The phone rings, a customer. SAP Business One knows everything about them – orders, open items, the last delivery. But nobody knows it until the call is answered and the question asked.
Why the phone connection so often stays on the wish list
Many Business One projects have a phone connection on their wish list. The usual route is a CTI add-on:
- Installed on every workstation – or on every terminal server running Business One.
- Coupled via the Windows telephony driver – which the phone system has to provide in the first place.
- Three parties that have to fit together – Business One, Windows and the phone system.
Haus iT Caller ID takes the other route. It queries Business One directly and shows the result where calls are made anyway: in Webex.
What it looks like with Haus iT Caller ID
While the phone rings, business partner and customer number from your Business One appear in the Webex sidebar. After hanging up you write the note in the tile – it lands as an activity on the business partner.
- The phone rings Incoming call
- Webex reports the number
- Haus iT Caller ID standardises it
- Your SAP Business One looks it up Your customer data stays here
- The sidebar names the caller
- The phone ringsThe caller is looked up in Business One
- The name is therebusiness partner and customer number
- After hanging upnote back to Business One as an activity
| CTI add-on | Haus iT Caller ID | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | on every workstation | none |
| Phone system | must offer the Windows driver | Webex Calling |
| Where the name appears | in the Business One client | in Webex – on the road too |
| The note | depends on the add-on | as an activity in Business One |
What you get out of it
- Nothing on the workstation. The tile sits in the Webex client – in the home office and on the road too.
- No change to Business One. No add-on, no extra field.
- Writing back only if you want it. You switch it on separately.
- The gap every ERP has is covered. Anyone not in Business One you add once to the number book – it applies to everyone in the company.
- Outlook as a second source. If Business One finds nothing, your own contacts in Microsoft 365 are asked.
- Open callbacks. Missed calls stay in the tile until someone has called back.
Setting it up
- Four entries in the portal: the Service Layer address, the company database, user and password. The portal checks the login straight away and tells you what is missing.
- Make the Service Layer reachable – with a valid certificate. Your IT or your SAP partner does this; if they run Business One in the cloud, it usually already is.
- Switch on writing back if notes should go to Business One.
- Approve the app in Webex – once, in Control Hub.
What it cannot do
- No jump into the record. Business One has no web address per business partner that a click could open.
- The business partner, not the person. The company is shown; individual contact persons do not appear.
- Unknown callers are not created in Business One – that is what the number book is for.
And the other SAP systems?
There is a connection for SAP Cloud for Customer and SAP Sales Cloud Version 2 as well – with contact person and creating unknown callers. SAP S/4HANA – in the cloud and on premise – is connected too, with business partner and customer number while the phone rings. If you use another SAP system, get in touch.
In short
Business One knows your business partners. With Haus iT Caller ID your team knows them too – while the phone is still ringing, without an add-on.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CTI add-on for SAP Business One?
No. Classic CTI solutions are installed as an add-on on every Business One workstation or terminal server and coupled there with the Windows telephony driver. Haus iT Caller ID queries your Business One directly; nothing is installed on the workstations.
What do I see while the phone rings?
The business partner with name and customer number from your SAP Business One – in the Webex sidebar, before you answer. In the tile you can also search by name.
Can the call note go back to Business One?
Yes, if you switch it on. After hanging up you write the note in the tile; it is stored as an activity on the business partner.
What does my Business One need?
The Service Layer, the web interface of SAP Business One, reachable from the internet with a valid certificate – plus a dedicated user allowed to read business partners. Your IT or your SAP partner sets this up.
Which phone system does it work with?
With Webex Calling, whoever provides the line. The call has to arrive in the Webex client – that is where the sidebar with the name sits.
What does it cost?
The portal with the Webex connection and the number book is free, with no limit on workstations. The tile is billed per user, the reports per company.