Lesson-3.docx

LESSON 3:

CALL CENTER TERMINOLOGIES Abandoned Call/Contact - a call or type of contact that has been offered into a communication network or telephone system, but is terminated by the person originating the contact before any conversation happens. ACD (Automatic Call Distributor) – A specialized phone system used for handling many incoming calls. The ACD will recognize the and answer an incoming call; will look in its database for call routing instructions 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. 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. ACW (After Call Work) – Work immediately following an inbound call or transaction. Agent Group, Split or Gate – A group of agents handling a specific type or group of calls or contacts. ATB (All Trunks Busy) – A state in which all trunks in a specific trunk group are busy. 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 NPA (Numbering Plan Area) 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 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. Available Time – The period of time spent waiting to accept and/or busy on inbound or outbound contact. Average Delay of Delayed Callers – Average wait in queue experienced only by those callers who are delayed. Average Delay to Abandon – Average time callers are held in queue before disconnecting (prior to agent answer) Average Handle Time (AHT) – The amount of time it takes on average to handle a contact to completion, including talk time plus after-contact work time. Base Staff – The minimum number of agents needed to provide service in a given period of time. Also called “bodies in seats”.

Beep Tone – A tone heard before a call arrives, also called a zip tone. It sometimes used to announce that a call is being monitored. Benchmarking - The process of measuring performance against some set standard. In the contact center industry, it refers to company demographics, processes, and service with other organizations to identify strengths, weaknesses, and improvement opportunities in one’s own organization. Blocked Call – A call that cannot be completed because of a busy condition. Business to Business – A term used in contact centers to represent the type of contact that is primarily to/from other business. Call Center Schedule Adherence – it is a metric used in order to determine whether or not agents are working the amount of time they have been asked or required to. Call/Contact Blending – The process of combining the flow of inbound/outbound calls and other contacts such as email or web transactions to a set of agents capable of handling them. Callback Messaging – A feature in which callers on hold can leave an oral message or their telephone numbers using the keys of a touchtone telephone pad for later call back from an agent instead of remaining on hold. Call Routing – this is the process designed to ensure that each call is routed to the right agent with proper skills, and has prior knowledge regarding the customer’s issue. Call routing often includes identifying high-value callers and routing them to a shorter queue, or to the most proficient agents. Call Recording/ Call Logging – it is a technology that enables call centers to capture and record all customer and agent telephony interactions. The caller has to be informed before the call is being recorded. Caller ID – A telephone network feature of the local telephone company by which the telephone number of the caller is passed to the called party. Completed Call/Contact – A contact that is handled to completion by an agent, or in an outbound dialing scenario, a contact that has been through maximum recycle attempts. Contact Management – Software applications and system that keep track of all the customer contacts for subsequent contacts and as an audit trail. Cross Selling- The technique used by telephone representatives to sell an additional product or service while engaged in a customer contact. Database – Collection of data structured and organized in a disciplined fashion for quick and easy access to information of interest. Dead Air- long period of silence on the other line. Delay Announcements – Recorded announcements played to holding callers containing information and requesting their patience in waiting for an agent. Expected Wait Time – In a call center, EWT is the expected time that the customers are told to wait before they can speak to an agent. It is one of the best practices to measure average expected time. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – it asks the customer to press the buttons on their telephone keypad to select which service they want. Thereafter, the IVR routes the call to the most appropriate agent.

First Call Resolution (FCR) - it is a way to identify the customer’s issue, the first time they contact a call center agent. It is a metric that monitors the quality of service that customers are receiving, by counting the number of times their issues got resolved on the first point of contact. Providing an ideal caller experience will ensure the customer keeps coming back to engage with your business. Wrap Time –This describes the time taken by an agent to complete any transactions or work for a customer after the call has ended. Y Jack – a splitter, a device used to split a single jack into two. LESSON 4:

ABBREVIATION & PHONETIC ALPHABET TITLES Dr. - Doctor Mr. - Mister Mrs. - Misses Ms. - Miss Jr. - Junior Sr. - Senior Mmes. - Madame Prof. – Professor

Esq. - Esquire Messrs. - Masseurs Msgr. - Monsignor Rev. - Reverend St. - Saint MD - Medical Doctor RN - Registered Nurse Hon. - Honorable

Lt. - Lieutenant Corp. - Corporal Gov. - Governor Rt. Hon. - Retired Honorable Capt. - Captain Col. - Colonel Gen. - General

Use Ms. when referring to a woman unless a preference for Mrs. has been indicated. Although not an abbreviation, Ms. is written with a period, by analogy with Mr. and Mrs. Note that Miss is not an abbreviation and does not take a period. Do not use Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. or Esq. with any other abbreviated title or with an abbreviation denoting an academic degree or honour: Dr. Roberta Bondar or Roberta Bondar, MD NOT Ms. or Dr. Roberta Bondar, MD Mr. Paul Kelly or Paul Kelly, Esq. NOT Mr. Paul Kelly, Esq. Do NOT use the abbreviation Dr. and Rev. Dr. before the names of individuals who hold only honorary doctorates. • Saint is written out for names of persons revered as holy, but may be abbreviated in informal contexts and in lists and tables: Saint Catherine Saint Francis of Assisi St. and SS. (plural) are the abbreviations used.

Saint Peter

Saint Theresa

• Abbreviate professional and official titles only when they are used with surnames preceded by first names or initials: Gen. Lewis MacKenzie but General MacKenzie Dr. Irene Taguchi but Doctor Taguchi

Prof. A. N. Chomsky but Professor Chomsky Note: that there are spaces between each period and the following initial or name. • Even when used to address someone in correspondence, Rt. Hon., Hon. and Rev. must be preceded by the: The Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada The Hon. Alfonso Gagliano, Minister of Public Works and Government Services The Rev. John Smith

PLACES Postal Terms Abbr.

Place

Abbr.

Place

Abbr.

Place

Abbr.

Place

Apt.

Apartment

Dept.

Department

Hwy.

Highway

Sq.

Square

Ave.

Avenue

Dr.

Drive

Is.

Island

Stn.

Station

Aly.

Alley

Est.

Estate

Jct.

Junction

St.

Street

Bch

Beach

Expy.

Expressway

Lk.

Lake

Ste.

Suite

Blvd.

Boulevard

Ext.

Extension

Ln.

Lane

Smt.

Summit

Br.

Branch

Fld.

Field

Mt.

Mountain

Un.

Union

Cyn.

Canyon

Flt.

Flat

Pl.

Place

Uppr. Upper

Ctr.

Center

Flr.

Floor

Plz.

Plaza

Vly.

Valley

Cor.

Corner

Hbr.

Harbor

Rd.

Road

View

Vw

Ct.

Court

Hts.

Heights

Rm.

Room

Vlg.

Village

Cv.

Cove

Hls.

Hills

Shr.

Shore

Vi.

Ville

Directions N –North

S – South

E – East

W – West