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Glossary

VoIP Terminology, Definitions, & Acronyms

A

ACD (Automatic Contact Distributor): ACD is an omnichannel routing engine distributing agents with incoming calls based on agent skill set and customer needs. ACD ensures that customer requests are elevated to qualified agents efficiently or resolved with self-service.
Agent Coaching: It is a performance and quality management activity where you provide agents with examples, exercises, and feedback to complete and help them improve their skill set.
Agent Occupancy: It is a workforce management metric that shows the agent's percentage of time actively engaged in handling activities compared to their total logged-in time.
Agent Productivity: Agent productivity is the average time agents spend handling time on calls.
AHT (Average Handle Time): Average Handle Time is an agent's average time handling a contact.
AHLDT (Average Hold Time): Average Hold Time is the average time contacts spend "on hold."
ANI (Automatic Number Identification): ANI transmits the caller's phone number for quicker customer identification.
Auto Dialer: Auto dialer automates the procedure of making calls from an outbound contact center. Dialers can offer scripting, reporting, and advanced functionality.
Auto-Attendant: Auto-attendant, using a prerecorded message you chose, automatically greets and directs callers to the suitable extension.
Automatic Callback: This contact center technology helps customers to instruct the system to return their call when an agent is available within a specified time. Customers can also indicate a preferred time for a callback.
ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition): ASR is a technology that responds to and processes spoken language commands.

B

Back Office Optimization: It is the process of automating and streamlining workforce tasks in a contact center. It offers maximum efficiency in the contact center to improve agent and customer experience.
Barge-in: Barge-in is an ACD function that advances the switch to a three-way conference when necessary. A contact center manager can assist the agent, join an existing call and improve customer experience.
Blended Agent: Blended agent is a contact center agent who handles outbound and inbound customer interactions across diverse web, digital, and voice channels.
BPO (Business Process Outsourcing): Business Process Outsourcing refers to specific business operations to a third-party provider.
Business Phone System: It is a multiline telephone system that businesses use for better call management.
BYOD: Bring Your Own Device: BYOD is a concept that allows people (employees or agents) to use their devices instead of using officially provided devices.

C

Call Announce: Call announce is a feature that lets you hear the caller's name before you pick up the call.
Call Analytics: You can find the caller details, the advertising source, and the nature of the call using call analytics. It uses artificial intelligence to capture data from calls in contact centers.
Call Flip: It is a type of call transfer where you can transfer calls from mobile phones to your desk phone and vice versa. Call flip is also known as call pushing or pulling.
Call Forwarding: With call forwarding, you can forward calls from one phone number or extension to another.
Call Monitoring: It is the process of listening, tracking, and analyzing employee calls to improve communication and customer service.
Call Metering: Call metering tracks incoming and outgoing calls and call duration. It enables call recording of both parties and analyzes the data accordingly.
Call Recording: It is the process of capturing screen activity and audio associated with phone calls.
Call Routing: Call routing directs calls towards a specific number or extension based on set rules.
Call Queuing: Call queuing places incoming calls in a queue when an agent is busy with other customers.
Call Screening: Call screening lets you see the caller before you pick up the call.
Call Transfer: With call transfer, you can redirect a connected call to a team member from your phone number.
Call Tracking: Call tracking determines how callers find your business. With call tracking, sales and marketing teams can attribute phone calls to particular marketing channels that led callers to ring your business.
CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service): It is a unified and complete cloud-native contact center platform offered on a subscription basis.
Cloud Phone System: It identifies a phone system through the cloud or the internet.
Cold Transfer: A cold transfer is when an agent answering a call transfers the call to a teammate without speaking to that teammate first. A cold transfer is also known as a blind transfer.
ConCall (Conference Call): With conference calls, you can add a third person to your two-way call. You can add your manager, supervisor, or any agent.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management): It is the process where an organization or business looks over its interactions with customers using data analysis to study vast amounts of information.
CTI (Computer Telephony Integration): CTI links a call center’s telephone system to its business applications so that the business software has more control over the management. It allows interactions between a computer and a telephone to be coordinated.
CT Connect: A technology that allows computer applications to control and monitor telephone calls.

D

DID (Direct Inward Dialing): Also called direct dial-in, DID is a telecom service that permits a phone number to skip queues, menus, and dialing an extension. Using it, a user can directly reach a specific phone at a business by bypassing the main reception lines.
Directed Dialog: It is an elementary automatic speech recognition technology that guides interaction and prompts a caller with limited phrases.
Dialer: With a dialer, you can automate the sending of mass dialing communications or dialing outbound phone calls. Dialers range from basic to sophisticated on the basis of their functionality and features.
DID (Direct Inward Dialing): Direct Inward Dialing is a local network service that transfers a distinctive set of identifying digits to the contact center.
Dial-by-Name Directory: With a dial-by-name directory, callers can find a person's extension on the basis of their first or last names.
Direct Connect: It allows users to send the call directly to the destination phone number.
DNIS (Dialed Number Interaction Services): DNIS is a set of digits that routes incoming calls to the suitable agent based on the dialed phone number.
DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency): It is the tone or sound that a telephone generates when numbers are pressed. It controls signal user intent and automated equipment like the number you wish to dial.

