360 Degree View
Regarding contact centers, refers to the ability to see all of the information and data an organization possesses about a customer, including current and previous transactions and communications from a single desktop.

Abandoned Call
The caller disconnects before communicating with an agent. See also Lost Call.

ACD (Automatic Call Distributor)
Used in incoming call centers. A programmable device that automatically answers calls and performs functions such as queuing calls or delivering calls to agents.

Activity Codes
Codes agents enter into the ACD to identify various communications. See also Wrap-Up Codes.

Adherence to Schedule
How well agents follow their prescribed schedules. Can refer to the percentage of time agents were available to take calls during shifts, including the time spent actually communicating and the time between communications (see also Availability), or when agents were available for communications (also called Compliance or Adherence). See also Real-Time Adherence Software and Occupancy.

Administration
The general everyday management of the contact center software, e.g., modifying users, changing threshold values, maintaining subscription lists, etc.

Advanced call routing
The ability to route communications within the contact center to the most appropriate channel for individual customers. See also Skill-Based Routing.

After-Call Work (ACW)
Tasks required immediately after communications. Examples include entering data and completing forms. Agents in ACW mode are in an Unavailable Work State. See also Wrap-Up and Post Call Processing (PCP).

Agent
The individual who handles incoming or outgoing communications.

Agent Desktop
The computer screen or applications that agents use in their interactions with customers and in the course of their daily business.

Agent Group
A group of agents with a shared skill set or responsibilities, e.g., handling delinquent accounts. See also Split, Gate, Queue, or Skill Group.

Agent Out Call
Outbound communications from an agent to a customer or prospect.

Agent Status
Refers to the mode an agent is in at any given time, e.g., unavailable, ACW, talk time.

All Trunks Busy (ATB)
When all lines (trunks) are busy in a specified trunk group.

Analog
Non-digital transmission or switching.

Announcement
A prerecorded message transmitted to callers.

Answer Supervision
A signal sent by the ACD or other device to the telephone service provider upon acceptance of a call, triggering billing for the caller or call center if charges apply.

Answered Call
A call successfully received by an agent and recorded as such.

Application Based Routing and Reporting
The ability to route and monitor calls based on the type of service required (e.g., account payments, sales, complaints.). Typical capability of ACD. This is a major departure from the traditional method of routing and tracking by various agent and trunk groups.

Application Program Interface (API)
A method for applications to communicate with other applications.

Architecture
How the system is structured and designed. Largely determines system capabilities, upgradeability and the ability to integrate with systems later.

Assisted Browsing
The ability to connect browsers so that multiple viewers see the same webpage under the control of a single member.

Audiotex(t)
A voice processing capability that enables callers to access prerecorded messages. See also Voice Processing.

Auto Available
Automatically listing agents as available after their calls are disconnected. Any other status must be done manually by the agent. A feature of ACD.

Auto Greeting
Agent's prerecorded message that is delivered automatically when a call arrives. Saves agents from repetitive introductions and adds time between calls for the agent without dead-air for the customer.

Automated Attendant
An Auto Response System that directs calls to the proper resources through a series of prompts (if this press "1" if that press "2").

Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
Used in incoming call centers. A programmable device that automatically answers calls and performs functions such as queuing calls or delivering calls to agents.

Automatic Call Sequencer (ACS)
Used in incoming call centers to sequence calls and other functions. Less sophisticated than ACD.

Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
A feature that passes the caller’s phone number to the call center in real time. ANI may arrive two ways: 1. out of band over the D channel of an ISDN PRI circuit, 2. inband before the first ring on a single line. ANI is delivered from long-distance providers. (Caller ID is the local phone company version of ANI). ANI is referred to as Calling Line Identification (CLI) outside of North America.

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
Technology that translates audio voice signals into text.

Auxiliary Work State
A state or mode where an agent is working on items other than handling telephone calls.

Availability
The amount of time agents are available to handle communications. See also Adherence to Schedule.

Available State
Agents who are logged in to the ACD and available to receive calls.

