Appendix B
 Glossary

ACD (Automatic Call Distribution system) A large-scale telephone switch that has a high degree of intelligence for routing incoming calls.

Auto responder An automated out-going response to incoming e-mail messages. You create a text file that resides on the host computer that has its own specific e-mail address. When a party sends an e-mail to that address, it generates a command that says “send this file.”

Broadcast Fax The ability to fax a message to many people at once.

CSR Customer Service Representative, an employee who assists customers after the sale has been made. Some organizations refer to such employees as customer care providers.

Call Center The location where service phone calls are answered.

Call to action Simply a request for the customer to do something.

Caller ID The ability to identify the customer on the line as the call is received.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome A potentially crippling disease that limits one’s ability to perform a job. The disease often occurs when one frequently makes a repetitive movement such as typing.

Clarification Question This requests customers to clarify their perceptions and meaning of words; useful because words can mean different things to different people.

Closed-Ended Question This requires yes/no type answers.

Compliant Customer (C Style) One of the four behavioral styles in the DISC Model. The C Style Customer is your everyday perfectionist. She wants it precise, orderly, and accurately. She is meticulous by nature and diplomatic in behavior.

Conflict Resolution The fine art of moving from heated disagreement (or icy-cold standoffs) to warm agreement.

Consequence Question This requests customers to describe the impact your proposed method or solution will have.

Constituencies All the people served by your organization, including the owners, stockholders, employees, customers, joint venture partners, members of the community, government officials, and even suppliers.

Corporate culture The distinct personality of your organization that comes from your company’s unique history, the customers you serve, the people on the payroll, and your firm’s values and traditions.

Credit Returning goods and services with monetary value to be offset against future purchases.

Cross Functional Teams Teams comprised of people representing various departments in an organization such as sales, product engineering, credit, customer care (the hip name for customer service departments these days), technical support and so on.

Cushion An opening statement in a letter that lays a soft landing for when you have to deliver bad news.

Customer base All the customers you serve. Within that wide collection you might have many different types of customers that can be divided into groups known as segments.

Customer database A system that records the sales and transaction history, and other pertinent information for each of your customers. It can be as simple as keeping an index card for each customer, or as complex as intertwining numerous mainframe computer systems.

Customer Service Representative (CSR) An individual charged with the responsibility of providing service to customers (sometimes referred to as a Customer Care representative).

Customer Support Phone Packages Telephone-based product support plans that include either unlimited or a specified number of calls by the customer seeking service after warranty.

Defectionitis A terrible, possibly terminal condition for your business where your customers take their business elsewhere, causing your business to whither, shrivel up, and die. The antidote is creating an outstanding reputation for providing your customers with Personally Pleasing Memorable Interactions.

Demanding Customer (D Style) Typically driven people who push for results and expect the same from others. In the DISC behavioral styles model, this style is known as the D Style. They are bottom-line oriented. They do not like a lot of detail and get bored very easily.

Desires Question Seeks out any other issues your customer may have with which you can be of assistance.

Differentiated Value A unique feature that offers value to the customer and separates your business from the competition.

DISC Behavioral styles model A psychologically valid system for grouping people’s behavior into four major styles based on the way they do things, such as respond to problems, influence others, respond to their environment, and react to rules.

Domain The part of an Internet address that is unique to the organization that sponsors a specific location along the information highway.

Download This refers to transferring information from a Web site to your computer’s hard drive.

E-mail (electronic mail) Messages that are sent from computer to computer over the Internet or company network.

Employee Satisfaction Survey A study of how employees feel about their jobs and work environment.

Ergonomics The study of the problems people experience in physically adjusting to their environment.

ESP (Employee Suggestion Program) Provides a way for employees to make suggestions (perhaps anonymously) on how to improve the company’s performance.

Exchange Replacing goods and services purchased by a customer with other goods and services.

FAQ Frequently asked questions.

Fax on Demand System that automatically, without anyone actually staffing the phone lines, provides information by fax to callers who request certain documents (usually by entering a code on a touch tone phone).

FGR Frequently given responses.

Goodwill Follow-up Regularly scheduled calls to make sure your customer is satisfied with his purchase.

Goodwill Freebies Free stuff you offer customers in return for their patronage.

Goodwill Inclusions Including, at no charge, extra costs such as shipping and handling when a customer places a large order.

Goodwill Interaction Writing or calling your customers to tell them how much you appreciate their business—not because they have a problem, but because you really do appreciate their business.

Guarantee Assurance, for a specified period of time, of the quality of products or services offered for sale.

Headsets Devices that connect to the phone and allow someone to conduct phone calls without having to use a hand to hold the cradle. Headsets have both the ear and mouth pieces attached to them.

Hearing The physical act of taking in through your ears what is being said.

Help Desk Similar to a call center, except that it is a resource for employees to get answers to their questions.

Hyperlink Like an electronic doorway that takes you directly to certain information such as a Web site or a particular sentence in a long document.

