VoIP Glossary

Auto Attendant: A system that answers calls and directs them to the appropriate extension or department without a human operator.

Auto IVR: An automated system that interacts with callers through voice and keypad inputs to gather information and route calls accordingly.

Advanced Call Center Technologies: Tools and systems designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of call center operations.

Agent Reports: Detailed information and statistics about the performance of call center agents, including metrics like call handling time and customer satisfaction.

Audio Conference: A feature that allows multiple people to join a single phone call, making it possible to hold meetings over the phone.

Auto Dialer: A system that automatically dials phone numbers from a list, connecting answered calls to an available agent.

Auto Provisioning: A feature that allows VoIP phones to be automatically configured and set up without manual intervention.

Advanced IP Phone Software: Software that enhances the functionality of IP phones, providing features like call management, contact integration, and advanced call handling capabilities.

App-free Video Conferencing: A video conferencing service that does not require users to download or install an app, allowing them to join meetings directly through their web browsers.

Atlas: A comprehensive, integrated system for managing and analyzing VoIP data and network performance, often used for ensuring optimal operation of VoIP services.

Automatic Call Distribution: A system that automatically routes incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or department based on predefined criteria, improving call handling efficiency and customer service.

Bandwidth: The key factor affecting VoIP call quality is the volume of data that can be sent over an internet connection in a specific length of time.

BLF & Presence (Busy Lamp Field & Presence): A feature that shows the status (busy, available, etc.) of other extensions on a phone system, helping users see if colleagues are available to take a call.

BPO Services (Business Process Outsourcing Services): Outsourcing various business operations, such as customer support, to third-party service providers.

Bitrix24 Integration: Connecting VoIP services with Bitrix24, a business management and collaboration platform, enabling seamless communication and improved workflow management within the platform.

Bolstering: Strengthening or enhancing VoIP services and capabilities to improve performance, reliability, and user satisfaction.

Business Numbers: Phone numbers specifically designated for business use, which can include toll-free numbers, local numbers, and international numbers to enhance business communication.

Business Voice: High-quality voice services tailored for business needs, offering features like call routing, conferencing, and integration with business applications.

Businesses and Service Providers: Companies and entities that use or provide VoIP services to facilitate communication and support their operations and customer service efforts.

Call Divert: A feature that redirects incoming calls to another phone number, ensuring calls are not missed.

Call Recording: A feature that records phone conversations for quality assurance, training, and compliance purposes.

Call Routing: The process of directing incoming calls to the appropriate department or individual based on predefined rules.

Cloud Services: Services provided over the internet, such as hosting, storage, and VoIP, eliminating the need for on-site hardware.

CDR (Call Detail Records): Detailed logs of phone call information, including time, duration, and parties involved in the call.

Call Center CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Software that helps call centers manage customer interactions, track customer data, and improve service quality.

Call Center Management: The process of overseeing and managing a call center’s operations, including staff, technology, and processes.

Call Center Reporting: Tools and systems that generate reports on call center performance, helping managers make informed decisions.

Call Center Software: Programs and applications that support call center operations, including handling calls, tracking performance, and managing customer data.

Call Forwarding: A feature that redirects incoming calls to another phone number, ensuring important calls are not missed.

Contact Center: A centralized office used for receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone, handling customer service, and support.

Contact Center Agent: An individual who handles customer interactions, typically working in a contact center to assist with inquiries, support, or sales.

Contact Center Software: Tools that enable the management and operation of contact centers, including call routing, customer interaction tracking, and performance reporting.

Call Pick Up: A feature that allows a user to answer a call that is ringing on another extension within the same phone system.

Call Pays: A system where the call costs are covered by the caller or callee, depending on the setup, often used in premium rate services.

Campaign Management: Tools and processes used to plan, execute, and analyze marketing campaigns, often integrated with call center software to track and manage customer interactions.

Chat Integration: The integration of chat functionalities into a VoIP system, enabling users to handle text-based conversations alongside voice calls.

Cloud Telephony Solution: A VoIP service hosted in the cloud, providing telephony functions without needing on-site hardware, offering flexibility and scalability for businesses.

Comprehensive Features: A wide range of functionalities offered by a VoIP system, including call management, conferencing, integration, and more, to meet diverse business needs.

CRM Integration: Connecting VoIP services with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to streamline communication and improve customer data management.

CRM Management: The use of CRM tools to manage and analyze customer interactions and data, improving customer relationships and business processes.

Crystal-Clear Calls: High-quality voice calls provided by VoIP systems, ensuring clear and reliable communication.

Customer-Centric Approach: A strategy that focuses on creating a positive experience for the customer, ensuring that VoIP services and features meet their needs and enhance satisfaction.

