Definition
A JavaScript API in Salesforce that lets developers build custom softphone integrations for the Service Cloud console without requiring a browser plugin, enabling click-to-dial, screen pops, and call controls in Lightning Experience.
Real-World Example
When a support manager at QuickAssist needs to streamline operations, they turn to Open CTI to improve response times and customer satisfaction scores. After implementing Open CTI, agents have the tools and context they need to resolve issues on the first contact. Average handle time decreases by 20% and CSAT scores climb to an all-time high of 94%.
Why Open CTI Matters
Open CTI is a JavaScript API in Salesforce that lets developers build custom softphone integrations for the Service Cloud console without requiring a browser plugin. It enables click-to-dial (clicking a phone number initiates a call), screen pops (showing the relevant record when an inbound call arrives), call controls (hold, transfer, hangup), and call logging. Open CTI replaced the older CTI Toolkit which required browser plugins that became increasingly hard to maintain as browsers evolved.
Open CTI is the standard approach for building telephony integrations with Salesforce Service Cloud when you're not using Service Cloud Voice (Salesforce's native telephony product). Many third-party telephony vendors provide Open CTI-based integrations for their phone systems, letting customers connect their existing telephony to Salesforce. For new contact center deployments, Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect is the modern recommendation, but Open CTI remains relevant for organizations with existing telephony investments they want to integrate.
How Organizations Use Open CTI
- •ShieldGuard Security — Uses an Open CTI integration with their existing telephony platform, getting click-to-dial and screen pops in Salesforce.
- •CloudNine Solutions — Migrated from a legacy CTI Toolkit integration to Open CTI when their browser plugins became unsupported.
- •QuickAssist — Considers Service Cloud Voice for new deployments and Open CTI for integrating existing telephony investments.