AI customer support terminology

An AI agent is software that uses a large language model to understand requests and take autonomous action, rather than following a fixed script.

RAG is a technique where an AI model retrieves relevant passages from a knowledge base before answering, so replies stay grounded in current facts.

A knowledge base is the documents, articles and FAQs an AI agent retrieves from to answer questions accurately, using retrieval-augmented generation.

Escalation is handing a conversation from an AI agent to a human, automatically, based on rules like sentiment, topic or a request from your customer.

Conversational AI is software that understands and generates natural language to hold open-ended dialogue, unlike rule-based chatbots with fixed flows.

Ticket deflection is resolving your customer's question before it becomes a ticket a human has to handle, typically with self-serve answers or an AI agent.

Multi-channel support means answering customers wherever they reach out (chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Slack) from one system with shared context.

Lead scoring ranks leads by how likely they are to convert, from signals like intent, stated budget or engagement. AI sales agents often automate it.

AI customer support is service where an AI agent answers questions, looks up orders and takes actions for the customer, and humans take over through escalation.

Customer support automation is software that resolves, routes or assists with support requests without a person handling each one, from rules to AI agents.

An AI chatbot holds a text conversation with a person. For support, the useful kind is grounded in your knowledge base and takes actions, not a scripted tree.

First response time is how long a customer waits between sending a message and getting the first reply. An AI agent answers in seconds, on every channel.

Resolution rate is the share of support conversations that end with the issue solved. Automated resolution rate counts those an AI agent solved with no human.

CSAT is the rating a customer gives after a support interaction, as the share of positive responses. Measured on AI-handled chats, it shows if automation helps.

An AI shopping assistant is an AI agent in an online store that finds products, answers questions, checks orders and manages carts with live store data.