An IVR responds to caller entered digits or speech recognition in much the same way that a conventional computer responds to keystrokes or clicks of a mouse. When the IVR is integrated with database computers, callers can interact with databases to check current information (e.g., account balances) and complete transactions (e.g. make transfers between accounts).
Interflow
See Overflow
Internal Help Desk
An application that supports other internal groups.
Internal Response Time
The time it takes an agent group that supports other internal groups to respond to transactions that do not have to be handled when they arrive.
Internet "Call Me" Transaction
A transaction that allows a user to request a callback from the call center, while exploring a Web page. Requires interconnection of the ACD system and the Internet by means of an Internet Gateway.
Internet "Call Through" Transaction
The ability for callers to click a button on a Web site and be directly connected to an agent while viewing the site. Standards and technologies that provide this capability are in development.
Internet Phone
Same as Voice Over Internet Protocol or VOIP
Intraflow
See Overflow
Interfuse Engine
Informiam's trademarked name for our source data consolidation engine.
Invisible Queue
When callers do not know how long the hold time is. See Visible Queue.
IP Telephony Gateway
A device that converts an analog voice stream or a digitized version of the voice into Internet Protocol (IP) data packets.
Judgmental Forecasting
Forecasting based off intuition gut-feelings and committees.
Law of Diminishing Returns
The declining improvements in service level that can be attributed to each additional call center agent, as successive agents are added.
Load Balancing
Balancing traffic between two or more destinations.
Local Area Network (LAN)
The connection of multiple computers within a building, so that they can share information, applications and systems.
Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
Telephone companies responsible for providing local services.
Logged On
A state in which agents have signed on to a system and is ready to work.
Long Call
A call that is near 30 minutes in length.
Longest Available Agent
A method of distributing calls to the call center agent who has been sitting idle the longest.
Longest Delay (Oldest Call)
The longest time a caller has waited in queue, before abandoning or reaching an call center agent.
Look Ahead Queuing
The ability for a system or network to examine a secondary queue and evaluate the conditions, before overflowing calls from the primary queue.
Look Back Queuing
The ability for a system or network to look back to the primary queue after the call has been overflowed to a secondary queue, and evaluate the conditions. If the congestion clears, the call can be sent back to the initial queue.
Lost Call
See Abandoned Call
Media Processing
Sending and receiving information from any communications medium, such as faxes, voice conversations or data.
Middleware
Software that mediates between different types of hardware and software on a network, so that they can function together.
Mobile Advisor
Similar to FrontLine Advisor but designed to deliver the highest level of context sensitive data and most critical alerts as determined by the end user. Mobile Advisor is interoperable with smart mobile devices such as Windows CE, Palm OS, and RIM Blackberry. Once mobile notification occurs, Mobile Advisor offers some levels of data interaction and exploration but is more limited than FrontLine Advisor. Mobile subscriptions can be managed on the mobile device or through the administrative consoles of the Informiam Workbench.
Module
A portion of our technology that carries out a specific function and may be used alone or combined with other modules. These are licensed separately (i.e. ICM module, WFM Module, etc.)
Monitoring
Also called Position Monitoring or Service Observing. The process of listening to agents' telephone calls for the purpose of maintaining quality. Monitoring can be: 1) silent, where agents don't know when they are being monitored, 2) side by side, where the person monitoring sits next to the agent and observes calls or 3) record and review, where calls are recorded and then later played back and assessed.
Multilingual Agents
Call Center agents who are fluent in more than one language.
Multimedia
Combining multiple forms of media in the communication of information. (E.g, a traditional phone call is "monomedia," and a video call is "multimedia.")
Multimedia Routing
Routing voice, data and Internet calls (audio, video, both) within a contact center.
Network Control Center
Also called Traffic Control Center. In a networked call center environment, where people and equipment monitor real-time conditions across sites, change routing thresholds as necessary, and coordinate events that will impact base staffing levels. Also referred to as enterprise command center.
Network Inter-flow
A technology used in multi-site call center environments to create a more efficient distribution of calls between contact center sites.
Next Available Agent
A call distribution method that sends calls to the next agent who becomes available regardless of skill group. The method seeks to maintain an equal load across skill groups or services. When there isn't a queue waiting then calls are distributed to those whoi have been waiting the longest.
Noise Canceling Headset
Headsets that are equipped with the ability to reduce background noise.
Non ACD In Calls
Inbound calls which are directed to a contact center agent's extension, rather than to a general group.
Occupancy
Also referred to as agent utilization. The percentage of time agents handle calls versus wait for calls to arrive. For a half-hour, the calculation is: (call volume x average handling time in seconds) / (number of agents x 1800 seconds). See Adherence to Schedule.
Off The Shelf
"Plug and Play" hardware or software that can be utilized without any customization.
