Calling and telecalling glossary

A2P call

Also called: Application-to-person call

An A2P (application-to-person) call is a voice call started by software rather than by a person dialling. In India, TRAI’s 2026 amendment defines A2P calls as calls initiated by an application, software system or automated platform without direct human dialling, including autodialled, robo and prerecorded calls.

Why it matters: In India, every business that makes A2P calls must declare them to its telecom operator in advance, with the numbers it will use; undeclared A2P calls are treated as unsolicited commercial communication.

In LumaKol: Every LumaKol call is placed from the agent’s own phone. The optional auto-dial next lead feature starts the next call after a countdown, so owners can switch it off for the whole workspace.

AHT (average handle time)

Also called: Average handling time

Average handle time is the average length of a call from start to finish, usually including any time spent on hold and on notes or follow-up work right after the call.

Why it matters: Very short calls can mean callers rush or hang up early; very long ones can mean they lack a clear next step. Look at AHT next to outcomes, never on its own.

Auto dialer

Also called: Autodialer, Automatic dialer

An auto dialer is software that dials phone numbers for the caller, so nobody types or taps each number. Power and predictive dialers are two common types.

Why it matters: Auto dialers save time between calls, but many calling rules treat automatically dialled calls differently from hand-dialled ones, so check what applies where you call.

In LumaKol: LumaKol offers auto-dial next lead: after an outcome is logged, the next lead in the agent’s queue is dialled from their own SIM after a short countdown they can cancel, one call at a time.

Call outcome

Also called: Call result

A call outcome is what happened on a call, recorded right after it: for example connected and interested, call back later, not reachable, wrong number, or asked not to be called.

Why it matters: Outcomes turn a call log into something you can act on. They decide the next follow-up, feed the reports, and show which leads are worth another try.

In LumaKol: The LumaKol app asks for the outcome when a call ends; each outcome can move the lead to a stage, book the next follow-up and ask a few questions.

Call recording consent

Call recording consent is permission from the people on a call to record it. Some places allow recording when one party to the call agrees; others need everyone on the call to agree, and some sectors have their own rules.

Why it matters: Telling people at the start that a call may be recorded, and limiting who can listen afterwards, is the common practice. Check the rules for each place you call.

In LumaKol: LumaKol does not record calls itself. It can link recordings that an Android phone’s own dialer already made, and settings decide who can play them.

Callback

Also called: Call back

A callback is a call you promised to make at a time the lead chose, such as “call me after 6” or “call me next Tuesday”.

Why it matters: A missed callback tells the lead how the rest of the deal will go. Callbacks need a reminder at the right time and a place at the top of the caller’s list.

In LumaKol: Booking a follow-up from the outcome screen sets a reminder on the caller’s phone, and overdue callbacks move up the calling queue.

Caller ID

Also called: CLI, Calling line identification

Caller ID is the number (and sometimes a name) shown to the person you are calling. Telecom operators call the number itself the CLI, for calling line identification.

Why it matters: People decide whether to answer from the caller ID. A number they recognise, or one that matches the business they enquired with, gets answered more often.

In LumaKol: LumaKol calls show the agent’s own mobile number, because they are ordinary calls from the agent’s SIM.

Click-to-call

Click-to-call starts a phone call when you click a number or a Call button on a screen, instead of dialling by hand.

Why it matters: It removes typing mistakes and saves a few seconds on every call, which adds up over a day of calling.

In LumaKol: In LumaKol, clicking Call on a lead in the web app rings out from the caller’s own phone.

Cloud telephony

Cloud telephony is a phone system run by a provider over the internet: virtual numbers, call routing, IVR menus and recording, usually paid per minute or per channel.

Why it matters: It suits high-volume inbound lines and contact centres. Outbound calls come from the provider’s numbers rather than your team’s own mobile numbers.

Cold calling

Also called: Cold call

Cold calling is calling people or businesses who have not asked to hear from you, usually from a bought or researched list.

Why it matters: Cold calls are the most regulated kind of sales call: do-not-call registers, number series and consent rules apply in most markets. Check them before you start.

