Call Center Terminology from A-G

We have previously talked about setting up a call center that started from the overview, and went on to the simple steps.

To help you understand and build your call center, let us focus first on call center terminology that you will encounter as you go along with your business

Abandoned call refers to a call where a caller hanged up before it was answered by a representative or even before it was routed

Auto Attendant is a directory of extension numbers which can be chosen by a caller

Automatic Call Distributor or ACD route calls to a representative who became available first. ACD is usually a component of a PBX switch

Average Handle Time or AHT is the amount of time when a representative is engaged on a call which also includes the after call waiting time. AHT is the sum of talk time and wrap up time

Average speed of answer or ASA is a call center language that refers to measurement from the time the call begins, including the time that it is queued, and ends as soon as a representative answers the call

Blockage refers to a state when all trucks are occupied with calls which also includes a certain trunk that may be artificially blocked by a system

Call Whisper is a message played to an agent immediately before a call comes in to to give the representative a short background about the call coming in. This is usually based on the caller ID, number dialed or route taken through the system. Oftentimes, a call whisper is just a name of the caller’s location

Campaign is a set of calls that belong to the same scope. An example will be: your customer representative as against your technical support. Both of which are of different campaigns but does not necessarily be staffed by completely different representatives. In other words, a representative may hold two campaigns depending on her skills.

Computer Telephony Integration or CTI is the process of linking the ACD system to the computer that houses the company’s database.

Customer Relationship Management or CRM is often referred to a call center application that manages customer relationship by identifying the needs of customers, improving customer interactions, and sales approaches. All being automated to provide the most efficient service to the customer

Customer satisfaction or CSAT is a language in the call center which refers to a method of engaging the customer with a survey to measure their satisfaction with the service or product of the company

Fax to Email is contact center terminology which refers to an automated device that routes incoming fax calls to an email address which usually comes as an attachment.

First Call Resolution or FCR is a term used to measure the ability of the agent to resolve the caller’s issue on the first contact

Grade of service or GOS is a term used to measure