You don't need to memorize this list — just know where to find it. Definitions are written in the order they'd actually come up while setting up FrontDesk.
Setup & accounts
Practice / Location — A single physical office. One practice in FrontDesk = one calendar, one phone configuration, one team.
Organization — A business that owns one or more practices. Billing, plan, and team roles live at the organization level.
Plan — Your monthly subscription tier (Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise). Determines included minutes, SMS volume, locations, and which features are unlocked.
Phone numbers & porting
DID (Direct Inward Dial) — Industry term for a regular phone number. The number you buy or port is technically a "DID."
Local number — A standard 10-digit US number with a geographic area code (e.g., 415, 212). Cheaper, feels personal, requires A2P 10DLC for SMS.
Toll-free number — Starts with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833. Works nationwide, slightly higher cost, requires toll-free verification for high-volume SMS.
Vanity number — A number that spells a word (1-800-DENTIST). Easier to remember, harder to find available.
Port / Porting — Moving an existing phone number from your current carrier to FrontDesk so the AI can answer it.
LOA (Letter of Authorization) — The document you sign to authorize a port. Says "yes, I really want my number moved."
FOC (Firm Order Commitment) — The carrier's promise that they'll release your number on a specific date. You get a FOC date a few days into a port.
Port-out — Moving your number away from FrontDesk to another provider. You can do this at any time.
SMS registration
A2P 10DLC — "Application-to-Person 10-digit long code." The US registration program that lets local numbers send business SMS reliably. Required before sending SMS from any local number.
Brand — Your business identity registered with carriers. Verified once, attached to all your local numbers.
Campaign — The use case attached to your brand (usually "Appointment Reminders & Customer Care" for FrontDesk).
Toll-free verification — The equivalent registration for toll-free numbers. Separate from A2P 10DLC.
Opt-in — The proof that a patient agreed to receive SMS. Carriers require this for any registration.
STOP/HELP keywords — Standard SMS replies that turn off (STOP) or request help (HELP). FrontDesk handles both automatically.
Caller ID
CNAM (Caller Name) — The text shown next to your number on the recipient's phone ("SUNNY DENTAL"). Set per number, costs ~$15/month, takes weeks to propagate.
STIR/SHAKEN — A carrier framework that authenticates that the caller-ID number really belongs to the caller. Helps your outbound calls avoid being marked "Spam Likely." Automatic on FrontDesk-issued numbers.
Branded calling — A newer carrier feature that shows your logo and business name on the recipient's screen. On the FrontDesk roadmap.
Calls & SMS
Inbound — A call or SMS coming to your FrontDesk number.
Outbound — A call or SMS sent from your FrontDesk number to a patient.
Turn — In an AI conversation, one back-and-forth exchange (caller speaks, AI responds).
Transfer — Handing the call off from the AI to a human staff line.
Voicemail — A recorded message left by the caller. FrontDesk transcribes and summarizes these automatically.
Two-party consent — Recording law in 11 states requiring all parties to consent to a call being recorded. FrontDesk announces recording on every call by default.
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) — US law governing automated calls and SMS. Sets time-of-day rules and opt-out requirements that FrontDesk enforces automatically.
Compliance
HIPAA — US health privacy law. Applies to any business that handles patient health information.
Covered Entity — A healthcare provider, plan, or clearinghouse subject to HIPAA. Most of our customers are covered entities.
Business Associate — A vendor (like FrontDesk) that handles PHI on behalf of a covered entity.
BAA (Business Associate Agreement) — The contract between a covered entity and a business associate that allows them to handle PHI together. Available on Professional+ plans.
PHI (Protected Health Information) — Any patient information tied to identity (name + appointment, name + diagnosis, etc.). Encrypted at rest and in transit on FrontDesk.
PII (Personally Identifiable Information) — Broader term: any info that identifies a person. PHI is a subset of PII.
ESIGN — US law making electronic signatures legally equivalent to ink. Used for the BAA, opt-in consent, etc.