Conversational AI
Glossary

Get acquainted with key terms in the fields of conversational AI,

computational linguistics, large language models, and digital customer experience.

A

Adaptive Communications

Adaptive Communications ensures easy bi-directional communication, through text, touch and voice capabilities, between its clients and their end-users

Agent Handover

An agent handover occurs when a request made by a user is too specific for a Chatbot to handle. When this happens, the chatbot then offers the user the option to be forwarded to a human agent, who can then seize the conversation and assist the customer manually.

Application Programming Interface (API)

An application programming interface, otherwise known as an API, is a software that operates as an intermediary between two applications to enable them to communicate with one another. Whenever you use WhatsApp, Facebook or search for something on your phone, you’re using an API.

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), also known as speech-to-text (STT), is a versatile subfield of computational linguistics that configures technologies that enable computers to recognize and convert natural spoken language into text. 

Average Handle Time (AHT)

Average Handle Time (AHT) is a key performance indicator (KPI) used by call center executives to measure the efficiency and productivity of their customer service teams. 

Average Hold Time (AHT)

What Is Average Hold Time (AHT)? Average Hold Time (AHT) is a metric used in call center operations to measure the average time a customer spends on hold during a call. It is calculated by dividing the total time customers spend on hold by the total number of calls handled by the call center during a

C

Call Abandonment Rate

Call abandonment rate measures the percentage of callers who terminate their calls before reaching an agent or receiving assistance. And tracking call abandonment rate provides valuable insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of a call center or customer service operation.

Call Routing

Call routing plays a crucial role in businesses, call centers, and telecommunication networks by directing incoming calls to the most appropriate destination.

Call-to-Text

Call-to-Text is a powerful technology that allows users to convert spoken language into written text, making communication more accessible and efficient.

Chatbot

A chatbot, short for chatterbot, is an artificial intelligence (AI) application that generates dialogue by mimicking human language based interactions through voice commands, text commands, or both. 

Computational Linguistics

Computational linguistics is the scientific discipline which deals with the computational modelling of natural language (both in written and spoken form). Computational linguistics draws from a variety of different fields, including linguistics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and so on, to facilitate human interactions with machines by allowing them to gain a computational understanding of language. 

Context Switching in Chatbots

Context switching in chatbots is similar to that which is found between humans throughout conversations. It occurs when we speak about one topic and then switch to another mid-conversation. For example, when speaking about the weather with a friend, you might quickly jump to the topic of scheduling plans for the weekend. 

Conversational AI

Conversational AI is a combination of technologies, such as chatbots and voice assistants, that users can communicate with to receive assistance. An effective conversational AI application combines machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and sometimes even IVR and ASR to achieve the most human-like interaction possible. 

Conversational Process Automation (CPA)

Conversational Process Automation (CPA) uses artificial intelligence to bridge the gap between the customer facing world and process automation systems. CPAs are quite special because they automate both conversations and processes.

Conversational UI

A conversational user interface (CUI) is essentially a user interface designed for computers in order to imitate a conversation with a human. This sort of interface allows for people to “communicate” with a computer in their natural language instead of through syntax-specific commands. Prior to conversational user interfaces, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were used in order to translate an action into a format the computer would understand by presenting the user with a graphical interface he can interact with using a keyboard and a mouse, such as pressing on a “return” icon to go back to the previous page.

Conversational User Experience (CUX)

Conversational user experience (CUX) is a human-like conversational interaction between people and computers in either text (chatbot) or voice form. CUX is aimed at providing users with a more personalized interaction by lessening the robotic feeling computers tend to emit. CUX does this by understanding a user’s intent by using artificial intelligence models such as natural language processing.

Customer Experience Automation (CXA)

What Is Customer Experience Automation? Businesses deploy automation for all sorts of reasons: to reduce time spent on dull, repetitive manual tasks, eliminate human errors, and so on. Customer Experience Automation (CXA) is about using automation to enhance customer experiences. CXA leverages AI and machine learning to automate and enhance interactions at all customer touchpoints.

N

Named-entity Recognition (NER)

Named-entity Recognition (NER) is a method of recognizing and classifying essential pieces of information from within larger unstructured text-based data into predefined categories such as person names, organizations, locations and more.

Natural Language Generation (NLG)

What is Natural Language Generation? Natural language generation (NLG) is a subsection within Natural Language Processing (NLP), the border domain that encompasses all software in charge of interpreting and generating human language.  NLG is the domain responsible for converting structured data into meaningful phrases in the form of natural language. It can communicate narratives in a human-like manner at

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural language processing (NLP) is a branch of technology that handles the interactions between natural human languages and machines. Natural language processing uses a combination of computational linguistics, machine learning, and deep learning models to train machines to understand speech and respond in much the same way as human beings would. In other words, the system can process and fully understand the input language (whether it be in text or voice format) and respond in a meaningful way by comprehending the writer’s intent and sentiment. 

Natural Language Understanding (NLU)

Natural Language Understanding (NLU) is a branch of Natural Language Processing (NLP) that enables computers to understand the meaning of texts. In other words, it’s the process of transforming human language into a format understandable by machines. Once the meaning of a text is understood, computers can interact more naturally with its users, boosting the overall experience.

V

Voice Assistant (VA)

Voice Assistants (VA) are a combination of technologies that include natural language processing (NLP), voice recognition, and voice synthesis to communicate with its users using natural language. Voice assistants are commonly confused with virtual assistants, an umbrella term encompassing various types of agents that perform different tasks and individual services. Although virtual assistants can perform similar tasks, they are not entirely synonymous with one another.

Voice Automation

What Is Voice Automation? Voice Automation is the technology that enables machines to understand and respond to human voice commands by leveraging artificial intelligence. It is the backbone for intelligent systems like customer service chatbots and virtual AI assistants. For example, when you ask Siri to play a song, the technology understands your request, processes

Voice Recognition

Voice recognition, also known as speech recognition, is the ability of computers to interpret and understand human speech and perform spoken commands. Voice recognition technology has surged in prominence with the rise of AI and intelligent assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.

Voice User Interface (VUI)

What Are Voice User Interfaces? You’ve probably come across VUIs before; they’re common in virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. VUIs, or Voice User Interfaces, let users control systems through voice commands, bypassing the need for keyboards or touchscreens. In AI and conversational AI, VUIs employ natural language processing and machine learning to

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