The Global Association for Contact Center Best Practices & Networking

New technology often tries to establish itself by declaring the old technology dead or outdated. Recently the major proponents of the advancements in IP communications have tried to declare circuit-based systems as dying or dead. In reality, even the most ardent advocate now realizes that there will be a period, a long period, where the two technologies will continue to co-exist.

The same IP advocates were also quick to declare CTI dead as well. After all, they said, when all of the communication has been converted to an IP stream, there is no longer any need for CTI. Well, to misquote Mark Twain, the recent reports of CTI's demise have been exaggerated. There are some important updates, however, that are changing the CTI landscape and that you need to know about to better apply technology within your business.

For example, it is important to know that the various standards bodies are taking the new technologies into consideration. For example, the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA), famous for their Computer Supported Telephony Application (CSTA) specifications, has worked to include H.323 and XML into the CSTA architecture discussions. This means that circuit-based applications that are based on CSTA will have a method for integration and delivering upgrades in the new IP environment.

If you have already built an application or are considering an application based upon CSTA, you can proceed with the knowledge that you will be able to add the new IP technologies when you want and that your applications can operate in both environments. You do not have to rush to the new technology or throw out the old. You can work with both to deliver the benefits of both to your organization.

In addition, application manufacturers are working on connectors between their own applications and those made by others. This is rapidly changing the face of CTI.

Major CRM manufacturers, like Siebel or SAP, are building architectures or providing APIs that others can use build connectors to their products. Other vendors, who take advantage of these connection architectures, can reduce or eliminate the need for either custom programming or expensive middleware to connect their applications to these CRM manufacturers. Through the building of these connectors, CTI applications can be delivered without expensive integration projects. For years, a simple screen pop could cost thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to implement. Now, through the use of these connectors, CTI becomes a matter of configuration versus construction.

With these connectors, CTI becomes an embedded feature between the two vendor products—disappearing as stand-alone architecture. This has done much to contribute to the supposed demise of the CTI business since many applications no longer need stand-alone CTI middleware to connect to these CRM applications.

In reality, the CTI business is evolving into an environment where customers no longer need to invest in costly integration project. They just need to implement products where the two vendors—from the voice side and the data side—have made the investment to connect their products in an expeditious form.

Some CRM vendors have gone out on a limb and made the claim that they are incorporating telephony features within their products—further eroding the need for CTI.

In reality, they are like the manufacturers who made combination record players, cassette recorder and FM radio systems in the 1970's. Yes, their products did it all, but they often had to cut corners to deliver the multi-functionality in a single system. Amid it all, there were successful specialists who delivered cutting edge functionality in component systems—where customers could choose the best cassette recorder or record player and match them, through component systems, into an optimal environment.

People who have specialized in voice delivery for decades have the knowledge and the experience to keep their products on the cutting edge. Likewise, the data manufacturers know their own specialty well. Businesses should choose the best product, based on the best manufacturer of it, and make sure the buyer who successfully integrates the two is the one who typically builds the optimal environment for their users and customer.

Thankfully, with CTI becoming more embedded into the products of multiple vendors, people can get the benefits of an integrated, specialized environment without the headaches associated with major integration projects.

Like the changing seasons, CTI is not dead, it is merely going through a renaissance that promises even better benefits as it evolves.

About Robert E.Tevis:
Robert E.Tevis has been a member of the technology community for more than 20 years. Since 1999, he has been part of the Siemens Customer Interaction Solutions group. His product management team is responsible for Siemens computer telephony integration products and the Siemens HiPath Ready program.

About Siemens:
Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. is a global supplier of Voice, UC, and Contact Center technologies. The company's Open Communications approach to providing software, solutions and services for enterprises of all sizes enables business processes to be more productive, faster and more secure - with any device, network or information technology infrastructure.