The missing link-computer-supported telephony

From an engineering viewpoint, the physical realisation of a computer-supported telephony application involves connecting a computer with a telephone system by a signalling or data link which supports a protocol to carry command and status information between the two systems. In principle, any computer can support the computer supported telephony (CST) protocol, and the telephone system may be a PABX, an automatic call distributor, a key system or any other telephone switch. Existing or new systems can be linked by CST. The author discusses applications of CST the main one being telemarketing. The technology to support CST is not very advanced. At the heart of a modern telephone system is a computer. What CST does is link that embedded computer to a less specialised one. This technology is discussed by the author. The role of CST within the wide telecommunications and IT environment is also discussed