ShareStephanie Poirier, Senior Team Leader, Sales Support & Quality Performance, Accor, Contact Center SIG Steering Committee Members
Megan Becker, Manager of Hiring and Training, Reservations, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, Contact Center SIG Steering Committee Members
At the heart of guest interactions, Contact Centers often serve as the first point of contact. In the fast-paced and service-driven world of the hospitality industry, communication is key to delivering exceptional guest experiences. Internally, the same holds true — specialized acronyms and phrases have developed within the sector to streamline operations and drive greater efficiency.
These terms symbolize processes, technologies, and metrics that ensure smooth operation in hospitality contact centers. Understanding these definitions is essential for anyone working within the industry, from front-line colleagues to upper management, as they play a critical role in improving service quality, boosting performance, and ensuring guest satisfaction.
In this article, we will share the top 25 most used call center acronyms and phrases and their significance in driving success.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abandonment Rate | The percentage of callers who hang up before speaking with an agent |
| ACD | Automatic Call Distribution – telephony system that receives calls and distributes them to agents/representatives |
| ADR | Average Daily Rate – average income per occupied room a hotel earns in a set period of time; key indicator of hotel’s success |
| AHT | Average Handle Time – the average duration to handle a call; includes talk time and after-call work (ACW) |
| ASA | Average Speed of Answer – the average time it takes to answer a call |
| ATT | Average Talk Time – average time an agent spends talking with guests per call |
| BPO | Business Process Outsourcing – delegating specific tasks to 3rd party service provider to optimize internal operating costs related to HR, technologies, knowledge base, etc. |
| Conversion | The percentage of calls that result in a sale/reservation (some contact centers may measure the percentage of all calls, others may measure the percentage of lead calls that result in a sale) |
| C-SAT | Customer Satisfaction – a method of monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction levels, usually through surveys |
| CTI | Computer Telephony Integration – a technology that connects telephone systems to computers, enabling agents to access customer information during calls |
| Disposition | Status that describes the outcome of the call (booked, not booked, etc) |
| FCR | First Call Resolution – The percentage of calls resolved during the first contact |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent – a unit of measurement that represents the number of full-time employees an organization would have if all employees worked full-time; used to standardize headcount and assist with determining staffing levels |
| GDS | Global Distribution System – a computerized network that allows travel agencies to book travel services from multiple suppliers |
| IVR | Interactive Voice Response – plays a pre-recorded message and allows customer to respond with voice commands to select the type of service they need |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicators – Measures used to determine the quantity and quality of contact and support provided by individual contact center agents, and the center as a whole |
| Occupancy | The percentage of time agents spend actively handling calls and other work activities |
| PCA | Percentage of Calls Answered – |
| QA | Quality Assurance – an assessment process to ensure agents’ customer interactions meet hotel quality standards |
| Rev per Res | Revenue per Reservation – |
| Rev per TT | Revenue per Talk Time – measures the amount of revenue generated per unit of “talk time” during a sales call or customer interaction; measures the direct return on time spent talking to potential clients |
| SL | Service Level – Percentage of calls answered within a specific time frame. |
| Speed to Proficiency / Time to Proficiency | The amount of time it takes for a new employee to learn and develop to meet performance expectations for the role |
| Transfer Rate | The percentage of calls transferred by an agent |
| VOC | Voice of Customer – customer’s feedback about their experience, expectations, and desires for the business’s services, products, and offerings. |
Now that you’ve had a chance to familiarize yourself with a number of contact center terms, it’s time to expand on the conversation and join us at our quarterly Contact Center SIG meetings, or monthly Fireside Chats! This is a unique opportunity for professionals within the hospitality contact center space to dive into the latest trends, share knowledge, and drive service excellence together. Attendees will gain invaluable insights to enhance their operations.
And be sure to join us at the Commercial Strategies Conference in Orlando next June 29-30, 2027 for an inspiring, informative event!