Salesforce Dictionary - Free Salesforce GlossarySalesforce Dictionary
Full Call Center entry
How-to guide

How to set up a Call Center

Setting up a Call Center varies by telephony partner. The mechanics share the same Salesforce-side steps: create the record, configure the softphone layout, assign users.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 19, 2026

Setting up a Call Center varies by telephony partner. The mechanics share the same Salesforce-side steps: create the record, configure the softphone layout, assign users.

  1. Provision the telephony platform

    Set up the underlying telephony (Amazon Connect for Service Cloud Voice, or the partner contact center). The platform must be live before the Call Center can connect to it.

  2. Import or create the Call Center record

    For partner CTI, import the partner-provided XML definition through Setup, Call Centers, Import. For Service Cloud Voice, the record is created automatically during provisioning.

  3. Configure Softphone Layouts

    Setup, Softphone Layouts. Define what fields and actions appear during each call state. Assign layouts to user profiles.

  4. Assign users to the Call Center

    Setup, Call Centers, open the Call Center, Manage Call Center Users. Add the users who should see the softphone.

  5. Validate end-to-end

    Have a test user log in, confirm the softphone renders, make a test call, and verify the Voice Call record creates with the right ANI, transcript, and parent record.

Gotchas
  • Users not added to a Call Center see no softphone. Why can I not take calls is the most common help-desk ticket after a launch.
  • A user can belong to only one Call Center at a time. Multi-Call-Center deployments need clear assignment rules.
  • Softphone Layout misconfiguration hides key fields during live calls. Test layouts against representative scenarios.
  • Service Cloud Voice and Open CTI architectures differ. Documentation that applies to one may not apply to the other.

See the full Call Center entry

Call Center includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.