Interaction Channels - Explain the Open CTI features, architecture and Implications

Overview

• Open CTI is a browser-based and Platform Independent JavaScript API that helps to build and integrate third-party computer-telephony integration (CTI) systems with Salesforce Call Center.
• With Open CTI, you can make calls from a softphone directly in Salesforce without installing CTI adapters on your machines.
• It offers both desktop-based interactions and server functionality.
• It does not need any desktop component installations.
• There are separate Open CTI APIs for Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience.
• These Open CTI APIs are used by CTI vendors and Partners to create Open CTI Implementations.
• With Open CTI vendors and partners can:
  • Build CTI systems that integrate with Salesforce without the use of CTI adapters.
  • Create customizable softphones (call-control tools) that function as fully integrated parts of Salesforce and the Salesforce console.
  • Provide users with CTI systems that are browser and platform agnostic.

Features

• Open CTI is a browser and platform agnostic.
• Browser-based calling offers an integrated experience using a single user interface and eliminates the confusion caused by multiple windows or applications.
• CTI helps service teams reduce call handle times and increase first call resolution rates by providing screen pops to agents with the information they need to resolve customer issues.
• CTI enables to do a wide range of things that will improve sales and service including:
  • Identifying and routing incoming calls to the right person or department
  • Logging, recording and storing calls for quality assurance and compliance
  • Offering screen pops to your agents with information about the caller, their account, open cases or call history
  • Embedding a soft phone dial pad into your Salesforce interface so that calls can be made using VoIP (voice over internet protocol) or traditional PSTN (public switched telephone network)
  • Enabling agents to click-to-dial or auto-dial contacts
  • Monitoring and measuring key performance indicators like average handle time, first-call resolution, dropped call percentages and more.
• The productivity of Support agents increases because of key Salesforce CTI features as below
  • Click-to-dial turns telephone numbers into clickable links that are used to place outbound calls removing the need for slow, error-prone manual dialing
  • Automatic Dialing (dialer) allows creating lead/contact lists within Salesforce. Leads/Contacts can then be automatically dialed.
  • Screen-pop delivers customers information along with the inbound call so that agents get advanced warning of who is calling.
  • SoftPhone helps agents in making and receiving phone calls using a headset, computer and internet connection. Using a contact pad displayed from within Salesforce Interface, agents can place, transfer, park or conference calls.
  • Automatic call logging and Recording helps in logging and recording every call in Salesforce ensuring we get a complete view of activity while saving agents time.
  • Local Presence helps in enabling agents to call into any area and present a local number to the prospect/customer to improve pickup rates.
  • Voicemail Drop can be used to pre-record a voice message that can be left automatically if a customer does not pick a call.
  • Hot Desking allows integrating with existing phone system. Agent can input any phone number and have incoming calls sent to that number.
  • Interactive Voice Response gives callers options to route themselves to the right departments or provide them with self-service options.
  • Skills-based Routing gives the ability to create skills and assign those skills to agents. This helps in routing calls to right agents.
  • Intelligent Routing helps in routing calls to right agent using any data that is help inside salesforce.
  • Simple Authentication of the Caller will allow telephone numbers to act as authentication method making it simpler to identify and verify callers.
  • Centralized and Simplified Call Reporting: All of your important telephone data is inside Salesforce and is centralized and simple to create detailed reports for deep insights.
  • Inside View of Multiple/Global Call Centers: Operating on top of telephony platforms, cloud technology can easily sit across all the call centers that enables viewing of all data in one place, inside Salesforce.
  • Access to Market-leading Technology: The benefits of delivering technology from the cloud mean that the barrier of huge upfront costs has been removed granting access to great technology to all.
• Developers can create customizable softphones and call-control tools that function as fully integrated parts of Salesforce and Salesforce Console.
• Offer Callers Simple Self-Service or the option to connect to a Live Agent.
• Route calls from your toll-free phone number
• Call Handle times are reduced.
• Provides an ability to Monitor, Measure and Maximize Call Center Performance

Architecture

• Implementation will be specific to the call center you’re using and their APIs.A typical inbound flow would look like this

  • A call comes into your phone system.
  • Your softphone becomes aware of the call, probably by using an API call to the phone system. Either through apex callouts or via an HTML page living on the phone system or similar. This is internal implementation for the softphone based on what system it’s using.
  • The softphone now uses Open CTI to do something like a screen pop to search for any contact that might match the caller’s number, create a new task to track the call and so on.
  • Your agent finishes the call and clicks hang up on the softphone. Open CTI can do things like finalize the call task and fire events to finish wrap up.
  • The softphone sends a hang-up message or something to your call system to actually end the call with the user.

• Similarly in a typical outbound flow an agent initiates the call from Softphone, it is routed through the Open CTI adapter and telephony system to the recipient.

• Open CTI can work with both On-Premise or Cloudbased telephony system

• Calls are translated into XML formats and communicated by the adapter to vendor’s phone system.

Implications

• Requirements need to be wet out and the adapter that meets the requirements needs to be downloaded and installed from the AppExchange. Ask below key questions
  • What phone systems do they integrate with?
  • What carriers do they work with?
  • Is it cloud or on-premise?
  • does it scale?
  • It is Flexible?
  • Is it browser agnostic?
  • Is it OS agnostic?
  • Does it include phone service?
  • what are upfront and ongoing costs?
  • what are the system requirements?
  • How long will it take to deploy?
  • Do they own their code?
  • Is it multi-tenant/true cloud?
  • Is it truly global?
  • Does it need downloads or Java
• Call center needs to be configured in Salesforce and agents assigned to the call center.
• Softphone layout needs to be assigned to users profiles.
• For On-premise applications CTI adapters compatibility needs to be evaluated.
• No installation required on agents machine.

References

• Salesforce Open CTI
• Computer Telephony Integration for Salesforce by NewVoiceMedia
• Get to Know Your Softphone Features
• Open CTI Developer Guide