March 14, 2024
When we talk about the business landscape today, every passing second holds immense significance. Customers demand quick resolution to their issues, so making an efficient customer engagement system is important for any Business..
To meet this need, it's essential to utilise the appropriate tools to provide customers with a smooth and personalised experience. That's where Computer Telephony Integration comes in. CTI can help make interactions with customers more personal and can even turn them into actual buyers. CTI makes it easier for your sales representative to talk to customers over the phone; it helps them see important information about the customer they're talking to.
So, what exactly is CTI, and how does it work?
Not to worry. This blog addresses all your queries about Salesforce CTI, providing insights into its features, functionality, and advantages. Moreover, you'll learn about the process of Salesforce CTI Integration.
CTI stands for Computer Telephony Integration or Computer Telephone Integration. In practice, CTI refers to computerising or automating certain aspects of a phone call.
Computer Telephony Integration is a technology that enables computers to interact with telephones. Its main objective is to streamline and enhance call-handling processes, making them simpler and more efficient. Although CTI is commonly associated with making phone calls from desktop computers, its capabilities extend far beyond that. CTI facilitates seamless interactions between telephones and computers, enabling integration with various business applications such as CRM systems and service desk software.
This integration allows for comprehensive connectivity, enabling businesses to leverage their entire suite of applications with their phone systems. Initially, CTI deployments were complex and had limited functionalities. However, with the advancement of digital technology, CTI has evolved significantly and has become a standard feature in telephony systems.
Salesforce CTI Integration seamlessly connects telephone systems with CRM software, enabling call centre activities to be directly linked to user records in Salesforce. It additionally monitors past discussions and records call details sourced from the Salesforce CRM platform. Typically, it involves installing software on desktops for interacting with customers or prospects and a server-based component for automated call routing.
For example, agents can make or receive phone calls directly from the embedded dialer within Salesforce, eliminating the need to switch between different windows or tabs. Saving even a few seconds per call can significantly enhance productivity in environments where hundreds or thousands of calls are made weekly.
However, to enhance user efficiency, Salesforce CTI integration is crucial as it enables the system to match phone calls with the appropriate customer, ensuring more relevant conversations.
Salesforce CTI automatically retrieves details of the individual being called from the company's database, allowing users to quickly address calls without asking customers for their information.
Furthermore, Salesforce CTI can be integrated with various third-party automatic call distributor systems. These systems automatically direct customer calls to the relevant department, optimising workflow efficiency.
Integrating CTI with Salesforce offers several features that can significantly optimise workflow and enhance business revenue generation.
Below are key benefits that companies experience after adopting Salesforce CTI:
Salesforce CTI integration retrieves relevant customer information from the database and displays it to sales agents. This eliminates the need for agents to request additional information from customers, enabling them to dive straight into essential discussions.
The integrated system automatically directs inbound calls to specific departments, simplifying call routing processes and improving efficiency.
Compared to the expense of installing physical telephones at each workstation, a Salesforce CTI subscription is significantly more cost-effective. The integrated system eliminates additional infrastructure, resulting in substantial cost savings.
Salesforce CTI allows businesses to record both inbound and outbound calls, which can generate reports, analyse trends, and evaluate individual representatives' performance.
Salesforce CTI provides callers with relevant information about customers directly on their computer screens. This includes details such as name, phone number, email address, and account history, enabling callers to deliver personalised customer experiences.
A few years ago, computer telephony integration (CTI) involved complex processes such as setting up PBX systems and servers and investing in extensive IT infrastructure and workforce. However, with the emergence of cloud telephony, the entire process has been simplified significantly.
Today, platforms offer integration of phone calls with various cloud-based software, including CRM, Helpdesk, and ERP systems, requiring minimal user effort. This plug-and-play process can be set up in less than a day, allowing businesses to scale effortlessly as they grow.
With cloud telephony in play, here's how the process of handling an incoming service call looks, with a CRM:
1. A customer calls your company, and your CRM identifies the caller, pulls in their information, and forwards it to the cloud telephony software like Exotel.
2. Exotel forwards the call to the appropriate agent based on their availability. The agent can answer the call using a simple mobile phone without specialised software.
3. Simultaneously, a screen popup displays all relevant customer information retrieved from the CRM to the agent.
4. Armed with this information, the agent can promptly address the caller's query without navigating through multiple systems, thereby reducing resolution time.
5. The agent can access comprehensive customer information, including their name and account history, even before initiating the conversation.
Integrating Salesforce with a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) system can streamline your organisation's communication processes and enhance customer interactions. Below is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to help you through the Salesforce CTI integration process effectively:
Before diving into the integration process, it's essential to identify your organisation's specific needs and requirements. Understanding your objectives will guide you in selecting the right CTI system that aligns with your business goals.
Next, you must set up and configure your telephony system according to your organisation's needs. This involves ensuring that your telephony system is compatible with Salesforce and configuring it to integrate seamlessly.
Upload the telephony provider's web app XML containing configuration information to connect the call centre to the telephony provider's web application. Configure features in Salesforce CTI to enable seamless integration with your telephony system.
Customise the softphone layout to include call redirection options for current customers, new leads, contacts, and accounts. The softphone layout provides call controls and caller information within Salesforce, ensuring accuracy in customer interactions and minimising data entry errors.
Assign the relevant call centre to users and enable them to perform inbound and outbound calls through Salesforce CRM using the telephony provider's system. This allows users to efficiently manage and track customer interactions, with relevant caller information displayed on the softphone layout.
