Users will no longer be locked into a particular vendor or a single application. Just because a company, for example, has a particular PBX, it no longer means it has to use the single proprietary application. Competition in telephony application software means that a wide variety of applications will be available at competitive prices, and new features will be continually rolled-out by commercial developers to meet growing user needs. This means end user investments in applications software and telephony hardware are protected by the interchangability of components.
TAPI provides users with easier-to-use applications involving telephone systems, particularly through the use of a graphical user interface on a user's PC. Performing functions such as conference, transfer, and hold, will become more intuitive. Also, new features will become available to users which they didn't have access to before. One example would be the integration of telephony with existing applications they may already be using, such as databases. And new applications will make it easier for users to manage their phone system, and to control how they are contacted, and by which means.
Some of the new applications will enable users to create different levels of caller accessibility to themselves. This will be based on incoming calling line identification, or other preferences. A user might want certain calls routed to them, such as from a spouse or children, no matter where the user is located. It will track that user down, even if they are out in the field and can only be reached on their cellular phone, for example. Similarly, they may want some callers to be sent to voice mail, while key customers might have access to their beeper. So TAPI-enabled applications will help users manage their time better, by putting them in control of their telecommunications.