Customer Engagement: Interactions between a business and its customers through various channels, including voice calls, aimed at building relationships and fostering loyalty.

Customer Interaction: The communication between a business and its customers, handled through various means such as calls, chats, and emails, to provide support and service.

Cutting-Edge Call Tracking Software: Advanced software used to monitor and analyze phone calls for performance, marketing effectiveness, and customer service improvement.

Data: Information collected, processed, and stored by a system, used for analysis and decision-making.

Data Transfer: The process of moving data from one system or location to another, which can include transferring call logs, recordings, and other information.

Data-driven: Approaches or decisions that are guided by data analysis and interpretation, often used in VoIP services to optimize performance and customer satisfaction.

Destinations: The endpoints or phone numbers that calls are routed to within a VoIP system, which can include international, local, or toll-free numbers.

Divert: A feature that redirects incoming calls to another phone number, ensuring important calls are not missed.

Dynamic Digital Marketplace: An online platform that allows businesses to buy and sell digital products and services, including VoIP solutions, in a flexible and efficient manner.

Dynamic Industry: An industry characterized by rapid change and innovation, such as the VoIP sector, which continually evolves with new technologies and features.

E911 (Enhanced 911): An emergency calling feature that provides emergency responders with the caller’s location information.

Encryption: The process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access, ensuring secure communication.

E-commerce Industry: The sector that involves buying and selling goods and services over the Internet, which often relies on VoIP for customer support and communication.

eCommConnect: A VoIP solution tailored for the e-commerce industry, integrating communication features to enhance customer interactions and streamline business operations.

Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities that use VoIP services to facilitate communication among students, faculty, and staff, as well as for remote learning.

Emergency and Support Services: Critical services that use VoIP for rapid communication and coordination, including emergency response teams and technical support departments.

Empower Teams: Providing VoIP tools and features that enhance team collaboration and efficiency, enabling better communication and productivity.

External Communication: Communication with clients, partners, and customers outside of the organization, facilitated by VoIP systems to ensure clear and reliable interactions.

Firewall: A network security system that follows pre-established security rules to monitor and manage all incoming and outgoing network traffic.

Fixed IP Address: A permanent IP address assigned to a device, ensuring it has the same address every time it connects to the network.

Fixed VoIP: VoIP services that are tied to a specific physical location, as opposed to mobile VoIP which can be used anywhere with an internet connection.

Facilitate Remote Work: Using VoIP technology to enable employees to work from any location, ensuring they have access to communication tools and can stay connected with colleagues and clients.

Financial Institutions: Banks, investment firms, and other financial entities that use VoIP for secure and efficient communication, both internally and with clients.

Fixed VoIP: A VoIP service that is tied to a specific physical location or address, often used by businesses to replace traditional landline phones.

Freshworks Integration: Connecting VoIP services with Freshworks, a suite of business software for customer engagement and management, to enhance communication and streamline operations.

​Gateway: A network device that connects different networks, enabling communication between VoIP and traditional telephone systems.

Global Numbers: Phone numbers that are accessible from multiple countries, allowing businesses to establish a local presence internationally and receive calls from customers around the world.

Global Presence: The ability of a business to operate and provide services in multiple countries, often facilitated by VoIP technology to ensure consistent communication across regions.

Global Reach: The capability to connect and communicate with individuals or businesses worldwide, enabled by VoIP services that offer international calling and virtual numbers.

Government Agencies: Public sector organizations that use VoIP to improve communication efficiency and reduce costs, ensuring secure and reliable interactions within and across departments.

Group Paging: A feature that allows a user to send a voice message to multiple recipients simultaneously, often used for quick announcements or urgent communications within an organization.

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Jabber: Jabber, also known as XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), is an open-source protocol for real-time communication, primarily used for instant messaging (IM), presence information, and contact list maintenance. It enables individuals and organizations to exchange messages and present information over the Internet in a decentralized manner. Jabber/XMPP is commonly used in VoIP and unified communication systems to facilitate text-based communication alongside voice and video calls.

​Key System: A simple phone system used by small businesses where multiple phones share the same lines.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator): KPIs are metrics used to measure the success of businesses or teams. In VoIP, they gauge call quality, customer satisfaction, and system reliability, ensuring efficient communication services.

LAN (Local Area Network): A network that connects computers and devices within a limited area, such as a building or campus.

Latency: The delay between when a voice packet is sent and when it is received, affects call quality.

Least Call Routing: A method of routing phone calls through the least expensive or most efficient path available, reducing costs and improving call quality.

Live Chat: A real-time messaging system that allows users to communicate with a business or support team through text chat on a website or application.

LeadSquared Integration: Connecting VoIP services with LeadSquared, a CRM and marketing automation platform, to streamline lead management and communication processes.

