I am writing this today to give my customers and prospects a fighting chance when I’m on a roll and rambling on to explain how Caller ID works, for example. It’s easy for me to forget that not everyone knows the QVD lingo. I find myself answering the same questions on certain terms I’m using day in and day out. To help clear that up, I put together this QVD Glossary of Telemarketing Terms. I’ll gladly explain these in conversation as well, but if you use this reference, maybe it won’t seem as if I’m speaking a foreign language.
Glossary of Telemarketing Terms:
Answer Rate – the number of calls answered in comparison to the number of calls made
Automatic Number Identification (ANI) – billing telephone number or account number associated with a telephone number, trunk or trunk group. In most cases this will match the caller ID that is presented to the Called party.
Caller ID – the telephone number that displays as the calling party’s telephone number on the recipient’s phone display, before the phone is answered.
Caller ID Name Display (CNAM) – Service that displays the caller’s name in addition to the phone number. CNAM is acronym for the “centralized” database used by phone carriers to store the Display Name their customers want displayed for each Caller ID telephone number. Not all called parties’ telephone service supports the ability to receive name display. Currently, cell phones only display names that are in the cell phone user’s contact list in their cell phone.
Dialer – an electronic device or software that automatically dials telephone numbers.
DID – Direct Inward Dial
Dips – a Dip is each time the caller ID name is displayed to the called party.
Do Not Call (DNC) List – a list of phone numbers that have opted out of being called. There are many lists to consider including the National DNC Registry (Fed DNC), State DNC lists (certain states maintain there own list), Client DNC list, and Inhouse DNC lists (internal DNC lists).
Inbound (IB) – this relates to calls that originate with the customer calling in to the agents.
IVR – Interactive Voice Response. A recorded message that can answer, route or direct customers when dialing in to a call center or office.
Local Caller ID – a telephone number used as the Caller ID, which matches the area code of the Called party’s telephone number. Outbound Marketers who use Local Caller ID as a strategy use about 110 unique area code numbers for a nationwide campaign. One way of accomplishing this is to load a unique matching Caller ID with each record into the dialer. Best practices on using Local Caller ID
MMS – multimedia message service, or text message that includes audio, picture or video.
National CNAM Database – the database where the caller ID names are stored. Phone carriers dip into the database to know what name should be associated with each phone number.
Non-Automated Telephone Dialing System (Non-ATDS) – a Non-ATDS is “equipment that does not have the capacity to (a) store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator; and (b) to dial such numbers.” The key term in this definition is “capacity.” There are many so-called Non-ATDS dialing systems out there but could theoretically have the “capacity” to do so. However, there are solutions out there that can solve this problem, see our solution.
Outbound (OB) – when a caller dials out to a person, vs. receiving an incoming call.
PSTN – Public Switched Telephone Network. This is the original phone network created in the late 1800’s, before the invention of the internet and VoIP calling. Most residential landlines are connected to this network.
Ring to Number (RTN) – is the number that local caller ID numbers are pointed to. When a consumer calls a local caller ID number back it is routed to the RTN back to the call center agents.
SIP – session initiation protocol
SMS/Text – short message service
VoIP – voice over internet protocol
As you can see there are many acronyms and some industry specific terminology in the telecommunications industry. Hopefully this glossary helps to shed some light on the telemarketing terms we use when discussing Local Caller ID, the Compliance phone and our texting services.
By Kelsey Olsen, Director of Enhanced Telecom Services
Kelsey Olsen is Director of Enhanced Telecom Services for Quality Voice & Data. Kelsey and her team manage tens of thousands of outbound Caller ID phone numbers from every area code in the U.S., ensuring the proper name display for each of her thousands of clients. Inhouse call centers, clients and outsourced telemarketing vendors know they can count on Kelsey’s team for prompt, reliable service.