VoIP Glossary
A
- AI-Powered VoIP
- VoIP systems integrated with artificial intelligence to enhance call quality, automate responses, and analyze customer sentiment.
- Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA)
- A device that converts traditional analog phone signals into digital packets for VoIP.
- Auto Attendant
- An automated phone system that routes incoming calls without human intervention.
B
- Bandwidth
- The volume of data that can be transmitted over an internet connection in a given time.
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
- A policy allowing employees to use personal devices to access VoIP systems securely.
C
- Call Barging
- Permits supervisors to join a live call between an agent and a customer in real time.
- Call Forwarding
- Redirects incoming calls to another phone number or device.
- Call Monitoring
- Allows silent listening to live calls for quality assurance or training.
- Call Parking
- Puts a call on hold in a shared parking spot so another agent can retrieve it.
- Call Queuing
- Places callers in a virtual line until an agent becomes available.
- Call Recording
- Captures phone conversations for compliance, training, and quality control.
- Call Routing
- Directs calls to the right department or agent based on rules or caller input.
- Call Transcription
- Converts spoken dialogue into written text automatically.
- CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)
- Cloud-based software that manages customer interactions across multiple channels.
- Cloud PBX
- A cloud-hosted PBX that handles call routing without on-site hardware.
- Conference Calling
- Enables multiple participants to join a single call.
- Conversational AI
- AI tech that processes and responds to human language naturally.
- Corporate VoIP Security Policies
- Guidelines ensuring secure VoIP operations within an organization.
D
- DECT Phones
- Wireless handsets using Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications.
- DID (Direct Inward Dialing)
- Assigns individual phone numbers without separate physical lines.
- Disaster Recovery for VoIP
- Strategies that keep VoIP running during outages or failures.
- Do Not Disturb (DND) Mode
- Blocks incoming calls and notifications to prevent interruptions.
E
- Echo Cancellation
- Eliminates audio feedback and echoes during calls.
- End-to-End Encryption
- Encrypts voice data so only authorized parties can access it.
- Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi in VoIP
- Compares reliability and latency; Ethernet is generally preferred.
F
- Firewall Traversal
- Techniques that let VoIP traffic pass through firewalls and NAT.
- First Call Resolution (FCR)
- Measures resolving a customer’s issue on the first interaction.
- Fixed VoIP
- VoIP service tied to a specific physical address.
G
- Gateway
- Connects VoIP networks to PSTN or mobile networks.
- Global VoIP Number
- A virtual number that gives businesses a local presence abroad.
- Global VoIP Numbering System
- The structure that assigns international numbers.
H
- HD Voice
- High-definition audio with wider frequency range and less noise.
- Hosted VoIP
- VoIP solution managed by a third-party provider.
I
- IP Phone
- Hardware phone that connects directly to the internet for VoIP.
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
- An automated system that interacts with callers via voice or keypad input.
J
- Jitter
- Variation in packet arrival times that can cause delays or distortion.
- Jitter Buffer
- Reorders and smooths incoming packets to reduce jitter effects.
K
- Key System Unit (KSU)
- Legacy telephony system for small businesses, now often replaced by VoIP.
L
- Latency
- The delay between sending and receiving voice packets.
- Local Number Portability (LNP)
- Ability to transfer an existing number to a VoIP provider.
M
- Mobile VoIP
- Making VoIP calls through a smartphone over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Mobile VoIP for Enterprises
- Enterprise-grade VoIP services enabling remote connectivity.
- Modem & Router for VoIP
- Devices connecting a VoIP system to the internet and managing traffic.
- Multi-Tenant VoIP
- Single platform supporting multiple organizations with separate data.
N
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- AI that lets machines understand and interpret human language.
- Network Address Translation (NAT) for VoIP
- Methods allowing VoIP calls to navigate routers and firewalls.
- Number Masking
- Hides the caller’s real number and shows an alternate number.
O
- Omnichannel Communication
- Integrated engagement across voice, email, chat, and social media.
- On-Premise VoIP
- VoIP system hosted within a company’s own infrastructure.
P
- Packet Loss
- Voice packets that fail to reach their destination, causing choppy audio.
- PBX (Private Branch Exchange)
- Internal phone network that manages and routes calls.
- PoE (Power over Ethernet)
- Delivers power and data through one Ethernet cable.
- Predictive Dialer
- Automatically dials numbers and connects agents only when a live person answers.
Q
- QoS (Quality of Service)
- Network settings that prioritize VoIP traffic for better quality.
- Queue Management
- Places and routes incoming calls in queues according to rules.
R
- Remote VoIP Access
- Use VoIP services from any location with internet connectivity.
- Ring Groups
- Make incoming calls ring several phones simultaneously or sequentially.
S
- Scalability in VoIP
- Easily add or remove users and features as a business grows.
- Sentiment Analysis in VoIP
- AI that gauges emotional tone in conversations to enhance service.
- SIP Trunking
- Connects VoIP systems to the internet, replacing traditional lines.
- Smart Voicemail Responses
- AI-generated replies to voicemail messages based on content.
- Softphone
- Software that enables VoIP calls from computers or mobile devices.
- Spam Call Prevention
- Detects and blocks robocalls or unsolicited calls.
- Speech Analytics
- Automated analysis of voice interactions for insights and compliance.
- SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol)
- Encrypts voice data packets to protect calls from eavesdropping.
- STIR/SHAKEN
- Protocol that validates caller ID authenticity to prevent spoofing.
T
- Text-to-Speech & Speech-to-Text
- Converts text to spoken words and speech to text.
- TLS (Transport Layer Security)
- Encrypts VoIP signaling data for secure call setup.
- Toll-Free VoIP Number
- Lets customers call a business free of charge via VoIP.
- Two-Way VoIP Calling
- Supports both inbound and outbound VoIP calls.
U
- UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service)
- Cloud service integrating VoIP, video, messaging, and collaboration.
- Unified Communications (UC)
- Combines voice, video, and messaging into one platform.
- Uninterrupted Call Transfer
- Transfers calls between devices or departments without disconnecting.
V
- Virtual Agents
- AI chatbots that handle customer requests via voice or chat.
- Virtual Phone Number
- Cloud number not tied to a location or device.
- Voicemail-to-Email
- Sends voicemail messages to email as audio or text.
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
- Technology that enables voice communication over internet networks.
- VoIP Adapter
- Connects traditional phones to VoIP by converting analog to digital.
- VoIP Desk Phones vs. Mobile Apps
- Compares hardware desk phones and mobile softphones.
- VoIP for Remote Teams
- Ensures dispersed employees can communicate seamlessly via VoIP.
W
- WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication)
- Open-source project enabling real-time voice and video in browsers without plugins.
Z
- Zero-Touch VoIP Setup
- Plug-and-play process that installs VoIP devices with minimal manual work.