Available Time
The total amount of time agents or agent groups spend waiting for calls.

Average Delay
The total delay divided by the total of all calls. See also Average Speed of Answer.

Average Handle Time (AHT)
The sum of the Average Talk Time and Average After-Call Work divided by the total number of all calls. The result is the average time it takes to handle a call.

Average Holding Time on Trunks
The sum of Delay Time and Talk Time divided by the total number of calls handled. The result is the average time transactions occupy the trunks.

Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
Total delay divided by the total of all calls. See also Average Delay.

Average Time to Abandonment
The total time spent in queue by calls that are dropped divided by the total number of calls that are dropped. Considers only calls that are abandoned.

Base Configuration
The minimum number of components required to make the software operational.

Basic Rate Interface (BRI)
One of two levels of ISDN service. Offers two bearer channels for voice and data and one channel for signaling.

Base Staff
The minimum number of agents required to achieve acceptable service levels. See also Seated Agents.

Beep Tone
An audible signal that indicates a call has arrived or a call is being monitored.

Benchmark
Creating a statistical standard to test or compare products or methods against each other to identify areas for improvement.

Blended Agent
A contact center agent who handles both inbound and outbound contacts and/or contacts from multiple channels.

Blockage
When callers are prevented from entering a queue. See Blocked Call.

Blocked Call
A call that cannot be connected for one of two reasons: 1. no circuit is available, 2. the ACD is preventing calls from entering the queue because the queue has exceeded a preset threshold.

Busy Hour
The time during the day when most calls are received. Determined by the averages of call volume over an extended time period.

Call
A communication between the agent and a client through any communication channel (web, phone, webchat).

Call Blending
Combining inbound and outbound agent groups into a single group responsible for both inbound and outbound contacts. The system automatically assigns agents based on the volume of contacts.

Call by Call Routing
Routing each individual call to the best possible destination based on real-time conditions.

Call Center
Generally refers to the specific location that receives and processes inbound and outbound calls. The term Contact Center is gaining favor in order to reflect today's environment that utilizes multiple communication channels.

Call Control Variables
Rules that the ACD uses to route calls.

Call Detail Recording
Data captured and stored by the ACD regarding each call.

Call Forcing
An ACD feature that delivers calls to the first available agents.

Call Load
The average talk time plus average after-call work multiplied by call volume for a given period. See also Workload.

Caller ID
Local phone company service that provides the telephone number of incoming calls. See also Automatic Number Identification.

Caller-Entered Digits (CED)
Information entered by callers through their telephone keypads.

Calling Line Identity (CLI)
A feature that passes the caller's phone number to the call center in real-time. See also Automatic Number Identification.

Calls in Queue
The number of calls received but not yet answered.

Carrier
A telecommunications service provider. Can refer to either local telephone or long-distance companies.

Central Office (CO)
A telephone company switching center OR the type of telephone switch used in a telephone company switching center.

Circuit
A transmission path between two points.

CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier)
A carrier that competes with established carriers, generally the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC).

Client/Server Architecture
A network architecture where computers share hardware/software and capabilities, and a computer "server" acts primarily as a central hub that the "client" computer borrows from.

Collateral Duties
Work the agent does when not on the phone.

Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC)
A carrier that competes with established carriers, generally the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC).

Compliance
How well agents comply or follow their prescribed schedules. See also Adherence to Schedule.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
A system that enables computers and telephones to work together in a contact center.

Conditional Routing
The ability to route communications based on real-time activity in the contact center through "if-then" statements that optimize agent availability.

Contact Center
A "call center" with capabilities that extend beyond traditional telephone communications to multiple communication channels (phone, fax, webchat, and VoIP) while utilizing the same system application.

Controlled Busies
A busy signal activated by the ACD when the call queue exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Cost Center
An accounting term for an organization or department that doesn't generate profit.

Cost of Delay
The cost a company incurs when callers to the contact center queue on a toll-free line.

Cost Per Call
The total costs of a contact center divided by the total number of calls.