Connect rate

Connect rate is the share of dialled calls that are answered by someone. Ten answered calls out of fifty dials is a 20% connect rate.

Why it matters: It shows how reachable your list is and whether timing, caller ID or spam labels are hurting you, before you judge what callers say once connected.

Contact rate

Contact rate is the share of leads (not dials) your team managed to speak to, usually the right person rather than anyone who picked up.

Why it matters: A team can make plenty of dials and still reach few people. Contact rate tells you how much of your list has actually heard from you.

Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the share of leads that reach a chosen result, such as a booked visit, a demo or a sale, out of all leads in a period or from a source.

Why it matters: Comparing conversion by lead source and by caller shows where to spend money and who needs coaching.

CRM

Also called: Customer relationship management

A CRM (customer relationship management system) is software that keeps every lead and customer in one place, with their details, history and the next thing to do.

Why it matters: Without one, leads live in spreadsheets, WhatsApp chats and memory, and follow-ups depend on who remembers. A calling CRM adds the calls themselves to that record.

Disposition

Also called: Call disposition, Disposition code

A disposition is a label a caller picks after a call to say how it ended, such as interested, call back, not reachable or not interested. It is another name for the call outcome.

Why it matters: A short, clear list of dispositions keeps reports honest. Too many options and callers pick whatever is first.

In LumaKol: LumaKol calls these outcomes; admins set the list and what each one does.

DLT

Also called: Distributed Ledger Technology platform

DLT is the Distributed Ledger Technology platform that India’s telecom operators run under TRAI’s rules. Businesses that send commercial calls or SMS register on it as senders, together with their SMS headers and message templates.

Why it matters: In India, commercial SMS need a registered header, and customers’ DND preferences are applied through the DLT system. Calls and messages that bypass it are the main target of enforcement.

In LumaKol: LumaKol does not register senders, headers or templates on DLT. Messages open in the agent’s own WhatsApp or SMS app for the agent to send.

DND

Also called: Do Not Disturb

DND (Do Not Disturb) is India’s system that lets a mobile user block all commercial calls and messages, or chosen categories of them. The preference is stored in the National Customer Preference Register and can be set through the TRAI DND app, the operator’s app or website, or by calling or texting 1909.

Why it matters: Calling teams in India should screen bought or cold lists against DND before calling. A person who registered can complain about unwanted commercial calls within 7 days.

In LumaKol: LumaKol does not check numbers against the DND register.

Do Not Call Registry (US)

Also called: National Do Not Call Registry, DNC

The National Do Not Call Registry is the US list of landline and mobile numbers whose owners do not want telemarketing calls. Registration is free at donotcall.gov.

Why it matters: Telemarketers selling in the US must not call registered numbers unless an exemption applies, and must honour do-not-call requests made during a call. Several states keep their own lists too.

DPDP Act

Also called: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 is India’s law on digital personal data. It calls the person the data is about the Data Principal and the business that decides why and how the data is processed the Data Fiduciary, and it requires consent that is free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, with a clear affirmative action.

Why it matters: A calling team’s lead list is personal data. The Act’s rules were notified in November 2025 and apply in phases, with penalties that can reach ₹250 crore for failing to protect data.

In LumaKol: For its leads’ data, your business is the Data Fiduciary and LumaKol processes it for you under the Data Processing Addendum.

Drip sequence

Also called: Drip campaign, Cadence

A drip sequence is a planned series of touches sent to a lead over days or weeks, such as an email on day one, a WhatsApp on day two and a call on day three, which stops when the lead responds.

Why it matters: Most leads need several touches before they reply. A sequence makes sure the next one happens even on a busy day.

In LumaKol: LumaKol sequences send emails from your own connected mailbox, prompt WhatsApp and SMS from the owner’s phone, create call tasks, and end when a call is answered or the lead is won or lost.

First call resolution

Also called: FCR

First call resolution is the share of calls where the customer’s question or problem is settled on the first call, with no follow-up needed.

Why it matters: It is mainly a support measure. In sales, the closer equivalent is how often the first call ends with a clear next step booked.

