Glossary
A comprehensive dictionary of terms used in the Hanc.AI platform and the broader AI/voice technology landscape.
A
Action
A specific capability or function that an agent can perform. Actions include things like booking appointments, transferring calls, or sending notifications.
Agent
A configured AI voice assistant on the Hanc.AI platform. Each agent has its own prompt, knowledge base, voice settings, and behavior configuration.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A way for different software systems to communicate with each other. Hanc.AI provides APIs for integrating with external systems.
API Key
A unique identifier used to authenticate requests to an API. You can generate API keys in Hanc.AI to connect external applications.
ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition)
See Speech-to-Text (STT).
Audio Stream
A continuous flow of audio data during a call. The platform processes audio streams in real-time for speech recognition and playback.
B
Bot
Short for "robot" — an automated software program. A voice bot is an AI that handles phone conversations.
Business Hours
The operating hours of your business. Agents can use this information to inform callers and handle after-hours calls appropriately.
C
Call Flow
The sequence of events that occur during a phone call with an agent, from greeting to conclusion.
Call Log
A record of a phone conversation including metadata (duration, time, caller ID), transcript, and optionally the audio recording.
Caller ID
The phone number of the person calling. This information can be captured and used for personalization or CRM integration.
Channel
The medium through which communication occurs. Hanc.AI supports phone calls and web-based voice widgets.
Chunk
A segment of text from a document in the knowledge base. Documents are split into chunks for efficient retrieval.
Claude
An AI model developed by Anthropic. One of the LLM options available on Hanc.AI.
Context
The information available to the AI when generating a response, including the conversation history, prompt, and knowledge base results.
Context Window
The maximum amount of text an LLM can process at once. Larger context windows allow for longer conversations and more reference material.
Conversation History
The record of messages exchanged between the caller and agent during a session. Used to maintain context throughout the call.
D
Dashboard
The main interface of the Hanc.AI platform where you can view metrics, manage agents, and access all features.
Deep Learning
A subset of machine learning using neural networks with many layers. The technology behind modern LLMs.
E
Embedding
A numerical representation of text that captures its meaning. Used in RAG systems to find semantically similar content.
Escalation
The process of transferring a call from the AI agent to a human operator. Configured through escalation triggers.
Escalation Trigger
A condition that causes the agent to transfer the call to a human. Examples: customer anger, complex questions, explicit request.
F
Fallback
The default action when the agent cannot fulfill a request. Typically involves apologizing and offering alternatives.
Fallback Contact
The person or department to whom calls are transferred when the agent cannot help.
Few-Shot Learning
A technique where AI learns from a small number of examples provided in the prompt.
Fine-Tuning
The process of further training an AI model on specific data to improve performance for particular tasks.
First Message
The initial greeting that the agent speaks when answering a call or starting a conversation.
G
GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)
A type of large language model developed by OpenAI. GPT-4 and GPT-4o are available on Hanc.AI.
Greeting
See First Message.
H
Hallucination
When an AI generates information that is not true or not present in its training data or knowledge base. A critical issue that RAG helps mitigate.
Human-in-the-Loop
A system design where humans can intervene or oversee AI decisions. Escalation to human operators is an example.
I
Inbound Call
A call initiated by a customer to your business phone number.
Integration
A connection between Hanc.AI and an external service (Twilio, Google Calendar, CRM systems).
Intent
The goal or purpose behind a user's message. For example, "I want to book an appointment" has a booking intent.
K
Knowledge Base (KB)
A collection of documents containing business information that the AI uses to answer questions accurately.
Knowledge Retrieval
The process of finding relevant information from the knowledge base to answer a question. See RAG.
L
Latency
The delay between an action and its response. In voice AI, latency affects how natural conversations feel.
LiveKit
A WebRTC platform used by Hanc.AI for real-time voice communication in web widgets.
LLM (Large Language Model)
An AI model trained on vast amounts of text data, capable of understanding and generating human-like language. Examples: GPT-4, Claude, Gemini.
