Computer telephony integration

A comprehensive manual on utilizing CTI

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) solutions have revolutionized the way businesses interact with their customers. With the right CTI solution, businesses can achieve seamless and personalized phone service, making customer conversations more productive and less awkward. However, choosing the right CTI solution for your business can be a daunting task, and with so many options available, it can be easy to make the wrong choice.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of a good CTI solution and how it can empower your team. We’ll also provide tips on choosing the right CTI solution for your business and configuring and evolving it to meet your specific needs.

What Is CTI

CTI stands for Computer Telephony Integration. It is a technology that allows computer systems to interact with telephony systems, such as phone lines, voice messaging, and interactive voice response (IVR) systems. CTI solutions can provide a range of features, such as call routing, caller identification, and screen pops, which display relevant customer information on an agent’s computer screen when a call is received. CTI solutions can be used in call centres, customer service departments, and other business settings to improve productivity, enhance customer satisfaction, and streamline workflows.

Here are the examples of CTI:

• Interactive voice response (IVR): IVR routes incoming calls based on voice prompts from customers.
• Customer profiles: CTI matches a caller’s phone number with an existing contact in your CRM to surface relevant customer information to the agent handling the call.
• Automatic call distribution (ACD): ACDs use rules to route incoming calls, track call data, provide an automatic call back, enable multiple call queues, and manage call centre overflow.
• Common phone controls: CTI allows you to perform phone actions, such as answering and hanging up calls, transferring calls, placing calls on hold, and more, using your computer.
• Advanced phone controls: CTI combines the power of a computer with a phone to offer advanced features such as click-to-call, predictive dialling, auto-dialling, phone number verification, and other productivity-enhancing tools.

FEATURES of CTI

1. Omnichannel support: A good CTI solution provides omnichannel support for various communication channels, including voice, email, SMS, chat, and social media. This means that agents can communicate with customers across multiple channels, using a single interface, and provide a seamless, consistent experience. The CTI solution should be able to capture customer interactions across all channels and store them in a centralized database for easy access and analysis.
2. PCI compliance: PCI compliance is a crucial feature of CTI, especially for businesses that handle credit card transactions over the phone. PCI compliance ensures that the CTI solution meets the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and protects sensitive customer data during transactions. This means that the CTI solution must encrypt data, limit access to sensitive information, and maintain audit trails to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
3. Intelligent call routing: CTI can route calls intelligently, based on caller information, agent availability, and skill level, to improve customer satisfaction and reduce wait times. Intelligent call routing ensures that customers are connected to the most appropriate agent, based on their needs, language preferences, and previous interactions. This feature also allows managers to monitor call queues in real-time, adjust routing rules, and make informed decisions based on analytics.
4. Reporting and analytics: CTI provides real-time and historical data on call volumes, wait times, abandoned calls, agent performance, and other metrics to help managers make informed decisions. Reporting and analytics enable businesses to measure the effectiveness of their CTI solution, identify bottlenecks, and optimize workflows. With analytics, managers can track agent productivity, customer satisfaction, and revenue impact and adjust their CTI strategy accordingly.
5. Incoming and outgoing calls: CTI handles both incoming and outgoing calls, providing call control and management features for both types of calls. With CTI, agents can initiate outgoing calls from their computers, track call duration, and transfer calls to other agents or departments. This feature enables businesses to manage their call traffic effectively, increase agent efficiency, and improve call quality.
6. Advanced calling capabilities: CTI offers advanced calling features, such as conference calls, call transfer, call recording, and call queuing, to improve agent productivity and enhance customer experience. With conference calls, agents can add multiple parties to a call and collaborate effectively. Call transfer enables agents to transfer calls to other agents or departments seamlessly. Call recording enables businesses to record calls for quality assurance, training, or legal compliance purposes. Call queuing ensures that customers are placed in a queue and receive updates on their position, wait time, and estimated callback time.
7. Integrated customer data: CTI integrates with other systems, such as CRMs, to provide agents with relevant customer data and a complete view of the customer’s history and preferences. Integrated customer data ensures that agents have access to up-to-date information on customer interactions, purchases, preferences, and complaints. With this feature, agents can personalize their interactions, provide tailored solutions, and upsell or cross-sell products and services. This feature also enables businesses to track customer journeys, identify pain points, and improve customer retention.

The benefits of CTI integration

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) technology is a critical aspect of contact centre operations, as it enables telephony systems and computers to work together in perfect harmony, resulting in more efficient and effective call handling. When businesses opt to implement a CTI solution, such as those offered by Haloocom, they can leverage a range of benefits, including:

• Consumers still adore voice: Despite the rise of digital communication channels, voice remains the most preferred communication channel for many customers. CTI integration allows businesses to handle voice communications more efficiently, resulting in happier customers and improved customer loyalty.
• More effective and less exhausted agents: By providing agents with access to relevant customer data, such as their purchase history and previous interactions with the company, CTI integration helps agents better understand and address customer needs, which can lead to a more productive and less stressful work environment.
• Self-service options are available around-the-clock.: CTI software can automate time-consuming tasks, such as call logging and routing, allowing agents to focus on providing high-quality customer service. Furthermore, self-service options, such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) routing, can provide customers with quick access to information, reducing their wait times and improving their overall experience.
• Boost inter-functional cooperation: With integrated customer data, agents can quickly access customer information and easily transfer customers to the appropriate department, such as billing or technical support, resulting in improved cross-functional collaboration. Haloocom’s CTI solutions, for example, allow agents to easily access customer data from their CRM systems, enhancing collaboration across departments and resulting in a better overall customer experience.