Glossary

How should you use this glossary?

Use it when a vendor's terms or a regulation uses a word you need to pin down before you buy or take calls. Buying calls and leads mixes three vocabularies. Telephony terms such as ANI, DNIS, SIP and concurrency describe how a call reaches you. Billing terms such as billable duration, buffer, cost per lead and cost per acquisition describe what you pay and what it is worth. Insurance and Medicare terms such as AEP, SEP, scope of appointment, TPMO, chargeback and persistency describe what you can sell, when, and what you keep. Vendors do not always use the same word for the same thing: one calls a billing threshold a qualifying timer, another a billable duration, and Callmart calls it a buffer. Each definition here is short on purpose and links to a longer page when one exists. Medicare windows are taken from Medicare.gov, and rule terms quote the regulation they come from.

Terms A to Z

Abandonment rate

Abandonment rate is the share of callers who hang up before anyone answers. On a bought call it usually means paying for traffic your desk never spoke to, so it is worth tracking next to answer rate.

Advance commission

An advance commission is part of a policy's first-year commission that a carrier pays up front, before the client has paid those months of premium. If the policy lapses early, the unearned part can be charged back. Read more

AEP (Annual Enrollment Period)

AEP is the Medicare window from October 15 to December 7 each year when people can join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage and drug plans. It is the busiest season for Medicare call desks. Read more

Aged lead

An aged lead is a lead record sold days, weeks or months after the consumer first asked for information, usually at a much lower price than a real-time lead because many buyers may already have called it. Read more

ANI (automatic number identification)

ANI is the caller's phone number as the phone network delivers it with the call. Buyers use it for caller ID, duplicate checks and routing by area code or state. Read more

Answer rate

Answer rate is the share of calls delivered to your line that someone actually picks up. A low answer rate wastes supply and, with most vendors, hurts how much traffic you are offered. Read more

Average handle time (AHT)

Average handle time is the talk time, hold time and after-call work for one call, averaged across calls. It drives how many calls one agent can take in a day. Read more

Billable call

A billable call is a call that meets the buyer's billing rule. On Callmart that means the call's connected time reached the buffer the buyer chose; shorter or unanswered calls are not billed. Read more

Billable duration

Billable duration is the minimum connected time a call must reach before it is charged. Vendors also call it a qualifying timer; Callmart calls it a buffer. Read more

Buffer

Buffer is Callmart's word for the connected-time threshold tied to each price. A call is billed once, after it ends, only if connected time reaches the buffer. The shortest buffer on Callmart is 10 seconds. Read more

Buyer

In pay per call, the buyer is the business that pays for calls: an agent, an agency or a call center. The publisher is the side that generates and delivers them. Read more

Call recording

Call recording is the saved audio of a call. Buyers use recordings for coaching, disputes and quality review, and recording laws differ by state. Read more

Chargeback

A chargeback is commission a carrier takes back after a policy lapses or is canceled within the period covered by an advance. Early lapses on Final Expense policies are the most common cause. Read more

Close rate

Close rate is the share of calls or leads that turn into written policies. It is the number that decides what you can afford to pay per call. Read more

CNAM (caller name)

CNAM is the caller name database that some carriers look up to show a business or person's name next to the number. Branded caller ID services go further, adding a logo or reason for the call. Read more

Concurrency cap

A concurrency cap is the most calls a destination can take at the same moment. Each Callmart App phone takes one call at a time; phone and SIP lines can be set higher by owners and managers. Read more

Connected time

Connected time is the time from when your line answers until the call ends. Ringing does not count, but time a caller spends in your own IVR or voicemail after your line answers does. Read more

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition is everything you spent on calls or leads divided by the policies they produced. It is the cleanest way to compare sources that price differently. Read more

Cost per call

Cost per call is what you pay for one billable call. The real cost also includes the agent time spent on calls that do not close. Read more

Cost per lead (CPL)

Cost per lead is the price of one lead record. Because a lead still has to be reached, comparing CPL with a per-call price needs your contact rate as well as your close rate. Read more

CTV call

A CTV call comes from Connected TV advertising: the caller saw an ad on a streaming service and dialed the number on screen. Read more

D-SNP (Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan)

A D-SNP is a Medicare Advantage plan for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Eligibility has to be checked before enrollment, so desks that take Medicare calls should know how to spot a dual eligible caller. Read more

Dayparting

Dayparting is choosing the hours and days you take calls. On Callmart, optional campaign hours set one Eastern time window per weekday or the same window every day. Read more

Destination number

A destination number is the phone number or SIP address a bought call rings. It can be a desk phone, a cell phone, a call center queue or a softphone. Read more

DID number

A DID (direct inward dialing) number is a phone number that routes straight to a line or system without an operator. Call vendors use DIDs to track which campaign a call came from. Read more

DNIS (dialed number identification service)

DNIS is the number the caller dialed, delivered with the call so the receiving system knows which ad or campaign produced it.

Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry lists numbers whose owners do not want telemarketing calls. It governs outbound calling; a consumer who calls you is a different situation. Read more

Duplicate call

A duplicate call is a repeat call from the same caller within a set window. Vendors handle duplicates differently, so read the policy before you buy. Read more

E.164

E.164 is the international phone number format, a plus sign and country code followed by the number, such as +15555550123. Most call platforms store numbers this way. Read more

Exclusive lead

An exclusive lead is a lead record sold to one buyer only. It usually costs more than a shared lead. Callmart calls are not exclusive unless a Campaign Order says otherwise. Read more

Final expense insurance

Final expense insurance is a small whole life policy, usually bought by older adults to cover funeral and end-of-life costs. Many policies are sold by phone. Read more

Graded benefit

A graded benefit policy pays a reduced death benefit for natural causes during an early period, then the full benefit after it. The terms vary by carrier, so read the policy form.

Guaranteed issue

A guaranteed issue policy is offered without health questions within its age limits. It typically costs more and often carries a graded benefit period.

IEP (Initial Enrollment Period)

The Initial Enrollment Period is the 7 month Medicare window that starts 3 months before the month a person turns 65 and ends 3 months after it. Read more

IVR (interactive voice response)

An IVR is an automated phone menu that answers a call and asks the caller to press keys or speak. Some vendors use one to screen callers before transfer. Read more

Live transfer

A live transfer is a call that a screener or call center qualifies first, then hands to the buyer while the consumer stays on the line. Read more

MAPD

MAPD is a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D prescription drug coverage. Most Medicare Advantage enrollment conversations involve MAPD plans. Read more

Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are offered by Medicare-approved private companies and cover Part A and Part B benefits, often with drug coverage and extra benefits. Read more

Medicare Supplement (Medigap)

A Medicare Supplement policy, or Medigap, is sold by private insurers to help pay costs Original Medicare does not cover, such as coinsurance and deductibles. It cannot be combined with Medicare Advantage.

Non-resident license

A non-resident license lets an agent licensed in a home state sell insurance in another state. Telesales agents often hold several so they can take calls from more states. Read more

OEP (Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period)

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31. People already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make one change: switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare and join a drug plan. Read more

Pay per call

Pay per call is a model where the buyer pays for phone calls that meet a billing rule rather than for clicks or form fills. Read more

Persistency

Persistency is the share of policies still in force after a set period, such as 13 months. Low persistency means chargebacks and a higher real cost per sale. Read more

Ping post

Ping post is a two-step sale: a seller pings buyers with limited details, buyers answer with a bid or a yes, then the winning buyer receives the full lead or the call. Read more

Prepaid wallet

A prepaid wallet is a balance you fund in advance and calls draw from. On Callmart it is funded by card through Stripe, and delivery pauses when the balance cannot cover a call. Read more

Publisher

A publisher is the business that generates calls, through ads, TV, search or other media, and delivers them to buyers for a payout. Read more

Ring tree

A ring tree is a routing setup that offers a call to a list of buyers or destinations in order until one accepts it.

RTB (real-time bidding)

Real-time bidding for calls means buyers bid on each call in the moment before it is routed, and the call goes to the winning bid that is available. Read more

Scope of appointment (SOA)

A scope of appointment records which Medicare plan types a beneficiary agreed to discuss before a personal marketing appointment, under 42 CFR 422.2264. Read more

Screened call

A screened call has been qualified upstream, through an IVR or a script, before it reaches the buyer. Read more

SEP (Special Enrollment Period)

A Special Enrollment Period lets a person change Medicare coverage outside the usual windows after a qualifying event, such as moving or losing other coverage. Read more

Shared lead

A shared lead is a lead record sold to more than one buyer, so several agents may call the same consumer. Read more

SIP

SIP (session initiation protocol) is the standard used to set up internet phone calls. Larger buyers often receive calls at a SIP address instead of a phone number. Read more

Softphone

A softphone is a phone that runs as software in a browser or app. The Callmart softphone runs in the browser, so an agent with a headset needs no desk phone. Read more

Speed to lead

Speed to lead is the time between a consumer's request and your first contact. It matters for data leads; with an inbound call the consumer is already on the line.

STIR/SHAKEN

STIR/SHAKEN is the caller ID authentication framework the FCC requires voice providers to use, so carriers can verify that a calling number has not been spoofed.

T65 (turning 65)

T65 refers to people approaching Medicare eligibility at age 65, during their Initial Enrollment Period. Read more

TCPA

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is the federal law that limits telemarketing calls and texts and sets consent rules for automated calling. Read more

TPMO (third-party marketing organization)

A TPMO is an organization or individual, including independent agents and brokers, compensated for lead generation, marketing, sales or enrollment for Medicare Advantage or Part D plans (42 CFR 422.2260). Read more

Voice signature

A voice signature is a recorded verbal agreement that some carriers accept in place of a written signature on applications taken by phone. Each carrier sets its own process.

Warm transfer

A warm transfer is a handoff where the first person introduces the caller to the next before dropping off, as opposed to a cold transfer with no introduction. Read more

Common questions