Introduction
Hello, dear reader! It’s great to have you here. Welcome to this in-depth article about terms call center. We’ll take you on a journey to explore everything you need to know about call center terminologies. From the basics to the advanced terms, we’ll cover all of it. As you read on, be prepared to have a rich understanding of call center operations and the industry.
📚 A brief overview
Call centers are customer service departments that respond to queries, complaints, or feedback from customers. In simple terms, call centers are a company’s point of contact with its clients. It is no news that call centers have evolved to become a primary strategy for businesses to keep their customers happy. Hence, the need to understand call center terminologies.
Do you want to know more? Keep reading!
What are terms call center?
Terms call center consists of terminologies used in the call center industry to communicate effectively with clients and team members. It is essential to understand terms call center, especially if you’re looking to work in the call center industry.
As you’ll see in the table below, terms call center are categorized into different parts. We’ll go in-depth to explain each part in the subsequent paragraphs.
Part 1: Call center basics
📚Overview
Before we dive into the technical terms, we’ll take a quick look at the basics of call centers.
A call center is a department within a company that handles customer inquiries by phone, email, chat or social media. It is responsible for customer service, sales, and marketing. Most call centers have a standard operating procedure (SOP) that guides their operations.
📚 Key terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Agent | An agent is a call center staff responsible for receiving incoming calls, making outgoing calls, or responding to customer inquiries through chat or email. |
| IVR | Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a system that allows customers to interact with a computer-generated voice over the phone. |
| Average handling time | This term refers to the time it takes an agent to handle a customer inquiry. It includes hold time, talk time, and after-call work. |
| Service Level | Service level is the percentage of calls answered within a particular timeframe. It is usually expressed as a percentage. |
Part 2: Call center technology
📚Overview
In today’s world, technology plays a big role in the call center industry. Call centers have evolved from the traditional voice-only service to include various communication channels such as email, social media, chat, and video call. This part will cover terms call center associated with technology.
📚 Key terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) | An ACD is a system that automatically distributes incoming calls to available agents based on predefined criteria such as skillset or language proficiency. |
| Predictive dialer | A predictive dialer is software that dials a list of phone numbers and automatically connects answered calls to available agents. |
| Interactive Text Response (ITR) | ITR is a system that allows customers to send and receive text messages or emails from the call center. |
| Virtual call center | A virtual call center is a call center where agents work remotely, using advanced technology to communicate with customers. |
Part 3: Call center Quality Assurance
📚Overview
Quality assurance is an essential aspect of call center operations. It involves monitoring agents’ performance, providing coaching, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
📚 Key terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Quality assurance (QA) | QA is a process for monitoring and evaluating an agent’s performance to ensure they meet the call center’s standard. |
| Call Calibration | A meeting among call center managers and quality assurance team members to review and ensure that the call center’s quality standards are being adhered to. |
| Call monitoring | A process for evaluating an agent’s performance by listening to their call recordings. |
| Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) | The CSAT measures the level of satisfaction customers have with the service provided by a call center. |
Part 4: Call center Metrics
📚Overview
Metrics are essential for measuring the performance of a call center. There are several metrics used in the call center industry to evaluate productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
📚 Key terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| First Call Resolution (FCR) | FCR measures the percentage of calls resolved on the first attempt. |
| Abandoned Call Rate (ACR) | ACR measures the percentage of calls that were abandoned by the caller before being answered. |
| Occupancy Rate | Occupancy rate measures the percentage of time an agent is occupied with handling calls or completing after-call work. |
| Average Speed of Answer (ASA) | ASA measures the average time a customer spends on hold before their call is answered. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What are the benefits of understanding call center terminologies?
A: Understanding call center terminologies helps to improve communication with clients and team members. It also increases efficiency and productivity in the call center.
Q2: Why is Quality assurance essential in call centers?
A: Quality assurance is essential in call centers to ensure customer satisfaction and maintain a high standard of service delivery by agents.
Q3: What is the difference between an ACD and a predictive dialer?
A: While an ACD automatically distributes incoming calls based on predefined criteria, a predictive dialer dials a list of phone numbers and automatically connects answered calls to available agents.
Q4: What is call calibration?
A: Call calibration is a process where call center quality assurance teams and managers meet to review the call center’s quality standards and ensure adherence.
Q5: What is the CSAT?
A: The CSAT is a metric used to measure customer satisfaction with the service provided by a call center.
Q6: What is First Call Resolution (FCR)?
A: FCR is a metric used to measure the percentage of calls resolved on the first attempt.
Q7: What is Average Speed of Answer (ASA)?
A: ASA is a metric that measures the average time a customer spends on hold before their call is answered.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding call center terminologies is necessary for effective communication and productivity in the call center industry. We hope this article has provided valuable insights into call center operations and terminologies.
If you’re looking to work in the call center industry or you’re a business owner looking to improve customer service, understanding call center terminologies is the first step.
Don’t forget to share this article with your friends, colleagues, or anyone interested in the call center industry.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for educational purposes only. The information provided in this article is accurate at the time of publication. It is subject to change without notice. Readers are advised to conduct their research and seek professional advice before making decisions based on the information provided in this article.