Local Numbers: Phone numbers with a specific geographic area code, providing local presence and allowing customers within that area to call without incurring long-distance charges.

Lead Generation: The process of identifying and attracting potential customers (leads) for a business, often facilitated through VoIP systems that support outbound calling and contact management.

Miss Call Alert: Notifications are sent to users when they miss a call, ensuring they can follow up promptly.

Mobile VoIP: Using VoIP services on a mobile device, allows calls to be made over the internet instead of traditional cellular networks.

Multilevel IVR: An advanced IVR system that supports multiple layers of menu options, providing a more detailed and efficient call navigation experience.

Modern Enterprise: A contemporary organization that utilizes advanced technologies and strategies, including VoIP, to enhance productivity, communication, and operational efficiency.

Multi-Level IVR: An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that offers multiple layers of menus and options to efficiently route callers to the appropriate destination.

Max 3 Deskphones: A limitation or feature specifying that a maximum of three desk phones can be connected or used within a VoIP system.

Multi-Tenant: A VoIP architecture where a single instance of the software serves multiple customers (tenants), each with its own isolated data and configuration.

Multiple Channels: The ability of a VoIP system to handle various communication channels simultaneously, such as voice calls, video calls, instant messaging, and more.

Marketing Campaigns: Planned activities and strategies aimed at promoting products or services, often leveraging VoIP for outbound calling, customer engagement, and performance tracking.

Multi-Channel Support: Providing support across different communication channels (voice, email, chat, social media), allowing customers to choose their preferred method of contact.

Network Bandwidth: The maximum rate of data transfer across a given path in a network, crucial for ensuring good call quality in VoIP.

Network Interface Devices: Devices that provide the interface between the customer’s equipment and the service provider’s network.

Number Porting: The process of transferring a phone number from one service provider to another.

National Number: A phone number with a country-specific code that allows callers within that country to reach a business or organization, typically used to establish a national presence.

Non-Profit Organizations: Entities that operate for charitable, educational, religious, or social purposes rather than to make a profit, often utilizing VoIP to manage communications and outreach effectively.

Network Packet: A unit of data transmitted over a network, including VoIP networks, containing information such as voice data, control signals, or other types of network traffic.

Outbound Call Center: A call center that makes outgoing calls to customers, typically for sales, marketing, or customer service purposes.

On-Premises VoIP: VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems that are hosted and managed within an organization’s physical location or premises, using their own hardware and network infrastructure.

Odoo Integration: Connecting VoIP services with Odoo, an open-source ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, to streamline business processes such as customer relationship management, sales, and inventory management.

Optimize Workflows: Improving the efficiency and productivity of business processes, including communication workflows facilitated by VoIP systems, to enhance overall operational performance.

Outgoing Dialing: The process of making outbound calls from a VoIP system to external numbers, used for sales, customer support, and other business communications.

Omnichannel: Providing seamless communication experiences across multiple channels (such as voice, email, chat, and social media) to ensure consistent and integrated customer interactions.

QoS (Quality of Service): Technologies and processes that ensure the optimal performance of VoIP calls by managing network traffic.

Queue Management: In VoIP, queue management ensures efficient handling of incoming calls by organizing them in a virtual queue based on priority and agent availability. It aims to minimize wait times and enhance customer satisfaction by directing calls to the right agents at the right time.

Payment Gateway: An online service that processes credit card payments for e-commerce and other online services, ensuring secure transactions.

Predictive Dialer: A system that automatically dials a list of phone numbers and connects answered calls to available agents, improving call efficiency.

Park: In telephony, “parking” a call refers to placing it on hold in a virtual location where it can be retrieved from any phone within a specified system, facilitating easy call transfer and management.

PBX Phone System: A Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone system is a private telephone network used within a company or organization, allowing for internal communication as well as connection to external telephone networks.

Prepaid & Postpaid Billing: Billing methods for VoIP services where prepaid involves paying upfront for service usage, while postpaid bills users after they have used the service, often monthly.

Platform Features: Features and functionalities offered by a VoIP or communication platform, such as call management, conferencing, messaging, and integration capabilities.

Promotion Budget: The allocated funds for marketing and promotional activities aimed at increasing awareness, customer acquisition, and sales of VoIP services.

Promotion ROI (Return on Investment): The measure of profitability or effectiveness of promotional campaigns for VoIP services, assessing how much revenue or value is generated compared to the costs incurred.

Professional Image: Projecting a credible and trustworthy impression through VoIP communications, ensuring high-quality audio, clear connections, and reliable service to enhance business reputation.

Professional Image: Projecting a credible and trustworthy impression through VoIP communications, ensuring high-quality audio, clear connections, and reliable service to enhance business reputation.

