Customer Service Glossary
Your go-to resource to brush up on your customer service vocabulary
Activity Log
An activity log is a recorded log of how time is spent. Within organizations, activity logs…
Agent Collision
Agent collision happens when multiple customer service agents respond to the same ticket at once, causing…
Asynchronous Messaging
Asynchronous messaging, sometimes called “async messaging”, refers to people using messaging platforms to contact each other…
Automated Customer Service
Automated customer service uses an automated system to provide customer service instead of, or more often,…
Autoresponder
Autoresponders are automatic messages people receive when they perform an action such as emailing a recipient…
Average Handle Time
Average handle time (AHT) is an average of the time it takes to solve a customer’s…
Average Reply Time
Average reply time, or average response time, refers to the average time between responses throughout an…
BPO
BPO stands for “business process outsourcing” and refers to the contracting out of any non-primary business…
Brand Advocacy
When your customers talk in glowing terms about your brand, voluntarily spreading the word about your…
Change Management
When a business makes a profound shift in a process or technology platform, it requires management…
Chat Service
A chat service is any online service or technology that enables text messages to be translated…
Chatbot
A chatbot is a computer software program, typically driven by artificial intelligence (AI), which allows a…
Churn Rate
Churn rate, also sometimes referred to as rate of attrition, refers to the number of customers…
Contact Center
A contact center is an organization within a company that coordinates and integrates the various ways customers can…
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
Today’s customers expect – and use – multiple channels to contact a company for support and…
Conversational UI
Conversational UI is the foundation underlying the capability of chatbots, QuickSearch Bots, and other forms of…
Conversational UX
Conversational UX is the user experience that takes advantage of natural language-based technology to enable computers…
CRM System
What Is a CRM System? CRM stands for “customer relationship management,” and CRM systems are tools…
Customer Acquisition
Simply put, customer acquisition refers to the process of bringing in new customers with the aim…
Customer Acquisition Cost
All businesses need customers. And all businesses are willing to invest something – time, effort, research,…
Customer Case Management
Customer case management describes the process any customer service organization uses to handle, route, resolve, and…
Customer Engagement
Unless you’re in a market with zero competitors – and you’re the only one providing a…
Customer Experience
Customer Experience is a general phrase used to describe the experience a customer has with a brand…
Customer Journey
The customer journey consists of all the experiences and interactions a customer has with your brand,…
Customer Needs
Customer needs determine whether or not a customer chooses to purchase something, so they’re hugely important…
Customer Onboarding
Customer onboarding refers to the very first part of the customer journey and the active role…
Customer Portal
A customer portal is a website designed to give current customers access to services and information…
Customer Retention
Understanding the fundamentals of customer retention and loyalty is critical. Customers have more choices than ever…
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction, often abbreviated as CSAT, is a measure of how businesses’ products or services meet…
Customer Segmentation
Customer segmentation is exactly what it sounds like – dividing your customers into groups based on…
Customer Segmentation Software
Customer segmentation – which is simply grouping customers according to shared traits, habits, lifetime stages, demographic/firmographic…
Customer Service
Customer service refers to the support and advice provided by a business to their customers or…
Customer Service Automation
Automated customer service provides customer support through automated technologies such as chatbots. The ultimate goal of…
Customer Service Benchmarking
Customer service benchmarking gives you an overview of the effectiveness, efficiency, and success rate of your…
Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives connect with customers to handle complaints, assist in processing orders, and provide information…
Customer Success Manager
Winning a new customer doesn’t signify the end of the hard work – in fact, it…
Customer Support
Put simply, customer support refers to the collection of services that you provide to customers in…
Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning
Along with AI, deep learning and machine learning are constantly being promoted as the newest must-have…
Deep Linking
Deep linking can be utilized by businesses to keep users engaged in a mobile app rather…
Digital Customer Service
Digital customer service simply means meeting the needs of your customers through digital channels such as email,…
Digital Transformation
You’ve probably heard the term “digital transformation” all over the internet. What is digital transformation? Why…
Downtime
In the realm of technology in general, downtime typically refers to a system downtime, which means…
Email Support
Email support is one of the main channels of customer support for most companies today. The…
Entity in Chatbot
Within a chatbot, an entity, or slot, modifies user intent. Chatbot entities are connected to knowledge…
EOL Support
EOL stands for “end of life,” and EOL support refers to the support a company offers…
Escalation Management
Escalation management is a process put in place to deal with incidents and problem management within…
FAQ
FAQ stands for “frequently asked questions,” and is a standard document in nearly every customer service…
Feedback Loop
In customer service, the term feedback loop is used to describe the strategy of gathering information…
First Call Resolution
First Call Resolution, abbreviated as FCR, refers to resolving a customer’s issue during the first call…
