AI & Machine Learning Terms
AI Agent
Definition: Autonomous software that uses artificial intelligence to understand customer inquiries, retrieve relevant information, and provide accurate responses without human intervention.
Example: AI Desk's agent handles 60% of customer inquiries automatically by understanding context, searching knowledge bases, and generating appropriate responses.
Key difference from chatbot: AI agents learn continuously from interactions; chatbots follow scripted rules.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Definition: Computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, including understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions.
In customer support: AI powers automated response generation, sentiment analysis, intent classification, and continuous learning from customer interactions.
Chatbot
Definition: Software application that conducts automated conversations with customers through text or voice interfaces, typically following pre-programmed rules or decision trees.
Limitation: Traditional chatbots don't learn from interactions and require manual updates when business information changes.
Modern evolution: AI-powered chatbots use machine learning to improve responses and handle more complex inquiries.
Continuous Learning
Definition: AI capability to automatically improve performance by learning from human corrections, successful resolutions, and customer feedback without manual retraining.
Example: When human agents correct AI responses or resolve escalated cases, the system incorporates this knowledge for future similar inquiries.
Business impact: AI accuracy improves from 85% to 95%+ over 90 days through continuous learning.
Generative AI
Definition: AI technology that creates original content (text, images, code) based on training data and prompts, used for generating natural customer support responses.
Applications: Response generation, knowledge base article creation, email composition, troubleshooting guidance.
Example: AI Desk uses generative AI to compose contextually appropriate responses rather than selecting from pre-written templates.
Intent Classification
Definition: AI process of determining what a customer wants to accomplish from their message (e.g., getting information, reporting problem, requesting refund, scheduling demo).
Importance: Accurate intent classification ensures appropriate AI response and routing to correct department or agent.
Accuracy: Modern systems achieve 95%+ intent classification accuracy for trained domains.
Machine Learning (ML)
Definition: Subset of AI where systems learn patterns from data and improve performance without explicit programming for every scenario.
Customer support applications: Response quality improvement, escalation prediction, lead identification, sentiment analysis.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Definition: AI technology enabling computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language in contextually appropriate ways.
Components: Language detection, entity extraction, sentiment analysis, semantic understanding, response generation.
Example: NLP allows AI to understand "I can't log in" and "Login isn't working" as the same intent despite different wording.
Neural Machine Translation (NMT)
Definition: AI translation approach using neural networks to translate text between languages while understanding context and cultural nuances.
Advantage over basic translation: Handles idioms, maintains tone, adapts formality, and produces natural-sounding translations.
Application: Enabling multilingual customer support without hiring translators or creating duplicate content.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Definition: AI architecture that retrieves relevant information from knowledge bases before generating responses, ensuring accuracy and grounding in factual content.
How it works: AI searches knowledge base for relevant information, then generates response using retrieved content rather than relying solely on training data.
Benefit: Dramatically reduces hallucination and ensures responses align with business information.
Semantic Search
Definition: Search technology that understands meaning and context rather than just matching keywords, finding relevant information even when different words are used.
Example: Customer asks "How much does it cost?" and semantic search retrieves pricing information even though knowledge base uses terms like "investment" or "fees."
Impact: 40-60% improvement in knowledge retrieval accuracy vs keyword matching.
Sentiment Analysis
Definition: AI capability to detect customer emotional state (frustrated, satisfied, angry, confused) from text or voice communications.
Applications: Escalation prioritization, response tone adjustment, quality monitoring, customer experience insights.
Accuracy: Modern sentiment analysis achieves 85-90% accuracy across languages.
Automation & Workflow Terms
Automated Resolution
Definition: Complete handling of customer inquiry by AI without human intervention, from initial message to problem solved or question answered.
Measurement: Automated resolution rate = (Inquiries resolved by AI) / (Total inquiries) × 100
Industry benchmark: 60% automated resolution rate for mature AI customer support implementations.
Automation Rate
Definition: Percentage of customer inquiries handled entirely by automated systems without human agent involvement.
Calculation: (Automated interactions) / (Total interactions) × 100
Target: 50-70% automation rate for most businesses; 80%+ achievable in specific industries.
Escalation
Definition: Transfer of customer inquiry from automated AI system to human agent when AI confidence is low or customer explicitly requests human support.
Smart escalation: AI provides human agent with full context, conversation history, and attempted solutions for efficient resolution.
Escalation rate: Typical 20-40% of inquiries escalate to humans (inverse of automation rate).
First Contact Resolution (FCR)
Definition: Percentage of customer inquiries resolved during initial interaction without requiring follow-up contacts or escalations.
Formula: (Issues resolved on first contact) / (Total issues) × 100
Importance: Higher FCR correlates with customer satisfaction and lower support costs.