E

Escalation: It is a process that effortlessly transfers a customer contact through omni channel communication to a supervisor or a contact center agent.
Extensions: Extensions, used in business offices, are additional telephones wired to the same telephone line as another.

F

FCR (First Contact Resolution): It is a metric that indicates the ability of a contact center to resolve customer complaints during the first interaction. It eliminates the driving down of incoming contacts and the need for follow-up interactions.
Follow Me Calling: Follow me calling is a call forwarding service that allows the user to receive incoming calls at different locations and on different phones.

G

GDPR Compliance: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance means that organizations must ensure the protection of individuals concerning the processing and free movement of personal data.
Global Connect: Global connect lets you find the time zone of a specific country and helps you know the right time to call your international clients.
GUI (Graphical User Interface): It is a computer interface that enables on-screen navigation through touchscreen technology, icons, menus, or an interactive mouse.

H

HIPAA Compliant: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the standard to protect sensitive patient data's security, privacy, and integrity.
Hosted Call Recording: It is a service that a third party provider offers to organizations without their technical infrastructure to record calls on a per-usage basis or contract using the host's maintained and updated hardware and software.
Hosted IVR: It is a routing system and telephony menu that offers callers with interactive responses. With hosted IVR, businesses can handle large volumes of calls without difficulty.
Hosted Services: It refers to the call center and contact center services that a network provider hosts and delivers to organizations on-demand through the cloud.
Hosted PBX: Hosted PBX(Private Branch Exchange) is a virtual phone system that delivers reliable and secure phone service accessible over a network in the cloud.
Hold Time: This is the time a contact spends in an agent-initiated hold status.

I

Inbound Call: A call initiated by a customer to a contact or call center.
Inbound IVR: It means that the system will only deal with incoming calls. Businesses primarily use inbound IVR for customer support, where people can dial toll-free numbers and get help.
IVR (Interactive Voice Response): It is an automated voice system technology that responds to the digits entered by a customer or to a customer's speech. With the IVR system, customers do not need assistance from agents.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): It is a circuit-switched telephone network system that enables digital video, voice, and data transmission.
Informational Extensions: A caller can access information through pre recorded messages with informational extensions. The caller can listen but cannot leave a message.
Intelligent IVR System: Intelligent IVR is a cloud-based upgraded voice response system that intelligently enhances business communication. It manages and routes inbound calls to boost customer satisfaction and reduce redundant steps traditionally handled by call center agents.
IEEE 802.11e: It is an amendment to 802.11 standards. IEEE 802.11e defines a list of quality of service for LAN applications. In addition, it offers critical services for delay-sensitive applications like VoIP & video streaming.
ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider): An ITSP is an Internet service provider offering digital telecommunication services on VoIP.

K

KPI( Key Performance Indicator): A quantifiable measure of contact center performance reviewed regularly and captured in reports.

L

LAN (Local Area Network): LAN is a group of devices connected in a localized area, i.e., one physical location. It is mainly used to share a centralized Internet connection.
LNP (Local Number Portability): It is a service offered by telecommunication providers that lets users keep their phone numbers while switching to a different service provider.
Local Number: It is a geographical number containing an area code that corresponds to a city or state.

M

Main Greeting: It is also known as an auto-attendant. It automatically greets callers with a prerecorded message you choose and directs them to the appropriate extension.
Mobile Voice: It is also known as voice access or voice control. It is a technology that allows users to control their mobile phones by spoken command.
Multichannel Cloud Contact Center: A customer experience solution to independently handle outbound and inbound interaction across multiple communication channels. The communication channels include text, voice, web, and social media.
Multi Level IVR System: It is a voice technology solution that serves as an auto-receptionist with various self-help features in it. Multi Level IVR drives customers to a specific person assigned to solve that problem.

N

Natural Language Processing: It is a branch of computer science that turns audio speech or text into structured, encoded information.
Number Portability: With number portability, you can transfer or port your telephone number from one service provider to another.
Number Transfer: It is also known as number porting. With number transfer, you can transfer your phone number from one service provider to another.

O

Omnichannel Cloud Contact Center: A customer service function to handle outbound and inbound calls across various integrated communication channels. It allows customers to switch back and forth across channels effortlessly.
Omnichannel Routing: It is a routing method that allows organizations to productively and proactively route blended, outbound, and inbound contacts across various digital and voice channels using applications like IVR, ACD, and AI chatbots.
Online Call Reports: A report that contains your voice mails, call history, and minute usage that you can access through your online account.
Outbound Call: A call initiated by a call center agent to a customer.
Outbound IVR: It is an IVR technology that contact centers use to send customized and proactive outbound messages. It engages customers through various channels like messages, automated voice calls, social media posts, or emails.

