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Account Contact Management - The process of collecting and managing specific information identifying a customer account.
ActiveX Controls - A feature set within a web page that allows for interactive functionality.
Agent - A front-office contact center employee, also known as a customer service representative, who interacts directly with customers through inbound or outbound communications (voice, digital or omnichannel). An agent may assist with issues such as placing orders, resolving issues, providing basic technical support, and answering policy questions.
Agent Occupancy - The percentage of time agents are actively engaged in handling interactions relative to their total time logged in to a workforce management system or otherwise registered as working.
Agent Reports - A performance report providing statistical insights related to an individual agent’s average handle time, unavailable time, call log, etc.
Agent Utilization - A workforce management metric that indicates agent productivity.
AI Automation - AI automation refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to automate tasks and processes traditionally carried out by humans.
AI Conversations - AI Conversations, also known as artificial intelligence conversations, have become an essential part of our digital landscape.
AI Routing - AI routing, short for Artificial Intelligence routing, is a transformative technology that has redefined how businesses manage customer interactions. By utilizing advanced algorithms and machine learning, AI routing intelligently directs customer inquiries to the most suitable agent or department.
Analog - The process of taking audio signals, like voice, and translating them into electronic pulses.
Anrufrekorder - Ein Anrufrekorder (Call Recorder), auch bekannt als Anrufaufzeichnungssoftware, ist eine Contact-Center-Technologie, die den Inhalt von Telefongesprächen aufzeichnet und auch die Bildschirme der Agenten erfassen kann.
Application - Software designed to be interacted with by an end user, enabling them to accomplish specific tasks. Contact center applications can enable the identification, routing, analysis and tracking of interactions, as well as workforce and performance management.
Application Programming Interface (API) - A set of functions and procedures allowing developers to create applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.
Auto Dialer - More commonly referred to as a Dialer, this technology automates the process of making calls from an outbound contact center. Dialers can offer advanced functionality, scripting, and reporting. See also: Predictive Dialer.
Automatic Callback - When all lines are busy or all agents unavailable, this contact center technology allows the customer to instruct the system to return their call when an agent becomes available within a specified amount of time or to indicate a preferred time for a callback.
Automatic Number Identification (ANI) - A service that transmits the phone number of the caller for quicker customer identification; also referred to as Calling Line Identification (CLID) or Caller ID (CID).
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) - Technology that processes and responds to spoken language commands. See also: Natural Language Understanding, Interactive Voice Response (IVR).
Automation - Technology designed to perform actions or take over processes performed by humans, in order to boost efficiency and reliability, and empower customers with self-service.
Automatischer Kontaktverteiler (ACD) - Der Automatische Kontaktverteiler (ACD) ist ein in der Telefoniebranche häufig verwendetes Werkzeug zur Verteilung eingehender Anrufe.
Avatars - An element of gamification; a graphical representation of an agent for digital platforms. Avatars can sometimes be customized by users to reflect a characteristic or persona.
Average Hold Time (AHLDT) - A standard call center metric used to measure the average amount of time customers spend on hold during interactions with the contact center.
Back Office Optimization - Streamlining back-office workforce functions for maximum efficiency and optimal alignment with front-office services in the contact center to improve customer experience and agent experience. See also: Workforce Optimization (WFO).
Banking CX - The collective efforts aimed at making every customer feel valued during their interactions with a bank. It encompasses the perceptions and experiences accumulated throughout the customer’s journey.
Barge-in - Barge-in, auch bekannt als Call-Barging, ist eine Contact-Center-Anwendung, die es einem Supervisor ermöglicht, Anrufe von Agenten live mitzuhören und sich bei Bedarf “einzuschalten”, wodurch sie im Wesentlichen zu Drei-Wege-Konferenzgesprächen werden.
Berührungspunkt - Ein Berührungspunkt ist jeder Moment, in dem ein Kunde mit einem Unternehmen in Kontakt kommt und einen Eindruck gewinnt.
Blended Agent - A contact center agent who handles inbound and/or outbound customer interactions across multiple voice, web, and digital channels.
Bot - Software that automates tasks that humans would otherwise perform. See also: Chatbot.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) - Contracting out specific operations, generally non-core business functions, to a third-party provider, known as the business process outsourcer. These functions may include tasks such as customer service, accounting, human resources, and IT support.
Business-to-Business (B2B) - Marketplace transactions between businesses.
Business-to-Consumer (B2C) - Marketplace transactions between businesses and consumers.
Byte - A unit of data that is eight binary digits long, used by most computers to represent a character such as a letter, number, or symbol.
21st Century Integrated Digital Experience - A set of standards established by the US federal government to improve citizen digital experience with government services. The 21st Century IDEA was signed into law in 2018 as part of the Modernizing Government Technology Act.
Call Center (Hosted Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center) - A physical or virtual department or operation in which a large volume of inbound and/or outbound calls is handled on behalf of an organizational division (e.g., Customer Service, Sales, Support). See also: Contact Center.
Call center agent scorecard - A tool for measuring and monitoring quality assurance (QA) and performance metrics for individual agents.
Call center agent software - Technology, often called the agent desktop or agent workspace, that brings together system capabilities, applications and processes for call center agents.
Call center agent utilization - The ratio of an agent’s productivity to their capacity.