Customer Contact
A communication between an agent and a client through any communication channel (web, phone, webchat). See also Call.

Customer Experience Management (CEM)
A strategy with the objective to control the customer touch points with the organization to affect the experience the customer has with the organization.

Customer Interaction Management (CIM)
The strategies and technologies used to meet the objective of providing agile and intelligent interaction with customers.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The strategies, processes and systems organizations put in place to improve their ability to optimize customer interactions.

Customer Service
Can refer generally as an alternative to "contact center" or "call center," especially by consumers. Can also refer to the service customers receive when interacting with a business or organization.

Database Call Handling
An application where the ACD coordinates information input by a caller with a database to direct the call to the appropriate agent.

Day of Week Routing
The ability to route calls to various locations based on the day of the week. Could also be applied to various times of day and days of year.

Delay
The total time a caller waits for an agent to become available. See also Queue Time.

Delay Announcements
A prerecorded message that requests callers remain on hold and prompts them to prepare information required for the interaction or directs them to alternative sources to obtain the desired information.

Delayed Call
A call not answered immediately and placed in the queue.

Dialed Number (DN)
The telephone number that caller used to contact the center.

Dialed Number Information Service (DNIS)
The string of digits that the telephone network passes to the ACD, agent, or CTI application to indicate which number the caller dialed.

DID (Direct-Inward-Dial)
A service that enables callers to dial directly to an extension on a PBX skipping the auto-attendant.

Direct-Inward-Dial (DID)
A service that enables callers to dial directly to an extension on a PBX skipping the auto-attendant.

Dual-Tone Multi-frequency (DTMF)
Dialing by sound or tone, or the sounds associated with characters on the telephone keypad heard when dialing. Also known as "Touch-Tone®" an AT&T registered mark.

Dynamic Answer
An ACD feature that optimizes the number of rings in real time based on queue data before answering a call placed into the contact center. This minimizes the call length and reduces a call center costs because the call isn't billed until the call is answered.

E-mail Automation
An automated scripted response generated from key words in a customer e-mail message, or the integration of e-mail requests into the contact center agent distribution, queuing, and routing processes.

Envelope Strategy
Scheduling a sufficient number of agents to handle both inbound calls and off-the-phone work as the call flow dictates. If the call flow is high, all agents handle phone calls; during slower times, agents are available for non-call-related work.

Error Rate
The number of bad transactions OR the number of defective processes within a transaction.

Escalation Plan
A plan made in advance that provides directions for situations when call volumes reach unacceptable levels.

Fast Clear Down
A caller who disconnects immediately when they hear the delay announcement.

Fax on Demand
An automated system that enables callers to have documents faxed to a number they enter through their keypads.

Flushing Out the Queue
Redirecting holding calls within the call center to another group with more available agents or shorter queue times.

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
Accounting term meaning the number of scheduled hours divided by the total hours in a standard work week. The hours of several part-time agents could equal one FTE.

Gate
A group of agents with a shared skill set or responsibilities, e.g., handling delinquent accounts. See also Agent Group.

Grade of Service
The probability that a call will not be connected to a system because all agents are busy. See also Service Level.

Handled Calls
The number of calls actually handled by contact center agents or contact center equipment.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
Enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996, the intent was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare nationally by encouraging the use of electronic data interchange. Title II of HIPAA—the Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions—requires the establishment of national standards for electronic healthcare transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

Historical Reports
Reports that track or reveal past contact center or contact center agent performance.

Holding Time
The total amount of time that trunks are occupied with transactions, the sum of Delay Time and Talk Time. See also Average Holding Time on Trunks.

Home Agent
An agent that works from their home through the internet or telephony connection. See also Telecommuting.

ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier)
A local carrier in the U.S. that predates the breakup of AT&T into the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) also known as "Baby Belles."

Imaging
A system that scans or converts physical documents into electronic files.

Incoming Call Center Management
Strives to accurately predict the agent requirements at various times to handle the projected workload at desired service levels.

