Jargon Buster

Designed to simplify, jargon and acronyms inevitably confuse. Here is a quick guide to the contact centre language:

CIM  Customer Interaction Management

Deploying, managing and reporting on interactions with customers

CLI  Caller Line Identity

The number from which a person is actually calling

CRM  Customer Relationship Management

Processes that a company uses to handle its contact with customers

CTI  Computer Telephony Interface

Phone systems and computers working together

DDI  Direct Dial Interface

A phone number

DM  Direct Marketing

Marketing that is sent directly to the consumer, via mail, telephone, email etc.

DR  Direct Response

Marketing or advertising that requires a response from the consumer, most often a phone call

DRTV  Direct Response TV

TV advertising that requires a response from the consumer, generally a phone call

ICS  Integrated Communications Services

 

ISDN  Integrated Services Digital Network

A phone line that transmits both data and voice

IVR  Interactive Voice Recognition

Computerised answering systems which ask questions and recognise spoken responses

NGN  Non-Geographic Number

Telephone numbers such as the 08- series

OOH  Out of Hours

 

PABX  Private Automatic Branch Exchange

A private switchboard which selects the outgoing line automatically

PBX  Private Branch Exchange

A private switchboard

RAID  Redundant Array of Independent Disks

A server set-up that stores data independently

SFTP  Secure File Transfer Protocol

Secure internet connection

SIP  Session Initiating Protocol

IT-based telecoms trunking

SMS  Short Message Service

Texting

SOA  Service-Oriented Architecture

Combining different software agents to produce the best result

SSL  Secure Sockets Layer

encryption-based system for transmitting documents securely over the internet

VoIP  Voice over Internet Protocol

Internet-based telephony

VPN  Virtual Private Network

A private network that uses public cables, most often the internet

We like to keep things simple. If you do too, call one of our specialists on or email.