Offered Calls
The different option a customer can experience when calling a call center: 1) they are unable to connect due to a busy signal, 2) they are directed to a self serve attendant but hang up before they reach a call center agent, 3) o r they can reach a call center agent.
Off-Peak
A time period other than the call centers busiest moments.
Open System
A system based on established industry hardware and software standards so components from different vendors can work together.
Open Ticket
A customer contact or issue that has yet to be resolved or completed.
Outsourcing
Contracting some or all call center services to an outside company.
Overflow
Calls that flow from one contact center site to another and between groups.
PBX/ACD
A PBX that can perform with ACD functionality.
Peaked Call Arrival
A surge of traffic within a call center which peaks in a short period of time.
Percent Allocation
A call routing strategy sometimes used in multi-site call center environments. Calls received in the network are allocated across sites based on user-defined percentages. See Call by Call Routing and Network Inter-flow.
Percent Utilization
See Occupancy
Poisson
A formula sometimes used for calculating trunks. Assumes that if callers get busy signals, they keep trying until they successfully get through. Since some callers won't keep retrying, Poisson can overestimate trunks required. See Erlang B.
Position Monitoring
See Monitoring
Post Call Processing
See After-Call Work
Predictive Dialing
A method for automatically initiating outbound calls and passing each call to an agent when the call is answered. Predictive dialing uses advanced software that estimates the number of calls to be placed based on the number of agents available.
Primary Rate Interface (PRI)
One of two levels of ISDN service. In North America, PRI typically provides 23 bearer channels for voice and data and one channel for signaling information (commonly expressed as 23B+D). In Europe, PRI typically provides 30 bearer lines (30B+D). See Basic Rate Interface and Integrated Services Digital Network.
Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)
See Private Branch Exchange
Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
A telephone system located at a customer's site that handles incoming and outgoing calls. ACD software can provide PBXs with ACD functionality. Also called private automatic branch exchange (PABX).
Private Network
An exclusive network made up of circuits and switches used by an organization or any of it's affiliates.
Process
A system of causes.
Profit Center
A term used by accountants referring to any part of an organization that does not generate profit. See Cost Center.
Proprietary System
A system that relies on applications from a single vendor. Applications access the system through closed APIs that make it difficult to integrate with components from other vendors.
Public Switched Network (PSN)
The public telephone network which provides the capability of interconnecting any phone with any other.
Publisher
Informiam's name for our publication engine that drives data to our subscription channels.
Queue
Holds callers until a call center agent becomes available. Also refers to the line of items waiting to be processed.
Queue Time
See Delay
Random Call Arrival
Describes the random variation of how incoming calls arrive.
Readerboards
Also called display boards or wall displays. A visual display, that provides information on call center performance.
Real-time
Better called "real world time." Describes the ability to comprehend and react to events in a time frame that allows for successful mitigation or capitalization of the event.
Real-Time Adherence Software
Software that tracks how closely agents conform to their schedules. See Adherence to Schedule.
Real-Time Data
Information on current conditions within the call center or contact center.
Real-Time Management
Making adjustments to staffing and systems and network, in response to current call center conditions.
Received Calls
A call detected and seized by a trunk. Received calls will either abandon or be answered by an agent.
Record and Review Monitoring
See Monitoring
Recorded Announcement Route
See Delay Announcement
Reengineering
A term used by management to describe radical reorganization to improve efficiency and service.
Response Time
The time it takes the contact center to respond to inquiries that do not have to be handled when they arrive like faxes and emails.
Retrial Tables
Used to figure contact center resources like trunks needed and other system requirements. This is done under the assumption that some callers will make additional attempts to contact the call center.
Retrial
A caller who "retries" when they get a busy signal.
Root Cause
The core reason creating an operating anomaly in an environment. This reason must be uncovered and corrected to restore the operations to an optimal state. Informiam allows organizations to understand the root cause of operating issues much faster than with traditional reporting and analytic tools.
Round Robin Distribution
A method of distributing calls to agents according to a preconfigured list.
Rule
A single or multiple condition state that is configured through the Workbench that is then used to analyze source data against. Violation of these rules or "operating conditions" cause threshold violations that trigger alerts to subscribed channels.
Sales Force Automation Software (SFA)
Software that automates the sales process in order to boost sales or provide better customer service. SFA software is now being combined as part of a company's CRM offering.
Schedule Compliance
See Adherence to Schedule
Scheduling Exception
When an agent is involved in an activity outside of the normal, planned schedule.
Screen Monitoring
The ability that allows a supervisor the activity on an agents computer terminal remotely.
Screen Pop
A CTI capability. Callers' records are automatically retrieved and given to the call center agent when the call arrives.
Seated Agents
See Base Staff
Service Bureau
A company that handles outsourced call centers or contact centers.
