Computer telephony integration (CTI) enables telephones to work with computers to facilitate a seamless exchange of information. It is commonly used in call center software, allowing agents to send and receive calls directly from a desktop and access a wealth of call-related capabilities. In this article, we discuss how computer telephony integration works, including its key features, benefits, and top service providers.
How Computer Telephony Integration Works
So what is CTI in call centers, and how does it work? Computer telephony integration software uses voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) technology to turn a computer into a business phone system extension. This allows you to perform various telephony functions, including the ability to answer, mute, hold, transfer, and hang up calls.
CTI links with business applications like ticketing platforms, help desks, and customer relationship management (CRM) software. When a call comes in, the system verifies the caller’s contact details with the CRM database. This provides the agent access to all relevant information about the caller, including billing history, location details, and past call logs—within a single interface.
Key CTI Functionalities
CTI systems can do more when you add various call management controls to your computer, from routing callers to tracking critical call center metrics. Click on the tabs below to see how CTI features are used in managing inbound and outbound calls.
Screen pop automatically displays caller information on agents’ screens once a call comes through. These include the client’s profile, interaction history, past orders, and agent notes. Instead of wasting time asking for and confirming customer information, the screen pop feature provides all relevant details within a single interface.
Nextiva’s Call Pop helps you determine the customer’s account details before answering the call. (Source: Nextiva)
In an outbound call center, automatic dialing saves agents time by skipping the actual dialing process. With CTI, the software automatically dials a list of phone numbers on a lead list and connects the call to an agent after someone is on the line, thus automating your outbound calling efforts.
Dialpad’s power dialer automatically dials the next phone number on your lead list right after you hang up the previous call.
(Source: Dialpad)
There are four auto-dialing modes: predictive, power, preview, and progressive. To understand how each one works, read our guide about outbound dialers.
Interactive voice response (IVR) manages incoming callers by routing them to where they need to be. Unlike an auto-attendant, a more simplified routing system, an IVR system uses voice inputs and speech recognition to interact with callers.
Twilio Studio lets you build an IVR menu via its drag-and-drop mechanism. (Source: Twilio)
CTI systems come with robust reporting functionality to generate insights into overall call center performance. Key metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) are monitored in real time, and extracted data is analyzed and consolidated into detailed reports. This allows you to spot call volumes, duration, and agent productivity trends.
RingCentral is known for its in-depth analytics tools and advanced reporting dashboards that help analyze call quality and track key metrics. (Source: RingCentral)
CTI makes call coaching relatively easy by allowing supervisors to listen, whisper, and barge in on an active call between an agent and a customer. Observing phone conversations is useful in improving quality assurance, agent training, and customer service delivery.
8×8’s call monitoring tools enable supervisors to track phone conversations of select extensions. (Source: 8×8)
Top CTI Providers
In understanding what CTI is, it’s important to be familiarized with which solutions offer this functionality. Typically, these are providers of VoIP phone systems with an upgraded contact center offering. If you’re in the market for CTI solutions, take a look at our top picks below.
CTI Providers | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | Custom pricing |
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 | $95 |
| No Review Yet |
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 | $40 |
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The Benefits of CTI
Now you know what computer technology integration is, it’s time to see how CTI can help attain your business goals. There are plenty of ways CTI enhances customer service efficiency—from cost savings to more productive agents. Below, we enumerate the reasons why CTI can bring a competitive advantage to your call center.
- Reduced cost: CTIs eliminate the use of clunky desk phones, which are expensive to set up and maintain. Since CTI is deeply integrated with contact center software, agents only need to log in and work from their computer or a mobile device. This makes CTI cheaper to implement, especially if you’re managing a remote workforce.
- Increased agent productivity: CTI helps automate routine tasks and deflect queries that don’t require a human touch. Agents don’t have to deal with every incoming call because call routing capabilities will take care of it. Plus, linking CTI with a CRM saves agents’ time by giving them quick access to customer data without the need to dig through databases.
- Enhanced customer experience: CTI facilitates personalized engagement, making callers feel they matter to the company. With self-service options and intelligent call routing strategies, callers are always connected to the right agent and are empowered to resolve their issues independently.
- Digitizes customer touchpoints: One of the standout benefits of CTI is how it digitizes customer interactions. Aside from making phone calls, customers can reach out through their preferred channels, whether by SMS, live chat, email, or social media. This promotes an omnichannel experience for customers and centralized data management for agents.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The answer depends on the current business apps you’re using. If you want to link a CTI solution to your existing customer relationship management (CRM) system, pick a provider with built-in integrations with your CRM. CTI solutions vary in price, features, and scalability, so make sure to explore your options. The best CTI software should be flexible enough to meet your business needs and budget.
No. A CTI solution should be a part of the contact center package you purchased. However, other providers would require you to subscribe to higher-level plans to access advanced CTI features like automated dialing, screen pop, and analytics.
Almost any type of call center operation will benefit from a CTI solution. However, it is more common in service industries involving frequent customer interactions, such as healthcare, finance, ecommerce, and hospitality management.
Bottom Line
In this era of digitalization, companies must continuously find ways to incorporate new technology into their daily processes. Integrating CTI within your call center operations gives your business a greater chance of improving efficiency and overall customer service. Make sure to check out the best call center phone systems offering a wealth of CTI capabilities, and learn how to maximize their advantages further.
