Comprehensive Contact Center Glossary
A
Abandonment Rate: The percentage of callers who hang up before reaching an agent.
Adherence: A measure of how closely agents stick to their scheduled work times.
Advanced Queue Functionality: Enhanced features within call queues, such as skills-based routing and real-time insights, to improve call management and customer service.
Agent Timeline Report: A visual breakdown of how agents spend their time throughout the day.
Agent Utilization: The proportion of time agents are actively engaged in call activities compared to idle time.
AI Digital Assistants: Automated virtual agents that can handle common customer service scenarios independently, with reporting capabilities similar to human agents.
Attendant Console: A tool that enables receptionists or operators to manage and direct incoming calls efficiently within a communication platform like Microsoft Teams. See also Contact Center.
Auto Attendant: An automated system that answers incoming calls and provides a menu of options to direct callers to the appropriate department or individual.
Average Handle Time (AHT): The average time an agent spends on a call, including talk time, hold time, and post-call work.
Average Wait Time: How long a caller stays in the queue before speaking with an agent.
B
Barge: A supervisory feature that allows managers to join an ongoing call between an agent and a customer, typically for training or assistance purposes. See also: Listen, Whisper.
Blind Transfer: A direct transfer method where the call is sent to another agent or number without confirmation. The original agent disconnects immediately after initiating the transfer. See also Call Transfer, Chat Consult Transfer, Consult Transfer, Safe Transfer.
C
Calendar Integration: The synchronization of scheduling tools within the contact center system to manage appointments, callbacks, and agent availability effectively.
Call Abandon Time: The average time a caller waits before disconnecting.
Call Back from Queue: A feature which allows customers to request a return call from an agent instead of waiting on hold.
Callback Reminder: A feature that lets agents create customizable callback messages via chat or email that include context like caller details or AI-generated summaries.
Call Center: A centralized department or facility that handles incoming and outgoing telephone calls from customers, typically focused primarily on voice communications. A call center is often considered a subset of a contact center, which manages interactions across multiple channels.
Call Pop: A feature that displays relevant caller information to the agent at the start of the call, helping personalize service and reduce call handling time. See also Call Pop URL
Call Pop URL: A customizable web link that displays external data (e.g., CRM info) about the caller inside the call pop panel or browser tab. See also Call Pop.
Call Queue: A system that places incoming calls in line to be answered by the next available agent, often providing hold music or messages during the wait.
Call Queue Routing: The process of distributing incoming calls to the appropriate agents or departments based on predefined rules, such as longest idle agent, round robin, or specialized skills matching. See also Longest Idle Routing, Parallel Routing, Priority-Based Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, Skills-Based Routing.
Call Recording: The process of capturing audio (and sometimes screen activity) of calls for quality assurance, training, and compliance purposes.
Call Transfer: The process of redirecting a call from one agent to another or to a different department, ensuring the customer reaches the appropriate resource. See also Blind Transfer, Chat Consult Transfer, Consult Transfer, Safe Transfer.
Call Volume: The number of inbound or outbound calls over a given period. Used for staffing and resource planning.
Call Wrap-Up Questions: A post-call workflow where agents answer predefined questions to categorize the call or record key details. See also Wrap-Up Time.
Chat Consult Transfer: A transfer method where an agent consults with a colleague via a chat message before transferring the call. See also Blind Transfer, Call Transfer, Consult Transfer, Safe Transfer.
Compliance Recording: The practice of recording communications to meet legal, regulatory, or organizational requirements, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Connect Model: A Microsoft Teams integration approach where contact centers connect through Microsoft-certified SBCs and Direct Routing, allowing basic interoperability without deep integration into the Teams experience. See also Extend Model, Teams Phone Extensibility.
Consult Transfer: A call transfer where the agent speaks with the intended recipient before completing the transfer. See also Blind Transfer, Call Transfer, Chat Consult Transfer, Safe Transfer.
Contact Center: A centralized operation that handles customer interactions across multiple channels, including voice calls, email, chat, social media, and video. Unlike a call center that primarily focuses on voice communication, a contact center provides a unified approach to customer service across all touchpoints and methods. See alto Attendant Console
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS): A cloud-based solution that enables organizations to manage customer interactions across various channels without the need for on-premises infrastructure.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Measures customer contentment through surveys conducted after interactions.