M
Model
See LLM. Also refers to specific versions like "GPT-4o" or "Claude 3.5 Sonnet."
Multi-Language Support
The ability to operate in multiple languages. Hanc.AI supports numerous languages for both speech recognition and synthesis.
N
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
The field of AI focused on enabling computers to understand and generate human language.
Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
A subset of NLP focused specifically on comprehending the meaning and intent of text or speech.
O
Outbound Call
A call initiated by your business (or AI agent) to a customer.
OpenAI
The company that created GPT models. A major AI provider integrated with Hanc.AI.
P
Parameter
A configuration setting that affects how an LLM generates responses. Examples: temperature, max tokens.
Phone Number
A telephone number (PSTN) connected to your Hanc.AI account for receiving and making calls.
Pipeline
A sequence of processing steps. The voice agent pipeline includes STT → LLM → TTS.
Prompt
Instructions given to an AI that define its behavior, personality, and constraints. The "programming" of your voice agent.
Prompt Engineering
The practice of crafting effective prompts to achieve desired AI behavior.
Provider
A company that provides AI services. Hanc.AI integrates with providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
R
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
A technique that enhances AI responses by retrieving relevant information from a knowledge base before generating a response.
Real-Time Processing
Processing that occurs immediately, without noticeable delay. Essential for natural voice conversations.
Recording
An audio file capturing a conversation. Can be enabled for call logs.
Retrieval Variable
A piece of information extracted from the knowledge base and made available to agent tools and actions.
S
Sentiment
The emotional tone of a message (positive, negative, neutral). Used in analytics to assess customer satisfaction.
Session
A single conversation between a caller and an agent, from start to finish.
Speech-to-Text (STT)
Technology that converts spoken audio into written text. Also called ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition).
Streaming
Continuous data transmission, as opposed to batch processing. Voice calls use streaming for real-time interaction.
System Prompt
The foundational instructions that define an agent's role and behavior. Also called "system message" or "base prompt."
T
Temperature
An LLM parameter controlling response randomness. Lower = more deterministic, higher = more creative/varied.
Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Technology that converts written text into spoken audio. Creates the agent's voice.
Token
A unit of text processed by an LLM. Roughly equivalent to a word or word fragment. Used for billing and context limits.
Tool
A capability given to an agent to perform specific actions, such as accessing a calendar, making API calls, or transferring calls.
Transcript
A written record of everything said during a call.
Transfer
See Escalation.
Twilio
A cloud communications platform that provides phone numbers and telephony services. The primary phone provider for Hanc.AI.
U
Utterance
A single spoken statement or question from a speaker in a conversation.
V
Vector Database
A database optimized for storing and searching embeddings. Used in RAG systems for semantic search.
Voice Agent
An AI assistant that communicates through spoken conversation. The core product of Hanc.AI.
Voice Widget
A web-based interface that allows website visitors to speak with an AI agent through their browser.
W
Webhook
An HTTP callback that sends data to an external URL when specific events occur. Used for integrations.
WebRTC
Web Real-Time Communication — a technology enabling real-time audio/video communication in web browsers.
Widget
A small application component that can be embedded in a website. Hanc.AI provides voice widgets.
Workspace
An organizational container in Hanc.AI that groups agents, knowledge bases, and team members. Usually represents one business or project.
Z
Zero-Shot Learning
An AI's ability to perform tasks without specific examples, based only on instruction descriptions.
Acronym Reference
| Acronym | Full Form |
|---|---|
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| API | Application Programming Interface |
| ASR | Automatic Speech Recognition |
| KB | Knowledge Base |
| LLM | Large Language Model |
| NLP | Natural Language Processing |
| NLU | Natural Language Understanding |
| RAG | Retrieval-Augmented Generation |
| STT | Speech-to-Text |
| TTS | Text-to-Speech |
| WebRTC | Web Real-Time Communication |
Need a Term Added?
If you encounter a term that's not in this glossary, please contact support@hanc.ai and we'll add it.