Setting up a call center means importing a definition file and assigning users so they get a softphone. Most teams install a partner package from AppExchange that does the import for them. Note that Open CTI is in maintenance mode with a retirement date of February 28, 2028, so weigh Service Cloud Voice for anything new.
- Get a call center definition file
Install the telephony vendor's managed package from AppExchange, which imports its own call center, or start from the Salesforce sample definition file and adapt the XML for a custom integration.
- Import the call center
In Setup, search for Call Centers, open the list, choose Import, and select the XML definition file. Salesforce creates the call center record with the fields defined in the file.
- Check and edit the saved values
Open the new call center record and confirm the internal name, display name, and the adapter or softphone settings. You can change values here, but not the set of fields, which is fixed at import.
- Assign users
On the call center record, manage its members and add the agents who should use this phone system. Only assigned users see a softphone, and a user belongs to one call center at a time.
- Shape the softphone layout
Create or edit a softphone layout to control which fields and call-related screen pop behavior agents see, then assign that layout to the relevant user profiles.
The XML file (callCenter, section, item elements) that defines the call center's fields. Required to create the call center; its structure locks after import.
The users assigned to the call center. Assignment is what gives an agent a softphone; unassigned users see nothing.
A profile-assignable layout that controls softphone fields and how screen pops behave for inbound, outbound, and internal calls.
Optional outbound dialing rules in the definition file or call center record that adjust how numbers are formatted when click-to-dial places a call.
- Open CTI is in maintenance mode and retires on February 28, 2028; it is already unavailable for newly created Agentforce Service orgs, so plan new contact centers on Service Cloud Voice.
- The fields defined by an imported definition file cannot be changed afterward; to alter the field set you must import a revised file.
- A user can belong to only one call center at a time, so agents who switch phone systems must be reassigned.
- The Open CTI APIs for Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience differ and cannot be swapped in custom JavaScript.