The Ultimate Glossary of Call Center Terms

Are you new to the world of call centers, where every interaction is crucial to the customer experience? Or are you a seasoned pro who wants to review contact center lingo?

Regardless of your status, understanding call center terms is vital when adopting business process outsourcing (BPO) for customer support. This knowledge contributes to effective communication, enhanced customer service, and improved efficiency.

Learn more about BPO terminologies in the call center industry below.

Know Who Are Behind the Call

BPO call center companies have multiple roles and responsibilities to ensure smooth daily operations. These positions vary based on a provider’s size and nature, but they work together to deliver exemplary customer service. Here are a few examples of contact center roles:

• Call center managers organize the overall operations. They plan, develop, and execute innovative strategies to meet business targets. They also manage budgets, resources, and staffing levels.
• Customer service representatives (CSRs) or call center agents handle incoming calls, emails, or chat messages. These frontline workers answer inquiries regarding products and services and are trained to resolve customer issues quickly and effectively.
• Data analysts collect and study call center performance data based on transaction history, market research, or online feedback. They identify trends, generate reports, and recommend process improvements.
• Outbound sales representatives perform outgoing calls and messages to promote or sell products and services. These telemarketers also conduct surveys to support a client’s market research. 
• Quality assurance (QA) analysts track and assess agent and customer interactions according to key performance indicators (KPIs). They provide insights to refine agent training and customer service strategies and ensure compliance with industry standards.
• Retention specialists seek feedback from customers and employees to enhance service delivery and daily productivity. They design and implement strategies to establish trust and maintain loyalty to a client’s brand. 
• Team leaders oversee a group of CSRs per client account. These call center supervisors monitor each agent’s performance and provide feedback. They also facilitate training sessions and address escalated customer complaints.
• Technical support agents focus on resolving issues related to technology products and services. They use remote tools to troubleshoot problems, such as software bugs, server glitches, and network errors, surrounding information technology (IT) systems. 
• Training and development specialists coordinate career and skill enhancement programs. They regularly host workshops, seminars, and hands-on exercises to ensure the workforce’s familiarity with client products, services, and market trends.

Explore the Services BPO Call Centers Offer

Third-party call centers are known for providing fast and effective customer support. Their staff members usually manage both inbound and outbound calls. They also respond to non-voice inquiries via live chat, email, or social media.

These providers assist companies of all industries that need cost-efficient solutions to engage with customers. The list of services below explores what BPO call centers offer:

• Back-office support covers non-customer-facing tasks such as data entry, document processing, and invoicing. BPO call centers have dedicated teams and systems to handle this business aspect.
• Content moderation means monitoring and managing user-generated content across social media platforms. Third-party teams help clients enforce community guidelines and maintain safe customer communities online. 
• Customer service in BPO is the umbrella terminology concerning the consumer experience. It covers the services provided before, during, and after the sale of products. Businesses aim to build long-term relationships with customers through this strategy.
• E-commerce support comprises order tracking, inventory management, logistics, and customer support functions. Service vendors handle these tasks across various channels.
• Healthcare assistance includes medical billing, coding, and appointment scheduling. Some third-party call centers also offer telehealth services, helping to address patients’ basic medical concerns. 
• Help desk support provides end users or customers with information regarding a client’s products and services. Help desk agents typically answer technical questions from a company’s in-house staff.
• Hospitality support accommodates client businesses operating in the hotel, restaurant, and travel industries. BPO call centers take over repetitive tasks, such as addressing booking inquiries and general concerns.
• Multilingual support caters to clients that operate worldwide. Unbabel’s research shows that 68% of buyers will switch brands if support services are not offered in their native language. Third-party call centers prevent potential issues by providing translation services and multilingual agents.
• Order processing includes assisting consumers in placing, confirming, and shipping their purchases. Providers use automated tools to ensure smooth and accurate transactions.
• Technical support refers to helping customers solve common errors, malfunctions, and bugs in their tech purchases. Technical support agents troubleshoot issues harming software, smartphones, and other electronic devices remotely. 
• Telemarketing and sales encompass outbound activities to advertise a client’s products and services via phone. This function includes lead generation, market outreach, and customer feedback collection. 

