Salesforce Is Retiring Open CTI: Your Complete Guide to Service Cloud Voice, BYOT, and What Comes Next
TL;DR / Key Takeaways
What's Happening? Salesforce is retiring legacy Open CTI on February 28, 2028 — all organizations must migrate to Service Cloud Voice (SCV) Key Decision Choose between Amazon Connect (native), BYOT (Bring Your Own Telephony) providers like Aircall, or partner-powered SCV Best For Any Salesforce org currently using Open CTI, softphone integrations, or legacy CTI adapters Cost Impact BYOT providers like Aircall can save SMBs 20–40% vs. Amazon Connect for teams under 50 agents Timeline Start planning now — migrations typically take 8–16 weeks depending on complexity Bottom Line This isn't optional. But with the right migration strategy, it's an opportunity to modernize your entire voice infrastructure with AI-powered capabilities
The Clock Is Ticking: Open CTI's End-of-Life
Salesforce has officially announced that Open CTI — the JavaScript-based telephony framework that's powered third-party phone integrations since 2012 — will reach end-of-life on February 28, 2028.
After that date, Open CTI implementations will no longer function. Period.
Here's what that means practically:
- Open CTI is now in maintenance mode — no new features, no enhancements, no investment from Salesforce
- New Agentforce Service orgs can no longer provision Open CTI at all
- Existing orgs can continue using it until the deadline, but the writing is on the wall
- All organizations must migrate to Service Cloud Voice (SCV) to maintain telephony inside Salesforce
If your contact center, sales floor, or service desk runs on Open CTI today, you have less than two years to plan and execute a migration.
That sounds like a lot of time. It isn't.
What Is Service Cloud Voice — and Why Is Salesforce Pushing It?
Service Cloud Voice (SCV) is Salesforce's native telephony platform, deeply integrated into the Service Cloud agent experience. Unlike Open CTI — which was essentially a bridge between external phone systems and Salesforce — SCV brings voice inside the platform.
What SCV Delivers That Open CTI Can't
| Capability | Open CTI | Service Cloud Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Call controls in Salesforce | ✅ Via JavaScript adapter | ✅ Native, no custom code |
| Real-time transcription | ❌ Requires third-party | ✅ Built-in (Einstein AI) |
| AI-powered agent coaching | ❌ | ✅ Next Best Action, sentiment analysis |
| Omni-Channel routing | ⚠️ Limited integration | ✅ Unified voice + digital routing |
| Conversation analytics | ❌ | ✅ Einstein Conversation Insights |
| Agentforce compatibility | ❌ | ✅ Full AI agent handoff support |
| Screen pops | ✅ Custom JavaScript | ✅ Native, configurable in Setup |
| Call recording & storage | ⚠️ Depends on provider | ✅ Integrated with retention policies |
| Maintenance burden | 🔴 High (custom code) | 🟢 Low (declarative config) |
The shift is clear: Salesforce wants voice to be a first-class citizen in the platform, not a bolted-on integration. SCV enables AI capabilities that Open CTI architecturally cannot support — including real-time transcription, automated call summaries, and the ability for Agentforce AI agents to participate in voice interactions.
Understanding Your Migration Options
When planning your SCV migration, you have three primary paths:
Option 1: Amazon Connect (Native SCV)
This is Salesforce's default option. Amazon Connect provides the telephony infrastructure, and Salesforce handles the agent experience.
Best for: Large enterprises with high call volumes, organizations already invested in AWS, teams that need maximum AI/ML capabilities.
Considerations: - Pay-per-use pricing ($0.018/min per contact + $0.004/min per agent + add-ons) - Costs can be unpredictable and scale quickly - Requires some AWS expertise for advanced IVR configuration - Deepest native integration with Salesforce AI features
Option 2: BYOT (Bring Your Own Telephony)
BYOT lets you keep your preferred telephony provider — like Aircall, RingCentral, Five9, or Vonage — while still getting the SCV agent experience inside Salesforce. Your provider handles the phone infrastructure; Salesforce handles the CRM integration.
Best for: SMBs who want SCV features without Amazon Connect complexity and cost, organizations with existing telephony investments, teams that need predictable per-user pricing.
