Contact Center Glossary

Welcome to our Contact Center Consulting Glossary, a comprehensive resource designed to help you navigate the intricate world of contact center operations and management. In this glossary, you will find concise explanations and definitions for key terms, acronyms, and concepts commonly used in the contact center industry. Whether you're a seasoned professional looking to refresh your knowledge or a newcomer seeking to grasp the fundamentals, this glossary is your go-to reference for unraveling the complexities of contact center consulting.

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)

See Cloud Contact Center.

Contact Center Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

The integration and effective use of customer relationship management software and strategies within a call center environment.

Contact Center Customer Service Representative

See Customer Service Representative.

Contact Center Management

Overseeing and coordinating operations, strategies, and resources within a call/contact center to ensure efficient and effective customer service delivery, achieve organizational goals, and optimize overall performance.

Contact Center Software

A specialized suite of tools and applications designed to streamline and enhance the operations of contact centers.

Contact Center Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Integrating VoIP technology within a contact center environment to manage and facilitate voice-based customer communication.

Contact Channels

See Channels.

Critical Error

See Compliance Critical Error.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

The amount of money a business spends to acquire a new customer through its contact center operations and related marketing or sales activities.

Customer Care

Also known as customer service or client service, this refers to the support and assistance provided by a business or organization to its customers before, during, and after a purchase or interaction.

Customer Complaint

Any negative comment from a client received in person or by phone, mail, fax etc., about any aspect of products, services, staff, or agents.

Customer Critical Error

Anything from the customer’s perspective that causes the transaction to be defective.

Customer Effort Score (CES)

A metric used to measure the level of effort a customer exerts to achieve a specific goal when interacting with a company or utilizing its products or services.

Customer Engagement

The ongoing interaction, communication, and relationship between a customer and a company or brand.

Customer Experience (CX)

The cumulative impact of multiple touchpoints throughout a customer's interaction with an organization.

Customer Experience (CX) Metrics

Key performance indicators (KPIs) and measurements used to evaluate and quantify customers’ satisfaction, engagement, and overall experience with a company, its products, and services.

Customer Experience (CX) Software

A technology solution designed to help businesses measure, manage, analyze, and enhance the interactions and experiences that customers have with their products, services, and brands.

Customer Experience Management (CEM)

The strategy, practices, and processes businesses employ to design, oversee, and optimize customers' interactions and experiences with their products, services, and brands throughout the customer lifecycle.

Customer Feedback

The information, opinions, comments, and reactions customers provide about their experiences with a product, service, or brand.

Customer Insights

The information, opinions, comments, and reactions customers provide about their experiences with a product, service, or brand.

Customer Interaction Analytics

The process of analyzing and extracting valuable insights from various customer interactions with a business across different channels such as phone calls, emails, chat logs, social media, and more.

Customer Journey

The process that a customer goes through when interacting with a company, from the initial stage of becoming aware of a product or service to the final stage of making a purchase and potentially becoming a repeat customer or advocate.

Customer Journey Management

A strategic approach businesses use to optimize and enhance the overall customer experience by understanding and mapping the customer journey, identifying touchpoints, and optimizing interactions at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

Customer Journey Map

A visual representation or diagram that illustrates the various steps a customer takes when interacting with a business or brand, from the initial point of contact to the final stage of a transaction or ongoing relationship.

Customer Journey Optimization

The strategic and continuous process of refining and improving the entire customer journey to maximize customer satisfaction, engagement, and conversions.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

The estimated total revenue a business expects to earn from a customer throughout their entire relationship.

Customer Loyalty

A customer's consistent and sustained preference for a particular brand, product, or service over competitors.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

A comprehensive approach and a set of practices, strategies, technologies, and systems that businesses utilize to manage, analyze, and optimize their interactions and relationships with customers throughout the customer lifecycle.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

A metric businesses use to measure the level of satisfaction or contentment a customer has with a product, service, or overall experience the company provides.

Customer Service

The assistance and support a business provides its customers before, during, and after a purchase or interaction.

Customer Service Knowledge Management

Creates, organizes, manages, and distributes knowledge and information within a customer service environment.

Customer Service Representatives (CSRs)

An individual employed by a company or organization to interact with customers and provide assistance, support, information, and solutions to customer inquiries and concerns. Also known as Customer Service Specialists (CSS), agents, advisors, etc.

Customer Service Specialist (CSS)

See Customer Service Representative (CSR)