General description
In a nutshell, to use the CloudCTI functionality you must install the CloudCTI Client. This desktop application connects to your business phone system (e.g. desktop phone, company PBX or mobile phone). You can use the CloudCTI Client to initiate phone calls. Moreover, it will receive a signal on an incoming call with the caller’s number. If you have configured the recognition, it looks up the caller’s number in the hosted recognition service and displays the contact’s preview information in a notification balloon.
Modules overview
CloudCTI Client
The CloudCTI Client is a windows application, which has its own connection to the communication platform, by means of the platform specific CTI plugin. Thus, on the side of the communication system there is a connection for every user. The application runs in the background. It displays a system tray icon to show its status and you can use the icon’s context menu to access its settings.
When the CloudCTI application starts, the user first has to sign in to the CloudCTI Service. Naturally, this sign in request is encrypted. It starts a secure session and all subsequent communication is thus also encrypted. This CTI plugin signals the number of an incoming call. The CloudCTI Client queries the number with the CloudCTI Recognition Service and, based on the results, shows a notification and enables the screen pop. The next section Communication System connection lists specific description of every supported type of communication system.
Additionally, the CloudCTI client has many interfaces via which the user can initiate a new call to a user specified number. These ‘make call’ request are passed on to the preferred dialing device via the CTI plugin.
Recognition configuration tool
The hosted CloudCTI Recognition Service uses a stored replication of your contact info in order to match a caller’s number to a specific contact. The Recognition Configuration Tool supports a number of methods to replicate highly customizable contact info. In addition, it allows you to configure a ‘screen pop’ method to show the appropriate contact when the user clicks the caller notification balloon in the CloudCTI Client. A Recognition Update Service runs in the background to refresh the hosted contact info periodically.
The Recognition Configuration Tool contains a list (which we are continuously working to expand) with a large number of applications with preset parameters hugely simplifying the process. A number of technologies are available to extract contact info, such as ODBC, CSV import, LDAP and several proprietary application specific interfaces (e.g. Exchange Web Access). Similarly, a number of technologies are available to activate the appropriate contact in the CRM application such as via URL, a Command Line instruction, the emulation of keystroke command to a specific window and several proprietary application specific interfaces (e.g. Outlook, SuperOffice).