--- title: "Glossary and FAQ" description: "Short explanations of the terms in Workforce Management, and answers to common questions." canonical: "https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/glossary" --- # Glossary and FAQ > Short explanations of the terms in Workforce Management, and answers to common questions. Source: https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/glossary This page explains the words you see in Workforce Management, and answers the questions customers ask most often. ## Glossary ### Setup and navigation | Term | Meaning | | - | - | | **Department** | A team or queue in your account that handles conversations | | **Cluster** | A group of departments that you create, so you can look at them together. See [Clusters](https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/clusters). | | **Channel** | The way customers contact you, such as Voice, WhatsApp, Webchat or Email | | **Agent** | A person who handles conversations | | **Time range** | The period that the figures cover, for example **Today** or **Last 3 hours**. See [Dashboard](https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/dashboard#choose-the-time-range). | ### Calls and conversations | Term | Meaning | | - | - | | **Instant** | A channel where customers expect a quick reply, such as chat | | **Queue** | Calls that are waiting and have not yet been connected to an agent | | **Ongoing** | Calls in progress with an agent | | **Wrap-up** | The time after a call has ended while the agent finishes the work related to the call | | **Capacity** | On the Voice card, the number of agents who are currently active on voice. On the Instant card, how many conversations your available agents can take at the same time. | | **Inbound** | Calls or conversations that came in during the time range | | **Processed** | Calls or conversations that were completed during the time range. Missed calls are not counted as processed. | | **Missed calls** | Calls that were not answered | | **Backlog** | Conversations that are open and still need handling | | **Snoozed** | A column on the Departments page. A snoozed conversation is not counted when the Dashboard works out the current longest wait. The app does not say more about it. | | **Avg. wait time** | The average time callers waited | | **Longest wait time** | The longest time a caller waited | | **Current longest wait time** | How long the call that has waited longest in the queue has been waiting right now | | **Avg. call time** | The average length of a call | | **SLA%** | A column on the Departments page. The app describes it as the percentage of calls that met the service level target. The target itself is not shown in the app. | ### Agent status | Term | Meaning | | - | - | | **Online** | The agent is online. Agents who are busy are counted as online. | | **Busy** | The status tooltip says why: **Busy (max waiting)**, **Busy (max instant)** or **Busy (on phone)** | | **Away** | The agent is away | | **Offline** | The agent is offline | | **Service hrs** | The agent is set to service hours, which the app shows as **Service hours (automatic)** | ### Forecast | Term | Meaning | | - | - | | **Normal week** | The volume you can expect in a normal week | | **Busy week** | The volume you can expect in a busy week | | **Near worst case** | The volume you can expect in a very busy week, close to the worst case | | **Agents needed** | The number of agents to put on the roster in the busiest hour of the period | | **Avg handling time** | The average time an agent spends on one conversation | | **Work (hours)** | The total agent time to plan for in the period | ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need to refresh the page to see new numbers? It depends on the page: - **Dashboard** — No. The numbers update by themselves. - **Departments** and **Forecast** — Yes. Open the page again, or change the time range on the Departments page, to see the latest figures. ### Why did my time range go back to Today? The time range goes back to **Today** each time you open the **Dashboard** or **Departments** page. Choose it again if you need a different period. Your department, cluster and channel choices on the Dashboard are remembered. ### What is the difference between a department and a cluster? A department is a team or queue that already exists in your account. A cluster is a group of departments that you create on the [Clusters](https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/clusters) page. You can then look at the whole group at once. ### Why does a dash appear instead of a number? A dash means there is nothing to show yet. For example, there may have been no calls in the time range, so there is no average wait time. ### Can I trust the forecast? The Forecast page carries a **Beta** tag. Use the expected volumes as a guide, not as a guarantee. ### Where do I find my Account ID? On the **Settings** page. See [Settings](https://docs.cm.com/customer-engagement/workforce-management-msc/settings). ### Something does not load. What can I do? Try again after a moment. The app shows a red message when it cannot load or save something. If the problem stays, contact CM.com support and mention your Account ID.