D
Data Collection: Capturing and storing specific information during a call (e.g., from IVR interactions) for reporting and follow-up.
Data Dip: A contact center’s query of an external database such as a CRM, which uses the returned data to personalize or route the call based on that information.
Direct Routing: A method that allows organizations to connect their telephony infrastructure directly to Microsoft Teams, enabling external calling capabilities.
E
Extend Model: A Microsoft Teams integration approach where contact center solutions use Microsoft’s native Communication APIs to integrate directly with Microsoft Teams. See also Connect Model, Teams Phone Extensibility.
F
Failover Options: Predefined backup configurations to reroute calls in case of service disruptions.
First Call Resolution (FCR): Measures the percentage of customer issues resolved in a single interaction.
H
Help Desk: A resource intended to provide customers or end users with information and support related to products or services. Help desks typically focus on troubleshooting technical issues and are often the first point of contact for users experiencing problems. See also Service Desk.
Hold Time Alerts: Visual and/or audio notifications triggered when a call has been on hold for longer than a preset time threshold.
I
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): An automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information, and routes calls to the appropriate recipient. See also IVR Designer.
ISO/IEC 27001 Certification: An internationally recognized standard for information security management systems, confirming that an organization follows best practices to protect data confidentiality.
IVR Designer: A visual interface that allows users to create custom call flows using prebuilt blocks like prompts, transfers, or data dips. See also IVR.
L
Listen: A supervisory feature that allows managers to listen to an ongoing call between an agent and a customer, typically for training or assistance purposes. See also Barge, Whisper.
Live Dashboards: Interactive, real-time displays that provide up-to-date information on contact center operations, enabling quick decision-making.
Longest Idle Routing: A call distribution method that sends incoming calls to the agent who has been idle the longest. See also Call Queue Routing, Parallel Routing, Priority Based Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, Skills Based Routing.
Longest Wait Time: The single longest duration a caller spent on hold before disconnecting or being answered.
M
Marketing Messages: Pre-recorded announcements played while a caller waits in a queue, often used for promotions or information.
Microsoft Calling Plans: A Microsoft-managed telephony solution that assigns phone numbers and calling services directly to Teams users, enabling them to make and receive PSTN calls without additional infrastructure. See also Direct Routing, Operator Connect.
Microsoft Teams Certified: Designation indicating that a contact center solution meets Microsoft’s standards for integration and performance within the Teams platform.
Multichannel Contact Center: A contact center with the ability to interact with customers across various channels, including voice calls, emails, chats, and social media. See also Omnichannel Communication.
N
Native Integration: Seamless incorporation of contact center solutions within platforms like Microsoft Teams, ensuring a unified user experience without the need for additional software. See also Connect Model, Extend Model, Teams Phone Extensibility.
NLP (Natural Language Processing): A field of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand, interpret, and respond to human language, allowing features like voice recognition, chatbots, sentiment analysis, and intelligent call routing in contact center solutions.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): A metric that gauges customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your services.
O
Occupancy Rate: The percentage of an agent’s logged-in time spent actively handling calls.
Omnichannel Contact Center: A sophisticated contact center approach that integrates multiple communication channels into a unified system, maintaining context and conversation history across channels so customers don’t have to repeat information..
Operator Connect: A service that allows organizations to connect their existing telephony provider to Microsoft Teams through a certified operator, simplifying PSTN calling without managing direct SIP trunking. See also Direct Routing, Microsoft Calling Plans.
Organization Unit: A logical grouping within the Contact Center used for role-based access, reporting, and configuration management.
P
Parallel Routing: A Call Distribution method in which all available agents receive an alert at once for an incoming call. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Presence Based Routing, Priority Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, Skills Based Routing
PBX (Private Branch Exchange): A private telephone system used within an organization that manages internal calls and routes external calls through PSTN, SIP trunks, or VoIP. See also PSTN, SIP Trunks, VoIP.
Policy Call Recording: A feature that allows organizations to define rules for recording calls, such as recording all calls or only specific types, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
Presence Based Routing: A call distribution method that uses agents’ Teams presence to make routing decisions. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Parallel Routing, Priority Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, Skills Based Routing
Priority-Based Routing: A call distribution strategy that routes higher-priority calls—based on caller type, service level agreements, or issue urgency—ahead of others in the queue. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Parallel Routing, Presence Based Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, Skills Based Routing.
PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network): The traditional global telephone network that enables voice calls over circuit-switched landlines and mobile networks. See also VoIP, SIP Trunks.
Q
Queue Breakout: A feature that lets callers press a key to leave the queue and be transferred to another destination, such as voicemail or another department.
Queue Callback Rate: The percentage of callers who choose a callback instead of waiting on hold.
Queue Statistics: Data metrics that provide insights into the status and performance of call queues, such as the number of calls waiting, average wait time, and service levels.
Queue Timeout: A condition where a caller is automatically redirected after waiting too long in queue, based on a configured duration.
R
Real-Time Insights: Immediate data and analytics that provide an up-to-date view of contact center performance, allowing for swift adjustments and improvements.
Round Robin Routing: A call distribution method that assigns incoming calls to agents in a rotating order, ensuring calls are shared evenly and each agent gets an equal opportunity to handle them. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Parallel Routing, Presence Based Routing, Priority Based Routing, Serial Routing, Skills Based Routing.
S
Safe Transfer: A transfer type in which, if the recipient doesn’t answer, the call returns to the original agent. See also Blind Transfer, Call Transfer, Chat Consult Transfer, Consult Transfer.
Scheduled Reports: Automated reports that are generated and delivered at set intervals providing insights into contact center performance without manual effort.
Serial Routing: A routing method where calls are routed to agents in a pre-defined order. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Presence Based Routing, Priority Based Routing, Round Robin Routing, Skills Based Routing
Service Desk: A more comprehensive resource than a help desk, serving as a single point of contact (SPOC) between service providers and users. Service desk
manage incidents and service requests and handle communication with users throughout the service lifecycle. See also Help Desk.
Service Level Agreement (SLA): A set of standards that defines the expected performance level (e.g., 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds).
Session Border Controller (SBC): A network device that secures and controls VoIP communications, ensuring quality and security in SIP-based communications. See also VoIP, SIP Trunks.
Sentiment Analysis: The use of natural language processing and AI to assess and categorize the emotions expressed during customer interactions, helping to gauge customer satisfaction. See also NLP.
SIP Trunks: Virtual phone lines that use the SIP protocol to deliver voice over the internet, connecting an on-premises phone system to the PSTN through an internet connection. See also PSTN.
Skills-Based Routing: A call assignment strategy that routes incoming calls to the most suitable agent based on their skill set. See also Call Queue Routing, Longest Idle Routing, Parallel Routing, Presence Based Routing, Priority Based Routing, Round Robin Routing, Serial Routing, User Skills.
T
Teams Phone Extensibility: A Microsoft Teams technology that enables developers to build deeply integrated voice applications using Azure Communication Services, with features like dual persona support, advanced call handling, and AI-powered enhancements inside Microsoft Teams. See also Connect Model, Extend Model.
Teams Presence: Real-time status indicators that show the availability of agents or team members, facilitating efficient call routing and collaboration.
Transfer to PSTN: The ability to transfer a Microsoft Teams call to a standard telephone number using the Public Switched Telephone Network.
U
Unify Model:Microsoft’s newest and most advanced contact center integration approach that uses Azure Communication Services to build native CCaaS applications using Teams calling infrastructure, providing organizations with an AI-powered customer engagement platform directly within the Microsoft ecosystem.
User Skills: Tags or labels that describe an agent’s abilities (e.g., language fluency or service specialization), used in skills-based routing. See also Skills Based Routing.
V
Visual IVR Builder: A graphical interface that allows contact centers to design and implement IVR systems without coding, streamlining the setup process.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): A technology that allows voice communication and multimedia sessions over the internet instead of traditional phone lines. See also PSTN.
W
Wallboard: A real-time display tool used in contact centers to show key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics.
Whisper: A feature that enables supervisors to provide real-time guidance to agents during calls without the customer hearing, facilitating on-the-job training. See also Barge, Listen.
Wrap-Up Time: The time an agent spends completing after-call tasks before becoming available again. See also Call Wrap-Up Questions.