A
Abandoned Call
The caller hangs up before the call is answered. Also known as a Lost Call.

ACD
Automatic Call Distribution

Agent Out Call
An outbound call made by an agent.

Agent Status
Telephone transmission or switching that is not digital. Signals are analogous to the original signal.

Agent
The person who handles incoming and outgoing calls. Also commonly known as customer service representative (CSR), telephone sales or service representative (TSR), customer service professional, operator and team member etc.

Announcement
A recorded Message played to callers.

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B
Base Staff
The minimum number of agents required to achieve service level and response time objectives for a given period of time. Calculations assume that agents will be in their seat for the entire period of time. Schedules must therefore add in extra people to accommodate breaks, absenteeism and other factors that will keep agents from the phones. It is also known as Seated Agents.

Beep Tone
An audible notification that a call is being monitored.

Blended Out Sourcing
Whereby company delivers some services using in country operations and some with offshore operations. 

Benchmark
A standardized task to test the capabilities of devices against each other. In quality terms, benchmarking is comparing products, services and processes with those of other organizations, to identify new ideas and improvement opportunities.

Best in Class
A benchmarking term identifying organizations that outperform all others in a specified category.

Best Shore – Also see near shore
Refers to using the best location, based on customer's criteria, set of suppliers regardless of where they are located.

Blocked Call
A call that cannot be connected immediately because no circuit is available, or the ACD is programmed to block calls from entering the queue when the queue backs up beyond a defined threshold.

Broadband
A general term applied to relatively new technologies such as cable modems that allow fast access to the Internet and other online services.

Buddy System
A system that teams up a new employee with an experienced employee so skills can be passed on over an extended period.

Business Intelligence (BI)
Technology that attempts to close the time gap between accounting statements and market information. BI software systems enable management to pull up the latest data about the company's performance. In the coming era of e-commerce, with hook ups among manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers, such systems have the potential to offer financial data updated by the hour.

BPO Business Process Outsourcing
Business process outsourcing means examining the processes that compose the business and its functional units, and then working with focused service providers to both re-engineer and outsource these at the same time. BPO involves the full transfer of responsibility for functions such as transaction processing, policy servicing, claims management, HR, finance, and compliance to the outsourcing company. The outsourcing provider then administers these functions on their own systems to agreed service standards and at a guaranteed cost. It is sometimes referred to as Business Transformation Outsourcing (BTO)

Typically, companies that are looking at business process outsourcing are hoping to achieve cost savings by handing the work to a third-party that can take advantage of economies of scale by doing the same work for many companies. Or perhaps the cost savings can be achieved because labour costs are lower due to different costs of living in different countries. (see Labour arbitrage)

Bricks and clicks
Bricks and clicks is a business strategy or business model in e-commerce in which a company attempts to integrate both online and physical presences. It is also known as Click-and-mortar or clicks-and-bricks.

B 2 B Business to Business
Business conducted between companies, rather than between a company and individual consumers.

Business-to-business electronic commerce
Business-to-business electronic commerce (B2B) typically takes the form of automated processes between trading partners and is performed in much higher volumes than business-to-consumer (B2C) applications.

B 2 C Business-to-consumer electronic commerce
Business-to-consumer electronic commerce (B2C) is a form of electronic commerce in which products or services are sold from a firm to a consumer.

B 2 X Business-to-exchange electronic commerce
Business-to-exchange electronic commerce networks (B2X) connect businesses to B2B sites and services. This allows a business to evaluate many alternative B2B services for an optimal solution or price.

BTO Business Transformation Outsourcing
See BPO

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C
Call Blending  see Universal agents
Combines traditionally separate inbound and outbound agent groups into one group of agents responsible for handling both inbound and outbound contacts. This system is capable of automatically putting agents who are making outbound calls into the inbound mode and vice versa when the incoming call load changes.

Contact Centre also referred to as Call Centre
A term that generally refers to multi-channel service centres, information lines, help desks or customer reservation centres, regardless of how they are organized or what types of transactions they handle.

Call Control Variables
The set of criteria the ACD uses to process calls. This can include routing criteria, overflow parameters, recorded announcements and timing thresholds.

Call Detail Recording
Another term for historical reports.

Call Forcing
An ACD feature that automatically delivers calls to agents who are available to take calls. A notification such as a beep occurs to inform them that a call has arrived; agents are not required to press a button to answer calls.

Calls in Queue
A real-time report that refers to the number of call received by the ACD system but not yet connected to an agent.

Calling Line Identity (CLI)
See Automatic Number Identity

Call Load
(Average Talk Time + Average After-Call Work) x call volume. Also referred to as Work Load.

