CTI – Computer Telephony Integration
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) utilizes a combination of hardware and software to integrate computers and telephones to support intelligent applications. CTI capabilities can allow a customer's specialized telephone system or programmable device to exchange pertinent information with an IVR system. The information exchanged can include data such as the number the caller dialed, the number the caller dialed from, and other relevant information. This exchange of information can direct an IVR system to process numerous complex transactions and allow the IVR system to initiate the appropriate application for a caller. For example, a customer can have two telephone numbers that call into one telephone system – one number is used for receiving tax refund information while the other number is used for making tax payments. When a caller dials one of the numbers, that number is the data that is exchanged between the telephone system and the IVR system. Based on this number, the IVR system will know whether to initiate the application for receiving tax refund information or the application used for making payments.