Call center coaching - A quality management activity providing contact center agents with feedback, examples, performance assessments, and best-practice activities to help improve the skillset needed for their role.
Call Center CRM (Call Center Customer Relationship Management) - Technology that provides call center employees with access to customer data and interaction information, in order to further personalize the customer experience. See also: Contact Center CRM.
Call Center Management - The policies, procedures, and tools used to manage operations, employees, and interactions within a call center. See also: Contact Center Management.
Call Center Reporting - The tracking and presentation of key performance indicators (KPIs) and selected metrics regarding call center activities and individual call center agent performance.
Call center service level - Call center efficiency in handling incoming calls from customers or clients, represented as a percentage of incoming calls answered within a specified target timeframe. It is a key performance indicator for service level adherence and workforce management.
Call Center Shrinkage - Shrinkage ist eine Kennzahl für das Personalmanagement, die sich auf die Zeit bezieht, in der Agenten zwar bezahlt werden, aber nicht für die Bearbeitung von Kundeninteraktionen zur Verfügung stehen.
Call Center Workforce Planning - The process of forecasting staffing needs based on anticipated volume or other business drivers, then ensuring everything is in place to hire, train, schedule, and manage the required agent team. See Contact Center Workforce Management (WFM).
Call Distribution - When a volume of calls is dispersed by an ACD during a given time period.
Call Recording - The act of recording a telephone call or other audio source through an automated system in compliance with rules and regulations. Calls can then be monitored for the purposes of quality management, agent performance evaluation, and workforce management.
Call Time - Refers to the length of time a caller is on an individual call with an agent. It typically includes talk time and agent-initiated hold time, but not post-call wrap-up time. See also: Average Handle Time (AHT).
Call Volume - The number of calls or contacts made or received during a given time period.
Caller - The calling party, or customer, with whom your contact center system or agent interacts.
CCaaS - Der Begriff CCaaS steht für ‘Contact Center as a Service’ und bezeichnet cloudbasierte Contact-Center-Lösungen.
CCaaS Solutions - CCaaS, or Contact Center as a Service, is a cloud-based solution designed to help businesses manage customer interactions more efficiently.
Central Office - A site that houses major telecommunication devices and network access facilities for storage and operation.
Channels - Various voice and digital communication mediums that facilitate customer interactions in a contact center. See also: Omnichannel Contact Center, Omnichannel Routing.
Chat - A digital messaging application built into an organization’s contact center platform, and launched from the organization’s website or the customer’s mobile device, which allows a customer to communicate and receive service quickly and easily.
Citizen Customer Experience - Interactions and experiences members of the public have when engaging with government agencies and services. This includes all touchpoints, such as online portals, call centers, in-person services, and other channels of engagement.
Client Resource Management (CRM) - The strategies, practices, and technologies that organizations employ to manage, analyze, and improve interactions with current and potential customers, providing value to both the customer and the company. See also: Contact Center CRM.
Closed-loop Action - A voice of the customer (VOC) term that refers to the act of following up with customers who have provided either extremely positive or negative feedback.
Closed-loop Feedback - The process of acting on direct or indirect customer input collected from sources such as customer surveys, contact center interactions, and social media comments.
Closed-loop Survey - A tool within a closed-loop feedback process for proactively collecting customer input.
Cloud Call Center - Ein Cloud Call Center ist eine Unternehmensfunktion, die eingehende und/oder ausgehende Telefonanrufe mit Kunden über cloudbasierte Technologien bearbeitet.
Cloud Contact Center - Ein Cloud Contact Center ist eine Kundendienstfunktion, die Kundenkontakte über mehr als einen Kanal bearbeitet, z. B. Telefon, E-Mail, Chat, Textnachrichten und soziale Medien, und dabei cloudbasierte Lösungen nutzt.
Cloud Contact Center Platform - A complete, unified, cloud-native system that supports multichannel or omnichannel communication between customers and agents (or self-service systems) in a manner that optimizes customer experience and agent experience.
Co-browse - A solution that enables an agent and customer to simultaneously navigate the same webpage during a voice or digital interaction.
Compliance - Abiding by or conforming to rules, regulations, or laws. The term can also refer to agent adherence to their schedules.
Computer-Telefonie-Integration - Unter Computer-Telefonie-Integration (CTI) versteht man die Verknüpfung der Telefonsysteme eines Callcenters mit seinen Geschäftsanwendungen, in der Regel, damit die Unternehmenssoftware mehr Kontrolle über das Anrufmanagement hat.
Contact Center - A physical or virtual department or operation for handling inbound and/or outbound communications between customers and agents (or self-service systems) across multiple voice and digital channels (typically for organizational divisions such as Customer Service, Sales, or Support). See also: Call Center.
Contact Center Abandon - An inbound contact that cuts off communication while waiting to be connected or transferred. In outbound contacts, this refers to when the predictive dialer ends communication because the system or agent was unable to connect.
Contact Center Administrator - The individual responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a contact center.
Contact Center Agent Coaching - A quality or performance management activity in which agents receive feedback, examples and activities to help them improve or expand their skillset.
Contact Center Agent Experience - The experience (or satisfaction level) of a contact center agent resulting from customer interactions, workforce engagement, their work tools, supervisors, schedule flexibiity, and operational efficiency. It can be improved through coaching, gamification, training, technology, real-time support, AI solutions, and workforce optimization.