Call
Refers to contact methods such as telephone calls, video calls and Web calls etc. Also known as Transaction and Customer Contact.

Carrier
A company that provides telecommunications circuits. Carriers include both local telephone companies and long distance providers.

Centrex
A switching service provided by a public telephone operator. Alternative to a PABX or ACD.
See also hosted VoIP

Circuit
A transmission path between two points in a network.

Client/Server Architecture
A network of computers that share capabilities and devices.

Computer Simulation
A computer technique that predicts the outcome of various events in the future, given variables. Often simulation is the only way to predict outcomes when there are many variables.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
Refers to the linkage of a telephone switch (ACD, PABX) and computer systems to enhance call processing.

Conditional Routing
The capability of the ACD to route calls based on current conditions. It is based on "if-then" programming statements. For example, "if the number of calls in group 1 exceeds 20 and there is at least 2 agents in group two, then route the calls to group two."

Convergence
A combination of technologies, usually a mix of computers, telecommunications, and television. Some examples are set-top boxes that allow consumers to watch television and surf the net, and voice phone call made over the Internet.

Cost Centre
An accounting term that refers to a department or function in the enterprise that does not generate profit.

Cost Per Call
Total operating costs divided by total calls for a given period of time period.

Customer Contact Management System (CCMS)
Software that assists Agents in customer relationship management. Also known as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Complex software used by big companies to improve customer experience. Each stage of the customer dealings with a company are logged on the computer system, so all staff are fully informed about each client's accumulated experience.

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D
Database Call Handling
A CTI application, where the ACD works in sync with the database computer to process calls, based on information in the database. For example, the prioritizing of calls based on the customer who is calling.

Datacasting
This will allow licensed media companies to send television services such as textual news and weather bulletins over the airwaves.

Datamining
These methods aim to present data in such a way that it provides useful information for decision-makers.

Datawarehousing
This technology collates and stores data in such a way that management can easily access it.

Delay Announcements
Recorded announcements that may inform clients to their progress in the queue, services available etc. In some systems, delay announcements are provided through recorded announcements routes (RANs).

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E
Electronic Mail (E-mail)
Electronic text mail.

Escalation Plan
A plan which specifies the actions to be taken when the queue begins to build beyond acceptable levels.

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G
Gateway
A server which is dedicated to providing access to a network.

Global Sourcing
This happens when a company uses sources that span multiple countries to produce a product or deliver a service.  The sources could be in-house or external suppliers.  A form of global sourcing is Called ‘blended sourcing’, whereby a company delivers some services using in country operations and some with offshore operations. 

Grade of Service
The probability that a call will not be connected to a system because all trunks are busy. This is often expressed as "p.01" which means 1% of calls will not be answered.

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H
Handled Calls
The number of calls received and actually handled by agents or peripheral equipment

Handling Time
The time an agent spends in Talk Time and After-Call Work, handling a transaction. This may also refer to the time it takes for a machine to process a transaction.

Help Desk
Generally refers to a Service Centre set up to handle queries about product installation, usage or problems. Usually for IT customers.

Historical Reports
Reports that track Service Centre and agent performance over a period of time. The amount of history that a system can store varies by system e.g. ACD, third party ACD packages and peripherals (VRU's etc)

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I
IVR
See VRU

Imaging
Documents are scanned into a system and sorted electronically.

Incoming Service Centre Management
Having the right number of skilled people and resources in place at the right times to handle an accurately forecasted workload service level.

Incremental Revenue (Value) Analysis
A methodology used as a multiplier to adjust another number.

Index Factor
In forecasting, a proportion used as a multiplier to adjust another number.

In sourcing
In sourcing happens when a company decides to bring work that was previously processed by an external supplier back in-house.  They may do this by purchasing the supplier -- known as growth by acquisition -- or by expanding their internal capabilities and workforce, known as organic growth.  In sourcing is often referred to as vertical integration in business and economic literature. 

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
A set of international standards for telephone transmission. ISDN provides an end-to-end digital network, out-of-band signaling, and greater bandwidth than older telephone services. The two standard levels of ISDN are Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI).

Inter Exchange Carrier (IXC)
A long-distance telephone company.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
See Voice Response Unit.

Internal Help Desk
A group that supports other internal agent groups, e.g. for complex calls. Usually for IT customers.

Internal Response Time
The time it takes an agent group that supports other internal groups (e.g.: for complex tasks) to respond to transactions that do not have to be handled when they arrive (e.g.: correspondence, email). See Response Time and Service Level.

