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Shoretel adds VoIP to Salesforce.com

So that's how APIs are supposed to work!

Shoretel has integrated its IP phone system with Salesforce.com's call centre software. Using the two together will mean call centre agents get a reduced admin workload, with automatic call logging and screen pop-ups with the customer's record, Shoretel claimed.

The integration involves an adapter which talks on one side to Shoretel's telephony API (TAPI) and on the other to Salesforce.com's Apex web services API. The adapter is available from Salesforce.com's online AppExchange.

The $165 (£84) per seat software embeds call handling capabilities into the Salesforce online service and support application, including call transfers and conferencing, and the ability to add comments. In addition, the screen layout can be customised, and agents can monitor and change their online status.

Shoretel said its adapter can also integrate systems such as interactive voice recognition (IVR), automatic call distribution (ACD), and others. For example, developers could use IVR to prompt a caller to enter their account number, so when they are then connected to an agent, their details pop-up automatically. ®

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