Contact Center Agent Self-Evaluations - A quality management activity, also known as a self-assessment, in which agents evaluate and score their own interactions using the same form and criteria that a manager or another evaluator would use.
Contact Center Agent Workspace - A digital platform integrating multiple communication channels and support tools into a single, unified interface, enabling agents to offer seamless and efficient customer service.
Contact Center Analytics - Tools that analyze data points, make correlations, reveal insights, and report on trends to help a contact center or business improve operations.
Contact Center Architecture - An integrated framework of software and hardware components used to manage customer service and support operations.
Contact Center Automation - Call center automation leverages cutting-edge technology and software to streamline and enhance the operations of a contact center.
Contact Center Business Optimization - Improving the efficiency, productivity, and performance of a contact center, with the aim of ensuring its success as a business.
Contact Center Campaigns - Campaigns promoting products and services through various channels such as email, voice, SMS, and web platforms.
Contact Center Chatbot - Ein Chatbot ist eine Technologie, die menschliche Unterhaltungen simuliert und automatisierte Kundeninteraktionen ermöglicht.
Contact Center CRM - Contact Center Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ist eine Software, die die Kundeninteraktionen in einem Contact Center über verschiedene Kanäle hinweg verwaltet und optimiert.
Contact Center for Government - A centralized customer service operation for government agencies that handles a wide range of inquiries and requests from citizens and the general public, using various channels such as phone, email, chat, and social media.
Contact Center Management - The policies, procedures, and tools used to manage operations, employees, and interactions within a contact center, with an emphasis on customer experience across all voice and digital channels. See also: Call Center Management.
Contact Center VoIP - A communication channel based on an IP standard that transmits voice and data on the same network. VoIP does not require a dedicated connection throughout an entire call and is often seen as a more efficient alternative to circuit-switched networks.
Contact Center Workforce Optimization - A strategy to improve multichannel or omnichannel customer and agent experiences using workforce management software. These software tools can include AI-enabled forecasting, scheduling, quality management, performance management, coaching, analytics, or reporting applications. See also: Workforce Optimization (WFO).
Contact Center Workforce Planning - The process of forecasting staffing needs based on anticipated volume or other business drivers, then ensuring everything is in place to hire, train, schedule, and manage the required agent team. See Workforce Management (WFM).
Contact Center-Software - Contact Center-Software ist eine Sammlung von Anwendungen zur Unterstützung des Kundendienstes.
Contact Center-Software - Contact Center-Software ist eine Sammlung von Anwendungen zur Unterstützung des Kundendienstes.
Context - A combination of identifying factors about a customer -including user identity and environmental and process-based information – that contribute to insights enabling an organization to deliver an optimal customer experience.
Cost Per Call - Cost per call (CPC) is a metric used in contact centers to measure the average cost incurred for handling a single customer phone call.
CPaaS - CPaaS, short for Communications Platform as a Service, is a cloud-based communications infrastructure that enables businesses to integrate real-time communication capabilities directly into their applications.
Cross-sell - When a sales representative suggests to a customer that they would benefit from the purchase of an additional product or service.
CT Connect - CT Connect ist eine Middleware-Software, die es Computeranwendungen ermöglicht, Telefonanrufe zu überwachen und zu steuern, und die die Telefonzentralen eines Unternehmens mit den im Call Center verwendeten Geschäftsanwendungen verbindet.
CTI Server - Software that supports a computer telephony integration (CTI) platform; although the term is often used in reference to both the software and the hardware on which it is loaded.
Customer Care - How a business treats its customers throughout the duration of the relationship.
Customer Effort Score (CES) - A measurement of how much effort a customer expends in getting their issue resolved, purchasing a product, etc.
Customer Engagement - A framework connecting multiple systems, processes, and stakeholders together to optimally engage customers across their customer journey.
Customer Experience (CX) - The perception a customer has of a brand based on a collection of interactions, including marketing campaigns, product use, social media presence, customer service contacts, and more.
Customer Experience Chatbots - Digital entities that assist customers using self-service channels by simulating human interactions.
Customer Experience Financial Services - The overall perception that customers have of their interactions with a financial service provider.
Customer Experience for Government - All interactions and experiences that private individuals have when engaging with government services. This includes all touchpoints such as online portals, call centers, in-person services, and other channels of engagement.
Customer Experience Journey - A customer experience journey, also referred to as a customer journey, is the path a customer follows while doing business with a brand.
Customer Experience Management (CEM) - An organizational strategy designed to optimize customer experience and customer engagement.
Customer Experience Metrics - Measurements of a brand’s effectiveness at shaping consumer perceptions about the business.
Customer Experience Model - A framework businesses use to control the quality of the impressions their customers have of the brand.
Customer Experience Self-Service - A collective term for self-service software, platforms, services and tools intended to enhance or streamline customer interactions with an organization. It focuses on self-service channels impacting customer experience across the full customer journey.
Customer Experience Software - A collection of contact center applications that enable organizations to provide, manage, and improve end-to-end customer service experiences.
Customer Insights - Data-driven information about consumers that informs businesses about their motivations, emotions, and preferences.