Illustrative Question This requests a customer to paint a clear picture of what is wrong.

Influential Customer (I Style) One of the four behavioral styles in the DISC Model. The I Style Customer is the person who needs and wants to talk and has a need for interaction with people and social recognition.

InfobotsSee Auto Responder.

Information Superhighway This is a metaphor for electronic data zooming between computers, usually over phone lines.

Instant of Absolute Judgment The moment when a customer forms a lasting, decisive opinion about your business. This can come at any time.

Interactive Voice Response The ability of a phone mail system to offer prerecorded information on various issues (such as store locations and directions, hours of operations, special promotions . . .).

Internet Many computers connected to each other through phone lines, cables, and satellites.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Companies that provide access to Internet services.

Keyword Term(s) in a document you want to be found by search software.

Key System Telephone systems with features such as call forwarding, call transfer, and speaker phone that are smaller than a full-blown PBX. They usually serve anywhere from 5–15 lines.

KISS Principle Keep It Sweet and Simple.

LAN (Local Area Network) Software and hardware that allow you to share and send information between individual computers in an office.

Limited Time Refund A full refund of the purchase price for a product that is returned with a receipt in a specified period of time.

Limited Warranties These provide protection for certain parts and services over specified periods of time (a guarantee with limitations).

Listening The emotional act of understanding what your customer is really saying.

Mailbots See Auto Responder.

Open-Ended Question This requires detail and free dialogue.

Outsourcing Engaging the services of a third party rather than having work performed by an employee.

Pay for Service System A for-charge system (such as a 900 number) where customers call and pay for service.

PBX (Private Branch Exchange) A computer-controlled telephone system serving anywhere from 15 to thousands of phone stations.

Playback The ability to replay menu options in a voice mail system.

PPMI Personally Pleasing Memorable Interactions, the goal of customer service.

Recovery Follow-up Calling a customer to see if the solution provided to a previous complaint is satisfactory to the customer.

Recovery Freebies Offering services or products for free in addition to replacing those that were damaged or unacceptable to begin with.

Recovery Inclusions Paying the costs of overnight delivery when the product did not arrive on-time as promised.

Recovery Interaction Personally calling or visiting someone to resolve a complaint.

Remote Phone Lines Technology that allows you to list local phone numbers in various areas and have the calls routed to your support center location.

Root cause The true source of a problem.

Segments Groups of customers that have certain characteristics in common.

Self-managed teams Work groups that determine how they are going to achieve their goals.

Semi-Auto Responder (prepared) Text ready to send electronically at the command of a service person.

Sequential Fax Fax equipment and software that has the ability to automatically send faxes one after another.

The Service Difference The operating principles and specific processes that combine to give your customers a warm feeling of great satisfaction, maybe even joy, from interacting with your organization.

Service standards Guidelines and operations procedures that specify measurable activities that help your company please customers by delivering services in a consistent fashion. For example, specifying the longest time allowable that a customer should sit on hold before being assisted.

Signature file Several lines of text automatically added at the end of every e-mail message you send.

Status Questions Seek information such as name, serial #, and so on.

Steady Customer (S Style) One of the four behavioral styles in the DISC Model. The S Style Customer is an accommodating individual who, when inconvenienced by your product not working, will make sure he doesn’t upset you with his complaint. The S Style Customer is patient, relaxed, logical, and systematic.

Tape Disclaimer A message at the beginning of the voice mail menu indicating that the phone call may be taped for quality/training purposes.

Time of Delay The ability of a phone system to tell customers how long it will be before a customer service representative comes on the line.

Time-out rooms Places that are usually bright, equipped with music, TV’s and other equipment to help CSRs relax and remove themselves from the mental stress associated with their jobs.

Toll Free Numbers Phone numbers for which the receiving party pays the charges. They usually start with either an 800 or 888 area code.

WAN (Wide Area Network) Computers connected at multiple sites.

Warranty A written guarantee by the producer of product or service regarding the integrity of the product and responsibility for repair or replacement of defective parts.

Web Browser Software that allows you to search for and access information on the World Wide Web.

World Wide Web (WWW or simply Web) Information storage and retrieval system that uses the Internet to present text, graphics, photos, sound, and animation for access by any properly equipped computer connected to the Internet.

Upload Sending information from your computer to another computer such as one connected to the Internet.

URL This stands for Universal Resource Locator, the path descriptor that directly takes you to a desired site on the World Wide Web.

User-Friendly Design Design of a product or service that can be easily used by the customer.

Vision and Mission Statements Declarations that express why the organization exists and give employees and customers alike a clear sense of what the organization stands for and what it is trying to achieve.

Voice Mail A system that enables callers to leave messages by phone.

Voice Response Unit Hardware and software specialized for automating some customer service transaction work through recognizing a caller’s voice commands.

Volume Rebates Rebates or price discounts in exchange for certain (usually large) amounts of business from a customer.