Service Level Agreement
A Performance objective reached between the user and the provider of a service. A service level agreement specifies a variety of performance standards See Service Level.
Service Level
Also called Telephone Service Factor, or TSF. The percentage of incoming calls that are answered within a specified threshold: "X% of calls answered in Y seconds." See Response Time.
Service Observing
See Monitoring
Silent Monitoring
See Monitoring
Skill Group
See Agent Group
Skill-Based Routing
The ability to route calls within a call center in order to match customer inquiries with the most appropriate agent or resource based on customer requests, service levels and agent skill, availability, and workload in real-time.
Smooth Call Arrival
Calls that arrive consistently at a even pace across a period of time.
Source Systems
A core data source/feed that Informiam accesses as an input to its data field. These include systems such as such as ICM, IVR, ACD, CTI, WFM etc.
Speech Recognition
The ability for a voice processing system to decipher spoken words and phrases.
Split
See Agent Group
Supervisor Monitor
Computer monitors that enable supervisors to monitor the call handling statistics of their supervisory groups or teams. Much like Informiam for Contact Centers FrontLine Advisor.
Supervisor
The person who has front-line responsibility for a group of call or contact center agents.
T1 Circuit
A high speed digital circuit used for voice, data or video, with a bandwidth of 1.544 megabits per second.
Talk Time
The time a call center agent spends with a caller during a transaction.
Telecom Hosting
The establishment, delivery, and maintenance of a customer's telecommunications services on servers located at and belonging to a third-party provider.
Telecommuting
Using technology to work from home of a different location rather than the office.
Telephone Service Factor
See Service Level
Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI)
CTI protocol developed by Microsoft and Intel.
Telephony Services Application Programming Interface (TSAPI)
CTI protocol developed by Novell and AT&T.
Threshold
A business or technical condition that must be approached and then exceed to generate conditions that are pushed to subscribed channels. Threshold may be single or multiple value conditions. These are defined defined by the end user.
Tie line
A circuit that connects two ACDs or PBXs across a wide area.
Toll-Free Service
Enables callers to reach a call center out of the local calling area without being charged. 800 and 888 service is toll-free. Callers are charged local rates and the call center pays for the long distance charges.
Traffic Control Center
Network Control Center
Transaction
See Call
True Calls Per Hour
Actual calls an individual or group handled divided by occupancy for that period of time.
Trunk
A telephone circuit linking two switching systems.
Trunk Group
A collection of trunks associated with a single application group and usually used for a common purpose.
Trunk Load
The amount of calls that trunks carry. Includes both Delay and Talk Time.
Trunks Idle
The number of trunks in a group that are available to take calls.
Trunks in Service
The number of trunks in the group that are currently working.
Unavailable Work State
An call center agent work mode used to identify a mode not associated with handling telephone calls.
Unified Messaging
Integrated management and delivery of voice mail, fax and e-mail communication through a common system and interface.
Uniform Call Distributor (UCD)
A call center system that acts much like the ACD but not nearly as sophisticated.
Universal Agent
Is a call center agent who has multiple job functions. This type of agent can handle all types of incoming calls or can handle both inbound and outbound calls.
Virtual Call Center
A call center, geographically separated groups of agents or customer service reps who, through the use of the Internet and technology, are considered a single entity for the purposes of call handling, reporting, management, and/or scheduling.
Visible Queue
When a caller is told how long the wait time is when they enter a queue. See Invisible Queue.
Voice over IP. (VoIP)
An application that encodes and digitizes a voice signal, converts the signal to data packets, and transports the packets over a data network running Internet protocol (IP).
Voice Portal
Anywhere, anytime access via a telephone device to Web-based information.
Voice Processing
A term that refers to any combination of voice processing technologies, including Voice Mail, Automated Attendant, Audiotex, Voice Response Unit (VRU) and Faxback.
Web Callback
An application that allows a customer to be active on a company's Web site and request a call back from an agent, usually within a pre-defined interval.
Web Chat
Real-time communication between an agent and customer through the transfer of text over the Internet.
Web Enabled Call Center
See Contact Center
Warm Transfer
The simultaneous transfer of a telephone call and its associated data from one agent to another agent or supervisor.
Workbench
The administrative "backend" used to configure and administer many of the features and functions of the software. Many filtering and events notification options can be configured directly by the user through various client interfaces. Workbench administration predominantly configures core features of the software product.
Workforce Management Software
Software systems that forecast call load, calculate staff requirements to handle projected workload organize schedules and track real-time performance of agents and groups in a call center.
Workload
Same as Call Load. Work related to non-call activities.
Wrap-Up Codes
Codes that call center agents enter into the phone which is picked up by the ACD to identify the types of calls they are handling. The ACD can then generate historical reports on call types, by handling time, time of day, etc.
Wrap-up
See After-Call Work
Zip Tone
See Beep Tone