Customer intelligence - Unter Customer Intelligence versteht man das Sammeln und Analysieren von Kundeninformationen mit dem Ziel, die Beziehungen zu stärken und die Loyalität zu erhöhen.
Customer interaction analytics - Software that can review and assess voice recording and digital channel transcripts.
Customer Journey - Eine Customer Journey ist die vollständige Summe der Erlebnisse, die Kunden bei der Interaktion mit Unternehmen und Marken durchlaufen.
Customer Journey Analytics - An invaluable tool that enables businesses to gain deep insights into their customers’ behavior and preferences throughout their entire journey.
Customer Journey Based Design - Voice of the customer (VOC) solutions that are aligned with the customer journey and can provide insights about the many different paths customers can take as they interact with a business.
Customer Journey Management - Strategies and software to provide seamless and consistently exceptional omnichannel customer experiences across a customer journey.
Customer Journey Map - A visual diagram of all touchpoints within a customer journey. It can be leveraged in real time for agents to improve an experience or leveraged via analytics to identify trends that help improve the overall customer experience.
Customer Journey Mapping Insurance - A visual representation that outlines and illustrates the various stages that a customer goes through when interacting with an insurance company. The map typically includes interactions during research, policy selection, purchase, claims processing, renewals, and other relevant touchpoints. Insurance customer journey maps help companies understand their customers’ experiences, pain points, and opportunities for improvement, facilitating the development of strategies to enhance overall customer experience.
Customer Journey Optimization - The process of optimizing the customer journey through orchestration and management.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) - Describes the total value of a customer’s relationship to an organization over a lifetime.
Customer Loyalty - The level of allegiance a consumer feels toward a business, usually characterized by a long-term relationship and the willingness to make ongoing purchases.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) - A measurement of customer satisfaction levels, reflecting how well the organization meets expectations. Typically determined through customer satisfaction surveys.
Customer Service Representative (CSR) - Ein Kundendienstmitarbeiter (Customer Service Representative, CSR), auch Agent genannt, ist eine Person, die in einem Call- oder Kontaktzentrum arbeitet und Kunden bei ihren Anliegen unterstützt.
CX Software for Government - Software designed to help government agencies manage citizen interactions and improve customer experience (CX). The goal is to provide greater accessibility and usability in government digital services, streamline and automate customer service workflows, and collect and analyze data related to interactions with the public.
CX Solutions - CX solutions, or customer experience solutions, encompass tools, strategies, and customer experience management practices aimed at enhancing the overall customer experience.
Dashboard - A display of real-time communication, KPI reporting, or historical information on a screen for easy viewing by contact center employees.
Database - An application that stores, organizes, and structures data consistently for easy access and efficient analysis.
Decibel (dB) - A unit of measurement indicating the intensity of a sound.
Detractor - A customer who is highly dissatisfied with a business and may engage in behavior that harms the business financially.
Dialed Number Interaction Services (DNIS) - A set of digits indicating the phone number a call has reached.
Dialer - Technology for automating the dialing of outbound phone calls or the sending of mass digital communications. Dialers range from basic to sophisticated in their features and functionality. See also: Auto Dialer, Predictive Dialer.
Digital - The representation or transmission of data expressed in binary code.
Digital Messaging - A digital messaging system allows remote agents to meet customers on their platforms of choice, have personal conversations and reach successful outcomes at scale.
Digitales Call Center - Ein Kundendienstbetrieb, der seinen Kunden über digitale Kanäle wie E-Mail, Nachrichten, SMS, soziale Medien usw. Service bietet.
Direct Feedback - Customer input gathered by asking consumers what they think about a brand, product, customer service interaction, or other touchpoint along the customer journey.
Direct Inward Dialing (DID) - A local network service that transmits a unique set of identifying digits to the contact center.
Directed Dialog - An elementary automatic speech recognition technology that guides interaction by prompting a caller with limited phrases.
Dispositionen - Dispositionen sind benutzerdefinierte Zustände, die abgeschlossenen Interaktionen entweder von einem Agenten oder vom System zugewiesen werden können.
Dual Tone Multifrequency (DTMF) - A system that uses audio tones to represent digits on a keypad.
Durchschnittliche Bearbeitungszeit (Average Handle Time – AHT) - AHT) – Die durchschnittliche Bearbeitungszeit (AHT) ist eine Standard-Contact-Center-Kennzahl, die verwendet wird, um die durchschnittliche Zeit zu messen, die zum Abschluss einer Transaktion benötigt wird.
Echo Cancellation - Quieting a voice channel to optimize speech recognition and natural language understanding.
Ecommerce Customer Experience Software - The set of tools and technologies used by online retailers to enhance the customer experience and satisfaction with their online shopping journey through personalization, data insights, and customer support.
Education Customer Experience - The interactions and overall experience that students, potential students or faculty have with an institution of learning, including communication, services, and support. It is a crucial aspect of higher education that can impact student satisfaction, retention, and recruitment.
Education Customer Experience Solutions - Tools, platforms, and strategies that universities and colleges can use to improve the education customer experience of their students. They are designed to help universities optimize communication, support, and services to create a positive and effective learning environment.
Education Technology - The use of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and student outcomes in education. Often abbreviated as EdTech, it encompasses a wide range of digital tools, platforms, and resources that can be used to support and enhance the learning experience.
