Call Center Slang 101

One of the most colorful things about the call center universe is the slang-words used by agents. Pinoys are notorious for coming up with terms that only those within the 'circle' would know (just look at the extensive vocabulary of Pinoy gay-speak). Presented below are the most common terms (think of it as the basics) used within the call center universe:

Aftercall - this is a status where the agent just finished one call and is not receiving any calls but is still technically 'logged in'; common use is to make last-minute maintenance on the callers account but is also used to just take a 'breather'. As expected, the higher-ups frown on 'abusing' this option.

AUX - refers to a status on the phone that most centers use; can be sub divided into several categories depending on it's use. Most often used for breaks.

Barge - The act of entering/listening in on an ongoing (read:| live)call using management tools, usually for official monitoring purposes and quality assurance.

Batch - aka Wave; a group of agents hired and go through training at roughly the same date/time. Essentially the same as in school, batch/wavemates usually form strong bonds long after the group is segregated.

Buddy - Having a veteran agent assist a 'noob' but can also refer to peer agents assisting one another.

Brand - refers to the 'client' name (essentially the Brand name); often an agent would be required to mention the client name during a call to 'Brand' it.

Close - A term often used to an agent ending the call but can also mean sealing the deal on a sales call.

Downtime - AKA System Down. When technical issues arise that shuts down operations/prevents callers from reaching the agents. Can be individual or site-wide (regardless to say, agents look forward to this :p)

EOP - literally "English Only Policy". As most call centers service Americans or other English-speaking country (Australia, Canada, the UK) this policy is imposed theoretically to maintain the illusion to callers that they are calling within their own country. In practice, this is probably the policy agents most often break.

Floor - common term for the actual workplace; mostly comprised of the operational units/stations. Note that policies are strictest within it's confines.

Graveyard - type of shift wherein an agent's work hours would start or fall between 10pm-3am.

Inbound - one of the 2 major types of calls; this refers to agents receiving calls in the course of their work. Customer service and technical calls are the most common types.

Irate - refers to a caller who is venting disappointment/frustration/rage at the agent (regardless if it's the agents fault or not) which often includes colorful expletives (i.e. cursing); may also refer to the agent himself releasing his own frustration verbally (putting the status on mute... ideally)

Multi-task - a catchphrase often used to refer to an agent's ability (or lack thereof) to manage multiple programs/systems/tasks while taking calls. This can also relate to non-essential activities (i.e. chatting, eating, sleeping[!])

Nap - AKA Powernap; most centers have sleeping areas where agents can catch much-needed but rarely enough sleep particularly those in the graveyard shift.

Noob - literally 'newbie'; an agent with no previous call center experience. May also refer to a veteran but who is new with the company.

Outbound - refers to 1 of 2 major types of calls agents perform at work. May encompass the entirety of an agents work-description. This term is for calls made by agents to consumers/clients/customers. The most common agents that perform this task are telemarketing and collections specialists.

Petix - the time-honored act of just hanging around and not working (while still being on company time hence 'paid')

Queuing - status wherein the floor/site is experiencing a high-volume of calls; agents receive a call immediately after ending the last one ends. Understandably, agents detest circumstances that result to this.

Sup - refers to an agents' immediate superior; also often used as a prefix to other terms relating to tasks the agent cannot perform and must be deferred to the immediate superior the most often being 'Sup-calls' (i.e. caller asking for a supervisor)

Veteran - a title unofficially given (and sometimes derogatively) to agents who have been working for several years not receiving promotions though they may be more qualified than those who have already been.

This list is not extensive yet and will be addended from time to time. If you have any, feel free to post them in the comments section. Til, next time!