Incremental Revenue (Value) Analysis
An analysis that determines the affect or value of adding or dismissing contact center agents.

Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC)
A local carrier in the U.S. that predates the break up of AT&T into the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) also know as "Baby Belles."

Intelligent Call Routing
An application that uses information from an ANI or the customer to determine how it should be handled.

Inter Exchange Carrier (IXC)
A long-distance service provider.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
Converts caller-entered keypad digits or speech into electronic data inputs similar to keystrokes or mouse clicks. Enables callers to access information and/or complete transactions when integrated with database computers.

Interflow
Calls that move from one contact center site or agent group to another. See also Overflow.

Internal Help Desk
A special group set up to support other internal groups or agents.

Internal Response Time
The time required for an internal help desk to respond to requests that do not have to be handled immediately.

Internet "Call Me" Transaction
An option that enables a visitor to a webpage to request a call from the contact center.

Internet "Call Through" Transaction
An option that enables a visitor to a website to click a link on the webpage and be directly connected to a contact center agent.

Internet Phone
The ability to complete telephone calls via the internet. See also Internet Telephony, Voice Over IP (VoIP).

Internet Telephony
The ability to complete telephone calls via the internet. See also Internet Phone, Voice Over IP (VoIP).

Intraflow
Calls that flow from one internal agent or group to another. See also Overflow.

Invisible Queue
When callers are not informed of expected hold times. See also Visible Queue.

IP Telephony (Internet Protocol Telephony)
See Internet Telephony.

Judgmental Forecasting
Forecasting based on intuition, past experience and opinion, not empirical data or statistics.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Various factors determined to be critical to success and used to evaluate an agent or group of agent's job performance.

Law of Diminishing Returns
The tendency for additional agents to deliver gradually reducing service levels 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, enabling users to share information, applications and systems.

Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
Companies that provide local telephone services.

Logged On
Agents are signed on and visible to a system.

Long Call
Typically defined as a call that is near 30 minutes in length.

Longest Available Agent
Distributing calls to the contact center agent with the greatest idle time since their previous call.

Look Ahead Queuing
The ability to monitor alternative queues and evaluate the conditions before overflowing calls from the primary queue.

Look Back Queuing
The ability to continue monitoring the primary queue after a call has been overflowed to a secondary queue.

Lost Call
The caller disconnects before communicating with an agent. See also Abandoned Call.

Middleware
Intermediary software that enables different types of hardware and software on a network to function together.

Monitoring
Management listening to contact center agent communications to maintain quality.

Multilingual Agents
Contact center agents who are fluent in more than one language.

Multimedia
The use of multiple forms and combinations of media together to communicate information (e.g., recorded audio with visual display, e-mail with video, etc.).

Multimedia Routing
The routing of different types of media and communications within a contact center.

Network Control Center
The location in a networked contact center where people and equipment are employed to ensure that staffing levels are optimized and real-time routing decisions are made to maintain optimized service. Also referred to as enterprise command center.

Network Inter-flow
A technology used by contact centers with multiple sites to ensure efficient distribution of calls between sites.

Next Available Agent
A feature that sends calls to the next agent who becomes available regardless of skill group.

Noise Canceling Headset
Advanced headsets that are designed to reduce background noise.

Non-ACD In Calls
Inbound calls that go directly to a contact center agent's extension instead of the group.

Occupancy
The percentage of time agents actual handle calls versus time spent idle or waiting for calls to arrive. Also called Agent Utilization. See also Adherence to Schedule.

Off Peak
Any time period in the contact center with less activity than the most active time period.

Offered Calls
The three various initial experiences a caller can have with a contact center: 1) unable to connect due to a busy signal, 2) directed to a self-serve attendant but abandon call, 3) successfully reach an agent.

Open Ticket
A customer contact or issue that is unresolved or incomplete.

Outsourcing
The use of third parties outside of a company to complete a project or provide a service.

Overflow
Calls that are moved from one contact center site to another and between groups.

Peaked Call Arrival
A short surge of contact center traffic within a short period of time.

