When it comes to optimizing contact center operations, few technologies have the staying power and adaptability of Oracle Siebel. At AMC Technology, our team has been at the forefront of enhancing Siebel’s capabilities, particularly through DaVinci’s integration with Siebel’s client-side SCAPI (Siebel Communications API). To dive deeper into how this integration is driving innovation—especially with the rise of AI—we sat down with one of our software engineers, who’s been instrumental in developing the DaVinci App for Siebel. In this Q&A, they share insights into their journey, the value of client-side SCAPI, and how DaVinci is shaping the future of customer engagement.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to work on Oracle Siebel and its client-side SCAPI?
I’ve been with AMC as a software engineer for a bit over three years, having joined shortly after graduating with a Computer Science degree. When I first started, I made efforts at the time to work with as many of AMC’s products as possible to gain familiarity with the DaVinci platform. This ultimately brought me to AMC’s on-premise Siebel Adapter, which served as my initial introduction to the Siebel CRM. This continued for some time which further expanded and solidified my familiarity with Siebel.
Eventually my team leaders informed me of the new “Client-Side SCAPI” capabilities that the Siebel Team had released, which was only a prototype at the time, and asked me to build the “DaVinci App for Siebel” for AMC’s cloud-based DaVinci platform. These efforts took the greater part of a year just to complete the first iteration of the integration, and longer still to refine it and fully productize it. During this process my knowledge of Siebel was put to the test, and I had several opportunities to speak with many other Siebel experts, including the Siebel Product Team themselves!
What are the key functionalities of Oracle Siebel’s client-side SCAPI that make it valuable for developers and businesses? How does DaVinci work with it?
One of the most important qualities of “Client-Side SCAPI” is that it is still the same “SCAPI” (Siebel Communications API). While the technology involved has changed, the overall experience within Siebel remains mostly the same. This is true for agents who use SCAPI to perform their work while handling calls as well as for administrative and technical teams that are responsible for configuring and maintaining the system.
The benefits of moving to Client-Side SCAPI are numerous and can also be unique depending on the use cases, but most can be categorized as such:
Moving to “Client-Side SCAPI” is integral to the migration-to-cloud journey by allowing organizations to incorporate cloud-based technologies or perform full-blown cloud migrations as quickly or as slowly as needed. Many telephony providers now offer cloud-based services, and the advent of several new technologies (such as AI) have also led to several cloud-based services. Over time the cloud will only continue to increase in its depth of services offered and the number of organizations that adopt them, as we have consistently seen with our customers. An organization can still benefit from “Client-Side SCAPI” by expanding the tools at their disposal and keeping their systems compatible with the latest and greatest technologies available, even if they do not yet have a need to fully migrate to the cloud.
Moving to “Client-Side SCAPI” can bring many technical benefits, including performance improvements and mitigations of downtime, simply as a side-effect of the modern technologies that power it. These cloud-based tools reduce the need for on-premise servers or systems which can be difficult to maintain, or which act as “single points of failure” capable of bringing the whole call center down. With “Client-Side SCAPI”, the SCAPI driver now runs within each agent or user’s browser instead of within a single on-premise server. This fact – in conjunction with the inherent nature of the cloud – makes “Client-Side SCAPI” very friendly for distributed or large-scale deployments and networks. This is especially true for call centers where agents are spread among many different locations, or that work from home or frequently change location. The technologies involved are also more suitable for encouraging continuous improvement and experimentation without putting the production systems at risk.
How does SCAPI enhance the customer experience in contact centers, particularly when integrated with platforms like DaVinci?
Many of the technologies and features that customers typically appreciate exist as cloud-native products and services. These include but are not limited to conversational AI, advanced IVR and call routing systems, and customer verification / authentication, just to name a few. All of these tools can significantly improve the customer experience by streamlining the process and reducing repetitive tasks, helping them to receive the services they require much faster and with less friction and frustration. Many of these capabilities also benefit the call center agent by presenting as much information about the customer as possible and reducing or automating redundant tasks, enabling them to handle more calls and to provide high-quality service to the customers.
SCAPI – combined with the integration services provided by DaVinci – allows all of these tools and communication systems to be leveraged directly within the Siebel CRM.
AI is transforming how businesses operate. How can Oracle Siebel’s SCAPI be integrated with AI technologies to drive innovation? How does DaVinci help?
It’s exciting to see all of the ways that AI is transforming the industry, and new possibilities that none may have foreseen can arise with every passing day. Some of the ways that AI has been used so far, and that DaVinci has assisted in integrating into the CRM, are as follow:
Live voice transcription. AI can transcribe the conversation over a live voice call in real time and can produce highly detailed summaries of the conversation which took place. Through DaVinci, these transcriptions and summaries can be stored directly within the CRM, enabling agents to have valuable context and insights into the interactions and journey they have already been through. The customers often appreciate this, as well.
Sentiment analysis. Through transcription and analysis of the customer’s conversation with an agent, AI can generalize the customer’s experience to indicate if they were satisfied or upset with services rendered, whether or not a follow-up is required, and more. This can serve as an incredibly useful data point for pulling reports and determining where to improve. Negative customer experiences can be analyzed to determine what went wrong, just as positive experiences can be analyzed for what went well.
AI assisted agent insights. While on a live call with a customer, the agent can receive AI insights and comments about the conversation to prompt them with useful information and tips. These AIs can be trained on organization-specific materials to give information specific to the situation. This can greatly help the agent by making it easier to find the information they need, or to guide them through the processes or policies that must be followed. It can also ensure that the customer experience is more consistent when speaking to multiple agents or departments.
As stated, DaVinci helps bring all of these capabilities together in the CRM, and this list is always growing.
What are the security considerations when using SCAPI, especially when dealing with sensitive customer data?
Protecting sensitive customer data IS the security consideration when it comes to the cloud. From day one, AMC ensures that no customer data – neither from the CRM nor the telephony / communication system – is sent or stored within DaVinci web services. All cloud-based DaVinci apps are loaded and run directly within the agent’s browser, and connections are only made between the agent’s browser and the integrated system. For on-premise systems, the “DaVinci Premise Server” operates within the organizationss controlled network, and communicates directly with the other on-premise systems. Our web services are hosted securely within Microsoft Azure and strictly adhere to the security practices that Microsoft recommends.
Aside from protecting sensitive customer and agent data, AMC also holds and is compliant with widely-recognized security certifications and standards such as CSA STAR Level 1 and SOC 2 Type 2.
For businesses considering leveraging SCAPI, what advice would you give to ensure a successful implementation?
Start early. Each day that on-premise technology remains in use is one more day that the technology becomes more “monolithic”, obscure, and obsolete, and one less day to transition when the need to migrate eventually arrives. Additionally, AMC invites and encourages consistent collaboration throughout the implementation process. Installing the software is only the first step, and during my time with AMC I have learned that every organization can have unique ideas, processes, and requirements. Some of our most successful customers have continued to engage with us to discuss and experiment with new ways to take advantage of the DaVinci platform long after the implementation stage has ended.
What future trends do you foresee in the evolution of Oracle Siebel SCAPI, particularly regarding AI integration and scalability?
To an unprecedented degree, we will likely see a more consolidated and connected experience for businesses and customers alike due to AI’s ability to unify organizational policies, material, and data that can be spread among many systems and departments. Siebel is already capable of powering entire enterprises, and AI will play a crucial role in giving agents everything they need to handle any given situation, which in turn will help the customer receive the services they need sooner and more effectively.
