Glossary
CRM and messaging terms, in plain English.
23 definitions for the words that come up when a team sells over chat, from carrier registration to pipeline stages, each with an example and a link to the deeper guide.
C
- Contact deduplicationContact deduplication is the process of finding records in a CRM or contact list that refer to the same person or company and merging them into one, so history and details aren't split.
- Conversation assignmentConversation assignment is the practice of giving each customer conversation one owner on the team, the person responsible for replying and following up until the thread is closed or handed off.
- Custom fieldsCustom fields are fields a business adds to its CRM records, such as contacts, companies or deals, to store information specific to how it sells, like service type, property size or preferred language.
- Customer service windowThe customer service window is the 24-hour period that starts each time a customer messages a business on the WhatsApp Business Platform. During it, the business can send free-form replies; outside it, only approved templates.
L
- Lead qualificationLead qualification is the process of deciding whether a prospect is a realistic fit for what you sell, based on their need, timing, budget and authority, and therefore worth active sales follow-up.
- Lead scoringLead scoring assigns each lead a number based on who they are and what they have done, so a team can rank leads and decide which to contact or prioritize first.
R
- Response time SLAA response time SLA (service level agreement) is a stated target for how quickly a team will reply to customer messages, such as replying to new conversations within 15 minutes during business hours.
- Round-robin assignmentRound-robin assignment is a method of distributing new leads or conversations to team members in a fixed rotation, so each person receives the next one in turn.
S
- Sales pipelineA sales pipeline is a visual, stage-by-stage view of every open deal a business is working, from first inquiry to won or lost, used to see what needs attention and what is likely to close.
- Shared inboxA shared inbox is a single queue of customer messages that several teammates can access and answer, usually from one business number or account, with ways to see who is handling each conversation.
- SMS opt-inSMS opt-in is the permission a person gives a business to send them text messages. In the US, the type of consent needed depends on what the business sends, and recipients must be able to opt out, for example by replying STOP.
- Speed to leadSpeed to lead is the time between a new prospect reaching out, by message, form or call, and the business making its first meaningful response to that prospect.
W
- WhatsApp Business PlatformThe WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's offering that lets businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages through software, such as a CRM or help desk, rather than a phone app. It was formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API.
- WhatsApp message templatesWhatsApp message templates are pre-written messages a business submits to Meta for approval and can then send through the WhatsApp Business Platform, including outside the customer service window. They can contain variables like {{1}}.
- Workflow automationWorkflow automation is a set of rules that perform actions automatically when a defined event happens, for example assigning a new conversation, setting a reminder or moving a deal when a condition is met.
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