Considerations: - Predictable monthly per-user pricing - Typically faster to deploy (days vs. weeks) - May have slightly less deep AI integration than native Amazon Connect - Retains existing provider relationships, phone numbers, and call flows
Option 3: Partner-Powered SCV
Some telephony providers offer their own SCV-powered solutions — essentially a managed service where the partner handles the migration, configuration, and ongoing telephony management within SCV.
Best for: Organizations that want a fully managed transition, teams without internal Salesforce/telephony expertise.
The BYOT Advantage: Why Aircall Is Winning the SMB Migration
For organizations with 3–100 agents, the native Amazon Connect path often doesn't make economic sense. The pay-per-use model, combined with AWS infrastructure requirements, prices many small and mid-size businesses out of the market.
This is exactly where Aircall's BYOT offering shines.
What Aircall Brings to Service Cloud Voice
Aircall is a cloud-based phone system purpose-built for business teams, and it's a certified BYOT partner for Salesforce Service Cloud Voice. Here's what that means in practice:
Native Call Controls Inside Salesforce - Click-to-call, warm transfers, call recording, voicemail drops — all within the Salesforce agent workspace - No context switching between applications - Automatic call logging to Cases, Contacts, and Opportunities
AI-Powered Intelligence - Real-time transcription and post-call summaries - Sentiment analysis and automatic call scoring - AI coaching insights integrated into Salesforce records - Compatible with Einstein Conversation Insights
Predictable, SMB-Friendly Pricing - Flat per-user pricing ($30–$50/user/month on Essential to Professional plans) plus telephony minutes - No surprise AWS bills at month-end - Higher-tier plans include unlimited US/Canada calling - No setup fees or long-term contracts required
Rapid Deployment - Install from the Salesforce AppExchange in minutes - Configure as SCV telephony provider via OAuth authentication - Map Salesforce users to Aircall extensions - Typical deployment: 1–2 days (vs. weeks for Amazon Connect)
Global Reach with Compliance Built In - Phone numbers available in 100+ countries - GDPR and HIPAA-ready with call recording consent management - SOC 2 Type II certified - Call recording retention policies configurable for regulatory requirements
Aircall vs. Amazon Connect: The Cost Comparison
For a team of 25 agents handling 400 minutes per agent per month:
| Cost Factor | Aircall BYOT | Amazon Connect (Native SCV) |
|---|---|---|
| Base agent cost | $1,000–$1,250/mo (flat) | ~$100/mo (agent fees) |
| Telephony minutes | ~$200–$400/mo | ~$450/mo (contact + agent minutes) |
| Transcription | Included | ~$150/mo (Contact Lens) |
| Storage/recording | Included | ~$50/mo (S3 + extras) |
| IVR/routing | Included | ~$75/mo (Connect flows) |
| Estimated monthly total | $1,200–$1,650 | $825–$1,500+ |
| Estimated annual total | $14,400–$19,800 | $9,900–$18,000+ |
| Setup complexity | Low (1–2 days) | Medium-High (2–4 weeks) |
| Ongoing maintenance | Minimal | Requires AWS expertise |
| Cost predictability | ✅ Fixed monthly | ⚠️ Variable with usage |
The bottom line: For teams under 50 agents, Aircall typically delivers 20–40% lower total cost of ownership when you factor in setup time, maintenance burden, and the AWS expertise you'd otherwise need. At higher volumes (100+ agents), Amazon Connect's per-minute pricing can become more economical — but the operational overhead remains.
