CTI Computer Telephony Integration

This section of our technical library presents information and documentation relating to Computer Telephony and Computer Telephony Integration software and products. Computer Telephony Integration CTI software is a rich set of phone software library routines that enable application programs to control your phone system. This comprehensive CTI software lets you increase employee productivity, enhance customer service and reduce costs by combining the capabilities of our PACER phone system with the custom functionality of your Windows, Unix or Web applications. Data collected by your phone ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) or IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems can be passed to your existing PC, Unix or Web applications through our phone software. The PACER predictive dialer can automatically call your customers and pass only connected calls to your agents. With our computer telephony software, your telephone and computer work together to provide cost-saving benefits.

10Base-T: An Ethernet LAN twisted pair wiring (usually CAT 5) Benefit vs. Ethernet coax LANs’ that are typically one long line looping from one machine to another. One crash, they all crash.

AA (Automated Attendant): A device which answers callers and allows them to route themselves to the appropriate extension.

ACD (Automatic Call Distribution): Caller directed call routing. Through the AA callers direct themselves to an agent group. E.g. Sales, service, tech support, accounting, order, etc.

ANI (Automatic Number Identification): E.g. a customer calls your company. Before the call is even connected to your ACD, ANI presents the calling number to the ACD. Your ACD captures the calling number, matches the # in your computer database and matches that # with the profile of the caller. As the phone is answered a “screen pop” appears with information about the caller.

API (Application Program Interface): Is a “hook” into software that transports data across a network.

ARS (Automatic Route Selection): Another name for LCR – Least Call Routing.

Autonomous system: A collection of routers under a single administrative authority using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode): A network technology based on transferring data in cells or packets of a fixed size. The cell used with ATM is relatively small compared to units used with older technologies. The small, constant cell size allows ATM equipment to transmit video, audio, and computer data over the same network, and assure that no single type of data hogs the line. Some people think that ATM holds the answer to the Internet bandwidth problem, but others are skeptical. ATM creates a fixed channel, or route, between two points whenever data transfer begins. This differs from TCP/IP, in which messages are divided into packets and each packet can take a different route from source to destination. This difference makes it easier to track and bill data usage across an ATM network, but it makes it less adaptable to sudden surges in network traffic. When purchasing ATM service, you generally have a choice of four different types of service:

• Constant Bit Rate (CBR) specifies a fixed bit rate so that data is sent in a steady stream. This is analogous to a leased line.

• Variable Bit Rate (VBR) provides a specified throughput capacity but data is not sent evenly. This is a popular choice for voice and videoconferencing data.

• Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR) does not guarantee any throughput levels. This is used for applications, such as file transfer, that can tolerate delays.

• Available Bit Rate (ABR) provides a guaranteed minimum capacity but allows data to be bursted at higher capacities when the network is free.