Employee Engagement - The level at which contact center employees are engaged in their work. See also: Agent Experience.
Employee NPS (eNPS) - Also known as the Employee Net Promoter Score, it is a measurement of an employee’s willingness to recommend their employer as a place to work to friends and family.
Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM) - The solutions allowing an enterprise to share information in order to create value, satisfy customers and stakeholders, and increase revenue.
Escalation - The process by which a customer contact is seamlessly transferred, via omnichannel communication, to a contact center agent or supervisor for handling.
Executive Order 14058 - A mandate aimed at improving the cybersecurity of federal government networks and infrastructure, as well as protecting critical infrastructure in the private sector, through the adoption of specific requirements and provisions.
Experience Analytics - Also called customer experience analytics, it is the systematic collection and analysis of customer perceptions as they interact with various touchpoints along the customer journey.
First Contact Resolution - A metric indicating the capability of a contact center to resolve a customer’s issue during their first interaction, eliminating the need for follow-up interactions and driving down the volume of incoming contacts.
Forecasting - Predicting a contact center’s workload and assessing the relevent agent scheduling or staffing needs. Effective forecasting can be accomplished with a workforce optimization application. See also: Scheduling.
Fortschrittliche Contact-Center-Technologien - Fortschrittliche Contact-Center-Technologien ist ein Begriff, der moderne Technologien wie künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und maschinelles Lernen beschreibt.
Gamification - Gamification rewards individual employees and teams for staying on task, turning the best behaviors into habits through games and challenges. Employees can win redeemable coins, collect badges or climb a leaderboard.
Grammar - In the contact center, language used in conjunction with IVR systems that require a complete list of possible spoken responses to be programmed for recognition and stored in a grammar file.
Graphical User Interface (GUI) - A computer interface enabling on-screen navigation through menus, icons, and interactive mouse or touchscreen technology.
Guest Experience - The overall impression, feelings, and perceptions that individuals have during their interaction with a particular establishment or event, such as a hotel, restaurant, or entertainment venue. This encompasses every aspect of the customer journey, including interactions with staff, the quality of products or services provided, the atmosphere, and any other elements that contribute to overall satisfaction and enjoyment.
Guest Service Experience - The specific interactions and encounters that guests have with the service providers and staff members of a hospitality establishment, such as a hotel, resort, or restaurant. This focuses on the quality of assistance, responsiveness, attentiveness, and friendliness exhibited by the staff during a guest’s stay or visit. This aspect plays a significant role in shaping the overall guest experience.
Hardware - The on-premise, physical infrastructure of a computer or telephony system.
Hold Time - The total amount of time a contact spends in an agent-initiated hold status. See also: Average Hold Time (AHLDT).
Hosted Services - Contact center and call center services hosted by a network provider and delivered on-demand through the cloud. See also: Cloud Contact Center, Cloud Contact Center Platform.
Inbound-Call-Center - Ein Inbound-Call-Center ist eine Kundendienstfunktion, deren Hauptaufgabe darin besteht, eingehende Kundenanrufe zu bearbeiten.
Independent Software Vendor (ISV) - An organization that designs and distributes software and is not owned or controlled by a hardware manufacturer, but which often produces software that is complementary to a hardware manufacturer or seller’s products.
Indirect Feedback - Customer input that a business did not solicit, but which it can access for analysis.
Insurance Customer Experience - The overall collection of interactions, touchpoints, and emotions that policyholders and potential customers have while engaging with an insurance company’s products, services, and support. The insurance customer experience encompasses interactions such as purchasing policies, filing claims, receiving assistance, and communicating with customer service representatives. Providing a positive insurance customer experience aims to build trust, satisfaction, and loyalty among policyholders.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - A series of technical standards that enable digital voice, video, and data transmission services over telephone networks.
Interaction - The touchpoint of communication between a customer and an organization on the customer’s preferred communication channel. Customers can initiate and complete self-service interactions using communication channels like IVR or chatbots. Customers and organizations can also initiate live agent interactions, in which an agent interacts directly with a customer using human communication channels like voice or video calls.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) - A voice- and call-processing system that responds to a customer’s speech or to digits they enter as they interact with an automated menu. Customers may be given the option to enter a call queue, connect with an agent, complete a self-service transaction, access information, or leave a message.
Intraday Management - The workforce management process and activities for monitoring the current day’s volumes and trends, and making changes to schedules accordingly.
Intraday Reforecasting - When the contact center reevaluates workforce management needs based on the day-of trending of volume, average handle time, and service levels.
IVR-System - Ein IVR-System ist eine automatische Schnittstelle, die Anrufer zu Beginn eines Telefonats begrüßt und durch Menüoptionen führt.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) - Ein KPI (Key Performance Indicator) ist eine Kennzahl, die Contact Center verwenden, um festzustellen, ob sie ihre Geschäftsziele wie Effizienz und außergewöhnlichen Service erfüllen.
Kundenakquisitionskosten - Die Kundenakquisitionskosten (Customer Acquisition Cost, CAC) sind ein Maß dafür, wie effizient die Vertriebs- und Marketingmaßnahmen eines Unternehmens bei der Gewinnung neuer Kunden sind.