Real-Time Communication: Communication that happens instantly, with minimal delay, is essential for voice and video calls.

Remote Support: Assistance provided by support staff who can connect to a user’s system remotely to diagnose and fix issues.

RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol): A protocol used for delivering audio and video over IP networks, crucial for VoIP communication.

Redefine Connectivity: To innovate or transform the way devices, systems, or networks connect and communicate, often leveraging advancements in technology like VoIP to enhance reliability, speed, and efficiency.

Real-Time Analytics: The process of analyzing data as it is generated or received, providing immediate insights and enabling timely decision-making in VoIP and other systems.

Real-Time Reports: Reports generated instantly or near-instantly, offering up-to-the-minute data and statistics about VoIP performance, call metrics, and system health.

Real-Time Monitoring: Continuous monitoring and observation of VoIP networks, services, and performance metrics in real-time to ensure optimal operation, detect issues promptly, and facilitate quick responses.

Real-Time Analytics: Analysis of data as it is generated or received, providing immediate insights and enabling timely decision-making in VoIP and other systems.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol): A protocol used for initiating, maintaining, and terminating real-time communication sessions, such as VoIP calls.

Softphone: A software application that enables voice calls from devices like computers and smartphones using VoIP technology.

System Integration: The ability to connect and use VoIP services seamlessly with other business applications and systems, such as CRM software.

STIR/SHAKEN: A framework to combat caller ID spoofing, ensuring that the caller ID information is accurate and preventing fraudulent calls.

Scalable Solutions: VoIP solutions that can easily expand or contract in response to changing business needs, allowing organizations to adjust their communication capabilities efficiently.

Send & Receive SMS: The ability of a VoIP system to handle text messages, allowing users to send and receive SMS messages alongside voice calls, enhancing communication flexibility.

Streamline Calls: Optimizing call processes within a VoIP system to reduce complexity and improve efficiency, ensuring calls are handled quickly and effectively.

SIP Trunking: Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunking enables VoIP systems to make and receive calls over the internet, connecting with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) through SIP-enabled trunks.

Skill-Based Routing: Routing incoming calls to the most suitable agent or department based on predefined skills or qualifications, ensuring callers are connected to the best resource to meet their needs.

Salesforce Integration: Integrating VoIP systems with Salesforce, a popular CRM platform, to streamline communication, enhance customer interactions, and improve data synchronization between systems.

Single Tenant: A VoIP architecture where each customer or organization uses a dedicated instance of the software, ensuring isolated data and configurations for enhanced security and control.

Seamless Integration: The process of combining VoIP systems with other software or platforms without disruptions or complications, ensuring smooth operation and data flow between different systems.

Virtual Phone Numbers: Phone numbers not tied to a specific phone line, allowing calls to be forwarded to any device or location.

Virtual PBX: A hosted PBX system that provides all the features of a traditional PBX without the need for on-site hardware.

Voicemail: A system that records voice messages from callers when the recipient is unavailable.

Voicemail Transcription: A service that converts voicemail messages into text, allowing users to read their messages instead of listening to them.

VTCP (Virtual Transmission Control Protocol): A protocol used in VoIP and internet communication to ensure reliable and error-free data transmission between devices and systems.

Video Conferencing: A communication technology that allows two or more participants to interact via simultaneous video and audio transmission, commonly used in business settings for meetings and collaboration.

VoIP PBX Software: VoIP PBX (Private Branch Exchange) software is a system that handles internal and external voice communication within an organization over the Internet, offering features like call routing, voicemail, and extension dialing.

Voice Logging: The process of recording voice communications, such as phone calls or voice messages, for various purposes including compliance, quality assurance, and training within VoIP and telecommunication systems.

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication): A technology that enables voice, video, and data sharing directly between web browsers without needing additional software.

WhatsApp Integration: Connecting VoIP services with WhatsApp, enabling users to manage and make calls through the popular messaging app.

WAN (Wide Area Network): A network that extends over a large geographical area, connecting multiple smaller networks, such as LANs.

Worldwide Clientele: Refers to customers or clients spread across various countries and regions globally, indicating a broad and diverse customer base served by VoIP and other communication services.

Web-Based Softphone: A softphone application that runs in a web browser, allowing users to make and receive calls without installing additional software.

Web Conferencing: Online meetings that allow participants to communicate via audio, video, and text, often including screen sharing and collaboration tools.

XML-RPC: XML-RPC is a protocol used for making remote procedure calls (RPC) over the internet. It uses XML to encode the calls and HTTP to transport them. This means you can execute commands on a remote server as if you were calling a local function, using XML to format the data and HTTP to send it.

Yealink: A popular brand of VoIP phones known for their reliability and features.