About Siebel CTI and Siebel Communications Server

Siebel Business Applications provide an infrastructure to support communications functionality for Siebel application users, including Siebel CTI (Computer Telephony Integration), Siebel Chat, and Siebel Email Response. Siebel CTI works with CTI middleware products, which integrate with telephony systems so that agents can make or receive voice calls through the Siebel application.

The key server components are part of the Communications Management component group. Communications drivers provide the interface to the communications system with which you are integrating. Several drivers are provided with Siebel Business Applications. Where appropriate, you can create custom drivers for third-party products, by using the Adaptive Communications API.

The types of communications supported by Siebel Communications Server include the following:

• Session-based or interactive communications. Supports multichannel interactive communications for call or contact center agents who use the communications toolbar (also known as the CTI toolbar) to make or receive voice calls through Siebel CTI and CTI middleware products. This capability is described in CTI Toolbar, Communications Operations for End Users, and the remainder of this module. Siebel Chat functionality, which is described in Chat, also uses session-based communications.

• Inbound communications. Supports integrating to third-party email servers and processing inbound email, for Siebel Email Response deployments. For more information, see Email.

• Outbound communications. Supports integrating to a variety of third-party communications systems such as email servers to send outbound communications. For more information, see Email.