AI impact: AI systems achieve 85-90% FCR for automated resolutions (comparable to human agents).
Intelligent Routing
Definition: Automated system for directing customer inquiries to appropriate agents, departments, or AI workflows based on inquiry type, urgency, customer value, and available resources.
Modern approach: AI-powered routing considers context, agent expertise, current workload, and historical performance rather than simple rules.
Knowledge Base
Definition: Centralized repository of business information including FAQs, product documentation, troubleshooting guides, and policies used by AI and humans for accurate customer responses.
AI integration: Modern AI systems automatically search and synthesize knowledge base content to generate contextual responses.
Maintenance: Requires regular updates to ensure AI provides current, accurate information.
Workflow Automation
Definition: Automated execution of business processes triggered by customer interactions, including ticket creation, CRM updates, follow-up scheduling, and notification sending.
Example: Customer requests demo → AI qualifies lead → Automatically creates CRM record → Schedules demo → Sends calendar invite → Notifies sales team.
Zero-Touch Resolution
Definition: Complete handling of customer interaction by automated systems with zero human involvement from inquiry to resolution.
Distinction from automated resolution: Zero-touch emphasizes no human review or verification needed, not just initial automation.
Quality requirement: Requires high AI confidence (95%+) and clear resolution criteria.
Customer Interaction Terms
Asynchronous Support
Definition: Customer support communication where immediate response isn't required, allowing customers and agents to respond at convenient times (email, contact forms, messaging apps).
Contrast with synchronous: Live chat and phone require real-time interaction.
AI advantage: AI provides immediate responses even in asynchronous channels, eliminating wait times.
Canned Response
Definition: Pre-written message templates used by support agents for common inquiries, ensuring consistency and efficiency.
Limitation: Lacks personalization and context awareness.
AI evolution: Modern AI generates contextual responses dynamically rather than selecting from rigid templates.
Chat Widget
Definition: User interface element embedded on websites enabling customers to initiate chat conversations with support agents or AI.
Modern features: Proactive engagement, mobile responsiveness, minimizable design, unread message indicators.
Conversational AI
Definition: AI technology enabling natural, contextual multi-turn conversations rather than single question-answer exchanges.
Capabilities: Maintains context across messages, handles follow-up questions, remembers conversation history, adapts tone to customer sentiment.
Customer Effort Score (CES)
Definition: Metric measuring how easy customers find it to get their issues resolved, typically on 1-7 scale where lower effort scores better.
Question: "How easy was it to resolve your issue?"
Importance: Lower effort correlates strongly with customer loyalty and retention.
AI impact: AI reduces effort through instant responses, 24/7 availability, and accurate first-time answers.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Definition: Metric measuring customer satisfaction with specific interaction, typically "How satisfied were you with this support experience?" on 1-5 scale.
Calculation: (Number of satisfied responses) / (Total responses) × 100
Benchmark: 85%+ satisfaction rate indicates strong support performance.
AI performance: Well-implemented AI achieves 80-90% CSAT, comparable to human agents for routine inquiries.
Escalation Rate
Definition: Percentage of customer interactions that require transfer from automated system to human agent.
Formula: (Escalated interactions) / (Total interactions) × 100
Target: 20-40% escalation rate (inverse of 60-80% automation rate)
Tracking: Monitor escalation reasons to identify AI training opportunities.
Multi-Channel Support
Definition: Providing customer support across multiple communication channels (chat, email, social media, phone, SMS) with integrated conversation tracking.
Also called: Omnichannel support when channels are fully integrated with shared context.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Definition: Customer loyalty metric based on "How likely are you to recommend our company?" on 0-10 scale.
Categories: Promoters (9-10), Passives (7-8), Detractors (0-6)
Calculation: % Promoters - % Detractors = NPS (-100 to +100)
Support impact: Quality support strongly influences NPS scores and customer recommendations.
Proactive Support
Definition: Support initiated by the business before customer requests help, based on behavior signals, known issues, or usage patterns.
Examples: Chatbot offers help when customer spends time on pricing page, alerts customers to known product issues, sends onboarding guidance to new users.
Self-Service
Definition: Support resources enabling customers to find answers and resolve issues independently without contacting support agents.
Components: Knowledge bases, FAQs, community forums, video tutorials, interactive troubleshooting guides.
Deflection rate: Percentage of customers who successfully self-serve vs contacting support.
Synchronous Support
Definition: Real-time customer support communication requiring immediate responses and continuous conversation (live chat, phone calls).
Advantage: Faster problem resolution for complex issues.
Challenge: Requires staffing for 24/7 coverage; AI enables synchronous support at any hour.
Business Metrics & Performance Terms
Average Handle Time (AHT)
Definition: Average duration to complete customer interaction from initiation to resolution, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work.
