function readOnly(count){ }
Starting November 20, the site will be set to read-only. On December 4, 2023,
forum discussions will move to the Trailblazer Community.
+ Start a Discussion
IvxampleIvxample 

CTI and Call Centre Phone System List

Hi,

 

Does anyone have a list of phone systems (PBX) that Salesforce integrate with? I have a Samsung OS7400 in our call centre and am looking at utilising some functionality in the Call Centre Service Cloud, namely CTI and auto dialler.

 

If anyone has the full list can you please post?

 

Thanks

Sean

*werewolf**werewolf*

You might ask your Salesforce.com account exec.  There exists a list although it's constantly changing with systems showing up and dropping out.  Pretty sure no Samsung is on the list though (I don't have it).

Spencer Scott 13Spencer Scott 13
Hello Sean, 
Great question! I use to be an enterprise sales rep at one the largest voice carrier in the world and I can tell you that not many PBXs out of the box integrate with Salesforce.com. With that being said, here are 5 things I would look for when deciding on a new phone system with Salesforce.com in mind.

#1 - Go Hosted
Salesforce.com is a hosted CRM and one of the many major benefits to that is it is centrally located. Meaning, if you go with a premise based phone system that doesn't offer out of the box integration with Salesforce.com, any development work will be considered a "one off" making it must less appealing to developers. A hosted PBX is much more appealing to developers because of the ease of custom development and the ability to resell developed software without having to worry about "one offs". 

#2 - Look for open APIs
There are a ton of hosted service providers (UCaaS) out there but what most people don't know is there are not that many Softswitches (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softswitch). In short, a Softswitch is the software a service provider hosts in their server environment to handle VoIP calls. Most service providers buy software in the form of a Softswitch and rebrand it as their own. For example, Vonage.com, Fusion.com, Verizon.com, Megapath.com, Masergy.com, Windstream.com, Level3.com, CenturyLink.com, Charter.com, ATT.com, Birch.com, Bullseyetelecom.com, and much more, all use Broadsoft's (Broadsoft.com) Softswitch. Service providers choose Broadsoft because they can host it in their environment and use pre built REST APIs customize the software and make it their own. When looking for a new phone system with Salesforce.com in mind, ask the service provider who provides their Softswitch? Expect answers like Broadsoft.com, Netsapiens.com, Voidia.com, Asterisk.org, or "we built our own PBX" which really means the system is built off of Asterisk.org or Freepbx.org (free open source PBX). The next question should be, does the system offer REST APIs and where can I access API documentation? Depending on how the service provider's answers said question will tell you a lot about their business. If they offer API documentation that means they play well with others, if not, that means they most likely do all of their dev work in house which means run away because you will start hearing things like "that product is coming in Q3". 

#3 - Integration
A lot of hosted service providers offer some form of integration as a way to separate themselves from the competition. Be aware, not all integrations are made equally. Due to companies having major investments in CRM's and other various databases, they are asking more from their phone system. Salesforce.com, Zendesk.com, and Zoho.com from my experience are the major CRMs that companies ask for. When looking for integration, I recommend working with a third party company outside of the service provider who has a focus in integration and can do custom work to fit. You would not hire a plumber to fix the electrical in your house so why buy integration from a service provider? With that said, some service providers offer high-level integration out of the box that may fit your needs. If not, companies like Loup.com, Gunify.com, Tenfold.com, and Gointegrator.com offer prebuilt and custom built integrations into Hosted PBX providers. 

Loup - http://loupdb.com - Focuses on high-level integration and offers a Google Chrome Extension (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/loup/mfgkhhngedlohgfcjdakliikkgihpjii) that connects systems without having to install a third party application. Loup is an extremely simple integration application that works with a wide variety of PBXs and CRMs.  

gUnify - http://gunify.com - Focuses on deep integration with the ability to log calls into third party applications. gUnify also offers a Google Chrome Extension that requires authentication to the PBX and the application of choice. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gunify-salesforce-connect/fllpmnnphikdeefmmhmhbikpiiljfhme

Tenfold - http://Tenfold.com - Is the premium UCaaS integration company with deep integration into a wide variety of applications and PBXs. Tenfold is advertised as a client relations tool designed to offer sophisticated dashboard to replace any PBX portals. 

Go Integrator - http://Gointegrator.com - Offers a third party application that sits on the desktop and is designed to connect systems. Go Integrator is one of the older integration companies out there and work with many legacy CRM and database providers.

#4 - Integration Demo
I once worked for a company that said they had various integrations, would sign a deal, then try to develop said integrations prior to installing the deal. Always ask for an integration demo, if the provider can not demo their product then do NOT buy from them. Integration is a popular topic in UCaaS and many service providers are using keywords to drive traffic to their website when they, in fact, do not offer integration. Use resources like Gartner.com to vet out potential providers.

#5 - Workflow
Some integration applications offer what I call seamless integration, which means there is a level of automation to the integration and do not require any work. Other companies provide dashboards that act as an overlay to a CRM and try to force users to work from their dashboard instead of directly in the CRM. It is important to understand how an integration company handles the workflow. Lastly, ask what the install and implementation process is like? Does the integration company offer a one-time global install or does each user have to install the application manually? If so, how difficult is it for users to install and authenticate? 

Sean, I hope this was helpful. I have spent years both selling and doing custom integration development and if you stick to the above five points you will end up in a good place. 

If you want to ask any questions feel free to contact me using the info below.

Sincerely,
Spencer Scott
spenc.scott@gmail.com