Comparing BYOT Providers for Service Cloud Voice
Aircall isn't the only BYOT option. Here's how the major providers stack up for SCV integration in 2026:
| Provider | SCV Integration | Price Range | Sweet Spot | Key Strength | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircall | ★★★★★ | $30–$60/user/mo | 3–100 agents | Fastest setup, SMB pricing | Limited enterprise scale |
| Amazon Connect | ★★★★★ | Pay-per-use | 100+ agents | Deepest AI integration | Complex, unpredictable costs |
| RingCentral | ★★★★☆ | $30–$70/user/mo | 50–500 agents | UCaaS bundle (voice + video + messaging) | SIP configuration complexity |
| Five9 | ★★★★★ | $125–$175/user/mo | 100+ agents (contact centers) | Advanced predictive dialing, PCI compliance | Highest cost |
| Vonage | ★★★★☆ | $25–$50/user/mo | International teams | Global PoPs, API flexibility | Weaker SCV analytics sync |
Our recommendation: Match the provider to your scale and use case: - SMB sales/service teams (3–50 agents): Aircall — best value, fastest deployment - Mid-market with UCaaS needs: RingCentral — voice + video + messaging in one platform - Enterprise contact centers: Five9 or Amazon Connect — built for scale and complexity - International operations: Vonage — broadest global coverage at competitive pricing
Planning Your Migration: A Practical Framework
Whether you choose Aircall BYOT, Amazon Connect, or another provider, the migration framework is similar. Here's what we recommend based on hundreds of Salesforce implementations:
Phase 1: Assessment (Weeks 1–3)
Inventory your current state: - Document all Open CTI configurations, JavaScript adapters, and custom softphone components - Map CTI event handlers (e.g., cti:onCall, cti:onHangup) to SCV equivalents - Identify integrations that depend on Open CTI — IVR systems, screen pop logic, call routing rules, reporting - Audit call recording storage and retention requirements
Evaluate your options: - Calculate total cost of ownership for each SCV path (native, BYOT, partner-managed) - Assess your team's technical capabilities — do you have AWS expertise for Amazon Connect? - Consider compliance requirements specific to your industry
Use Salesforce's built-in tools: - Run the SCV Migration Assessment (Setup → Service Cloud Voice) to score your readiness - Review the Service Cloud Voice Developer Guide for technical details
Phase 2: Pilot (Weeks 4–6)
- Provision SCV in a sandbox environment — never go straight to production
- Configure your chosen telephony provider (Aircall, Amazon Connect, etc.)
- Recreate critical call flows — start with your highest-volume scenarios
- Test with a small team (5–10 agents) running in parallel with legacy CTI
- Validate AI features — transcription accuracy, sentiment analysis, conversation insights
- Confirm compliance controls — recording consent, data retention, access permissions
Phase 3: Migration (Weeks 7–12)
- Migrate IVR scripts and routing logic to SCV's Flow Builder (or your BYOT provider's equivalent)
- Recreate screen pops using SCV's native Task records and Omni-Channel routing — no more custom JavaScript
- Transfer historical call data using Salesforce Data Loader, MuleSoft, or your integration middleware
- Run parallel operations — keep legacy CTI as fallback during the transition period
- Phase the rollout by team, location, or queue to manage risk
Phase 4: Optimization (Weeks 13+)
- Enable advanced AI features — Einstein Conversation Insights, Next Best Action, Agentforce handoffs
- Build SCV-native dashboards for call metrics (CSAT, handle time, first-call resolution)
- Decommission Open CTI configurations and remove legacy JavaScript adapters
- Train agents on new capabilities — the SCV agent experience is significantly different from softphone-based CTI
Critical Success Metrics
Track these throughout your migration:
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Call success rate | >95% |
| Call abandonment rate | <5% |
| Agent adoption rate | >90% within 30 days |
| Average handle time | Within 10% of pre-migration baseline |
| Transcription accuracy | >90% |
| System uptime | 99.9%+ |
Compliance Considerations for Regulated Industries
If you're in financial services, healthcare, or insurance, your CTI migration carries additional requirements that generic guides won't cover:
Financial Services (RIAs, Banks, Wealth Management)
- Call recording retention: SEC Rule 17a-4 and FINRA requirements mandate specific retention periods for client communications — ensure your SCV/BYOT provider supports configurable retention (7+ years for securities-related calls)
- Consent management: Multi-party consent requirements vary by state — your IVR must capture consent before recording begins
- Data residency: Some compliance frameworks require call recordings stored in specific geographic regions
- Audit trails: Every call, transfer, and disposition must be traceable — SCV's native logging supports this, but verify your BYOT provider's capabilities
Healthcare (Providers, Payers, Health Tech)
- HIPAA compliance: Call recordings containing PHI require encryption at rest and in transit, access controls, and BAAs with your telephony provider
- Minimum necessary standard: Configure screen pops and agent views to display only the patient data necessary for the interaction
- Breach notification: Ensure your SCV configuration includes monitoring for unauthorized access to recorded calls
Insurance
- State regulatory requirements: Call recording, disclosure, and retention requirements vary significantly by state and line of business
- Claims documentation: Integrate call records directly with Claims objects in Salesforce for audit-ready documentation
- Quality assurance: Use SCV's conversation analytics to automate compliance monitoring across all agent interactions
Why This Migration Is Actually an Opportunity
Yes, the Open CTI sunset is a forced migration. But here's the reframing: most organizations running legacy CTI are sitting on years of accumulated technical debt — custom JavaScript adapters, brittle integrations, manual call logging, and zero AI capabilities.