Percent Allocation
Using predefined percentages to allocate calls across different contact center sites. See also Call by Call Routing and Network Inter-flow.

Percent Utilization
The percentage of time agents actually handle calls versus time spent idle or waiting for calls to arrive. See also Occupancy.

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)
The basic analog voice service consisting of telephones, telephone lines and access to the Public Switched Telephone Service (PSTN). See also Public Switched Telephone Network.

Position Monitoring
Management listening to contact center agent communications to maintain quality. See also Monitoring.

Post Call Processing
Tasks required immediately after communications. Examples include entering data and completing forms See also After-Call Work (ACW).

Predictive Dialing
Automatically initiates outbound calls based on estimates of the number of calls required to reach a live person and agents available, passing each call to an agent when the call is answered.

Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)
An on-site telephone system that handles incoming and outgoing calls. See also Private Branch Exchange.

Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
An on-site telephone system that handles incoming and outgoing calls. See also Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX).

Private Network
A network used by an organization or its associates that is not available to the general public.

Profit Center
Any part of an organization that generates profit. See also Cost Center.

Public Switched Network (PSN)
A public carrier network that interconnects users. It usually refers to telephone users, but it can apply to other communication networks.

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
A public telephone network that interconnects any telephone with any other telephone. See also Plain Old Telephone Service.

Queue
Where callers are held until a contact center agent becomes available. Also refers to the "line" of items waiting to be processed.

Queue Time
The total time a caller waits for an agent to become available. See also Delay.

Random Call Arrival
The natural random variation of incoming calls. See also Peaked Call Arrival.

Readerboards
A display that provides information and data on contact center performance.

Real-Time Adherence Software
Software that reports how well agents conform to their schedules. See also Adherence to Schedule.

Real-Time Data
Information or data reported and available as it is created.

Real-Time Management
The ability to make business and organizational adjustments in response to conditions or events as they occur.

Received Calls
A call that enters the system, at which point it will either be abandoned or answered by an agent. See also Abandoned Call.

Recorded Announcement Route
A prerecorded message that requests that callers remain on hold and prompts them to prepare information required for the interaction or directs them to alternative sources to obtain the desired information. See also Delay Announcements.

Response Time
The time it takes the contact center to respond to inquiries, from the time they enter the contact center until they are connected to the appropriate agent.

Retrial
A caller who contacts the center again ("retries") when they get a busy signal.

Round Robin Distribution
Distributing calls to agents according to a predetermined list.

Schedule Compliance
How well agents follow their prescribed schedules. Can refer to the percentage of time agents were available to take calls during shifts, including the time spent actually communicating and the time between communications (see also "Availability"), or refer to when agents were available for communications (also called Compliance or Adherence). See also Adherence to Schedule and Occupancy.

Scheduling Exception
Activity outside of the normal, planned schedule.

Screen Monitoring
The ability for a supervisor to view the activity on an agent's computer terminal remotely.

Screen Pop
The automatic retrieval and delivery of a caller's records to the contact center agent when the call arrives.

Seated Agents
The minimum number of agents required to achieve acceptable service levels. See also Base Staff.

Service Bureau
Any organization that handles outsourced call centers or contact centers.

Service Level
The percentage of incoming calls that are answered within a specified time period, e.g., X% of calls answered in Y seconds. See also Response Time and Telephone Service Factor (TSF).

Service Level Agreement
Specifies a variety of performance standards, requirements and objectives between a user and the provider of a service.

Service Observing
Observing the contact center agent's interaction with the customer. See also Monitoring.

Silent Monitoring
Observing or listening to the contact center agent's interaction without the customer and/or agent being aware. See also Monitoring.

Skill Group
A group of agents with a shared skill set or responsibilities, e.g., handling delinquent accounts. See also Split, Gate, Queue or Agent Group.

Skill-Based Routing
The real-time ability to match customer inquiries with agents that have the most applicable skills, knowledge or resources.

Smooth Call Arrival
Calls that arrive at an even and consistent pace across a period of time.