Kundenbefragungen - Kundenumfragen sind Instrumente, mit denen Unternehmen das Feedback ihrer Kunden zu einer beliebigen Anzahl von Themen einholen.
Kundenfeedback - Kundenfeedback ist ein Beitrag, den Verbraucher den Unternehmen, mit denen sie Geschäfte machen, zur Verfügung stellen.
Kundenfrustration - Kundenfrustration ist genau das, wonach es klingt – ein Gefühl der Frustration, das ein Kunde als Ergebnis einer negativen Interaktion mit einem Unternehmen erlebt.
Kundenservice - Kundenservice ist die Unterstützung, die Sie Ihren Kunden bieten – vor, während und nach einem Kauf oder der Nutzung Ihres Produkts oder Dienstleistung.
Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) - Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) ist ein Technologiezweig, der allgemein als das Konzept beschrieben wird, dass Software in der Lage ist, Aufgaben auf eine Weise auszuführen, die als “intelligent” bezeichnet werden kann.
Leaderboards - A digital or physical display showing employees where they stand compared to their peers on important key performance indicators (KPIs).
Listening Post - In customer experience management, this term defines a point in the process when companies can identify, collect, and analyze customer feedback.
Local Area Network (LAN) - A communication network linking computers or technical devices within a limited geographic area. They are often used to send data to printers, transfer data between systems on the network, send communications between users on the network, or access wider area networks (WANs).
Logs - Also referred to as log files, these are records that document details, typically time stamps, related to what took place within a computer system.
Macro Metric - The result of distilling multiple KPIs related to the health of an organization’s customer relationships into a single unit of measurement.
Menu - An array of options clearly presented for selection by a customer, agent, or user on a computer screen or via a digital or voice channel.
Mobile Voice - Also referred to as voice control or voice access, this term describes technology allowing users to control their mobile devices by spoken command.
Moment of Truth - Any touchpoint along the customer journey in which a business has the potential to change a customer’s perception of the business and increase or decrease the customer’s loyalty as a result.
Multichannel Cloud Contact Center - A contact center powered by cloud-native software (rather than on-premises hardware) to handle inbound and outbound interactions independently across multiple communication channels. The information from an interaction on one channel is not connected or shared across other independent channels.
Natural Language Understanding - An AI-enabled technology that allows humans to communicate with computers and applications in normal, conversational syntax. This cognitive technology can analyze spoken words, along with elements like context and sentiment, to identify a person’s intent during voice and digital interactions.
Net Promoter Score® - Der Net Promoter Score (NPS) misst die Kundenwahrnehmung einer Marke und kann Umsatzwachstum oder -rückgang vorhersagen.
OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 - A section of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 that provides guidelines for federal agencies on how to manage and report on their information technology (IT) investments.
Omnichannel - In customer care, the ability of customers to seamlessly move across channels within the same interaction.
Omnichannel Cloud Contact Center - A contact center powered by cloud-native software (rather than on-premises hardware) to handle inbound and outbound interactions seamlessly across multiple, integrated communication channels. The information from a customer interaction on one channel at a single touchpoint along that customer’s journey is recorded and shared across channels to identify, personalize, and contextualize future interactions with the same customer.
Omnichannel Customer Experience - The experience a customer has when interacting with an organization or brand across all voice and digital channels, before, during, and after a purchase. See also: customer experience journey.
Omnichannel Customer Journey - The complete end-to-end set of customer interactions with an organization or brand, across all voice and digital channels. See also: customer experience journey.
Omnichannel Customer Service - The personalized, tailored service offered to a customer when an organization applies context and insight gained while seamlessly interacting with the customer across multiple channels of their choice.
Omnichannel Retail Solutions - The integration of multiple sales channels and touchpoints, such as in-store, digital, mobile, and call center, to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience across all touchpoints.
Omnichannel Routing - An interaction management system that allows an organization to proactively and productively route inbound, outbound, and blended contacts across multiple voice and digital channels using applications like ACD, IVR, and AI-enabled chatbots.
Operational / Inferred / Unsolicited Feedback - Types of customer input that businesses can leverage to develop a more holistic voice of the customer (VOC).
Outbound IVR - An IVR technology used to by contact centers to send proactive, personalized outbound messages. Similar to how a predictive dialer distributes outgoing calls, outbound IVR can automatically distribute outgoing messages to contacts across a variety of digital channels.
Outbound-Call-Center - Ein Outbound-Call-Center ist ein Unternehmen, das ausgehende Anrufe an Kunden und Interessenten tätigt.
Outsourcing Call Center - The practice of using a third-party provider’s services to manage a company’s customer service or support calls. This allows the company to focus on its core operations while benefiting from the expertise and cost savings of a specialized call center.
Outsourcing Customer Service - The practice of delegating customer support functions to an external service provider. This provider typically handles various aspects of customer service on behalf of the company, such as inquiries, complaints, technical issues, and more, enabling the company to focus on its core business activities while still providing high-quality customer support.
Patient Experience Solutions - A set of tools, strategies, and approaches aimed at improving the overall quality of healthcare delivery and the satisfaction of patients with their healthcare experience. These solutions can include, but are not limited to, patient engagement and communication technologies, patient satisfaction surveys, clinical quality improvement initiatives, patient-centered design, and staff training programs. The goal of patient experience solutions is to create a positive, seamless, and effective healthcare experience for patients, from their initial interaction with the healthcare system through to the conclusion of their care journey.
