Call Management Software Key Terms

Learn the basics of call management software with these key terms

Call management software helps your business to track customer calls in order to better take care of their needs. If you are not familiar with common call management software key terms, you may have a hard time determining which program is right for you. Functions such as interactive voice response, IP telephony and call recording can all make your life easier. Assessing what your company needs will save you money because you won't buy superfluous software. Learn the following words to get started.

Interactive voice response

Interactive voice response is a system which answers the phone automatically and gives different answers based on the caller's response. In many cases, callers can speak their response and the software will understand what they said. This helps to direct people to the right department.

Automatic call distribution

An automatic call distribution system routes calls to the appropriate place. It can route calls to different departments, and it can also evenly route calls between your customer service representatives, ensuring that representatives are sharing the workload.

Predictive dialer

A predictive dialer is for use in outbound call centers. It automatically calls phone numbers and then routes the call to one of your agents if the call is answered. This increases productivity among your staff because they do not have to waste time calling phones that no one answers.

IP telephony

IP telephony is using the Internet to make phone calls. This is commonly referred to as voice over IP or VoIP. In some cases, this can significantly reduce costs, however, it requires software and hardware to manage the calls that come through, specifically call routing equipment.

Call recording

Some call management software programs will record the call automatically. This is a good practice, as you can later listen to call recordings in order to settle a dispute or review employee performance.

Local vs. hosted

If you use local call management software, it is downloaded to your computer and run on your own servers. Hosted software is managed by the software company and is accessible through the Internet.

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