October 1998

BY TIM LEE-THORP

Computer-telephony integration (CTI) is transforming the way business communicates, and transformation is predicated on changes in the PC and changes in the switch. Taken together, these changes describe the new model for communications systems and follow the client/server path that data processing and information management have taken. Beyond the simple use of PC-as-phone, value is added to the call system as PCs function as diversified, user-friendly clients, while switches have become multifaceted servers.

The most basic functions of CTI are already familiar, at least to call center personnel. For example, the image of a service rep sitting at a terminal, wearing a headset, and fielding a nonstop stream of sales orders or customer problems has been with us for a while. The PBX or ACD routes a call to an individual agent, and as the phone is ringing a screen full of data about the caller pops up on the agent's screen. What is new is that more and more companies who do not think of themselves as call center-type operations are realizing that by using standards-based CTI client applications they can also profit from increased operational effectiveness and higher caller satisfaction.

BACKGROUND
While some CTI implementations may seem like science fiction compared to the labor-intensive processes of the not very distant past, standards-based CTI is a part of a larger movement in business communications. Traditional telephone systems consist of telephone sets on people's desks and dedicated switches installed in a telephone closet. The switches were commonly built out of proprietary hardware. With CTI, the telephone set is being augmented (or sometimes completely replaced) with a computer. In a similar manner, the proprietary switch is being replaced with a standards-based computer, that is, a computer that doesn't rely on proprietary hardware and software configurations.

CTI combines the data access capabilities of the computer with the voice services of a PBX, creating a desktop solution that places a wealth of data and call management features at the user's fingertips. Although CTI seems like it just burst onto the scene, big call centers have been connecting their mainframe data systems to their specialized call handlers with custom software for many years. What makes CTI feel new is that it is now available as relatively inexpensive "shrink-wrapped" applications that use standard interfaces on desktop PCs. By becoming so accessible, CTI extends its appeal to mainstream businesses.

DISCOVERY BY THE MAINSTREAM: CHANGES IN THE PC
Much of the functionality of CTI client software running on a desktop PC involves a suite of technical acronyms such as COM (the Microsoft Common Object Model) and TAPI (Telephony Applications Programming Interface). These components mean little to the worker sitting at the desk, but they allow an applications developer or systems integrator to automate the business processes that constitute the worker's job. Users may never even know that a call being transferred to their station accesses four different database servers in two different buildings.

What they do know, however, is that they have complete control over the call. By simply selecting icons on their computer screen, they can:

• Place a current call on hold.
• Send an incoming call to voice mail, or place it on hold with a customizable voice message.
• Transfer an incoming call to an assistant, along with the history of the call.

There are also CTI components that average users can adapt to suit their preferences. With address book features, for example, users can initiate voice calls through a dialer by clicking on an entry. They can send faxes and e-mails, and even store multiple Web addresses, often from one central screen. With programmable buttons, a user can launch a variety of features using a single, user-friendly interface. Most CTI clients can be configured to learn and identify any caller, and to present a description that makes sense to the user. The bottom line is that these clients can be fine-tuned for user effectiveness

Today, anyone can who could benefit from knowing who is calling, from being updated on the status of the caller's account, or from making informed call decisions (take the call, pass it on, or simply send the caller to voice mail) can realize great value from CTI technology. Basically, CTI could benefit virtually everyone who takes or places business calls.

NEW SERVICES IN THE WIRING CLOSET: CHANGES IN THE SWITCH
Many of these applications appear to originate solely at the desktop; however, the desktop is only half of the picture. At the other end of the wire is a new generation of standards-based CTI servers involving both hardware and software components.

On the hardware side, instead of using special-purpose equipment, a system uses the same types of chassis and processor boards that are used for commercial file, print, and computing servers. This enables significant manufacturing efficiencies that vendors translate into improved price-performance for the end user. It also reduces the end user's overall cost of ownership, since future upgrades utilize scalable, "plug-n-play" components. Users can start with basic systems and smoothly grow into distributed, fault-tolerant environments if necessary.

In a similar manner, the software running on the CTI server often is highly modular and uses widely known operating systems. Modularity provides greater flexibility and leverages a larger pool of development talent so that new features can be added to the system regularly.

One of the biggest benefits to this new architecture is that a CTI server provides more than just voice services. Even if the voice portion of a call still goes over a traditional analog link (to maintain high-quality sound), digital data (which gives the call "personality") can use a local area network (LAN) as a transport mechanism. A CTI server can be integrated with a Web server and other type of multimedia messaging tools to offer a rich communications environment.

FUTURE TRENDS
As the business climate continues to expand the limits of the traditional office environment, users are depending more and more on the remote access capabilities that redefine office boundaries for the mobile user. Ubiquitous access to computers, cell phones, and desktop services are driving future applications development. This will serve to narrow the playing field to those vendors who can deliver the most cost-effective, reliable, "soup-to-nuts" solutions and tools for business communications.

