When it comes to connecting Salesforce with your telephony stack, IT leaders and Salesforce admins are faced with an important choice: go with a full-stack CTI  solution or adopt a  Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) strategy. Each path has trade-offs in flexibility, control and simplicity, but both can transform customer and sales conversations when implemented effectively.

Why the decision matters

Despite the rise of digital channels, the phone still plays a central role. According to RocketPhone’s 2025 report, eight in ten (79%) sales managers recommend it as one of the most effective ways to reach prospects and close deals. It is not only sales teams who rely on it: live phone conversations remain a vital service channel too, offering customers the fastest route to trust and resolution.

At the same time, IDC reports that 89% of IT leaders plan to increase investment in voice AI and telephony automation in the next two years. That means the choice of telephony integration model isn’t just about cost, it’s about setting the foundation for scalable, AI-driven customer engagement inside Salesforce. 

To help you make the right decision for your business, we’ve broken down the differences between full-stack CTI and BYOC, exploring where each approach makes sense, and shows how RocketPhone.ai helps you achieve seamless integration with Salesforce in the name of long-term business agility. 

Full-stack CTI: simplicity and one-stop integration
 A full-stack CTI solution bundles carrier services, telephony infrastructure and Salesforce CTI integration into one platform. The benefits include:

• Simplicity: a single vendor for deployment, support and upgrades. 

• Seamless Salesforce experience: calls, recordings and analytics flow directly into CRM without middleware. 

• Faster time to value: minimal IT overhead compared to piecing together different systems.
  

However, the trade-off is flexibility; organisations with complex compliance obligations, pre-existing carrier contracts or regional coverage needs may find full-stack CTI too restrictive. 

BYOC: flexibility and control

Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) lets businesses integrate their preferred carrier with a CTI layer inside Salesforce. Advantages include:

• Carrier flexibility: maintain existing contracts and negotiated rates. 

• Regulatory compliance: choose carriers with specific certifications or geographic coverage. 

• Cost optimisation: keep control over call pricing and infrastructure investments.
   

The challenge? BYOC can mean added complexity. Integration requires careful planning, and Salesforce admins must ensure that real-time data flows, from call logs to transcripts, remain reliable across systems.

What to prioritise in your telephony integration strategy

Whether you lean towards full-stack CTI or BYOC, the success of your telephony integration strategy hinges on three pillars:
 

1. Flexibility vs simplicity 

BYOC gives you freedom and cost control, while full-stack CTI offers simplicity. The right choice depends on your IT resourcing and appetite for vendor management. 

2. Integration and user experience 

Agents and sales reps need seamless Salesforce experiences. With RocketPhone.ai, every call is captured, transcribed, and linked to customer records, whether you bring your own carrier or use our all-in-one stack. 

3. Scalability and compliance 

As your business grows, your telephony must grow with you. Regulatory obligations, AI-driven analytics, and cross-border expansion all demand a future-proof architecture. 

How RocketPhone.ai bridges the gap
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RocketPhone.ai is more than just a CTI for Salesforce. It’s a conversation processing platform designed to:
 

• Unify VoIP Salesforce integration across full-stack and BYOC models. 

• Capture every interaction - voice or video and link it directly to Salesforce records without human intervention. 

• Provide real-time conversation intelligence to sales, support, and operations teams. 

• Help regulated industries stay compliant with built-in monitoring and vulnerability detection.
   

Whether you want the convenience of a full-stack telephony solution or the flexibility of BYOC, RocketPhone.ai ensures your contact centre integration with Salesforce is seamless, secure and future-ready. 

The bottom line

There’s no single right answer in the full-stack CTI vs BYOC debate. The choice comes down to balancing control, simplicity and long-term strategy. What matters most is ensuring your cloud telephony for Salesforce is integrated in a way that empowers your teams and delivers the insights your business needs.

Book a demo with RocketPhone.ai to see how we can turn your customer conversations into a strategic advantage.

Read more

Why RocketPhone.ai is the Best CTI for Salesforce in 2025 

5 ways to unlock conversation intelligence within Salesforce 

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