Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
The amalgamation of the telephone and computer system, which holds the database from which the company functions. This provides for smoother negotiation and handling. computer telephony integration (CTI). The linking of the telephone system to the computer that houses the company’s database to permit faster and more efficient handling of calls. Screen pop is a function of CTI that can direct the data screen of the calling person’s account to the terminal of the agent as the call is being routed there, saving the agent from having to identify the caller’s account number, key it in, and wait for computer response.
CTI also permits transfer of data screens to a second agent when a call is transferred. IVR was soon joined by computer telephony integration (CTI). With CTI, when a call finally did reach the call center agent’s desk, the customer’s records would pop up on the agent’s computer. “Screen pops” gave the agent the necessary background information to better serve the caller. By the 1990s, call center technologies from PBX to CTI had converged into a single turnkey (ready-to-use) package priced such that even the small to midsize enterprises could afford to operate big league–type call centers.