First Contact Resolution Rate
First contact resolution rate (FCR) is a critical customer service metric that measures the number of…
First Response Time
First response time (FRT), or first reply time, is a measure of the number of minutes,…
Gamification
Gamification is a strategy of applying core game-design elements, activities, and principles to a non-game context,…
Geofencing
Geofencing is the creation of a virtual perimeter around a real geographical area for the purpose…
Great Customer Service
Customer service is a vital part of brand operations that provides customers with an avenue to…
Help Center
A Help Center is a website where customers can find answers to their questions and solutions…
Help Desk
A help desk is any centralized platform that provides widespread customer and employee support across different…
Help Desk
A help desk is a service a company offers to support computer users and offer technical…
Help Portal
A help portal, typically described as a help center, customer service portal, or self-serve portal, surfaces…
Human Fallback
In what’s sometimes known as the “human/machine hybrid model of customer service,” human fallback refers to…
In-App Messaging
In-app messaging is a type of native, mobile messaging that occurs right within an app. Different than…
In-App Purchase
In-app purchase is the ability for customers to buy products or services from inside a mobile…
In-App Support
In-app support allows customers to interact with your customer service team and QuickSearch Bots within your…
In-Game Support
Mobile gaming is an enormous industry, generating around $138.7 billion in revenue in 2018 alone. In-game…
Intelligent Routing
Intelligent routing, also known as skills-based routing or smart routing, is a critical technology in contact…
Intent Classification
In the world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and chatbots, intent classification is the process of…
Intent in Chatbot
Within a chatbot, intent refers to the goal the customer has in mind when typing in…
Interactive Notifications
Interactive notifications allow app users to respond to notifications right from within the notification, rather than…
Issue Classification
Issue classification means assigning customer service issues to the appropriate teams, agents, and channels in order…
Issue Routing
In customer service, issues routing is the practice of determining which agent, organization, or channel a…
IVR
IVR stands for interactive voice response. IVR is a technology that allows incoming callers to self-navigate a phone system with…
Knowledge Base
A knowledge base is a store of information customers or customer service workers can draw upon…
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management describes the methodology and tools used to manage the handling of information with an organization….
Lifetime Value
Lifetime value is a term often used in marketing to describe the ROI (return on investment)…
Live Chat
Live chat allows customers to communicate with customer service representatives in real time. Rather than having…
Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs are a great way to build customer engagement, encourage repeat purchases, and access a…
Messenger App
A messenger app is any app that enables a private messaging function between two or more…
Mobile Broadcast
Mobile broadcast is a technology designed to deliver SMS messages to multiple people at once in…
Multichannel Support
The idea of multichannel support in customer service is that a brand meets customers on a…
Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing, or NLP, is how computers extract information from human language and, in turn,…
Net Promoter Score®
Net Promoter Score®, or NPS®, is a trademarked tool used widely to gauge customer experience and…
Omnichannel Support
Like its close cousin multichannel support, omnichannel support is a customer service model that allows customers…
Push Message
A push message is a notification that pops up on the home screen of a mobile…
QuickSearch Bot
A QuickSearch Bot is a chatbot that is an automated, often AI-driven software programs that work…
Resolution Rate
Resolution rate is a metric that compares the number of tickets assigned to an agent or…
Resolution Time
Time to resolution is an average of the amount of time it takes a customer service organization…
Retention Rate
For scaling companies, customer retention is an incredibly important metric. A business can’t grow if it’s…
Revenue Formula
Understanding revenue gives you an insight into how your business is performing. And while the calculation…
Sales Cycle
Sales can’t be left to chance; that’s why most businesses have a dedicated sales department. But…
Sales Funnel
The term ‘sales funnel’ is widely used in sales and marketing. It describes the journey that…
SDK
SDK stands for “software development kit,” and is a set of tools that allow software developers to…
Service-Level Agreements
A service-level agreement is a formal contract between a service provider and a customer. It lays out the…
Social Support
Today, social media is a primary way that consumers follow and interact with brands, and that…
Support Operations
An organization’s support operations team helps the customer service department work in more productive, efficient, effective,…
Support Portal
A customer support portal, or web support portal, is a self-serve, web-based customer service tool customers…
Support Ticket
Support tickets play a vital role in customer service. Used by a huge range of different…
Ticket Routing
In customer support operations, ticket routing is the process of setting rules around how tickets are…
Ticketing System
A ticketing system is a management tool that processes and catalogs customer service requests. Tickets, also…
Touchpoint
Touchpoints are places along the customer journey where customers interact with brands. An interaction may be…
Universal App
A universal app is an app that can run on any mobile device operating system — meaning…
Web Chat
Webchat is a format that allows customers to communicate directly with brands online, often on their…