Distributed client/server computing has become the standard for how data is created and stored in many places, and for how it is then delivered to anyone who needs it, anywhere in the world, without obliging them to know the underlying mechanisms. Businesses have the same needs for their voice communications, and product development is following the same model.

This trend, as well as a growing reluctance by customers to buy piece parts from vendors who do not offer well-defined systems integration and support strategies, is also perpetuating a more cooperative business environment. Partnerships are now being forged in order to leverage technology from many different vendors so that truly integrated solutions can be developed. The bottom line is that easily accessible integrated applications, affordable standards-based server platforms, and leveraged technology partnerships will continue to fuel end user demand. Vendors who can deliver highly adaptable systems to address user-focused needs will thrive in this new era of business communications.

Tim Lee-Thorp is the Vice President of Business Development for Picazo Communications, Inc., a leading manufacturer of integrated server-based telephone software and systems for small- and medium-sized business environments. Picazo solutions are sold and supported by a nationwide network of Picazo-authorized resellers. For more information, visit www.picazo.com.

BY JON NELSON

PC phones, while offering impressive features, are not a standalone telephone solution for most business applications. Rather, they represent one of the many telephone options available to business telephone system buyers. Today business telephone solutions include a mix of traditional desktop telephone sets, PC phones, cordless telephones, and wireless telephones to meet a range of enterprise requirements.

DESKTOP VERSUS PC TELEPHONES
Traditional desktop telephones and PC phones provide similar features and capabilities. Both support standard features such as call transfer, conferencing, speed dialing, LCD display, programmability, and voice mail control. And both types of phones have similar prices, although traditional desktop telephones generally maintain a price advantage.

However, despite the similarities, there are differences to consider. Desktop telephones are superior for their speaker phone capabilities. While PC phones can be augmented with microphones and speakers, they can't begin to match the speaker clarity of desktop telephones. So, in those areas where speaker phone performance is a priority, desktop telephone sets may be preferable.

PC phones offer different advantages over desktop telephones. Through computer technology, PC phones can record conversations as .WAV files and save those conversations for future reference. PC phones also support integrated voice and e-mail messages. And, because PC phones benefit from the computer's memory, users can build extensive databases that they can dial by point-and-click dialing. By contrast, desktop telephones have a more limited capacity.

One caveat with PC phones is that they are dependent upon PC operation. When users turn off their PCs at the end of the day or log out of their PC phone applications, they also turn off their phones.

The most important consideration though, when determining whether to implement desktop telephones versus PC phones, is user preference. Desktop telephones are a familiar device, and many business users prefer the handset and the number keypad that they can easily reach out and touch. For most, use of the desktop phone has become automatic: they don't spend a moment thinking about how to operate it, they just do it. These people may find a transition to a PC phone cumbersome, which could hurt productivity.

On the other hand, there are those business users who are equally adept at point-and-click operations. For these users, it's second nature to switch from Windows program to Windows program, and they aren't unsettled when their computer screen changes without warning to alert them to an incoming call.

CORDLESS VERSUS WIRELESS TELEPHONES
Where desktop and PC telephones represent the stationary choices for business telephones, cordless and wireless telephones provide mobility for users who are seldom at their desk or who can't afford to miss incoming calls.

Both cordless and wireless telephones integrate with the business telephone system to function as a standalone telephone, or connect to the desktop or PC telephone to share the same extension and station port. Users can also program their desktop or PC phones to forward calls automatically to their cordless or wireless telephone, making the mobile telephone essentially interchangeable with the stationary telephone.

Cordless and wireless telephones are similar in their features, and the selection criteria depend predominantly on the characteristics of the business environment. In general, wireless telephones provide greater range than cordless telephones. Where the range for cordless telephones is dictated by building layout (walls and distance both impact the range of the signal), wireless telephones rely on multiple base stations placed throughout a facility or campus environment. Each base station typically provides a broadcast radius range of 100 to 300 feet indoors.

In any decision between a cordless and a wireless telephone, price is also an important consideration. Typically, wireless telephones are more expensive than cordless telephones, although this is impacted by the number of phones required.

A VARIED SOLUTION
Today's business environment uses a variety of telephones to meet varying demands, and no single telephone set offers the ultimate solution. Traditional desktop telephones are found intermingled with PC phones across a range of departments. The stationary telephone with a mobile telephone as backup is becoming commonplace for marketing and sales executives who cannot afford to miss calls when away from their desks.

Wireless or cordless telephones are emerging as the primary telephone in warehouse-type environments where employees are seldom at a desk, yet must be reachable at all times. Working in tandem, desktop or PC phones and cordless or wireless phones ensure ongoing call coverage for improved customer service and improved productivity.

Jon Nelson is a product marketing manager for Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division. For more information on Toshiba, call 212-596-0600 or visit their Web site at www.toshiba.com.