Performance Management - Performance management is a vital organizational process that helps monitor, evaluate, and enhance employee performance.
Performance Management System - An all-in-one reporting tool that offers real-time, historical, and transactional performance data for all roles.
Phoneme - The fundamental units of sound that distinguish one word from another within a particular language. Phonemes are essential in processing the automatic speech recognition that powers natural language understanding and IVR technology used by contact centers.
Phrase - A set of one or more words assigned meaning within an application. In contact centers, phrases are often associated with directed dialog in IVR systems, in which a customer interaction is guided by a menu of narrowly defined phrase options a customer can select from through speech.
Port - A connection point that allows the transfer of information between two devices or between a computer and a server over a network.
Predictive Dialer - An application used by contact centers to initiate a large volume of outbound calls at one time, using an algorithm to predict outbound agent availability and transferring any connected contacts to live agents. This maximizes the efficiency of agents who would otherwise spend time dialing a long list of individual numbers that would not result in connections.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) - A private telephone system used by an organization to make and receive internal and external calls.
Processor - The component within a computer responsible for processing data.
Prompt - A message that guides the customer to respond by indicating a selection, dialing a number, or speaking a phrase associated with a desired outcome.
Proxy Server - An external intermediary used to handle resource requests requiring heavy or intense processing from a server.
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) - A public network to which telephones, telephony systems, ACDs, and PBXs can be connected.
Qualitätsmanagement-Formular - Ein Qualitätsmanagement-Formular ist ein strukturierter Fragebogen, der zur Bewertung von Kundeninteraktionen verwendet wird.
Qualitätspläne - Ein Qualitätsplan ist ein Instrument zur systematischen Qualitätssicherung in Contact Centern.
Quality Evaluation - A quality management activity in which another individual, typically a supervisor or someone from the QM or QA team, scores an agent interaction based on key criteria defined in a quality form.
Quality Management - The systems, processes, and strategies an organization uses to manage and improve quality. In contact centers, quality management is often associated with workforce management.
Quality Management Calibration - A quality management activity that helps ensure all evaluators are on the same page as to how they are evaluating interactions.
Quality Management Dispute - A quality management process that allows agents to dispute or contest a score they have received on a quality evaluation and explain why they disagree.
Queue - A virtual line in which a customer waits to be connected with an agent. Call queues are the most well-known, but the rise in digital communication channels has created other virtual lines, such as chat queues.
Real-Time Adherence - A workforce management metric that helps pinpoint employees who are currently out of adherence with the planned schedule.
Response Rate - The proportion of survey invitations that resulted in a completed survey.
Retail CX Solutions - The tools, technologies, and strategies that retailers use to enhance the customer experience and improve customer satisfaction in the retail environment.
Return on Investment (ROI) - A financial ratio that measures the profitability of an actual or proposed investment.
RPA Solutions - Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions are revolutionizing business operations by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing workflow efficiency.
Sales Performance Management - Sales Performance Management (SPM) is a strategic approach that organizations use to optimize the performance of their sales teams.
Schedule Adherence - A workforce management metric that indicates how effectively an agent is adhering to their schedule.
Scheduling - In contact center workforce optimization and workforce management, this refers to ongoing planning of employee on-duty hours, activities, and required staff fluctuations. See also: Forecasting.
Screen Pop - A customer information screen that automatically “pops” onto an agent’s dashboard at the same time an interaction is initiated with that customer. It can deliver additional customer context enabled when an organization’s business systems, like its CRM database, are integrated with its contact center platform.
Screen Recording - The act of capturing activity on an agent’s computer screen while they are handling an interaction for quality and coaching purposes.
Self-Service Rate - A metric that describes how often customers resolve their own issues or complete their own transaction instead of speaking to a live agent.
Sentiment Analysis - AI-enabled analysis deriving information from speech and text communications across voice and digital channels, indicating the nature of an interaction or the sentiment behind the interaction.
Server - A computer or program that manages access to a centralized resource or network service.
SMB - An acronym for small-to-midsize businesses.
SME - An acronym for small-to-midsize enterprises.
Softphone - Ein Softphone ist eine Software-Anwendung, die es Benutzern ermöglicht, über das Internet zu telefonieren, anstatt ein physisches Telefon zu verwenden.
Software as a Service (SaaS) - Software as a Service (SaaS) ist ein Software-Vertriebsmodell, bei dem ein Anbieter die Software in der Cloud hostet und sie den Kunden über das Internet zur Verfügung stellt.
Sprachanalyse - Die Sprachanalyse, auch Interaktionsanalyse genannt, ist eine Technologie, die künstliche Intelligenz nutzt, um menschliche Sprache zu verstehen, zu verarbeiten und zu analysieren.
Supervisor - Ein Contact Center Supervisor ist für die Leitung und Unterstützung eines Teams von Kundendienstmitarbeitern verantwortlich.
Switch - A device within a telephone exchange that connects calls from recipient to destination, and controls voice and data traffic across the exchange.
System Administrator - An IT role overseeing installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of software or hardware across a network.
