Business Software Glossary: AI, Calls, CRM & Maintenance Terms
Plain-English definitions of the terms behind AI receptionists, chatbots, CRM and maintenance software.
AI ReceptionistAn AI receptionist is software that answers a business's phone calls with a conversational voice AI, handling the front-desk tasks a human receptionist would.AI Voice AgentAn AI voice agent is software that holds real phone conversations — understanding speech, responding in a natural voice and taking actions such as booking or updating a CRM.Answering ServiceAn answering service is a third-party service that answers a business's calls when it can't, usually taking messages and passing them on.ChatbotA chatbot is software that converses with people in text — on a website, in an app or on messaging channels like WhatsApp.CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)A CMMS is software that centralises maintenance work: requests, work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, asset records, spare parts and reporting.Condition-Based MaintenanceCondition-based maintenance triggers work when a measured indicator crosses a threshold — for example vibration above a limit — rather than on a fixed schedule.Conditional Call ForwardingConditional call forwarding sends a call to another number only when a condition is met — you are busy, you don't answer, or you are unreachable.Conversational AIConversational AI is technology that lets software understand and respond to human language in a natural dialogue, by text or voice.CRM (Customer Relationship Management)A CRM is software that stores every customer and prospect with their history of calls, emails, messages and deals, so a team can manage relationships and sales in one place.EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)Enterprise asset management covers the full life of physical assets — planning, acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposal — across an organisation.Field Service Management (FSM)Field service management covers scheduling, dispatching and supporting technicians who work at customer sites, from the job request to the paid invoice.HIPAAHIPAA is the US law that sets rules for protecting patients' health information held by healthcare providers, insurers and their business associates.IVR (Interactive Voice Response)IVR is a phone-menu system that lets callers choose options with their keypad or voice ("press 1 for sales") before reaching the right destination.Lead NurturingLead nurturing is the process of staying in useful contact with prospects who are not ready to buy yet, until they are.Lead ScoringLead scoring ranks prospects by how likely they are to buy, so sales teams contact the best leads first.LLM (Large Language Model)A large language model is an AI model trained on very large amounts of text to understand and generate language.Missed-Call Text BackMissed-call text back automatically sends an SMS or WhatsApp message to anyone whose call you didn't answer, so the conversation continues by text.MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)MTBF is the average operating time between one failure of a repairable asset and the next.MTTR (Mean Time to Repair)MTTR is the average time it takes to repair an asset and return it to service after a failure.No-Show RateNo-show rate is the percentage of booked appointments where the customer neither attends nor cancels.OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)OEE measures how much of a machine's planned production time is truly productive.PM CompliancePM compliance is the percentage of scheduled preventive maintenance tasks completed on time within a period.Predictive MaintenancePredictive maintenance uses data about an asset's condition and history to forecast failures and schedule work just before it is needed.Preventive MaintenancePreventive maintenance is maintenance performed on a schedule — by time or by usage — to reduce the chance of failure.RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)Retrieval-augmented generation is a technique where an AI model first retrieves relevant passages from a trusted knowledge source and then writes its answer from them.Sales PipelineA sales pipeline is a visual view of every open deal and the stage it has reached, from first contact to won or lost.SIP TrunkingSIP trunking connects a business phone system to the public phone network over the internet using the SIP protocol.Speed to LeadSpeed to lead is the time between a prospect enquiring and a business making first contact.TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)The TCPA is a US law that restricts telemarketing calls, auto-dialled and pre-recorded or artificial-voice calls, and marketing texts without the recipient's consent.Virtual ReceptionistA virtual receptionist is a remote receptionist service — human, AI or a mix of both — that answers a business's calls without sitting in its office.VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)VoIP carries phone calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines.WhatsApp Business API (Business Platform)The WhatsApp Business API — now the WhatsApp Business Platform — lets businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale through software instead of a single phone.Work OrderA work order is a document — usually digital — that authorises and describes a maintenance or service task: what to do, on which asset, by whom and by when.