Glossary
Definitions of the terms used across Chatley — agent, workspace, knowledge base, structured outputs, DNC, transfer, and more.
The terms used throughout this documentation, in plain language.
Agent
An AI voice agent: a configured persona with a voice, a set of instructions, and usually a phone number. The thing that actually talks to a caller. See Agents.
AI receptionist
An agent configured to answer inbound calls for a business — taking messages, answering questions, and booking appointments.
Attestation (DNC)
The acknowledgement you accept before an agent may place outbound calls, confirming you are responsible for compliance with calling law. See Compliance.
Call transfer
Handing a live call to another number, such as Sales or Support. See Call transfer.
Campaign
A list of contacts an agent calls or texts in one run. See Campaigns.
DNC (Do Not Call)
A list of numbers that must not be called. Chatley checks every outbound call against your account-wide list.
Ikora
Chatley's own assistant for managing your account by asking, rather than clicking. Formerly called Architect. See Ikora.
Inbound / outbound
Inbound is a call that comes to you. Outbound is a call your agent places. They carry very different legal obligations — outbound is the regulated direction.
Knowledge base
Documents and web pages attached to an agent so it can answer from your material rather than guessing. See Knowledge base.
Follow-up
An automatic series of texts, calls and emails that starts when something happens — a new lead, a sent quote — and stops when the contact replies, books or answers. See Follow-ups.
Lead capture
Collecting contact details and intent, either from a hosted form or from the call itself. See Lead capture.
Live monitoring
Listening to a call in progress, whispering guidance to the agent, or taking the call over yourself. See Live monitoring.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
An open standard that lets an external AI assistant connect to Chatley and use its tools. See MCP server.
Needs review
The queue in Calls of high-risk calls and upset callers, until someone marks them reviewed.
Needs inspection
A quote the Quote Agent did not price — the job isn't on your price list, something the customer said needs a look first, or the total is over your limit. It comes to you without a price being given to the customer.
Price list
Your rates, fees, items and the jobs you quote. The Quote Agent prices every quote from it and never invents a number. See Price list.
Quote Agent
An AI agent that prices jobs from your price list in your website chat, on a hosted quote form and by phone, then sends each quote once you approve it. See Quote Agent.
Call data (structured outputs)
Named fields you define and the agent fills during a call, returned as data rather than prose. See Call data.
TCPA
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the principal US law governing outbound calling. Obligations sit with you as the caller.
Template
A reusable set of agent instructions you can start from or save. See Templates.
Texting registration
The carrier approval US businesses need before they can send texts: a business profile, then a texting campaign. See Texting registration.
Transcript
The text of what was said on a call, produced automatically alongside the recording.
Two-party consent
A legal requirement in some jurisdictions that every participant consent before a call is recorded. See Call recording & consent.
Webhook
An HTTP callback Chatley sends to your systems when something happens, such as a lead being captured. See Webhooks.
Workspace
A container for agents and their resources, and the unit of access control. See Workspaces.