What Is a Screen Pop in Salesforce?
A screen pop is the Salesforce record that opens automatically when a call comes in. The CTI system matches the caller's phone number to a Lead, Contact, Account or Case and displays it before the agent answers, so the agent knows who is calling and why without searching.
How it works in Salesforce
When a call arrives, the CTI system receives the caller's number and asks Salesforce to search for it. What happens next depends on the result, and admins control it in the softphone layout:
- One match: Salesforce opens that record.
- Several matches: Salesforce shows a search results page, or opens the most recent record, depending on settings.
- No match: Salesforce can open a new Lead or Contact form, or simply show the caller's number.
Screen pops are only as good as your data. Numbers stored in different formats, duplicate records and numbers in custom fields that the search doesn't cover are the most common reasons a pop shows the wrong record or none at all.
Example
A customer calls about an open Case. Before the agent picks up, Salesforce opens the customer's Contact record with the Case in the related list, so the agent greets them by name and goes straight to the issue.
How 360 CTI handles it
360 CTI shows caller context on screen for inbound and outbound calls inside Salesforce, and can link calls from unknown numbers to a new or existing record. See Link Unknown Calls and the Salesforce Calling Solution.
Related questions
Follow-up questions
Why does a screen pop show the wrong record?
Usually because the same number exists on more than one record, or numbers are saved in different formats. Cleaning duplicates and standardizing phone formats fixes most cases.
Can a screen pop open a Case instead of a Contact?
Yes. The softphone layout decides which objects are searched and which record opens.
What happens when the caller isn't in Salesforce?
Depending on your settings, Salesforce can open a new record form or show the number, so the agent can create a Lead or Contact during the call.
See how 360 CTI handles this in your Salesforce org.