This revised edition is a complete update to the expertly authored, classic bestseller which offers a comprehensive, well-informed analysis of where computer telephony integration (CTI) came from and where it is going. It provides you with clear, in-depth coverage of all of CTI, including technology, standards, applications, system engineering, industry structure, the market, and future developments. The book features expanded coverage of CTI and a wealth of new information on media processing, automation, and messaging. It also encompasses network merging, particularly voice over the Internet protocol, as well as TAPI, TSAPI, and JTAPI. Plus, new case studies show where and how computer telephone integration is used. You get a detailed overview, including: the history of CTI and its rapid evolution during the 1990 's, the underlying technologies of the CTI world, the ways telephony and computing can be linked, the abundance of integration applications, and all aspects of convergence - at the desktop, server, and network levels. This book is of immense value when you need to: Determine where CTI can be used for maximum benefit in your business; Gain an overall understanding of CTI technology to save costs and improve customer service - for example, operate the call center via integration; Identify which call-handling strategy - automation, integration, or messaging - is most suitable for a particular business application; Determine the appropriateness of available standards; Resolve problems associated with implementing integrated systems. The book is an important manual for telecommunications managers and consultants, MIS managers, system integrators, application programmers, value-added resellers, and marketing managers who need to understand and appreciate the problems and rewards of integrating telephony with computers both now and in the future. It is also an excellent textbook for university students studying CTI.
Integrating the Two Worlds. The Computer and Telephony Environment. Integration Technology. The Role of Voice and Image Processing Systems. Application Elements and Application Creation. Applications and Case Studies. The Market. Computer Telephone Integration System Engineering. A Computer-Integrated Future.
-
Rob Walters
Rob Walters is a well-known international expert in the voice and CTI arena who specializes in bringing together the worlds of computing, telephony, and multimedia. He is the Managing Director of Satin Information Services in Oxford, United Kingdom, and editor of the CTI Informer, an industry-related newsletter. He holds an MSc in telecommunications from Essex University. Mr. Walters is the author of five books, including Computer Mediated Communications: Multimedia Applications published by Artech House.