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…

Autoresponder

Autoresponders are automatic messages people receive when they perform an action such as emailing a recipient…

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…

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…

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 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 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 Support

Put simply, customer support refers to the collection of services that you provide to customers in…

Deep Linking

Deep linking can be utilized by businesses to keep users engaged in a mobile app rather…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

Omnichannel Support

Like its close cousin multichannel support, omnichannel support is a customer service model that allows customers…

QuickSearch Bot

A QuickSearch Bot is a chatbot that is an automated, often AI-driven software programs that work…

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…

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…

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…