P

PBX (Private Branch Exchange): It is a telephone system that organizations use to make and receive external and internal telephone calls.
PCI Compliance: The Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance ensures the security of the systems. All companies that store, process, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.
Predictive Dialer: It is an outbound calling system that initiates large volumes of calls at one time. It dials numbers until it detects a connection and transfers the connected contacts to the live agents automatically.
Power Dialer: Live agents use a power dialer to call telephone lists instantly, one after the other. If the number is busy or gets disconnected, it automatically moves to the other.
Prompt: Prompt is a message that guides customers to respond by dialing a number, speaking a phrase, or indicating a selection associated with the desired result.
Proxy Server: This system handles resource requests requiring heavy processing from a server. It provides a gateway between the internet and the users.
Porting: The transfer of your number from one telephone service provider to another is known as porting.
PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network): It combines telephone networks globally, including fiber optic cables, switching centers, telephone lines, satellites, cellular networks, and cable systems. With PSTN, you can make landline telephone calls to one another.
POTS (Plain Old Telephony Service): Since the 1880s, Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) has been the traditional phone system, which used physical copper wires for voice transmission. In simpler terms, it is the primary phone calling service.

Q

Q & A Extensions: Callers can answer prerecorded questions with Q & A extensions.

R

ROI (Return on Investment): It is a performance measure expressed as a percentage of funds invested to generate a gain.

S

SaaS (Software as a Service): SaaS is a software licensing and delivery model in which a vendor manages and hosts software in the cloud with a subscription rather than installing it on individual computers.
Service Provider: It is an individual or organization that provides services to another party.
Smart Switch: With a smart switch, call agents can toggle between various telephony providers and choose the best option that suits their needs.
Speech Analytics: It is the process of leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze recorded calls to bring out customer information and improve corporate strategy.
Softphone: A softphone provides traditional phone functionality using a tablet, mobile device, or computer and a good internet connection.
Switch: A switch connects calls from the recipient to the destination within a telephone exchange. It controls data traffic and voice across the exchange.
Screen Recording: It captures an agent's screen while they manage a conversation for coaching and quality purposes.

T

T1: It is a high-quality data/phone communications transmission service that connects a customer with an internet/telecom service provider. T1 is being rapidly replaced by modern cable and DSL connections.
Talk Time: The total time a contact spends interacting with an agent between the greeting and conclusion of a conversation. Talk time includes hold, conference, and inbound and outbound call times.
Trunk: It is a link between two phone switching systems. It is also known as a telephone line, circuit, or exchange line.
Text-to-Speech (TTS): It is a voice processing system that uses speech synthesis to convert text into spoken words.

U

UCaaS(Unified Communications as a Service: It is a unified cloud delivery model that offers a variety of communication. It is available to businesses on a subscription basis.
Unlimited Call Handling: This feature allows you to take multiple calls simultaneously without letting the callers hear a busy signal.

V

VoIP Gateway: It is a device that converts analog signals to digital. Afterward, it is grouped into data packets and encrypted for transmission.
VoIP VPN: It is a combination of voice over IP & virtual private network that offers a secure voice delivery. It helps users in getting around firewall restrictions and securely making calls.
Virtual Call Center: It is a virtual call center operation made up of various geographically dispersed agents working remotely.
Virtual Number: A telephone number not directly associated with a telephone line. It can be programmed to forward incoming calls to a pre-set telephone number.
Virtual PBX: It is a business phone system with no physical connections like equipment and wires. The service provider hosts it.
Visual IVR: It is an IVR service that contact centers use that makes it easier to understand the exact reason a customer gets in contact. It also gives tools to the customer to attempt and solve their problem instead of waiting in a calling queue.
Voicemail: With voicemail, callers can record messages that can be accessed anywhere and anytime through a password-protected login.
Voice Broadcasting: It is a broadcasting technique that sends automated messages through calls to a large number of people simultaneously.
Voice Platform: It is a platform that enables the integration and development of voice applications with telephony systems used by contact and call centers.
Voice Response Unit: It is an automated telephone answering system a caller uses to navigate through a series of menu options and prerecorded messages using buttons on a touch-tone telephone.
Voice User Interface: It is an interface that helps users interact with a voice application through phrases and spoken commands.
VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): It is the method to deliver multimedia sessions and voice communications over the internet. VOIP does not need a dedicated connection throughout the entire call.

W

WhatsApp Business: It is a tool that helps users to connect and communicate with clients. With WhatsApp being a widely used platform, the automated chatbot increases the response chances to a message.