Computer telephony integration (CTI) is technology that allows interactions on
a telephone and a computer to be integrated or co-ordinated. As contact channels
have expanded from voice to include email, web, and fax, the definition of CTI
has expanded to include the integration of all customer contact channels (voice,
email, web, fax, etc.) with computer systems.
Common functions The following functions can be implemented using CTI:
Call information display (caller's number (ANI), number dialed (DNIS), and
Screen population on answer, with or without using calling line data Automatic
dialing and computer controlled dialing (fast dial, preview, and predictive
dial.) Phone control. (answer, hang up, hold, conference, etc.) Coordinated
phone and data transfers between two parties (ie pass on the Screen pop with the
call) Call center phone control. (logging on; after-call work notification)
Advanced functions such as call routing, reporting functions, automation of
desktop activities, and multi-channel blending of phone, e-mail, and web
requests Agent state control (for example, after-call work for a set duration,
then automatic change to the ready state)
Forms of CTI Generally, there are two forms of CTI.
First-party call control First party call control operates as if there is a
direct connection between the user's computer and the phone set. An example of
this would be a modem card in a desktop computer, or a phone plugged directly
into the computer. Typically, only the computer associated with the phone can
control it, by sending command directly to the phone. The computer can control
all the functions of the phone, normally at the computer user's direction.
First party call control is the easiest to implement but is not suited to large
scale applications such as call centers. Third-party call control Third-party
call control is more difficult to implement and often requires a dedicated
telephony server to interface between the telephone network and the computer
network. Third party call control works by sending commands from a user's
computer to a telephony server, which in turn controls the phone centrally.
Specifically, the user's computer has no direct connection to the phone set,
which is actually controlled by an external device. Information about a phone
call can be displayed on the corresponding computer workstation's screen while
instructions to control the phone can be sent from the computer to the telephone
network. Any computer in the network has the potential to control any phone in
the telephone system. The phone does not need to be attached directly to the
user's computer, although it may physically be integrated into the computer
(such as a VoIP soft phone), requiring only a microphone and headset in the
circuit, without even a keypad, to connect to the telephone network.
CTI application event flow
A typical CTI application manages the event flow that is generated by the
telephony switch during the life cycle of a call. This typically proceeds along the
following sequence:
Set up Deliver (ringing) Establish (answer) Clear (hang up) End Other call
events that can be handled by a typical CTI solution include the following:
Hold Retrieve from hold Conference Transfer Forward CTI applications handle
events related to automated call distribution (ACD) such as:
Agent logged in Agent available Agent not available Agent ready Agent not ready
CTI history
The origins of CTI can be found in simple Screen Population
(or "Screen Pop") technology. This allows data collected from the telephone
systems to be used as input data to query databases with customer information
and populate that data instantaneously in the customer service representative
screen. The net effect is the agent already has the required screen on his/her
terminal before speaking with the customer.
This technology started gaining widespread adoption in markets like North
America and UK/Northern European countries.
There were several standards which had a major impact in the ´normalization´ of
in the industry, previously fully closed and proprietary to each PBX/ACD vendor.
On the software level, the most adopted interface by vendors is the CSTA
standard, which is approved by the standards-body ITU. Other well known CTI
standards in the industry are JTAPI, TSAPI and TAPI: JTAPI, the Java Telephony
API is promoted by Sun; TSAPI, originally promoted by the AT&T (later Lucent
then Avaya) and Novell, by far the most adopted in large scale contact centers;
Microsoft pushed their own initiative also, and thus TAPI was born, with support
mostly from Windows applications.
Among the key players in this area, Lucent played a big role and IBM acquired
ROLM Inc, a US pioneer in ACDs, in an attempt to normalize all major PBX vendor
interfaces with its CallPath middleware.
This attempt failed when it sold this company to Siemens AG and gradually
divested in the area. A pioneer startup that combined the technologies of voice
digitization, Token Ring networking, and time-division multiplexing was ZTEL of
Wilmington, MA. ZTEL's computer-based voice and data network combined
user-programmable voice call processing features, protocol conversion for
automated "data call processing," database-driven directory and telset definitions,
and custom LSI chipset technology.
Unfortunately, ZTEL ran into funding and management problems, and it ceased
operation in 1986. Another player more successful in that mission was Digital
Equipment Corporation which developed CTI software, including a vendor
abstraction middleware. It was sold to Dialogic, which in turn was purchased by
Intel.
On the hardware level, there was a paradigm shift since 1993, with emerging
standards from IETF, which led to several new players like Dialogic, Brooktrout,
NMS offering telephony interfacing boards for various networks and elements.
Several early CTI vendors and developers have changed hands over the years.
An example is Nabnasset, which was a consulting firm in Massachusetts that
developed a CORBA based CTI solution for a client and then decided to make it
into a general product. It was eventually bought by the Quintus CRM company,
which went bankrupt and was purchased by Avaya Telecommunications.
Smaller organisations have also survived from the early days and have leveraged
their heritage to thrive. However, many of the 1980s startups that were inspired by
the "Bell Breakup" and the coming competitive telephony marketplace, did not
survive the decade.