Internet Call Me Transaction
A transaction that allows a user to request callback from the Service Centre, while exploring a Web page. Requires interconnection of the ACD system and the Internet by means of an Internet Gateway.

Internet Call Through Transaction- also called click to talk.
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 Chat also called web chat
Allow the agent and caller to communicate via a typed conversation from their computers across the Internet.

Internet Phone
Technology that enables users of the Internet's World Wide Web to place voice telephone call through the Internet, thus by-passing the long distance network. Ie Skype, Gizmo

Internet
A global network housing email systems and websites.

Intranet
A private company network that operates exactly like the World Wide Web.

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K
Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Serve as benchmarks for the assessment of the performance of a Service Centre. KPIs act as barometers in assessing the performance of Service Centres on an individual, team and overall performance basis.

Kiosk or Video Kiosk
Self service computer terminal, often touch screen, located in a public area (eg. railway stations) for supply of information (e.g. timetables)

Knowledge Management
Knowledge management is a work in progress. The idea is to run a database where all the information contained in employees' brains is pooled in a database that is easily accessible to other staff.

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L
Labour Arbitrage
In economics, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a state of imbalance between two (or possibly more) markets: combinations of matching deals are struck that exploit the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices. Thus in Labour Arbitrage equivalent labour resources are purchased in one country and sold at a different rate in another country.

Law of Diminishing Returns
The declining marginal improvements in service level that can be attributed to each additional agent, as successive agents are added.

Logged On
A state in which agents have signed on to a system (made their presence known), but may or may not be ready to receive calls.

Longest Available Agent
A method of distributing calls to the agent who has been sitting idle the longest. With a queue, Longest Available Agent becomes Next Available Agent.

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M
Middleware
Software that mediates between different types of hardware and software on a network, so that they can function together.

Modem
A contradiction of the terms Modulator/Demodulator. A modem converts analog signals to digital and visa versa.

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N

Near Shore
Refers to using suppliers immediately adjacent to the country of origin.  In the case of the USA this would be Canada or Mexico.

Network Control Centre
Also called Traffic Control Centre. In a networked service centre 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.

Network Inter-flow
All rights reserved. A technology used in multi-site Service Centre environments to create more efficient distribution of call between sites. Through integration of sites using network circuits (such as T1 circuits) and ACD software, calls routed to one site may be queued simultaneously for agent groups in remote sites.

Next Available Agent
A call distribution method that sends calls to the next agent who becomes available. The method seeks to maintain an equal load across skill groups or services. When there is no queue, Next Available Agent reverts to Longest Available Agent.

Noise Canceling Headset
Headsets equipped with technology that reduces background noise. Background noise can be stress inducing.

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O
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).

Off The Shelf
Hardware or software programs that are commercially available and ready for use as it is ('Plug and Play').

Offered Calls
All of the attempts callers make to reach the service centre. There are three possibilities for offered calls, they can either get busy signals, be answered by the system, but hang up before reaching an agent, or they can be answered by an agent. Offered call reports in ACD's usually refer only to the calls that the system receives.

Online shop
An online shop, Internet shop, web shop or online store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall. It is an electronic commerce application used for B2B or B2C.

On-site offshore outsourcing

When companies bring in lower cost foreign labour, via guest-worker visas, to complete work on site in the country of origin, the term used is on-site offshore outsourcing.  Not all work is easily off shored.  On-site offshore outsourcing typically involves requires physical presence with the customer, from software architecture to sales, companies are now increasingly bringing in foreign workers for that part of the service delivery.

Off shoring
When a multinational company moves or expands some of its operations and jobs to overseas locations, this is referred to offshore in all offshore outsourcing.  In some cases, workers can be done in the country of origin but this being shifted to an offshore location.  In other cases, expansion that normally wouldn't happen in the country of origin instead happens in offshore locations.

Offshore outsourcing
Is the practice of hiring an external organization to perform some or all business functions in a country other than the one where the process will be sold or consumed. When a company purchases a product or service from a supplier that operates overseas, to offshore outsourcing is used.  It doesn't matter where the supply is headquartered -- just that the work is performed overseas.

Outsourcing
Outsourcing is defined as the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function by a third party service provider. Outsourcing happens when a company decides to purchase a product or service from a source outside of the company.  Generally refers to product or services that were once done in-house, now purchased from a source external to the company.  In business parlance, outsourcing is sometimes known as vertical de- integration.

Companies have been outsourcing increasing the rate of processes and functions of the used to in-house, such as accounting, payroll processing, and even engineering design.

Out-tasking
Turning over a narrowly-defined segment of business to another business, typically on an annual contract, or sometimes a shorter one. This usually involves continued direct or indirect management and decision-making by the client of the out-tasking business.