Identify the Solutions Call Center Agents Use

BPO call centers optimize multiple cutting-edge technologies to improve productivity and deliver a superior customer experience. These modern tools vary based on the nature of work and industry focus. Note the following BPO terminologies for these solutions:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) automate customer responses and routine tasks such as data entry. They reduce repetitive workloads and let human agents focus on more complex customer service functions. 
• Automatic call distributors (ACD) route incoming calls to the appropriate agents based on predefined criteria. This tech ensures efficient call assignments and minimizes wait times for customers.
• Automatic recording systems track communication logs for quality assurance, issue resolution, and training purposes. They help assess agent performance, guide customer service improvements, and accelerate response time.
• Chatbots provide instant replies to basic consumer inquiries. According to Zendesk, 72% of customers found that bots answer simple inquiries faster than human agents. Thus, providers constantly update tools to enhance this self-service option.
• Computer telephony integration (CTI) combines telecommunication systems with desktop applications. This tech aims to streamline communication processes via automated phone call management. 
• Customer experience management (CEM) software is a critical call center tool for identifying and implementing operational improvements. It facilitates customer feedback collection and interpretation to boost interactions across various touchpoints. 
• Customer relationship management (CRM) software consolidates buyer data and transaction history. It allows agents to access information quickly and track interactions seamlessly.
• Cybersecurity tools protect customer data and privacy from online threats. TransUnion’s latest data reveals that 62% of high-risk calls to call centers came from non-fixed VoIP lines. BPO firms prevent such issues by implementing robust security measures, including data encryption strategies and access controls.
• Interactive voice response (IVR) systems enable callers to use a computerized menu via voice or keypad input. The capability lets them direct their call or obtain information. This self-service feature enhances call routing and speeds up customer support.
• Knowledge management software stores and sorts critical data for agent’s quick access. The tool facilitates consistent and accurate information delivery during customer interactions. It includes product information, tutorials, onboarding guides, and troubleshooting instructions.
• Omnichannel platforms integrate various communication channels, such as voice, email, chat, and social media. These cloud-based contact center solutions enable seamless interactions without losing important data.
• Private branch exchange (PBX) systems enable routing and switching calls between business locations and telephone networks. This traditional hardware equipment helps manage the call center’s internal and external communications. 
• Speech and data analytics tools analyze recorded calls and transactions to extract valuable insights, trends, and customer sentiments. The results inform strategies for enhanced service quality.
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) enables smooth calls online. The tool lets CSRs perform voice-based customer support using broadband rather than traditional telephone lines. 
• Workforce management (WFM) systems optimize employee scheduling, forecasting, and performance tracking. They balance staffing levels, organize work shifts, and ensure efficient resource allocation.

Note the BPO Terminologies for KPIs

According to Calabrio’s 2022 report, consumers and business leaders agree that customer service interactions influence brand loyalty. Thus, a positive experience boosts customer retention and increases revenue. 

Hence, KPIs are critical in monitoring and measuring the success and efficiency of BPO call centers. The enumerated items provide relevant insights into daily productivity, agent performance, and customer satisfaction.

Operational KPIs include:

• Abandonment rate is the percentage of callers hanging up before speaking to an agent. An abandoned call reflects possible support challenges and informs efforts to solve them.
• Average speed of answer (ASA) refers to the average time agents take to answer incoming calls. It indicates their efficiency in handling voice-based customer inquiries.
• First call resolution (FCR) is the rate of calls resolved during the first interaction. This KPI measures agents’ efficiency in addressing customer issues without requiring follow-up calls.
• Occupancy rate pertains to the period agents spend actively engaged with customers or tasks. Team leaders use this metric to assess agent productivity and ensure smooth workload management.
• Service level (SL) is the percentage of calls answered within a specified time frame. It measures the call center’s responsiveness in handling incoming calls.

Examples of customer satisfaction KPIs are:

• Customer effort score (CES) measures how quickly consumers get their needs and problems addressed. CES assesses the customer experience and effort required to connect with the call center.
• Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is based on post-interaction surveys or consumer feedback. It gives insights into customer perception and service quality.
• Net promoter score (NPS) helps BPO call centers evaluate the likelihood of customers recommending their services. This performance indicator gauges customer loyalty and advocacy.

Here are a few agent performance KPIs:

• Adherence to schedule demonstrates how closely agents comply with their assigned shifts. The metric optimizes workforce management and scheduling.
• Average handle time (AHT) is the period an agent spends on a call, from talk time to post-call work. It balances efficiency and customer service quality.
• QA score shows how well agents adhere to scripts, policies, and customer service standards when engaging with consumers. It measures agent performance and ability to follow quality guidelines.

The following are financial KPIs:

• Cost per call is the average expenditure incurred per transaction. This KPI measures the cost-effectiveness of call center operations.
• Revenue per call is the average profit generated for each customer interaction. It evaluates the impact of call center activities on a client’s revenue generation.

Technology and efficiency KPIs include:

• First response time (FRT) calculates how long agents take to respond to customer inquiries via digital channels, such as email or chat. It showcases a call center’s responsiveness on non-voice platforms.
• Utilization of self-service is the percentage of customers using self-service options, such as IVR or online knowledge bases. This metric lets providers know the effectiveness of self-service solutions in minimizing agent workloads.

Understand BPO Call Center Pricing Models

Before closing a customer service deal with a third-party call center, you must first understand the different BPO pricing models that are available. This way, you can align your outsourcing investment with your in-house budget. Here are the BPO terminologies for call center fees:

• Per-hour pricing is based on the number of hours agents work.
• Per-month pricing involves paying a fixed monthly fee per CSR, regardless of the work hours.
• Project-based pricing is a model wherein project completion determines the fixed charge.
• Subscription-based pricing involves a recurring service payment over a set period.
• Tiered pricing is a model where fees are established according to the complexity of tasks.
• Transaction-based pricing is dependent on the volume of transactions.
• Outcomes-based pricing is when the costs depend on the achievement of specified KPIs.

The Bottom Line

Hiring third-party call centers requires familiarity with BPO terminologies. It establishes a sense of understanding, coordination, and adaptability between the parties involved. 

Let’s connect if you need more input on working with a BPO call center. Unity Communications has a vast knowledge pool to guide your outsourcing investment plan. The certified provider also houses scalable resources to address your customer service requirements efficiently.