Overview

Computer-telephone integration (CTI) is an application that enables a host computer to function with a switch manufacturer or PBX that is dedicated to the telephone.  The simplistic form of a CTI is known as a hospitality package frequently used by the hotel-motel industry.  The CTI package links to a program running on a central computer that enables features to display applicable information to the intended recipients.  CTI interface also allows pop screen information to be displayed to a customer care representative, for instance in a call center setting.

CTI Technology

·        CTI is in its infancy, and most standards have proprietary origins which make it difficult to distinguish between hype and reality
·        It is important to understand your application and exactly what you want to accomplish, then the CTI choice of architecture will narrow
·        Major switch and computer manufacturers provide some form of open application interface that enables the computer and PBX to carry on a dialog

First-Party Call Control

·        This is a direct interface between the user’s personal computer and the telephone system
·        It is called first-party or phone-oriented call control because the telephone is connected to the computer, and computer keyboard entries directly control call processing
·        First-party call control is most often used for small sites because less expensive hardware is needed
·        Microsoft’s telephony applications programming interface (TAPI) is the industry’s primary example of first-party call control
·        TAPI is a link between a Windows-equipped PC and the telephone instrument.  It enables an application to set up and tear down calls, monitor progress, etc. and activate features such as hold, transfer, conference, park, and pickup
·        TAPI enables multiple applications to share a single phone line.  TAPI is a protocol stack that operates on IBM-compatible personal computers and is ideal for small offices
·        Two disadvantages of first-party are that it only works on certain classes of computers, and the telephone functions may not work if the power is turned off on the PC

Third-Party Call Control

·        Third-party or switch oriented control users communicate with the application program, which controls the telephone system through a separate interface.  The connection between the computer and telephone is logical, not physical
·        Switch oriented call control is more adaptable to large sites because it is not necessary to buy hardware and software for each desktop
·        Telephony services application programming interface (TSAPI) is a third-party control interface that uses computer-supported telecommunications application (CSTA) standards
·        TSAPI is a coding standard, not an architecture or feature set.  It is a Netware-loadable module that resides in a Novell server
·        CSTA, on which TSAPI is based, basic call control services include establishing and tearing down calls, answering calls at a device, activating and deactivating switch features
·        TSAPI ‘s main application is in call centers at the present time

Other Standards

TAPI and TSAPI are not the only Application Program Interfaces (API) available to developers.  There are competing APIs that developers can choose to implement their applications.

·        Universal Serial Bus - is an expansion scheme that replaces the serial card in a PC.  It enables the CTI by providing a high-speed serial connection to the PC’s bus
·        Signal Computing System Architecture (SCSA) – is an open software model for telephony systems.  SCSA is a general architecture for managing real-time or time-critical resources across a network
·        WinStock 2 – is a data communications protocol that provides a programming interface that allows applications to become independent of both the network and the protocol by providing a uniform interface to the application
·        Multivendor Integration Protocols (MVIP) – is a series of standards to integrate telephony with computer-related functions for automating communications.  It consists of a standard bus plus switching and operating systems
·        Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data (digital SVD) – enables users to talk and exchange data simultaneously during the same session.  Digital SVD generally facilitate applications such as, desktop conferencing and image sharing over an analog telephone line

CTI Applications

There are many applications that CTI enables.  Although, the industry is still in its infancy, managers can expect to see a flood of labor and time-saving features mentioned below.

Hospitality

·        The earliest application of CTI is the PBX hospitality package.  This application illustrates the way computers and the PBX can interact to improve productivity
·        Computers interact with PBX’s to perform the following functions:
·        Showing a hotel room as occupied in the PBX database, and unlocking restrictions on the telephone
·        Showing the guest’s name in the PBX database so that it displays on the telephone
·        Activating the guest’s voice mailbox
·        Integrating chargeable call information in the computer database

Call Centers

A major application for CTI is in call centers.  Nearly every call center has three major elements, the telephone system, the computer system, and the human agents.  CTI is the bridge between the telephone and the computer systems.  The following features are provided by most call center CTI applications.

·        Screen Synchronization - also called screen pop is a feature most common in the CTI application.  It delivers a call to an agent together with the customer’s account screen and information
·        Work Logging - records the actions handled by CTI
·        Terminal-Extension Correlation - this associates an agent terminal with ACD identification codes, and enables the computer to send calls to selected agents wherever they are sitting
·        Call Blending - automatically assigns agents to inbound or outbound calls based on the dialing systems load
·        Expert Agent Selection - when a call is routed to an agent based on their expertise and skill level in dealing with a particular issue
·        Callback Request - a feature that enables the caller to dial in a number for a call-back instead of waiting in the queue

Predictive Dialers

·        Primarily used in telemarketing and collections
·        Predictive dialers review the status of a group of agents and deliver calls set-up and ready to talk without effort on the agent’s part
·        The objective is to deliver connected calls to agents as they end the previous call
·        The system is able to recognize and reschedule calls to busy numbers, and terminate those that go to voice mail or answering machines

Unified Messaging

·        Many products are moving toward an interchangeable and convertible in basket
·        Unified Messaging allows people to listen to, read, and create voice-mail, e-mail, and fax messages from a telephone or a computer
·        In the telephone-centric version of the message center, it resides in voice mail, with fax calls sent to voice-mail by the switch, and e-mail messages arriving over a LAN
·        In the LAN-centric version, voice-mail is a server on the LAN, and the universal in basket resides in a computer
·        Chances are high that this architecture will eventually replace the present PBX

Justifying CTI

·        CTI is easiest to justify in call centers, where it brings the following benefits to the customer and company:
·        Customer service is enhanced, because customers state their information once, for example; account number, name, address, phone number, etc.
·        Revenue and productivity are enhance because the agent can handle additional calls with the time-saving features that CTI establishes
·        Improved job satisfaction because agents aren’t concerned with repetitive details
·        Abandoned calls can be captured, enabling agents to return the calls and improve customer satisfaction

Standards

·        Standards are available; however, most of them are proprietary and licensed by developers
·        A proprietary standard isn’t necessarily bad if it is widespread and universally accepted
·        However, on the minus side a proliferation of incompatible standards may result