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P
PBX/ACD
A PBX that is equipped with ACD functionality.

Peaked Call Arrival
A surge of traffic beyond random variation. It is a spike within a short period of time.

Percent Allocation
A call routing strategy sometimes used in multi-site Service Centre environments. Calls received in the network are allocated across sites based on user-defined percentages. See Network Inter-flow.

Portal
Originally a gateway Web site such as Internet directory Yahoo, which web surfers use to find their way to a particular destination. The word is now also used to describe almost any busy web site .

Predictive Dialing Equipment
The number of calls initiated is greater than the number of agents available, but uses pacing algorithms to predict when agents will become free. Reduces the risk of no agents available to connect. Agents do not see whether the number they have called is engages etc.

Preview Dialing
The Agent can see whether the number they have called is engaged, disconnected, answering machine etc.

Preview/Screen Dialing
The agent initiates their next call from their computer screen. The computer than requests the telephone system to make the call. Sometimes a list of numbers and relevant information is updated for the agent who selects which number to call next.

Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)
System providing telephone call switching to an organization or even several locations. Connects extensions to extensions and extensions to and from public networks. Also known as PBX, Switch.

Private Network
A network made up of circuits for the exclusive use of an organization or group of affiliated organizations. Can be regional, national or international in scope and are common in large organizations.

Profit Centre
An accounting term that refers to a department or function in the organization that generated profit.

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
The public telephone network which provides the capability of interconnecting any home or office with any other.

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S
Sales Force Automation (SFA)
SFA software enables sales people on the road to use their notebook computers to log remotely to a central database. The database contains all information and resources of its sales team, so everyone is better informed.

Scheduling Exception
When agents are involved in activities outside the normal schedule.

Screen Monitoring
A system where supervisors are able to remotely monitor the activity of agents' computer terminals.

Screen Pop
Synchronization of the appropriate screen populated with the right customer data from a legacy system to match the incoming call presented to the agent.

Service Provider
Company handling inbound and outbound calls for another organization

Screen Refresh
Rate that real-time information is updated on a display.

Service Legal Agreement
Performance objectives reached between the service user and the provider, or between an outsourcer and organization. This includes specific objectives e.g.: 10% increase sales, answer all calls within 1 minute.

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T
Talk Time
The time agents spend with callers during transaction.

Telecommuting
Using telecommunications to work from home or other locations instead of at the organizations premises. Now more likely because of VoIP technology.

Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI)
CTI protocol developed by Microsoft and Intel.

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U
Uniform Call Distributor (UCD)
A system that distributes calls to agents and provides reports. A UCD is not as sophisticated as an ACD.

Universal (Blended) Agent
Refers to either an agent who can handle all types of incoming calls or an agent who can handle both inbound and or outbound calls.

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V
Voice Response Unit (VRU)
Also called Interactive Voice Response Unit (IVR), or Audio Response Unit (ARU). A VRU 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 VRU 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). See Voice Processing.

Virtual Service Centre
A distributed Service Centre that acts as a single site for call handling and reporting purposes.

VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol. Allows two parties to talk using their computers, over the Internet i.e. No phone needed.

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W
Web Based Call
Initiated by hitting a 'hot button' when browsing a web site to link the person to an Agent for more detail.

Web Callback
The caller enters a phone number into a web page and the agent calls the caller back.

Web Collaboration Assisted Browse Co Browse
Allows one party to control the web browser of the other and guide them through the web pages.

Web Informer / Web Announcements
When held in a queue the callers computer speaks to the caller to advise of delay times etc.

Web Push
Allows an agent to force the callers web page to go to a specific page.

Web Video
If either the agent or the caller have a camera then one can see the other. Normally combined with VoIP as well.

White Boarding
Allows the agent and caller to draw freely using their computers on a common screen.

Wide Area Network (WAN)
The connection of multiple computers across a wide area.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
A technology that converts Web pages into a format accessible by mobile phones.

Workforce Management Software
Software systems that may forecast call load, calculate staff requirements, organize schedules and track real-time performance of individuals and groups.

Workload
Similar to call load, however can also include non-call activities.

World Wide Web (www)
The capability that enables users to access information on the internet in a graphical environment.

Wrap up
Work that is a result immediately follows an inbound transaction. This often includes entering data, filling out forms and making outbound calls necessary to complete the transaction. The agent is unavailable to receive another inbound call while in this mode. Also called Post Call Processing (PCP).

Wrap-Up Codes
Codes agents enter into the ACD to identify the types of calls they are handling. The ACD can then generate reports on call types, by handling time, time of day, etc.