Follow-up

A follow-up is the next planned contact with a lead after a call or message, with a date and time attached.

Why it matters: Most sales are lost to follow-ups that never happened, not to a bad first call. Every call should end with the next one booked.

In LumaKol: Choosing an outcome in LumaKol books the follow-up, reminds the caller on their phone and puts the lead back in the queue when it is due.

IVR

Also called: Interactive voice response

IVR (interactive voice response) is the automated menu callers hear on a business line, such as “press 1 for sales”, which routes the call or answers simple questions.

Why it matters: It helps inbound lines with many callers. For outbound sales from mobile numbers there is no IVR: the lead hears the caller straight away.

Lead

A lead is a person or business who might buy from you, usually with a name, a phone number and where they came from.

Why it matters: A calling team’s whole day is organised around leads: who to call next, what they asked for and when to call again.

Lead scoring

Lead scoring gives each lead a number that estimates how likely it is to buy, based on things like how new it is, where it came from and how earlier calls went.

Why it matters: It tells callers which leads to call first when there are more leads than hours in the day.

In LumaKol: LumaKol scores leads and orders each caller’s queue by score, so a new enquiry that has never been called scores higher.

Lead source

A lead source is where a lead came from: a website form, an ad, a portal such as IndiaMART or JustDial, a walk-in, a referral or an imported list.

Why it matters: Sources convert very differently. Tracking them shows where your best customers come from and which channels are wasting money.

In LumaKol: Every LumaKol lead keeps its source, and a call script can be set for a lead source.

NCPR

Also called: National Customer Preference Register

The NCPR (National Customer Preference Register) is the register behind India’s DND system. It stores each mobile user’s choice to block all commercial communication or only chosen categories of it.

Why it matters: Commercial calls and messages that ignore a registered preference can lead to complaints and action against the sender’s numbers.

Opt-out

Also called: Do-not-call request

An opt-out is a person’s request to stop being contacted, for example by saying “please don’t call me again” on a call or using an unsubscribe link.

Why it matters: An opt-out should reach everyone on the team at once. In many markets ignoring one is a breach of the rules, and it always costs goodwill.

In LumaKol: Logging the outcome “Requested no contact” in LumaKol takes the lead out of every queue, and with the do-not-call setting on, the apps refuse to dial it.

PECR

Also called: Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations

PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) are the UK rules on marketing calls, texts and emails, enforced by the ICO. They sit alongside the UK GDPR.

Why it matters: PECR is where the UK rules on TPS screening, caller ID and automated calls come from.

Pipeline

Also called: Sales pipeline

A pipeline is the set of stages a lead moves through from first contact to a sale, such as new, contacted, visit booked, negotiating and won.

Why it matters: It shows at a glance how many deals are at each step and where they get stuck.

Power dialer

A power dialer calls the next number on a list automatically as soon as the caller finishes the previous call, one call at a time.

Why it matters: It cuts dead time between calls without the dropped calls a predictive dialer can cause.

In LumaKol: LumaKol’s auto-dial next lead works in a similar way, from the agent’s own SIM, after a countdown the agent can cancel.

Predictive dialer

A predictive dialer dials several numbers at once and connects answered calls to whichever agent is free, using statistics to guess when agents will be available.

Why it matters: It raises talk time for large call centres, but answered calls with no free agent get dropped or delayed, which many regulators restrict. LumaKol is not a predictive dialer.

Round robin

Round robin assigns new leads to callers in turn: the first to one person, the next to the next person, and so on.

Why it matters: It spreads leads fairly and stops new enquiries waiting for someone to claim them.

In LumaKol: LumaKol can assign imported leads and leads from connected sources round robin across chosen callers.

SIM-based calling

SIM-based calling means sales calls go out over the mobile network from the SIM in the caller’s own phone, rather than over the internet through a virtual number.

Why it matters: Leads see a normal mobile number, there is no per-minute platform charge, and calls work wherever the phone has signal.

In LumaKol: LumaKol is built on it: callers ring leads from their own SIM, and the Android app logs each work call to the right lead.

