Glossary
A
Abandonment Rate: The percentage of customers who disconnect before reaching an agent, typically measured as abandoned calls divided by total incoming calls.
Adherence: The measure of how closely agents follow their scheduled activities, such as logins, breaks, and end times.
After Call Work (ACW): Tasks an agent must complete immediately after a customer interaction (phone call, chat, etc.) and before becoming available for the next customer.
Agent Desktop: The unified software interface that provides agents with all necessary tools, applications, and customer information to handle interactions effectively.
Agent Engagement: The level of motivation, commitment, and satisfaction that agents have toward their work and the organization.
Agent Occupancy: The percentage of time agents spend handling interactions or performing after-call work compared to their total logged-in time.
Agent Scorecard: A performance evaluation tool that measures agents against key metrics like quality scores, adherence, customer satisfaction, and productivity.
Agent Status: The current availability state of an agent (available, busy, on break, in training, unavailable, etc.).
Agent Utilization: A workforce metric measuring productive time versus total available time, indicating how efficiently agents are being deployed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): A set of technologies that analyzes data, detects patterns, and forecasts future outcomes helping contact centers predict demand, spot trends, and guide strategy.
Attrition: The rate at which contact center agents leave an organization (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) and must be replaced over time. Intradiem’s Burnout Indicator predicts which agents are at risk so operations can intervene and reduce turnover.
Application Programming Interface (API): APIs allow different software systems to communicate, making seamless integrations possible. In contact centers, APIs connect platforms like WFM and ACD, creating an integrated ecosystem. Intradiem’s API capabilities allow it to connect seamlessly, providing agents with a single interface for accessing relevant data.
Automatic Call Distributor (ACD): An ACD routes incoming calls to agents based on expertise, availability, or priority. This helps agents handle high call volumes efficiently, ensuring customers reach the right person quickly. Intradiem integrates with ACD systems to provide real-time support during call surges, helping agents manage high volumes effectively.
Auxiliary Codes (AUX Codes): Tracks the time agents spend on non-call activities like training or breaks, helping managers understand where time goes outside of active customer interactions. Intradiem monitors AUX codes to optimize agent productivity, balancing break times with operational needs and making real-time adjustments as demand fluctuates.
Average Handle Time (AHT): AHT measures the average time an agent spends on a customer interaction, from call start to wrap-up. While shorter AHT indicates efficiency, it’s essential not to compromise interaction quality. Intradiem automates post-call tasks, helping agents wrap up faster without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
Average Hold Time: The average length of time customers spend on hold during an interaction.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA): ASA tracks how quickly calls are answered, an important factor for reducing customer wait times. Intradiem helps by monitoring queues and redistributing resources, ensuring fast response times and high customer satisfaction.
Average Talk Time: The average duration agents spend actively speaking with customers, excluding hold and after-call work.
Average Time to Abandonment: The average length of time callers wait before abandoning their call, indicating patience threshold.
B
Back Office: Support functions that don’t directly interact with customers, such as fulfillment, claims processing, and administrative tasks.
Blended Agent: An agent who handles both inbound and outbound interactions, potentially across multiple channels.
Bot: An automated software application that can simulate human conversation and perform tasks, commonly used in self-service scenarios.
Burnout Indicator: Intradiem’s first AI-powered technology solution to quantify agent “burnout” and predict the risk of attrition at the agent level. Burnout Indicator processes a broad range of data to reveal common precursors to burnout. It then automatically proposes remedial actions to address employees who are most at risk.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP): A BCP ensures that a contact center can maintain operations during unexpected disruptions, like natural disasters or IT issues. Intradiem strengthens BCP efforts by streamlining emergency communications and providing agents with real-time alerts, ensuring everyone stays informed and ready to act in critical situations.
Business Intelligence (BI): Analytics tools and processes that transform contact center data into actionable insights for decision-making.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Contracting contact center operations or specific functions to an external service provider.
