Computer Telephony Integration

Essay by hmshort2469University, Master'sA+, September 2006

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Introduction and Thesis:

Computer Telephony Integration, or CTI, is an emerging technology that many companies use or plan to use in the near future. What is CTI? By definition, CTI is "the use of computers to handle telephone calls". In its simplest form, CTI is a computerized call center. The main purpose of CTI is to task a computer with the various functions of a traditional PBX (Public Branch Exchange) while integrating other functions which include call routing (incoming and outgoing, interoffice and external), caller identification, paging, alarm monitoring, faxes, voice mail, email, and Internet messaging, to name just a few. Plus, there are many software packages available that enable even more functionality. For instance, one package allows for the use of IVR (Interactive Voice Response) which lets the caller "complete their own transactions" without the need for a live attendant on the other end. This same package can also draw information from a database in order to route certain calls based on a combination of the caller's choices and this queried data.

The purpose of today's presentation is to provide a deeper understanding of CTI by defining what it is and how it is being used. We are going to present some of the advantages of using this technology, some of the companies that currently have this in place, some regulatory and privacy hurdles that are necessary to overcome, what the global impact of CTI might be, and what the future holds for CTI.

Technology Requirements for CTI

Over the years CTI has become a very popular technology and, because of its overwhelming growth, there are multiple solution vendors and many different ways to implement the technology. By combining the tools of computer and telephone systems together companies have been able to provide their end users with more...