Include the CTI softphone in the application's utility bar, allowing users to access caller information and call controls without switching between different windows or applications within Salesforce.
Once the integration is complete, thoroughly test the system to ensure proper call flow, routing, and handling. Make necessary refinements to optimise the system's performance and provide a seamless user experience.
Provide training to users on how to use the CTI solution effectively. This includes training on making and receiving calls, logging calls, and accessing customer information through the integrated system.
Choosing the right CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) solution for Salesforce CRM can significantly enhance your team's productivity and efficiency. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled the top five CTI solutions for Salesforce, along with a brief review of each option:
Tenfold is a unique CTI solution that acts as middleware between your existing PBX system and Salesforce. It enables you to leverage your current telephony infrastructure while adding new capabilities. While it offers features like click-to-dial and automatic call logging, it may have slightly fewer capabilities than full-fledged contact centre solutions.
RingDNA is more than just a CTI solution; it's an all-in-one Salesforce sales engagement tool. With its CTI capabilities, RingDNA enables efficient management of inbound and outbound calls, making it a valuable asset for sales teams.
Lightning Dialer is a simple-to-use CTI solution built directly into Salesforce. It offers Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) features that work out of the box, with numbers automatically imported from Salesforce contact records for single-click calling. Lightning Dialer provides automatic call logging and data capture, making tracking and analysing call stats easy.
It offers VoIP features straight out of the box, with numbers automatically imported from Salesforce contact records for single-click calling.
The VoIP feature works pretty much straight out of the box, with numbers automatically imported from Salesforce contact records, allowing for single-click calling.
PhoneIQ is a cloud-based CTI solution designed exclusively for Salesforce. It offers integration and capabilities, automatically tracking and logging all interactions in Salesforce. PhoneIQ provides features like click-to-dial, Salesforce call routing, and text messaging for Salesforce, enhancing communication and productivity.
Here are some of the benefits of Salesforce CTI integration:
Salesforce CTI integration simplifies sales processes by allowing you to join conversations, track customer objections, capture quotes and notes, and automatically create follow-ups after contacts. This streamlines interactions with leads, enabling quicker identification of opportunities and efficient time management.
Integration with Salesforce CTI enhances customer relationship management. For e.g. By using lead routing software to assign leads to appropriate team members based on engagement levels and contact patterns. This ensures proper handling of all leads and accurate recording of essential data.
By tracking data from interactions, Salesforce CTI provides valuable sales insight, including customer demographics, purchasing trends, and product knowledge. This data helps understand popular products/services and areas for improvement or further salesforce development.
With improved customer engagement data and insights into the sales process, Salesforce CTI integration eliminates the need to search for leads or determine previous customer interactions. This allows for quick reorganisation of sales activities to align with customer demands and market conditions.
Salesforce CTI integration reduces the manual workload for agents by managing all information and calls within the Salesforce CRM. Agents can easily access dial pads within the system software, initiating calls and engaging in discussions without cumbersome processes.
Salesforce CTI is a highly secure cloud-based platform compliant with various regulatory requirements. It implements approved security measures to protect against cyberattacks and ensure data and business operations' safety. Additionally, it adheres to the provisions of regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for preventing financial reporting fraud.
The cost of Salesforce Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) can vary based on factors like the size of your business and how many people will use it.
CTI is a feature that comes with Salesforce Service Cloud. However, you can only use it if you have Salesforce's Professional, Enterprise, or Unlimited editions. The price of Salesforce Open CTI might go up a bit for each user every month, especially if you want more features in each edition.
| Essentials | Professional | Enterprise | Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $25 user/month | $80 user/month | $165 user/month | $330 user/month |
| Features | 1. Basic Account, Contact, Lead, and Opportunity management 2. Email integration with outlook & Gmail |
All Features available in Sales Essentials Edition 1. Lead Registration 2. Basic sales forecasting |
All Features available in Essentials and Professional pricing plans 1. Workflow & Approval automation |
All Featured offered in all previous Salesforce Sales Cloud editions for unlimited number of users 1. 24/7 toll-free Salesforce support & configuration services |
Overall, Integrating Salesforce CTI into your business can bring numerous benefits. It helps improve customer experience, boosts efficiency, and streamlines workflow. For companies aiming to enhance call centre operations and deliver exceptional customer service, CTI is invaluable. It empowers representatives to swiftly resolve customer queries, complaints, and requests, ensuring customers are satisfied.
Certainly! Integrating Salesforce with a CTI solution can indeed present challenges, especially for organisations without in-house development resources. This is where Dotsquares can offer valuable assistance.
At Dotsquares, we specialise in crafting Salesforce development solutions tailored to your specific requirements. Our team possesses the necessary expertise to facilitate seamless integration between Salesforce and CTI systems.
So, Why wait for it? Schedule a call right away to get started with Salesforce CTI Integration today.
Integrating Salesforce CTI connects phone systems with CRM software, making it easy for call centre tasks to be directly associated with user records in Salesforce.
To connect CTI to Salesforce, install and configure the CTI Adapter, set up call centre definitions, assign users, and customise the user interface.
Salesforce CTI integration automates call tasks, ensures accurate customer information, and tracks call data for analysis, reducing call centre costs.
Absolutely! You can customise the Salesforce CTI interface that includes modifying the layout, fields, and functionality of the CTI interface to suit your preferences.
No, Salesforce CTI is not free. It's an additional feature that you have to pay for, and it's included in the Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited editions of Salesforce.
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