Glossary
Customer experience comes with a lot of language. We define the terms that matter, written for the people who use them.
A
AI hallucination
An AI hallucination is a false or fabricated response an AI presents as fact. Learn why it happens, the types, and how to reduce it in customer service.
AI orchestration
AI orchestration coordinates AI models, agents, and tools to work as one system. Learn how it works and what it means for customer service.
Agentic AI
Agentic AI is software that pursues goals end-to-end, planning, acting, and adapting across tools. Get the full definition and CX use cases.
Agentic customer service
Agentic customer service is AI that resolves issues end-to-end by acting across business systems, not just responding. Definition and capabilities.
AI agent
What is an AI agent? Definition, examples, and uses.
C
Conversational AI
Conversational AI enables computers to understand and respond to natural language. Learn how it works and how it's used in customer service.
Conversion rate optimization
Conversion rate optimization increases the share of visitors who convert. Learn the CRO formula, core tactics, and how service quality affects conversion.
Customer churn
Customer churn is the percentage of customers a business loses over a given period. Learn how it's calculated, what causes it, and how to reduce it.
Customer effort score (CES)
Customer effort score (CES) measures how easy it was for customers to resolve an issue or complete a task, scored on a 1–7 scale.
Customer experience
Customer experience is the sum of every interaction a customer has with a brand. Learn what shapes CX, how to measure it, and why service matters.
Customer journey mapping
Customer journey mapping documents every interaction a customer has with a brand. Learn what it includes, the types of maps, and how service teams use it.
Customer lifetime value (CLV)
Customer lifetime value (CLV) is the total revenue expected from a customer over time. Covers the formula, how to calculate it, and what drives CLV.
Customer retention
Customer retention measures how well a business keeps its customers over time. Learn how to calculate retention rate and what drives long-term loyalty.
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
What is CSAT? Customer satisfaction score explained.
Customer service automation
Customer service automation uses technology to handle support tasks without agent involvement at every step. Learn how it works and what to watch out for.
G
Generative AI
What is generative AI? Examples, uses, and benefits.
Gross merchandise value (GMV)
Gross merchandise value (GMV) is the total value of goods sold before returns or discounts. Formula, examples, and how it differs from revenue.
Grounding in AI
Grounding in AI anchors a model's responses to verified knowledge, not training data. Learn how it works and why it matters for CX accuracy.
N
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a brand, scored as a number from -100 to +100.
Natural language processing (NLP)
Natural language processing (NLP) enables computers to understand human language. Learn how it works and how it powers customer service AI.
S
V
Voice AI
Voice AI uses speech recognition and LLMs to handle calls naturally, resolving routine issues and passing complex ones to agents with full context.
Voice of the customer (VoC)
Voice of the customer (VoC) is a process for capturing customer feedback to improve CX. Learn collection methods, key metrics, and how to act on insights.
Going deeper?
See how Gladly customers put this into practice in their day-to-day customer service work.