Attributes and Credits
The information and facts supplied on this subject
derive from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
a telephone and a computer to be integrated or co-ordinated. As contact channels
have expanded from voice to include email, web, and fax, the definition of CTI
has expanded to include the integration of all customer contact channels (voice,
email, web, fax, etc.) with computer systems.
Common functions The following functions can be implemented using CTI:
Call information display (caller's number (ANI), number dialed (DNIS), and
Screen population on answer, with or without using calling line data Automatic
dialing and computer controlled dialing (fast dial, preview, and predictive
dial.) Phone control. (answer, hang up, hold, conference, etc.) Coordinated
phone and data transfers between two parties (ie pass on the Screen pop with the
call) Call center phone control. (logging on; after-call work notification)
Advanced functions such as call routing, reporting functions, automation of
desktop activities, and multi-channel blending of phone, e-mail, and web
requests Agent state control (for example, after-call work for a set duration,
then automatic change to the ready state)
Forms of CTI Generally, there are two forms of CTI.
First-party call control First party call control operates as if there is a
direct connection between the user's computer and the phone set. An example of
this would be a modem card in a desktop computer, or a phone plugged directly
into the computer. Typically, only the computer associated with the phone can
control it, by sending command directly to the phone. The computer can control
all the functions of the phone, normally at the computer user's direction.
First party call control is the easiest to implement but is not suited to large
scale applications such as call centers. Third-party call control Third-party
call control is more difficult to implement and often requires a dedicated
telephony server to interface between the telephone network and the computer
network. Third party call control works by sending commands from a user's
computer to a telephony server, which in turn controls the phone centrally.
Specifically, the user's computer has no direct connection to the phone set,
which is actually controlled by an external device. Information about a phone
call can be displayed on the corresponding computer workstation's screen while
instructions to control the phone can be sent from the computer to the telephone
network. Any computer in the network has the potential to control any phone in
the telephone system. The phone does not need to be attached directly to the
user's computer, although it may physically be integrated into the computer
(such as a VoIP soft phone), requiring only a microphone and headset in the
circuit, without even a keypad, to connect to the telephone network.
CTI application event flow
A typical CTI application manages the event flow that is generated by the
telephony switch during the life cycle of a call. This typically proceeds along the
following sequence:
Set up Deliver (ringing) Establish (answer) Clear (hang up) End Other call
events that can be handled by a typical CTI solution include the following:
Hold Retrieve from hold Conference Transfer Forward CTI applications handle
events related to automated call distribution (ACD) such as:
Agent logged in Agent available Agent not available Agent ready Agent not ready
CTI history
The origins of CTI can be found in simple Screen Population
(or "Screen Pop") technology. This allows data collected from the telephone
systems to be used as input data to query databases with customer information
and populate that data instantaneously in the customer service representative
screen. The net effect is the agent already has the required screen on his/her
terminal before speaking with the customer.
This technology started gaining widespread adoption in markets like North
America and UK/Northern European countries.
There were several standards which had a major impact in the ´normalization´ of
in the industry, previously fully closed and proprietary to each PBX/ACD vendor.
On the software level, the most adopted interface by vendors is the CSTA
standard, which is approved by the standards-body ITU. Other well known CTI
standards in the industry are JTAPI, TSAPI and TAPI: JTAPI, the Java Telephony
API is promoted by Sun; TSAPI, originally promoted by the AT&T (later Lucent
then Avaya) and Novell, by far the most adopted in large scale contact centers;
Microsoft pushed their own initiative also, and thus TAPI was born, with support
mostly from Windows applications.
Among the key players in this area, Lucent played a big role and IBM acquired
ROLM Inc, a US pioneer in ACDs, in an attempt to normalize all major PBX vendor
interfaces with its CallPath middleware.
This attempt failed when it sold this company to Siemens AG and gradually
divested in the area. A pioneer startup that combined the technologies of voice
digitization, Token Ring networking, and time-division multiplexing was ZTEL of
Wilmington, MA. ZTEL's computer-based voice and data network combined
user-programmable voice call processing features, protocol conversion for
automated "data call processing," database-driven directory and telset definitions,
and custom LSI chipset technology.
Unfortunately, ZTEL ran into funding and management problems, and it ceased
operation in 1986. Another player more successful in that mission was Digital
Equipment Corporation which developed CTI software, including a vendor
abstraction middleware. It was sold to Dialogic, which in turn was purchased by
Intel.
On the hardware level, there was a paradigm shift since 1993, with emerging
standards from IETF, which led to several new players like Dialogic, Brooktrout,
NMS offering telephony interfacing boards for various networks and elements.
Several early CTI vendors and developers have changed hands over the years.
An example is Nabnasset, which was a consulting firm in Massachusetts that
developed a CORBA based CTI solution for a client and then decided to make it
into a general product. It was eventually bought by the Quintus CRM company,
which went bankrupt and was purchased by Avaya Telecommunications.
Smaller organisations have also survived from the early days and have leveraged
their heritage to thrive. However, many of the 1980s startups that were inspired by
the "Bell Breakup" and the coming competitive telephony marketplace, did not
survive the decade.
Attributes and Credits
The information and facts supplied on this subject
derive from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
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