Computer Telephony Integration | JD Edwards & Ask Roger! | CTI Computer Telephony Integration | JD Edwards & Ask Roger! | CTI
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Computer Telephony Integration with Ask Roger! and JD Edwards

Picture the scene: you’re working on a difficult email to a customer and you’re getting slightly flustered. You need to choose your words very carefully, so you’re deep in thought as you type. Then the phone rings. It’s someone from China. You take a break from the email and quickly switch to Chinese, but you can’t remember off the top of your head who is calling and why. You click through your files, in a hurry to find the right one, but the system is being temperamental today. You’re getting more and more flustered. How do you handle this in the most client-friendly way?

Know the feeling? It’s a common situation at many trading firms. Every day, traders receive phone calls from all over the world. The callers speak to them in different languages and want to ask urgent questions about particular purchase or sale orders, or to place or cancel orders. You need to be able to respond quickly and effectively. In such cases, a CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) interface is the ideal solution. For one of our customers in the Commodity Trading business, this solution came along just at the right moment. The company is about to start targeting its operations more specifically at a global level – and a shared, integrated telephone exchange offers many benefits. Such a solution gives traders the information they need at their fingertips and ensures that calls are always routed to the right person. As a result, clients enjoy faster service and more personal communication.

How does CTI work?

JD Edwards is an extremely open ERP system, in line with the ideas set out in the blog entry “The necessity of choosing an open ERP”. Its openness is illustrated by the option of connecting it to a CTI, thereby facilitating an integrated end-user experience. When someone calls using the Ask Roger! software, data is retrieved from JD Edwards. The number is recognized and the caller is routed directly to the right contact person. This contact person receives a notification on their screen – when they click on it, they’ll immediately see the current status of the existing orders that the person is calling about. If the relevant trader doesn’t have time to pick up the phone, they’ll receive a pop-up in the app with a URL, allowing them to call the customer back at a more convenient time. Thanks to the flexibility of this solution, the pop-up can display any field from the database. It’s even possible to show different pop-ups for individual employees or departments. Employees can also call numbers directly using their computers. This means that end users no longer need two separate applications to connect them to their clients – instead, they have an integrated environment at their disposal.

The technology

Using the JD Edwards AIS (Application Interface Service), it’s possible to exchange data between CRM and ERP systems via Toastar from Ask Roger!. This makes customer data and financial and process-related data available in one central application. That data can then be shared with the communication platform. Toastar makes it possible to display a small pop-up on screen when there’s an incoming call. The pop-up shows customer data, like name, address and other relevant information, such as details of the last contact with the customer, their regular account manager or any outstanding invoices. The software can be linked to various IP telephone exchanges and to Microsoft Skype for Business.

Another step forwards

Besides JD Edwards, the customer also implemented the Commodity Trading & Risk module (CTRM). This module, developed specially for commodity and trading companies, provides insight on the dynamic processes in this industry. Purchase orders can become sale orders, and prices, sales data and other variables are constantly changing. With both JD Edwards and the CTRM module connected to Toastar, the trader gains immediate access to all data. The customer now uses JD Edwards and the CTRM module all over the world. Once the various offices install new telephone exchanges, they’ll be able to use Computer Telephony Integration across the board. As a result, employees can work more quickly, enjoy a better overview and have less reason to get flustered!

Would you like to know more? 

Would you like to know more about CTI, Oracle JD Edwards or about our CTRM integration? Get in touch with Bart Dix.

Author: Alaric Schraven
Senior Technical Consultant at Cadran Consultancy