C
Call Center as a Service (CCaaS): Cloud-based contact center software delivered as a subscription service, eliminating on-premises infrastructure needs.
Call Routing: The process of directing incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or department based on skills, availability, or other criteria.
Call Volume: The total number of inbound or outbound interactions handled during a specific time period.
Capacity Planning: The process of forecasting contact volume and determining the staffing resources needed to meet service level goals.
Change Management: The structured approach for introducing new systems, technology or processes.
Channel: A communication method customers use to interact with the contact center (phone, email, chat, SMS, social media, etc.).
Churn Rate: The percentage of customers who stop doing business with a company during a given period.
Cloud Contact Center: A contact center platform hosted in the cloud rather than on-premises, offering flexibility and scalability.
Compliance: Adherence to industry regulations, legal requirements, and internal policies governing contact center operations.
Cost of Quality (COQ): COQ tracks costs associated with maintaining or improving service quality, including training and error correction. Intradiem reduces COQ by offering targeted training modules during aggregated idle time, improving agent skills and minimizing quality-related costs.
Customer Experience (CX): The cumulative impression and perception customers form through all interactions with a company.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Software that manages customer data, interaction history, and relationships across the organization.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM systems store and organize customer data, allowing agents to personalize interactions based on past interactions and preferences. Intradiem integrates with CRM platforms to optimize workforce efficiency, ensuring agents have the time and training needed to deliver faster, more personalized service while leveraging customer data effectively.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): A CSAT is a measure of customer satisfaction following an interaction. High CSAT scores typically indicate effective service and a positive customer experience. Intradiem improves CSAT by providing agents with easy access to training and instant feedback, empowering them to deliver quality interactions that increase customer satisfaction.
Customer Experience (CX): The overall perception customers have of their interactions with a company across all channels.
D
Dashboard: A visual interface displaying real-time and historical contact center metrics and KPIs for monitoring and decision-making.
Desktop Analytics: Technology that captures and analyzes agent desktop activity to identify process inefficiencies and training opportunities.
Dynamic Workforce Orchestration: A real-time, intelligent framework that unifies the management of work across large, structured teams. It operates as an adaptive automation layer that enhances existing systems, allowing them to interact fluidly and respond to real-world shifts as they occur.
E
Employee Engagement: The emotional commitment and involvement agents have toward their work and the organization.
Employee Wellbeing: Every business’s most valuable resource is its people, and prioritizing their needs must become an integral part of every organization’s customer service delivery strategy.
Erlang-C: A mathematical queueing model used in contact centers to estimate the number of agents needed to serve incoming calls (or interactions) such that a given service level objective is met. Intradiem recognizes Erlang-C as an outdated equation and recommends Erlang-O for Workforce Planning. Learn more about the newer Erlang-O in its definition below.
Erlang-O: A new staffing model designed to address multi-skill and multi-channel environment complexities by incorporating variation, volatility, and leveraging real-time contact center automation.
F
First Call Resolution (FCR): FCR measures the percentage of customer issues resolved on the initial call, a critical indicator of efficiency and customer satisfaction. Intradiem supports improved FCR by offering agents targeted training and coaching during idle time, ensuring they are well-prepared to handle customer issues effectively on the first interaction.
Forecasting: Predicting future contact volume, handle times, and staffing requirements based on historical data and business drivers.
Front Office: Customer-facing operations and agents who directly interact with customers.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): FTE represents the workload relative to a full-time employee, used to assess staffing needs. Intradiem helps optimize FTE usage by analyzing real-time data, allowing for adjustments that maximize productivity without overburdening agents.
G
Generative AI: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) refers to a class of AI that creates new content such as text, images, audio or code based on patterns learned from existing data.
H
Historical Reporting: Analysis of past contact center performance data to identify trends and inform strategic decisions.
Hold Queue: The virtual waiting area where customers wait when all agents are busy, typically with music or messages.
