Call Centre Definitions

Call centre definitions
Abandoned calls
Absence
ACD
Adherence
AHT
Announcement
Answered calls
Attrition
Available
Busy tone
CIQ
CLI
Cost per call
Cost per call minute
CRM
Cross selling
CTI
DDI
Erlang
FRE
FTE
Group
Handled calls
Handled first time
Hold time
ICT
Inbound call
Intelligent routing
IVR
KPI
File: call_centre_definitions.doc
Logged on time
Lost calls
LWT
Message
Offered calls
Outbound call
Overflow
Position in queue
Queue
Queue time
Screen popping
Service levels
Shrinkage
SLA
Skills based routing
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Speed of answer
Status
Talk time
Unavailable
Utilisation
Wallboard
Wrap
Author: John McKinnie
Term
Abandoned calls
Definition
Calls that arrive at the ACD but terminate before an advisor has
answered. See also answered calls & lost calls.
The call centre SLA for abandoned calls is 5% or less of offered calls.
Call centre management information only reports on calls that
abandon after 15 seconds. Callers abandoning before this time are
generally those whove heard the welcome announcement & realise
theyve called the wrong number, or are organisations testing HDC for
speed & type of response. The time is set at 15 seconds because its
from that time on that the customer is placed with or queues for an
available advisor.
Absence
Unplanned inability of an advisor to work the scheduled shift. Typically

this arises from sickness, or compassionate leave where the advisor
has no holiday entitlement left.
Page 2 of 12
Term
ACD
Definition
Automatic Call Distributor. Technology that facilitates the handling of
large call volumes by controlling the order in which calls are offered to
advisors, routing calls to particular advisor groups and providing a
wide range of statistical information used in managing a call centre.
Either hardware or software based, the ACD offers sophisticated
options for call handling within a centre.
Adherence
How well advisors adhere to their shift schedules. Usually expressed as

a percentage of logged on time.
Announcement
A recorded verbal message played to callers.
Page 3 of 12
Term
Answered calls
Definition
Calls that arrive at the ACD & are answered by an advisor. See also
answered calls & lost calls.
The call centre SLA for answered calls is 95% or more of offered calls.
abandon after 15 seconds, so the answered percentage is measured
on offered calls whose call length is at least that length. Callers
abandoning before this time are generally those whove heard the
welcome announcement & realise theyve called the wrong number, or
are organisations testing HDC for speed & type of response. The time
is set at 15 seconds because its from that time on that the customer
is placed with or queues for an advisor.
Attrition
The term used to cover loss of staff from a centre usually described as
an annualised percentage of total staff.
Available
The status of an advisor who is logged into the ACD and waiting for an
inbound call.
AHT
Average handling time. The sum of the average talk time, hold time
and the average wrap for a specified period.
Page 4 of 12
Term
Busy tone
Definition
Callers unable to get through because all lines in are occupied will get
a busy tone (the equivalent of an engaged tone).
The call centre has a total of 60 lines, split between 30 for inbound
calls & 30 for outbound calls. However, calls coming into the call
centre are routed through the switch at Pathfinder House. To some
extent the capacity of the call centre is therefore governed by the
capacity at PFH.
CIQ
Calls in Queue. The number of calls received by the ACD but not yet
connected to an advisor.
CLI
Calling line identification. Technology that enables a caller's number to

be (optionally) forwarded with the call, thus facilitating identification.
Cost per call
Calculated by dividing the number of calls handled into the full cost of
the entire call centre operation. There can be issues in comparing
costs on this basis unless operational costs are understood across the
comparators.
Cost per call minute
Calculated by multiplying the average length of call (in minutes) by

the number of calls and dividing this figure into the full cost of the
entire call centre operation.
Page 5 of 12
Term
Cross selling
Definition
Recommending related goods and services to a customer.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management. Where companies record

information and use a variety of methods and contact strategies to try
to build lasting and profitable relationships.
CTI
Computer Telephony Integration. The software, hardware and

programming that automatically links voice with the data stored in the
computer, providing sophisticated customer management possibilities.
CTI will usually allow calls and accompanying computer screens to be
passed between workstations for referral, called screen popping.
DDI
Direct Dial Inward. The option to dial directly into a company and
reach a specific extension without going through a switchboard.
Erlang
A formula developed to determine call traffic management including

scheduling of advisors, call forecasting and service level achievement.
There are several versions of the formula, each with a slightly different
purpose.
FRE
Free advisors. The number of advisors who are available to take a call.
Page 6 of 12
Term
FTE
Definition
Full time equivalent. The number of advisors employed or required
expressed in terms of total man-hours required divided by the number
of hours a full time advisor would normally work.
Group
A collection of advisors that share a common set of skills, such as

being able to handle customer payments.
Handled calls
The number of calls answered by advisors. Handled calls do not

include calls that abandon or receive a busy tone.
Handled first time
The proportion of calls that are handled by call centre advisors without
the need to transfer the call to the service department. If an advisor
refers to the service department for advice but retains the call this is
counted as first time resolved.
Hold Time
The time in seconds an advisor puts a customer on hold.
ICT
Information & Computer Technology. Computer technology used