Formula: (Total handle time) / (Number of interactions)
AI impact: AI reduces AHT by providing instant responses and information retrieval.
Conversion Rate
Definition: Percentage of customer interactions that result in desired business outcome (purchase, demo scheduled, subscription signup).
Formula: (Conversions) / (Total interactions) × 100
AI impact: AI customer support captures 40% more leads through intelligent engagement and qualification.
Cost Per Interaction (CPI)
Definition: Average cost to handle one customer support interaction, including labor, technology, and overhead.
Formula: (Total support costs) / (Number of interactions)
Traditional CPI: $15-30 per interaction with human agents
AI CPI: $0.10-0.50 per automated interaction
ROI calculation: (Traditional CPI - AI CPI) × Volume = Cost savings
Lead Capture
Definition: Process of identifying potential customers from support interactions and collecting contact information for sales follow-up.
AI advantage: AI identifies sales opportunities, asks qualifying questions, and schedules demos automatically—capturing 40% more leads than manual processes.
Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)
Definition: Average time from customer inquiry initiation to complete problem resolution.
Formula: (Total resolution time) / (Number of resolved interactions)
AI impact: Immediate AI responses reduce MTTR from hours to minutes for routine inquiries.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Definition: Measure of profitability from investment, calculated as (Gains - Costs) / Costs × 100.
AI customer support ROI: Efficiency gains + revenue impact - platform costs
Typical ROI: 1,000-30,000% for AI customer support implementations.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Definition: Complete cost of technology solution including subscription fees, implementation, training, maintenance, and hidden costs over specified period.
Components: Platform fees, setup costs, integration development, training, ongoing maintenance, add-ons.
Planning horizon: Typically calculated over 3-5 years for accurate comparison.
Technical Implementation Terms
API (Application Programming Interface)
Definition: Software interface allowing different systems to communicate and exchange data programmatically.
Customer support use: Integrating help desk with CRM, email platforms, calendars, and business tools for automated data synchronization.
Embedding
Definition: Mathematical representation of text (words, sentences, documents) as numerical vectors that capture semantic meaning, enabling AI similarity comparison and semantic search.
Application: Finding relevant knowledge base articles based on meaning rather than keyword matching.
Integration
Definition: Connection between customer support platform and other business systems (CRM, email, calendar) enabling automated data exchange and workflow orchestration.
Standard integrations: Pre-built connections to popular tools.
Custom integrations: API-based connections to proprietary or specialized systems.
Knowledge Base Article
Definition: Individual documentation piece within knowledge base covering specific topic, question, or procedure.
AI utilization: AI retrieves and synthesizes information from relevant articles to answer customer questions.
Best practices: Clear structure, concise writing, regular updates, logical organization.
Platform Migration
Definition: Process of moving customer support operations from one software platform to another, including data transfer, integration rebuilding, and team training.
Components: Historical data export/import, knowledge base migration, integration reconfiguration, workflow recreation, testing, cutover.
Timeline: 1-4 weeks typical for managed migration services.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
Definition: Software delivery model where applications are hosted by vendor and accessed via internet rather than installed locally.
Customer support platforms: Most modern help desk software is SaaS (AI Desk, Zendesk, Intercom, Help Scout).
Benefits: No infrastructure management, automatic updates, pay-as-you-go pricing, rapid deployment.
Webhook
Definition: Automated message sent from one application to another when specific event occurs, enabling real-time integrations and workflow triggers.
Example: Customer submits support request → Webhook triggers → CRM creates contact record → Slack notifies team.
Multilingual & Global Support Terms
Cultural Intelligence
Definition: AI capability to understand and adapt to cultural differences in communication style, formality preferences, and interaction expectations across regions.
Example: AI adjusts response formality for Japanese customers (high formality) vs American customers (casual friendliness) automatically.
Language Detection
Definition: AI capability to automatically identify the language of customer message and respond appropriately without manual configuration.
Accuracy: 99%+ for clear messages; 95%+ for mixed-language communications.
Application: Enabling instant multilingual support without requiring customers to select language preference.
Localization
Definition: Adaptation of software, content, and support for specific regions beyond translation, including cultural norms, currency, formats, and local preferences.
Beyond translation: Adjusting formality, examples, references, units of measurement, date/time formats for regional appropriateness.
Neural Machine Translation (NMT)
Definition: AI translation technology using neural networks to translate between languages while understanding context, idioms, and cultural nuances.
Accuracy: 95-98% for major language pairs (Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese).
Application: Enabling AI customer support in 40+ languages without multilingual human agents.
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Last Updated: October 10, 2025
Author: AI Desk Team - Customer Support Terminology Specialists
Sources: Industry standards, technical definitions, AI customer support best practices