Hold Time: The duration a customer spends on hold during an interaction while the agent researches information or consults resources.
Hosted Solution: Contact center technology provided by a vendor and accessed remotely, rather than installed on-premises.
I
Idle Time: Time when an agent is logged in and available but not handling customer interactions or after-call work.
Inbound Contact: A customer-initiated interaction where the customer reaches out to the contact center for service or information.
Intelligent Routing: Advanced call routing using AI and algorithms to match customers with the optimal agent based on multiple factors.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): An automated phone system allowing customers to interact using voice or keypad input to access information or complete transactions.
Interval: A standardized time segment (typically 15 or 30 minutes) used for scheduling, reporting, and real-time management.
Intraday Management: Real-time changes monitoring and adjustment of staffing levels and schedules to maintain service levels throughout the day.
K
Key Performance Indicator (KPI): A measurable value demonstrating how effectively the contact center is achieving key business objectives.
L
Live Agent: A human customer service representative as opposed to automated self-service options.
Longest Waiting Time: The duration the customer who has been waiting the longest in queue has been waiting, a key real-time metric.
M
Machine Learning (ML): A subset of AI that enables systems to learn from data and improve performance over time.
Multi-Channel: Supporting customer interactions across various channels, though potentially operating in silos.
Multi-Skilling: Training agents to handle multiple interaction types, channels, or product lines to increase flexibility.
N
Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI technology enabling computers to understand, interpret, and respond to human language.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): NPS measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a company, a valuable insight for long-term success. Intradiem’s training and support tools help agents improve customer interactions, positively impacting NPS by fostering loyalty and satisfaction.
O
Occupancy: The percentage of time employees spend handling customer interactions versus being idle.
Omnichannel: A seamlessly integrated approach where customers can switch between channels during their journey while maintaining context and continuity.
Outbound Contact: Agent-initiated interactions for sales, surveys, collections, proactive notifications, or follow-up activities.
Outsourcing: Contracting contact center operations to an external service provider, either domestically or offshore.
P
Performance Management: The continuous process of monitoring, coaching, and developing agents to improve individual and team performance.
Predictive Dialer: Automated outbound dialing technology using algorithms to predict agent availability and dial multiple numbers per agent.
Process Automation: Using technology to automate repetitive tasks and workflows, reducing manual effort and improving consistency.
Q
Quality Assurance (QA): The systematic evaluation of agent-customer interactions against defined standards to ensure service quality.
Quality Management: The comprehensive process of monitoring, evaluating, coaching, and improving agent performance and customer experience quality.
Quality Monitoring: Listening to or reviewing recorded interactions to assess agent performance against quality standards.
Queue: A waiting line where customer contacts are held until an appropriate agent becomes available.
Queue Callback: Technology allowing customers to hold their place in queue and receive a callback when an agent is available.
Queue Time: The duration customers wait in queue before being connected to an agent.
R
Real-Time Adherence (RTA): The continuous monitoring of whether agents are working as scheduled, displayed as a percentage.
Real-Time Analytics: Immediate analysis and reporting of contact center performance data as events occur.
Real-time Automation: Responds instantly to live operational conditions by monitoring employee activity, service levels and queue data continuously; then takes actions in response to changing dynamics.
Remote Agent: An agent working from a location outside the traditional contact center facility, typically from home.
Resolution Rate: The percentage of customer issues successfully resolved, often measured at first contact or overall.
Return on Investment (ROI): Measures the financial benefit gained from an investment compared to its cost.
Response Time: The elapsed time between when a customer contact is received and when the first response is provided.
Retention: Strategies and metrics related to keeping both customers loyal to the company and agents employed in the contact center.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Software robots that automate repetitive, rule-based tasks by mimicking human actions across applications.
Routing: The process of directing customer interactions to the appropriate agent, queue, or resource based on defined rules and conditions.
S
Schedule Adherence: A metric showing how closely agents follow their assigned schedules, expressed as a percentage.