Speech Recognition
The ability for software to convert spoken words and phrases into electric data inputs.

Split
A group of agents with a shared skill set or responsibilities, e.g., handling delinquent accounts. See also Agent Group, Gate, Queue, or Skills Group.

Supervisor
The individual responsible for a group of contact center agents.

T1
A high-speed digital circuit with a bandwidth of 1.544 megabits per second.

T3
A private dedicated circuit that provides 45Mbps of bandwidth, consisting of 28 T1s or 672 64Kbps channels.

Talk Time
The total amount of time a contact center agent spends with a customer during an interaction from greeting to disconnection.

Telecommuting
Using technology to work from a location other than the office. See also Home Agent.

Telephone Service Factor
The percentage of incoming calls that are answered within a specified time period, e.g., X% of calls answered in Y seconds. See also Response Time and Service Level.

Threshold
A predetermined point defined by the user that triggers an action or response, may be single or multiple value conditions.

Toll-Free Service
Enables callers not in the local service area to contact the contact center without incurring long-distance charges. The contact center absorbs the long distance charges.

Transaction
A communication between agent and a client through any communication channel (web, phone, and webchat). See also Call.

True Calls per Hour
The actual number of calls an individual or group handled divided by occupancy for that time period.

Trunk
An individual transmission line between two switching systems.

Trunk Group
A collection of trunks associated with a single application group.

Unavailable Work State
A contact center agent work mode that identifies the agent as present but not actively handling calls.

Unified Agent Desktop
An application that integrates all of the tools and communication channels an agent needs to interact effectively with customers into a single "desktop" on their computers.

Unified Messaging
A single system that enables the management and delivery of voice mail, fax and e-mail.

Uniform Call Distributor (UCD)
A contact center system that distributes inbound calls and information. Not as robust as an ACD.

Universal Agent
An agent that can handle incoming communications regardless of channel. Can also refer to an agent equipped to handle both inbound and outbound calls.

Universal Queue (UQ)
The process or strategy of combining multiple communications channels (such as telephone, fax and e-mail) into a single "universal queue" to standardize processing and handling.

Virtual Agent
Contact center agents that work from locations outside the physical contact center. See also Home Agent and Telecommuting.

Virtual Call Center
A contact center that does not have a physical location, but is comprised of geographically separated groups of agents and supervisors that function as single unit.

Visible Queue
When a caller is made aware of the expected wait time to speak with an agent. See also Invisible Queue.

Voice over IP (VoIP)
Technology that encodes and digitizes voice signals so that they can be sent via an internet connection. See also Internet Phone or Internet Telephony.

Voice Processing
Any of the technologies that incorporate voice, e.g., voice mail, automated attendant, audiotex, Voice Response Unit (VRU) and faxback.

Web Chat
Real-time, two-way text communication between an agent and customer via the Internet.

Web Enabled Call Center
A "call center" with capabilities that extend beyond traditional telephone communications to multiple communication channels (phone, fax, webchat, and VoIP) while utilizing the same system application. See also Contact Center.

Warm Transfer
The transfer of a call and its associated data from one agent to another agent or supervisor. The initiating agent drops from the line only after announcing the caller to the receiving agent or supervisor.

Workflow
The automation of a process or series of processes through the linking of tasks and activities in the contact center. This includes automatically routing interactions, tasks, notifications and records to predefined or user-selected destinations such as users, departments, or business units.

Workforce Management Software
Software that facilitates contact center management by forecasting call loads, calculating staff requirements to handle projected workloads, organize schedules and track performance.

Workload
Generally used interchangeably with Call Load (the average talk time plus average after-call work multiplied by call volume for a given period). Can also include non-call activities.

Wrap-up
Tasks required immediately after communications. Examples include entering data and completing forms. See also After Call Work (ACW) and Post Call Processing (PCP).

Wrap-up Codes
Codes that contact center agents enter that identify the types of calls they are handling.

Zip Tone
An audible signal that a call has arrived or that a call is being monitored. See also Beep Tone.