Glossary of Terms for Parlance IVR and IVA — Voice AI Solutions

This is the Parlance that Parlance uses.

A glossary of commonly used terms:

Technology terminology — from cloud computing and speech tech to business integrations — are ever-present in our everyday conversations. All stakeholders, not just IT teams, need to understand these terms when discussing and implementing technology solutions. Clear definitions reduce miscommunication and improve efficiency. This glossary provides standard definitions to improve communication.

AI Agents

Virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence that handle patient interactions autonomously, managing tasks like appointment scheduling, patient verification, and answering FAQs to optimize contact center performance.

Application

A set of functionalities for a specific audience. For example, a public application would answer phone calls that come into your organization from the outside. This functionality would be different from an internal-facing application that may have different resources, destinations and dialogs.

Automated Call Routing

Technology that intelligently directs callers to appropriate departments, providers, or resources without manual operator intervention, reducing wait times and improving operational efficiency across healthcare organizations.

Automatic Speech Recognition — ASR

Technology that converts spoken language into text, enabling healthcare consumers to communicate naturally with voice systems rather than navigating button-press menus or complex phone trees.

Conversational AI

Advanced technology that understands caller intent and processes spoken dialogue naturally, creating seamless voice interactions that mirror human conversation patterns for improved patient access and engagement.

Contact Center Automation

Technology-driven solutions that automate routine patient access tasks, reducing agent workload and enabling staff to focus on complex inquiries requiring empathy and specialized expertise.

Data

Any resource (e.g., file, repositories, notes) that contains names such as employees, staff, patients, departments, and a corresponding destination phone number. Parlance utilizes multiple data sources to create one authoritative directory.

Dialog

The messaging that a caller hears when they place a phone call to the Parlance system. Some organizations call this “scripting.”

Directory

The data source that Parlance queries in order to connect callers to destinations.

IVR — Interactive Voice Response

Voice-driven self-service system that enables callers to navigate healthcare resources, access information, and complete transactions using speech commands rather than traditional touch-tone menus.

IVA — Intelligent Virtual Assistant OR Intelligent Voice Assistant

AI-powered solution that autonomously verifies patients, manages appointments, answers frequently asked questions, and routes calls, transforming healthcare contact center operations while improving patient satisfaction.

Listening (Analysis)

The process that Parlance uses to augment your directory and improve your performance. This involves listening to only the interaction between the caller and the Parlance solution. Parlance does not have the ability to listen to the call once it’s transferred to the destination.

Natural Language Processing — NLP

Technology that enables systems to interpret and respond to human speech patterns, allowing healthcare consumers to communicate their needs naturally without rigid command structures.

Natural Language Understanding — NLU

Advanced capability that interprets caller intent and context from conversational speech, enabling accurate routing and appropriate responses to patient requests across diverse healthcare scenarios.

Parlance Portal

A web-based portal (previously called WebTools), hosted in the Parlance environment, that allows administrators to view reports and edit directory entries. Access requires multi-factor authentication.

Patient Scheduling Automation

Technology that integrates with EHR / EMR systems to enable callers to independently schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments by speaking naturally, reducing agent burden and improving appointment management efficiency.

PBX Switchboard

PBX stands for private branch exchange, a system that manages incoming calls to healthcare organizations. (Parlance optimizes operations at the switchboard with automated call navigation, to eliminate manual call routing and reduce operator workload.)

Service Unit

The device that Parlance uses to deliver our solution. This device operates as a virtual server (VM or virtual machine) that the customer’s PBX extends a SIP trunk to.

Speech-Driven Self-Service

Speech-driven self-service replaces rigid touch-tone phone menus with conversational AI voice agents. It allows callers to speak naturally to get information, or complete tasks, instantly routing routine calls. Combined with the Parlance intelligent virtual assistant (IVA), this technology enables intelligent call routing, appointment scheduling, or answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) — without the need for live agents.