T1 - A T1 line is a point-to-point, high capacity phone/data communications transmission service that connects a business customer with a telecom or internet service provider. T1 is quickly being replaced by more modern DSL and cable connections.
Talk Time - The amount of time a contact spent interacting with an agent between the initial greeting and conclusion of a conversation. It includes anything that happens during a call, including hold time and conference time. It can also include inbound time and outbound time.
Task Buttons - A graphical user interface (GUI) element that allows users to issue commands.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - TCP establishes network data exchange standards across programs and works with IP, which defines how computers transmit data packets.
Text and Speech Analytics - Technical tools that leverage artificial intelligence, such as natural language processing, to understand human speech and use that ability to identify patterns, like high occurrences of keywords and phrases.
Transforming Customer Experience - The process of fundamentally altering the impressions businesses make on their customers so that the customer experience promotes a higher opinion of the brand.
Travel Customer Experience - The sum of interactions, touchpoints, and emotions that travelers go through when engaging with various aspects of a travel journey. This encompasses everything from researching and booking travel arrangements to actual travel experiences, such as flights, accommodations, activities, and interactions with travel service providers. Travel customer experience management aims to provide a seamless and enjoyable journey for travelers, fostering positive perceptions and encouraging loyalty.
Trunk - Also called a telephone line, exchange line or circuit, this term refers to a link between two phone switching systems.
TTS (Text-to-Speech) - A voice processing system that converts text to spoken words using speech synthesis.
UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) - UCaaS ist eine cloudbasierte Lösung, die verschiedene Kommunikationstools in einer einzigen Plattform integriert.
UCaaS Integrations - UCaaS Integrations refer to the seamless integration of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions with other business systems and applications.
Unified Communications Cloud - A Unified Communications Cloud is a comprehensive solution that integrates various communication tools into a single, cloud-based platform, enabling employees to use all their communication tools from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.
Upselling - Upselling ist eine Verkaufsstrategie, bei der Kunden ermutigt werden, ein höherwertiges oder teureres Produkt zu kaufen als ursprünglich beabsichtigt.
Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache - Die Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache (Natural Language Processing, NLP) ist eine Form der künstlichen Intelligenz (KI), die den Menschen die Interaktion mit Computern über die gesprochene Sprache ermöglicht.
Virtual Agent - Also known as a virtual assistant, this refers to a computer program or digital avatar, often AI-driven, designed to interact with users through self-service channels and assist them in performing certain tasks or obtaining information. They simulate human conversation through text or speech interfaces.
Virtual Contact Center - A single, virtual contact center operation made up of multiple, geographically dispersed agents working in smaller remote facilities or directly from home.
Virtual Currency - Virtual coins or digital tokens specific to a gamification strategy. They are used to reward players and create an in-game economy.
Virtual Marketplace - An important element of gamification, it enables employees to redeem earned prizes and rewards that an organization chooses to make available to them.
Virtuelles Call Center - Ein virtuelles Call Center ist eine cloudbasierte Lösung, die es Agenten ermöglicht, von verschiedenen Standorten aus zu arbeiten.
Voice Authentication - A biometric verification of a user’s voice, granting the individual authorization or access rights to a system or application.
Voice of the Customer (VOC) - A process of collection, analysis and action on customer feedback across the comprehensive customer journey, using a holistic VOC application for improving customer satisfaction, driving efficiencies, and increasing agent engagement.
Voice Platform - A platform that facilitates the development of voice applications and their integration with telephony systems used by call centers and contact centers.
Voice Response Unit - A predecessor to the more commonly known IVR, this term describes the automated telephone answering system that allows a caller to navigate through a series of prerecorded messages and menu options using buttons on a touch-tone phone.
Voice User Interface - An interface allowing users to interact with a voice application through spoken commands and phrases. It is part of the foundation on which today’s sophisticated, AI-enabled voice and speech recognition technology is built.
Voiceprint - The unique biometric identifiers of a human voice indicated on a sound spectrogram, forming the basis for voice authentication technology.
Wallboards - Wallboards sind große Anzeigetafeln, die Echtzeit-Leistungsdaten in Contact Centern visualisieren.
Was ist Business-to-Customer (B2C)?
Was ist ein Contact Center Agent?
Workflow - Ein Workflow ist eine definierte Abfolge von Schritten oder Aufgaben in einem Geschäftsprozess.
Workflow Management - The process of managing the series of steps and stages in a task, often involving multiple people, departments, specifications, internal and external systems, and approaches. WFM tools enable and track efficient and consistent execution of business processes and automated tasks.
Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) - WEM zielt darauf ab, die Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit und -produktivität durch verschiedene Strategien und Tools zu verbessern.
Workforce Management (WFM) - The management, monitoring, and training of contact center employees. This includes scheduling, forecasting, and workforce optimization.
Workforce Optimization - Workforce optimization is a strategic approach designed to help organizations streamline their operations by effectively managing their workforce.
Workforce Planning - The process of forecasting staffing needs based on anticipated volume or other business drivers, then ensuring everything is in place to hire, train, schedule, and manage the required team. See Contact Center Workforce Management (WFM).
Workforce Schedule - A workforce schedule is an essential tool for businesses to efficiently manage and allocate their human resources.
Workload Management - Real-time monitoring, reporting, and distribution of contact center workload resulting from inbound and outbound communication volume.