Spam label

Also called: Spam likely, Suspected spam

A spam label is a warning such as “Spam likely” shown on an incoming call by the phone, the operator or a caller ID app, based on reports and calling patterns.

Why it matters: A labelled number gets far fewer answers. High volumes of short calls and complaints are common causes. In India, TRAI’s 2026 amendment says the 140, 1600 and 1601 series must not be flagged as suspected spam.

Speed to lead

Also called: Lead response time

Speed to lead is the time between a lead arriving and your first call to them.

Why it matters: An enquiry is warmest in the first minutes. The longer the wait, the more likely the lead has moved on or called someone else.

In LumaKol: LumaKol’s coaching report measures speed to lead, and new leads that have never been called score higher in the queue.

Stage

Also called: Pipeline stage

A stage is one step in a pipeline, such as contacted, visit booked or negotiating. Each lead is in exactly one stage at a time.

Why it matters: Stages tell a caller what the next call is for, and tell a manager where deals stall.

In LumaKol: In LumaKol a call script can be set per stage, so the caller sees the one for where the lead is now.

Talk time

Talk time is the total time a caller spends in connected conversations, usually measured per day or per week.

Why it matters: It is a better measure of effort than the number of dials, but read it next to outcomes: long talk time with no next steps booked is a coaching topic.

TCCCPR

Also called: Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018

The TCCCPR (Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018) are TRAI’s rules on commercial calls and messages in India. They cover DND preferences, sender registration on DLT, consent, complaints and action against unregistered senders.

Why it matters: They were amended in February 2025 and again in September 2026. Under the 2026 amendment, calls based on a customer’s own written or digital enquiry are allowed for seven days from that enquiry.

TCPA

Also called: Telephone Consumer Protection Act

The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991) is the US federal law on telemarketing calls and texts, with rules set by the FCC. It restricts autodialled and prerecorded calls and texts, limits telemarketing calls to homes to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and is the basis for the FCC’s do-not-call rules.

Why it matters: Autodialled or prerecorded calls and texts to mobiles generally need prior consent, and commercial texts need written consent. People can sue for each unlawful call, so mistakes repeated across a list add up.

Telecaller

Also called: Telesales agent, Inside sales caller

A telecaller is a person whose job is to call leads and customers by phone: answering enquiries, qualifying them, booking the next step and following up.

Why it matters: Telecallers usually make dozens of calls a day, so tools that cut typing and remembering give them more time on the phone.

TPS and CTPS

Also called: Telephone Preference Service, Corporate Telephone Preference Service

The TPS (Telephone Preference Service) is the UK register of individuals who have opted out of live marketing calls; the CTPS is the same for companies and other corporate bodies.

Why it matters: Under PECR you must not make unsolicited live marketing calls to a registered number unless that person has specifically consented to your calls. Automated marketing calls need specific consent whether or not the number is registered.

VoIP

Also called: Voice over IP, Voice over Internet Protocol

VoIP (voice over internet protocol) carries phone calls over an internet connection instead of the mobile network, usually from an app or a browser using a virtual number.

Why it matters: VoIP is flexible and good for shared inbound lines, but call quality depends on the internet connection, and leads see a number they may not recognise.

Warm lead

A warm lead is someone who has already shown interest, for example by filling in a form, sending an enquiry or asking for a callback. A cold lead has not.

Why it matters: Warm leads convert far better and are the calls people expect, so they should be called first and fast.

140 series numbers

Also called: 140xx numbers

140 series numbers are the Indian phone numbers set aside for promotional calls. TRAI requires promotional calls to come from 140-series numbers through registered telemarketers.

Why it matters: Most unwanted commercial calls in India come from ordinary 10-digit numbers that bypass the system, and complaints against such numbers can get them disconnected. Promotional campaigns belong on the 140 series, not on agents’ mobile numbers.

1600 series numbers

Also called: 160 series, 1600xx numbers

1600 series numbers are the Indian phone numbers TRAI has set aside for service and transactional calls from the financial sector, such as banks and insurers, so people can tell those calls apart from other commercial calls.

Why it matters: If you sell or service financial products for a regulated entity in India, its service and transactional calls are moving to these numbers.