Glossary

AI automation, in plain English.

The words that come up when you look at AI receptionists, chat agents and automation, each explained on its own page: what it means, how it works, and why it matters to a business.

AI chatbotAn AI chatbot is software that holds text conversations with people on a website, a messaging app or a social channel, using artificial intelligence to understand questions and reply in natural language.

AI hallucinationAn AI hallucination is when an AI model states something false or invented as if it were fact, such as a price you don't charge, a service you don't offer or a policy that doesn't exist.

AI receptionistAn AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone in a natural-sounding voice, works out what each caller needs and handles it: booking appointments, answering common questions, taking messages or transferring the call to a person.

AI voice agentAn AI voice agent is an AI system that talks with people over the phone: it listens, works out what the caller wants and replies out loud, so a call can be handled without a person on the line.

Answering serviceAn answering service picks up the calls your business can't, usually after hours or when every line is busy, and takes a message or passes on urgent calls. Classic services use human operators; AI answering services use voice agents.

Conversational AIConversational AI is the family of technologies that lets computers hold natural conversations with people, by text or by voice. Chatbots, voice agents and virtual assistants are all forms of it.

CRM automationCRM automation means your customer relationship management system updates itself: contacts are created, deals move between stages, notes are logged and follow-up tasks are set automatically, based on what actually happens with each customer.

IVRIVR (interactive voice response) is the automated phone menu that asks callers to press a number or say a word to reach the right place, as in "press 1 for sales, press 2 for support".

Knowledge baseA knowledge base is the collection of information an AI agent answers from: your services, prices, hours, policies, FAQs and anything else customers ask about.

Large language modelA large language model (LLM) is an AI model trained on huge amounts of text so it can understand and write human language. LLMs power today's chatbots and voice agents.

Lead qualificationLead qualification is working out whether a potential customer is a good fit (whether they need what you offer, can afford it and are ready to buy) before your team spends time on them.

Missed call text backMissed call text back is an automation that texts anyone whose call you missed, usually within seconds, so the conversation carries on by message instead of the caller trying the next business.

Speech-to-textSpeech-to-text, also called speech recognition or transcription, is technology that turns spoken words into written text, either live or from a recording.

Speed to leadSpeed to lead is how quickly a business responds to a new enquiry, measured from the moment someone calls, fills in a form or sends a message to the first real reply.

Text-to-speechText-to-speech (TTS) is technology that turns written text into spoken audio. Modern AI voices sound close to a real person, with natural pacing and intonation.

Virtual receptionistA virtual receptionist answers your business calls from somewhere other than your front desk. Traditionally that meant a remote team of people; today it increasingly means an AI receptionist that answers automatically.

Warm transferA warm transfer passes a call to another person together with its context, such as who is calling and why, so the caller does not have to explain everything again.

WebhookA webhook is how one app tells another that something just happened: it automatically sends the details to a web address the moment the event occurs, such as "a form was submitted" or "a payment went through".

WhatsApp Business APIThe WhatsApp Business API, part of Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, lets a business connect WhatsApp to its own software, so messages can be answered, automated and shared across a team instead of living on one phone.

Workflow automationWorkflow automation is software carrying out the repeated steps of a business process on its own, such as copying form entries into a CRM, sending a confirmation email or creating an invoice when a job is marked done.