specifically to handle information and communication.
Inbound call
Where the customer is making the call.
Page 7 of 12
Term
Intelligent routing
Definition
A process that will take information from callers via auto attendant or
IVR and utilise that information to ensure that calls are directed to the
right group within the call centre.
IVR
Interactive Voice Response. Software that will automatically interacts

with a caller either through a keypad or using voice recognition
software. IVR will provide information or direct calls as appropriate.
KPI
Key Performance Indicators. Those areas identified by organisations as

being critical to their successful performance.
LWT
The longest time a caller has waited in the queue.
Logged on time
The time an advisor is signed on to the ACD, regardless of their status

during that time.
Lost calls
Calls that arrive at the ACD & are not answered by an advisor.
Message
A recorded message left by a customer who selects the option to do

this while queuing rather than waiting to speak to an advisor.
Page 8 of 12
Term
Offered calls
Definition
The attempts callers make to reach the call centre.
The call centre SLA on offered calls is to forecast within +/-5% of
actual.
abandon after 15 seconds, so offered calls reported are those whose
call length is at least that length. Callers abandoning before this time
are generally those whove heard the welcome announcement &
realise theyve called the wrong number, or are organisations testing
HDC for speed & type of response. The time is set at 15 seconds
because its from that time on that the customer is placed with or
queues for an advisor.
Outbound call
Where HDC is making the call.
Overflow
Calls that flow from one group another after defined criteria such as
queue time.
Position in queue
The position a customers call is within the queue, generally used to

play an announcement to the customer giving this information.
Queue
Where calls are held when no advisors are available.
Page 9 of 12
Term
Queue time
Definition
The number of seconds a call waits in queue before being handled.
Screen popping
Where integration between the computer and the telephone (CTI)

enables the system to attempt identification of each call and look into
the database for a match, and, if available, to deliver a caller
information screen with the call.
Service levels
A range of performance objectives. The main ones for the calls centre
are offered calls, answered calls, speed of answer, handled first time
and speed of response to emails (for which the service level is within 2
working days)
Shrinkage
A percentage of scheduled ftes that will be away from work during a

particular period for such things as holidays, sickness, training, one to
ones and unavailable reasons. This enables a forecast to be built from
the minimum required staffing to reach service levels up to the
number of staff to be scheduled to ensure the minimum is reached
during the period.
SLA
Service Level Agreement. Performance objectives agreed between the

user and the provider of a service. A service level agreement specifies
a variety of performance standards.
Page 10 of 12
Term
Skills based routing
Definition
Where calls are identified by number called or IVR responses and
routed through to the most appropriate advisor.
Speed of answer
The average time taken for a call to be answered by an advisor.

Calculated as the average length of time a caller waits to be connected
to an advisor divided by total number of calls.
The call centre SLA for SoA is 80% of calls to be answered within 20
seconds.
Status
The mode an advisor is in (Available, Talk Time, Hold Time, Wrap &
Unavailable).
Talk time
The time in seconds an advisor is talking to the customer, from

answering a call to the caller hanging up, but excluding any hold time.
Unavailable
Advisor status when logged on to the ACD but not available to take
calls, for example during paid breaks or coaching sessions.
Utilisation
The percentage of time advisors are actively occupied handling

customers calls, usually expressed as a percentage of total logged on
time.
Page 11 of 12
Term
Wallboard
Definition
A visual display mounted on the wall that provides real-time and
historical information on queue conditions, advisor status and call
centre performance.
Wrap
The time spent completing work associated with a call after the caller
has hung up. Currently the ACD is set to automatically give HDC
advisors 10 seconds wrap before becoming available again as a
breathing space between calls.
Page 12 of 12

Call Centre Definitions

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Call Centre Definitions

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Call centre definitions

Author: John McKinnie

Unplanned inability of an advisor to work the scheduled shift. Typically

Author: John McKinnie

How well advisors adhere to their shift schedules. Usually expressed as

A recorded verbal message played to callers.

Author: John McKinnie

Author: John McKinnie

Calling line identification. Technology that enables a caller's number to

Cost per call

Cost per call minute

Calculated by multiplying the average length of call (in minutes) by

Author: John McKinnie

Customer Relationship Management. Where companies record

Computer Telephony Integration. The software, hardware and

A formula developed to determine call traffic management including

Author: John McKinnie

A collection of advisors that share a common set of skills, such as

The number of calls answered by advisors. Handled calls do not

Handled first time

The time in seconds an advisor puts a customer on hold.

Information & Computer Technology. Computer technology used

Where the customer is making the call.

Author: John McKinnie

Interactive Voice Response. Software that will automatically interacts

Key Performance Indicators. Those areas identified by organisations as

The longest time a caller has waited in the queue.

The time an advisor is signed on to the ACD, regardless of their status

A recorded message left by a customer who selects the option to do

Author: John McKinnie

Where HDC is making the call.

The position a customers call is within the queue, generally used to

Where calls are held when no advisors are available.

Author: John McKinnie

Where integration between the computer and the telephone (CTI)

A percentage of scheduled ftes that will be away from work during a

Service Level Agreement. Performance objectives agreed between the

Author: John McKinnie

The average time taken for a call to be answered by an advisor.

The time in seconds an advisor is talking to the customer, from

The percentage of time advisors are actively occupied handling

Author: John McKinnie

Author: John McKinnie

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