Call Center Resources
Call Center Glossary
after-call work (ACW)
The work that an agent completes after a call
ends. It can include entering activity codes,
completing forms or sending an outbound
communication.
agent
The person who handles incoming or outgoing
calls and other communications in an
organization’s contact center. Agents are also
referred to as customer service representatives
(CSRs), operators, associates or team members.
analytics
The capturing of data from calls and other
communications to identify trends and uncover the
cause of problems as part of an effort to optimize
contact center performance and improve customer
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service. Contact centers often use powerful
software tools to collect data and present it in a
way that allows for ease of analysis.
answer rate
The percentage of calls answered by a contact
center. For example, if 1,000 calls were received in
a day, and 950 were answered by an agent or by
the interactive voice response (IVR) system, the
answer rate is 95 percent.
automated attendant
A system which prompts callers to make numerical
choices (“Press one for Sales; Press two for
Customer Service”) to reach a specific department
or person.
automated broadcast
A pre-recorded phone message sent to a group of
recipients. Often used to send emergency alerts,
to announce marketing promotions, or to
announce new products or services.
automatic call distributor (ACD)
Also known as an automated call distribution
system, an ACD is the device or system that
routes incoming calls to contact center agents.
Call-routing rules can be based on a number of
different criteria, including customers’ phone
numbers, the time of day, or the selection made by
the customer when prompted by the automated
attendant.
average handle time (AHT)
This calculation includes the amount of time an
agent spends on a call with a customer (including
time that the customer may be put on hold) and
after-call work (ACW) related to the call.
average speed of answer (ASA)
Also known as “Average Delay,” this is the
average time that a call waits in a queue until it is
answered by an agent. The calculation includes
both calls that wait on hold and those that are
answered immediately.
average talk time (ATT)
This is the average amount of time (usually
expressed in seconds) that agents spend in
conversation with a customer. It does not include
time spent on hold or time of an agent’s after-call
work.
blended contact center
An operation that handles multiple types of contact
with customers, such as inbound and outbound
calls, emails, web chats and other
communications.
contact center forecasting
The process of predicting call volumes using a
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variety of factors, including past experience and
upcoming promotions or holidays. The forecasted
volumes are used to plan for required staffing.
Call length: The amount of time it takes to handle
one customer interaction, usually expressed as an
average. (See Average Handle Time).
call length
The amount of time it takes to handle one
customer interaction, usually expressed as an
average. (See Average Handle Time).
call monitoring
Contact center supervisors will listen to calls to
assess the quality of agents’ customer service.
Also known as “service observation,” call
monitoring may happen in real-time or supervisors
may listen to recorded calls at a later time.
call recording
The recording of all or part of a conversation
between an agent and a customer to help ensure
quality customer service or to provide training
feedback from a supervisor. Additionally, “call
detail recording” captures data on calls, including
time in queue, call length, outgoing number dialed
and other information.
callback messaging
This is a feature that offers callers the option of
leaving a voice message or telephone number
using touch-tone to request a callback from an
agent rather than remaining on hold.
chat
Also known as web chat, this is an instant
message system that allows agents and
customers to have real-time written conversations.
cloud customer contact technology
Contact center infrastructure that is internet-based
and uses a software platform that connects to offsite cloud servers.
contact center
The industry uses the terms “call center” and
“contact center” interchangeably, but “contact
center” more accurately describes multi-channel
customer engagement by phone, email, chat, text
and social media.
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cost per call
Calculated by taking the total cost of operating a
contact center and dividing it by the number of
calls/communications handled in a given period.
use to track contact center and agent performance
over a certain period of time. The data is typically
generated by automated call distribution systems
and call detail recording systems.
customer relationship management (CRM)
Gartner defines CRM as “a business strategy that
optimizes revenue and profitability while promoting
customer satisfaction and loyalty. CRM
technologies enable strategy, and identify and
manage customer relationships, in person or
virtually. CRM software provides functionality to
companies in four segments: sales, marketing,
customer service and digital commerce.”
home agent
An agent that doesn’t work at a centrally located
contact center. Cloud contact center technology is
allowing for more and more “virtual” contact
centers, where agents log in from home or other
locations where an internet connection is
available.
customer service representative (CSR)
An organization’s representative who handles
customer communications, including contacts,
inquiries, support and complaints.