The move to Service Cloud Voice gives you:
- AI-powered voice interactions that weren't possible with Open CTI architecture
- Unified omni-channel routing — voice alongside chat, email, SMS, and social in one queue
- Agentforce readiness — AI agents that can handle voice interactions, freeing human agents for complex work
- Dramatically reduced maintenance — declarative configuration vs. custom JavaScript code
- Real-time intelligence — transcription, sentiment analysis, and coaching happening live during calls
The organizations that treat this as a strategic modernization project — not just a compliance checkbox — will come out of it with a fundamentally better service operation.
How Vantage Point Can Help
At Vantage Point, we specialize in Salesforce implementations for regulated industries — financial services, healthcare, insurance, and beyond. Our team has deep experience with:
- Service Cloud Voice migrations from legacy CTI, including complex multi-provider environments
- BYOT provider evaluation and selection — we'll help you model total cost of ownership for your specific use case
- MuleSoft and Workato integrations for connecting SCV with your existing telephony infrastructure, CRM data, and compliance systems
- Compliance-first architecture — every migration we design accounts for your industry's regulatory requirements from day one
- Agentforce enablement — we don't just migrate your phones; we help you leverage the AI capabilities that SCV unlocks
We recently formalized a partnership with Aircall specifically because we see the BYOT path as the right choice for many of our clients — particularly SMBs and mid-market firms in regulated industries who need SCV functionality without Amazon Connect complexity.
Ready to plan your migration? Contact Vantage Point to schedule a CTI migration assessment. We'll help you evaluate your options, model the costs, and build a migration plan that keeps your contact center running smoothly through the transition.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly does Salesforce Open CTI stop working?
Open CTI reaches end-of-life on February 28, 2028. After that date, Open CTI implementations will no longer function in Salesforce orgs. The framework is currently in maintenance mode with no new features or enhancements being developed.
Do I have to use Amazon Connect with Service Cloud Voice?
No. Service Cloud Voice supports Bring Your Own Telephony (BYOT), which lets you use third-party providers like Aircall, RingCentral, Five9, or Vonage as your voice infrastructure while still getting the full SCV agent experience inside Salesforce.
What is BYOT and how does it work?
BYOT (Bring Your Own Telephony) allows you to integrate your preferred telephony provider with Service Cloud Voice via SIP trunking. Your provider handles the phone infrastructure (calls, numbers, IVR), while Salesforce handles the agent experience, call logging, and AI features. It's the best of both worlds.
How long does a typical SCV migration take?
Plan for 8–16 weeks depending on complexity. Simple deployments with a BYOT provider like Aircall can be production-ready in as little as 2–4 weeks. Complex enterprise migrations with custom IVR logic, multiple queues, and compliance requirements typically take 12–16 weeks.
Is Aircall a good fit for regulated industries?
Yes. Aircall is GDPR-compliant, HIPAA-ready, and SOC 2 Type II certified. They offer configurable call recording retention, consent management, and encryption at rest and in transit. For financial services and healthcare organizations, these baseline compliance capabilities are essential.
What happens to my existing call recordings when I migrate?
Your existing call recordings stored in your current CTI system remain accessible through that system. SCV does not automatically migrate historical recordings. Plan to either maintain access to your legacy recording system or migrate recordings using Data Loader, MuleSoft, or API-based extraction.
Can I run Open CTI and SCV simultaneously during migration?
Yes — and we strongly recommend it. Running parallel operations during your pilot and migration phases reduces risk. Agents can fall back to the legacy system if issues arise, and you can phase the cutover by team or queue.
How does this affect Agentforce?
This is a key driver of the sunset. Agentforce requires Service Cloud Voice for voice-based AI agent interactions. Open CTI's architecture doesn't support the real-time data streams that Agentforce needs for voice interactions, transcription, and AI handoffs. Migrating to SCV is a prerequisite for leveraging Agentforce in your contact center.
Vantage Point is a Salesforce and HubSpot implementation partner specializing in regulated industries. With 150+ clients, 400+ engagements, and a 4.71/5.0 average engagement rating, we help financial services, healthcare, and insurance organizations modernize their CRM and service operations. Learn more at vantagepoint.io.
