Contact Center – Terminology Index
A comprehensive index of modern sales, service, and contact center terminology by industry.
Index pages below.
Contact Center – Terminology Index
Agent
The person handling inbound or outbound calls
Queue
A waiting line where incoming calls are placed until answered
ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)
System that routes calls to agents
Dialer
Automated system for placing outbound calls
Predictive Dialer
Dials ahead to maximize agent talk time
Preview Dialer
Shows lead info before dialing manually or semi-auto
Progressive Dialer
Auto-dials only when agents are ready
Power Dialer
Controlled dialing with consistent pacing
Call Blending
Agents handle both inbound and outbound traffic
Handle Time (AHT)
Average time an agent spends on each call
Talk Time
Duration the agent is actively speaking with a customer
After-Call Work (ACW)
Time spent finishing notes after a call
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
Target answer speed (e.g., 80/20 rule)
Call Recording
Audio capture for training, QA, and compliance
Whisper Mode
Supervisor can coach agent during a live call without caller hearing
Barge-In
Supervisor joins the call directly
Live Monitoring
Real-time listening to active calls
Disposition / Outcome
The final result an agent selects after a call
Sales Stage
The current position of a lead in the sales lifecycle (e.g., "Qualified," "Contract Sent," "Closed")
CRM
Customer relationship management system storing lead data and sales stages
Call Routing Rules
Logic deciding which agent or queue handles each call
Callback Queue
Allows callers to request a callback instead of waiting
Workforce Management (WFM)
Tools for agent scheduling and forecasting
Quality Assurance (QA)
Process to evaluate agent performance
Call Disposition
The outcome or result of a call (e.g., "Quote Requested," "No Answer," "Callback Scheduled"). Modern platforms automatically log dispositions and trigger follow-up workflows.
Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI)
A call tracking technique that automatically displays unique phone numbers to visitors based on their traffic source, enabling precise attribution from keyword to call.
Local Presence Dialing
Displaying a local area code matching the recipient's location to increase answer rates.
Call Source Attribution
The process of identifying which marketing channel, campaign, or keyword generated a specific call.
Publisher-Level Attribution
Automatically crediting every incoming lead or call to its original publisher for accurate performance tracking.
Conversion Event
A predefined outcome that indicates value (e.g., "Call >5 minutes," "Quote requested," "Sale completed").
Sales Stage Tracking
Monitoring the progression of leads through custom pipeline stages from initial contact to closed sale.
Static Pool
Fixed phone numbers assigned to specific campaigns or partners for consistent tracking.
Dynamic Pool
Automatically rotating number pools that swap based on visitor session for granular attribution.
Publisher
A traffic source or affiliate that generates calls into the system.
Destination
The endpoint or buyer receiving routed calls.
Campaign
A configured set of rules, numbers, and routing logic for a specific marketing initiative.