Schedule Optimization: Using algorithms and forecasting data to create efficient agent schedules that balance service levels with costs.
Scheduling: The process of creating and managing agent work schedules to ensure adequate coverage for anticipated contact volume.
Self-Service: Automated systems enabling customers to resolve issues or complete transactions without agent assistance.
Service Level (SL): The percentage of calls answered within a specific timeframe, a crucial metric for managing wait times and customer satisfaction. Intradiem protects service levels by monitoring hold times, ensuring agents are available during spikes in call volume, and using idle time for training. Supervisors and Workforce Management (WFM) teams benefit from task automation to focus on maintaining target SLs effectively.
Service Level Agreement (SLA): A commitment defining expected service quality standards, often including penalties for non-compliance.
Shrinkage: Paid time when agents are unavailable to handle contacts due to breaks, training, meetings, or other non-productive activities.
Skill-Based Routing: Directing interactions to agents with specific expertise or capabilities matching the customer’s needs.
Speech Analytics: AI technology analyzing recorded conversations to extract insights about customer sentiment, agent performance, and business opportunities.
Staffing: The process of determining how many agents with which skills are needed to meet contact demand and service goals.
Synchronous Communication: Real-time interaction where both parties communicate simultaneously, such as phone calls or live chat.
T
Talk Time: The portion of handle time when agents are actively conversing with customers, excluding hold and after-call work.
Threshold: A predefined value that triggers alerts or actions when performance metrics exceed or fall below the specified level.
Thrive Resets: Powered by Intradiem partner, Thrive Global, Thrive Resets help organizations improve employee well-being and performance while debunking the myth that burnout is the inevitable price of success. Thrive Resets deliver calming visuals along with audio and breathing prompts to help employees recharge.
Transfer Rate: The percentage of interactions that are transferred to another agent or department before resolution.
Turnover Rate: The percentage of agents leaving the contact center over a given period, a key metric for workforce stability.
U
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS): UCaaS includes cloud-based communication tools such as chat, email, and video, essential for hybrid and remote contact centers. Intradiem integrates with UCaaS platforms to ensure smooth communication across channels, helping agents stay connected with customers and each other.
Upskilling: Training agents to develop new skills or competencies, increasing their versatility and value.
Utilization: A workforce metric comparing productive work time to total paid time, indicating overall agent efficiency.
User Productivity Tracking: Technology that helps maintain back-office productivity by automatically detecting drags on performance and sending real-time prompts to get things back on track.
V
Virtual Agent: An AI-powered conversational interface that can handle customer interactions through voice or text without human intervention.
Virtual Contact Center: A contact center where agents work from remote locations rather than a centralized physical facility.
Voice of the Customer (VoC): Programs and processes for capturing, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback across all touchpoints.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): Technology enabling voice communications over internet connections rather than traditional phone lines.
W
Wait Time: The duration customers spend waiting in queue before being connected to an agent.
Workforce Analytics: Analysis of agent performance, scheduling effectiveness, and workforce utilization to optimize operations.
Workforce Engagement: Strategies and tools focused on motivating, developing, and retaining contact center agents.
Workforce Management (WFM): WFM systems schedule and monitor staff based on predicted call volumes, balancing operational efficiency with agent availability. Intradiem integrates with WFM to provide real-time updates and automate staffing adjustments based on current call volumes and demand.
Workforce Optimization (WFO): WFO refers to processes aimed at maximizing agent productivity and resource use. Intradiem supports WFO by offering real-time performance insights and automated task assignments, helping managers get the most out of their teams.
Workforce Planning: Ensures that an organization has the right number of skilled employees in place to meet future business needs.
Workflow Automation: Using technology to automatically route work and trigger actions based on business rules and conditions.
Workload: The volume and complexity of interactions agents are expected to handle during a given time period.
Wrap-Up Time: The period an agent spends completing tasks directly related to a customer interaction after the conversation has ended.