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Glossary |
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Abandoned Call/Contact - A call or other type of contact that has been offered into a communications network or telephone system, but is terminated by the person originating the contact before any conversation happens. In an outbound calling scenario, abandoned calls refer to connects that are disconnected by the automated dialer once live contact is detected and no agent is available to match up with the call. ACD (Automatic Call Distributor). - A specialized phone system used for handling many incoming calls. The ACD will recognize and answer an incoming call; will look in its database for call routing instructions. It will send the call to a recording or a voice response unit (VRU) or will send the call to an available agent according to the instructions for that call. An ACD will normally produce management information tracking both calls and agent performance. ACS (Automatic Call Sequencer) - A device for handling incoming calls. Typically it answers an incoming call, gives the caller a message and puts them on hold, signaling agents a call is waiting. It has no internal switching mechanism and does not affect the call in any way. It provides an indication of which call should be picked up next in order of arrival and keeps statistical information on the progress of calls. No agent statistics are provided. Activity Codes. - Codes entered by agents to indicate the type of contact handled. Also called wrap-up codes, these codes allow reporting by contact type. Adherence - The term used to describe how well agents stick to their planned work schedules. May also be referred to as compliance. Advanced 800 Services - A set of toll-free services named initially by AT&T that includes long-distance calls routing into an organization based on time-of-day, point of origin, or percentage allocation of call volume. After Call Work (ACW). - Work immediately following an inbound call or transaction. If work must be completed before agent can handle next contact, then ACW is factored into average handle time. Work may involve keying activity codes, updating database, filling out forms, or placing an outbound contact. Agent Group, Split Or Gate. - A group of agents handling a specific type or group of calls or contacts. Agent Occupancy. - Generally a percent of logged in time that an agent spends in active contact handling states (i.e., on incoming calls, in wrap-up activity, on outbound calls). Agent Status. - The current work mode of the agent, such as Busy on Call, Available, Unavailable, After Call Work, Off-Phone Work, etc. Agent. - The person that handles calls in a contact center. Also referred to as a telephone service representative (TSR) or customer service representative (CSR). AHT (Average Handle Time) - The amount of time an employee is occupied with an incoming contact. This is the sum of transaction time and wrap-up time All Trunks Busy (ATB). - A state in which all trunks in a specific trunk group are busy. May occur when all trunks are actually occupied with calls, or when some portion of trunks are artificially blocked by system user in periods of understaffing to minimize number of calls in queue. ANI (Automatic Number Identification). - A series of digits received from one of two sources: the ANI received from a long distance phone company that may arrive over the D channel of an ISDN PRI circuit or on a dedicated single line before the first ring. Area Code. - A three-digit number identifying geographic areas of the United States and Canada. It permits direct distance dialing on the telephone system. Also known as Numbering Plan Area (NPA). ASA (Average Speed Of Answer ). - The average wait in queue experienced by all callers to an ACD group during a specified period. It includes both calls delayed and those answered immediately in the calculation. Automated Attendant. - A device that answers callers with a recording, and allows callers to route themselves by dialing digits associated with menu choices. Automated Greetings - The capability of an ACD or add-on system to allow an agent to record a greeting that automatically plays when call is answered. Also called voice-saver system. Automatic Call Back - A feature of a telephone system that permits a caller to hang up and instruct the system to call back as soon as a busy station or trunk is free. Auxiliary Work State. - A work state other than actively handling calls. As an example, agents may go into an auxiliary work state to process paperwork or emails. Agents will not receive calls while in auxiliary work state. Available Time - The period of time spent waiting to accept and/or busy on an inbound or outbound contact. Average Delay Of Delayed Callers. - Average wait in queue experienced only by those callers who are delayed. Does not include those calls that are answered immediately. Average Delay To Abandon - Average time callers are held in queue before disconnecting (prior to agent answer). Average Handle Time. - The amount of time it takes on average to handle a contact to completion, including talk time plus after-contact work time. To calculate, divide the total seconds of work time by the number of contacts. |
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