Envox Call Information Manager Are you a developer looking for a way to integrate telephone call management and associated customer information into your existing applications? Have your customers expressed interest in collecting and tracking caller information such as Automatic Number Identification (ANI), Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS), or account numbers, and accessing this information from an application as the call arrives? If so, you ll be interested in the Envox Call Information Manager. The Envox Call Information Manager is a software module that synchronizes voice and data information for your business applications. It monitors interactive voice response (IVR) ports, agent extensions, automatic call distribution (ACD) queues, and route points, generating a unique call identifier that is valid for as long as the call is active in the system. One of the benefits of computer-telephone integration (CTI) and Internet telephony is that caller data can be associated with a call and made available to each application that handles that call. For example, initial caller information might be collected by an IVR or automatic speech recognition (ASR) system, deposited into the call information manager database, and later used to trigger database displays ("screen pops") for customer service representatives (CSRs) that handle the call. Some telephone systems are capable of directly associating a small amount of caller data with a call, and Envox CT Connect Software supports this mode of operation. But with most telephone systems, the CTI application must use indirect methods to achieve this association. This method involves the creation of a call-data table within the application and the ongoing management of this table by monitoring the call reference identifiers generated by the telephone system as calls are established, transferred, and disconnected. The biggest obstacle to your success using this method is that call reference numbers are not consistent among vendors and the programming logic to manage caller data varies from one telephone system to another.
Features and Benefits Applications Manages all complex switch-dependent call tracking for your business applications Provides a common interface across single and multiple site configurations Call information manager "data store" supported via multiple methods Customer relationship management (CRM) ecrm Workforce management Desktop applications Interactive voice response (IVR) Help desks SQL-compliant databases Native call information manager APIs Automated synchronization and maintenance of call data between host memory and database(s) Call data keyed by telephone extension Provides access to caller data without having to CTI-enable your application Flexible licensing options Single or multisite licensing Entry-level or unlimited device licenses To assist application developers and integrators in properly implementing this functionality, Envox provides the Envox Call Information Manager. The call information manager is a software module that operates in conjunction with Envox CT Connect to implement call-data tables that are flexible and easy to integrate with user applications. Call-data tables are implemented as either a memory resident table or a pair of simple System Query Language (SQL)-compliant data tables. Application software can place large amounts of caller data into the tables at any point during a call. The call information manager maintains table entries so that each call and its associated data remain linked. This call data is automatically synchronized and maintained between the host memory and database(s). This association will remain in place as the call is transferred from one extension to another on local or remote telephone systems (multiple site configurations). As a result, applications can retrieve the call data at any time during the life of the call.
A Typical Call Scenario Multiple Locations A typical call scenario would proceed like this. 1. A call arrives on an outside line and is directed by the telephone system to an IVR extension. 2. Envox CT Connect notifies the Envox Call Information Manager of the arriving call. 3. The call information manager constructs the necessary call information in its data store, inserting calling and called number information, if available. 4. The application reads the calling and called number from the call information data tables in the call information manager 5. The application collects additional caller information from the IVR system, and updates the call information manager 6. The IVR system transfers the call to an ACD queue. 7. The telephone system directs the call to an available CSR. 8. Envox CT Connect notifies the call information manager of the transferred call. 10. The CSR s desktop application executes a "screen pop" by querying the information in the call information manager 11. The CSR transfers the call to an ACD queue on a remote telephone switch. 12. The call processing software notifies the local call information manager monitor of the transfer. 13. The local call information manager updates the 14. The call transfer arrives and is directed to the ACD queue on the remote switch. 15. Envox CT Connect notifies the call information manager that is monitoring the remote switch that a call is arriving. 16. The call information manager at the remote site requests the call information from the local call information manager and the data store is synchronized at both sites. 17. The CSR s desktop application at the remote site executes a "screen pop" by querying the call information manager 9. The call information manager updates the data store to reflect the new association between the caller data and the CSR extension.
Envox CT Connect and Envox Call Information Manager Using the Envox Call Information Manager, application programmers no longer need to implement detailed call-flow logic in order to enable CTI features in their applications. Caller data is readily available in the call information manager data store using either familiar database retrieval techniques, or directly from a memory resident table, via a C application programming interface (API). All the potentially complex, switchdependent call tracking is handled by the call information manager. At the same time, the open design of the Envox CT Connect architecture is preserved and applications that require direct connectivity to the call processing software for more sophisticated CTI functions are not restricted. Other Envox CT Connect is open, standards-based call control server software that must be installed as a prerequisite for Envox Call Information Manager operation. The call information manager uses the call processing software to establish a communications path to the telephone system to receive call events and call identifiers. The call information manager correctly tracks calls made either through an application or dialed manually. A separate copy of the call information manager is required at each site and telephone system when multiple site capabilities are required. A second copy of Envox CT Connect may not be required in all instances. applications can use the call processing software concurrently with the call information manager. The call information manager supports a subset of the telephone systems supported by the call processing software. The user interface for the call information manager is consistent for a single or multiple site installation. Contact Envox or consult www.envox.com for a current list of supported telephone systems. Applications query the call information manager using the IVR or agent extension. The call information manager can manage the complex tracking of calls within one or more call centers. The call information manager utilizes the Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface to communicate with a number of call information manager-supported databases. Contact Envox or consult www.envox.com for a current list of compatible database products.
The Envox Call Information Manager is available in four configurations running on the Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems. In a single switch and single call information manager environment A full configuration, supporting an unlimited number of telephone devices Envox Call Information Manager licenses enforce single- or multiple-site configurations and place a limit on the number of concurrent devices monitored. In order for the call information manager to receive call event information, it must ask the Envox CT Connect to create an association between itself and that device; the device is then considered assigned. A 25-device configuration, supporting up to 25 monitored telephone devices In a multiple switch and multiple call information manager environment A full configuration, supporting an unlimited number of telephone devices A 25-device configuration, supporting up to 25 monitored telephone devices