Do Not Call list
Also known as the Do Not Call Registry, this is a
national database of phone numbers that
telemarketers are not allowed to call. Consumers
can add their number to the registry for free at
www.donotcall.gov.
escalation plan
A plan that specifies the actions to be taken when
a caller queue begins to reach an unmanageable
level.
first call resolution (FCR)
A critical metric of quality for contact centers, first
call resolution reflects an agent’s ability to
understand and solve a customer’s issue during
the first contact.
handling time
The time an agent spends on a call and doing
related after-call work. Handling time also refers to
the amount of time a machine takes to process a
transaction.
help desk
A contact center set up to handle calls and
communications to support a product or service,
typically related to computer hardware or software.
idle time
The time agents spend waiting for calls. It can be
calculated as the percentage of time logged in that
is not spent on a call or doing after-call work.
intelligent auto-response email
A system that recognizes commonly asked
questions in inbound customer emails and
automatically responds with accurate answers and
links to relevant knowledge bases.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
A set of communication standards for digital
transmission of voice, video, data and other
network services over the “copper wires” of the
traditional public telephone network.
interactive voice response (IVR)
A system that automates processing of information
for callers by voice recognition or touch-tones.
Callers hear responses from a recorded human
voice or computer-generated voice. IVR systems
are often used with “bank by phone” and “check on
my order” services.
internet phone
Technology that allows phone calls to be placed
over the Internet, allowing callers to bypass
traditional “copper wire” telephone networks.
knowledge management system
A means or process of capturing, developing and
sharing organizational knowledge. Contact center
agents will often have access to a knowledge base
to help answer customers’ questions and resolve
issues with products or services.
historical reports
These reports contain information that managers
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last agent routing
A contact center technology feature that will route
a call to the last agent a customer communicated
with. The agent’s familiarity with the issue and the
customer typically results in faster resolution and
higher customer satisfaction.
mobile customer engagement software
A contact center technology for mobile devices
that offers a number of convenient features for
consumers, including ways to easily find selfservice information, to reach a knowledgeable
agent, or to arrange for a call back at a later time.
multichannel
A term used to describe contact centers that
provide customer service and support through
several communication channels, including phone,
email, web chat, text, fax, and social media.
network control center
Also known as the traffic control center, this is
where supervisors will monitor real-time conditions
in a contact center. They will use the information to
adjust routing thresholds and gather data to plan
for appropriate staffing levels.
next available agent
Supervisors will arrange for the first contact in a
queue to be routed to the first available agent,
helping to maintain an equitable agent workload. If
there is no queue, contacts are routed to the agent
with the longest idle time to help maintain an
equitable workload.
off-peak
Refers to periods of time when the contact center
is not busy. Off-peak times can be used for agent
desktop maintenance and updates, and agent
training.
omni-channel
Omni-channel refers to a customer’s buying or
service journey that can be accomplished
seamlessly across all service channels. An omnichannel experience, for example, is one where a
customer identifies a product for purchase on a
company’s web site, gathers more information for
the purchase by talking with an agent via web
chat, then placing the order online for pickup at a
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local brick-and-mortar location. At every customer
“touch point,” the contact center agent or customer
service representative has access to all the
transaction information necessary to deliver
outstanding service.
outsourced contact center: An outside company
that handles an organization’s customer service
communications through multiple channels,
including phone, email, chat and social media.
PCI DSS
The acronym for the Payment Card Industry Data
Security Standard, a set of information security
standards for organizations that handle credit
cards. Technology solutions are available for
contact centers to ensure that they are compliant
with PCI DSS standards.
predictive dialer
A system that automates outbound calls and
routes them to an agent when a live person
answers the phone. Predictive dialer software can
calculate the number of outbound calls necessary
to maximize agent productivity.
quality monitoring
Contact center supervisors have the capability to
listen to live and recorded calls as well as agent
screen activity to ensure the high quality of
customer interactions.
quantitative forecasting
The use of past trend data and other variables with
statistical analysis to predict future call volume.
queue
The virtual “waiting line” of a contact center -where calls are held until an agent is available.
script
A written, step-by-step process to assist contact
center agents with serving customers.
skill-based routing
Instead of routing to the first available agent, the
call is routed to the agent best skilled to handle the
needs of the caller.
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social media agent
A contact center agent trained to communicate
with customers via social media channels.
social media monitoring
Agents, supported by software platforms that
monitor mentions of a company’s brand online and
in social media channels, will proactively handle
customers’ comments, concerns and complaints.
speed of answer
The time it takes for a caller to reach a live agent.
An important metric for evaluating contact center
service levels.
threshold
The point in a process where an action must take
place. In the contact center industry, thresholds
are placed on the number of calls in a queue or the
maximum time calls are allowed in a queue.
unified agent desktop
A contact center software feature that offers
agents one window or one program on their
screen to access of all necessary information to
serve a customer.
virtual call center
Cloud-based contact center technology platforms
enable agents to be located in different physical
locations, but function as a single, “virtual call
center.”
About DATAMARK
DATAMARK, Inc. is a leading business process outsourcing company specializing in a wide array
of outsourced business services, including multichannel contact center services, high-volume
digital mailroom management, document processing, and process improvement consulting.
If you have questions or need assistance in developing your organization’s case for outsourcing
your contact center services, DATAMARK’s business process specialists are available for a
complimentary initial consultation.
Contact us at:
www.datamark.net
Toll-free: 800.477.1944
Info: info@datamark.net
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