Let’s Look at VoIP-CRM Integration

For any customer-facing business, understanding customers and efficiently meeting their needs is of the utmost importance. After all, modern customers have plenty of options when shopping for virtually anything, so a consistent approach to communication and service is the key to productive — and profitable — relationships.

Choosing a VoIP solution that will enable the type or types of communication your customers want and expect is one element of the equation. VoIP-powered call center software solutions from providers like Vonage Business Communications provide a wide range of benefits to create a top-tier customer experience.

But how do call center agents answering the phones know who they’re talking to — including their relevant account information, transaction history, and more? The answer is simple: a VoIP-CRM integration. Keep reading for a brief guide to call center CRM integration for VoIP systems, including what they are, how they benefit a business, and how to get started.

How a CRM System Is Used in a Call Center

Call centers typically use a CRM system as an accessible, centralized repository of important customer data related to their experience(s) with the brand over time. Accessing and using this data in the context of customer interactions enables agents to provide the consistent, high-quality service that makes customers feel more valued.

The potential use cases and benefits of using a CRM within a call center environment are difficult to overstate. These include the ability for call center agents to:

• Store, organize, and access prospect and customer data

• Track customer relationships and transaction histories over time

• Share customer data across the organization, so systems, processes, and products can be improved to better meet customer expectations

The Value of CRM Integration With a Phone System

CRM integration refers to a process in which an organization connects their VoIP and CRM technologies to provide more personalized service. While some companies try to cobble together solutions and workflows, those that adopt and integrate a CRM can automate the process of syncing valuable data. This, in turn, empowers agents with timely insights they can use to provide exceptional service. Ultimately, with a successful integration, the CRM and the VoIP phone system become much more powerful.

Vonage Business Communications offers a wide range of available CRM integrations for call centers — Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, and many more.

The Advantages of CRM-VoIP Integration

There are several key advantages to integrating a CRM with a VoIP phone system, all of which empower companies to provide top-tier service to their customers and build more productive, long-term relationships.

Specific advantages include the ability to:

• Make calls directly within the CRM platform

• Consistently demonstrate that each customer is valued and understood by the company, helping to elevate its brand image and reputation

• Optimize (or even automate) the data collection, organization, and syncing processes across different systems/platforms

• Streamline post-call work for agents by automatically capturing interaction details and syncing them from the VoIP system to the CRM

• Capture a wide range of trackable analytics data related to the entire customer lifecycle

Unconvinced whether CRM integrations are worth it? Consider these statistics:

• 84% of customers think their experiences dealing with a company are as important as the quality of its products and services (according to Salesforce). CRM integrations help companies provide the type of experience customers expect.

• 91% of companies with at least 10 employees use a CRM (according to CRM.org). If customer experience is a true differentiator, roughly 9% of companies risk falling behind.

• For every dollar a company spends on a CRM solution, they see an average ROI of $8.71 (according to Zippia).

Between a more streamlined agent experience, a better customer experience, and tools that drive efficiency, productivity, and insights, the benefits of CRM integration speak for themselves.

How to Integrate a CRM with a VoIP System

Because CRM integration is a widely acknowledged best practice, many VoIP and CRM integration providers — like Vonage — make it easy to connect these vital systems. In fact, integrating the two systems isn’t too different from installing a browser extension, and your VoIP provider will often be willing to offer support along the way to help you get the most value from their solution.

The integration process typically involves using an application programming interface (API), which IBM defines as “a set of defined rules that enable different applications to communicate with each other.” In other words, a CRM integration API makes it quicker and easier for call center leaders to ​​connect a CRM with their phone system.

It might help to think of a CRM system as an extensive database of customer information. It’s a vital resource agents can consult before engaging with a customer, to know who exactly they are about to speak to. Consider this CRM integration example:

• Without a CRM integration, an agent might answer a customer call and then have to put them on hold in order to look them up in the system. While this process enables the agent to acknowledge the customer effectively, it’s not efficient. As the agent searches for the customer’s information, the customer will realize that the company doesn’t really “know” them. It leaves them feeling like “just another customer.”

• With a CRM integration in place, when an agent answers an inbound customer call, the API can automatically and immediately communicate with the CRM, locate that customer’s information, and present it to the agent. This often happens via a “screen pop” (a pop-up window) that doesn’t require the agent to navigate to a different program or browser tab. It’s a much more efficient way to ensure that customers feel understood and valued.

CRM and VoIP: Better Together, and Better With Vonage

If you’re looking for a VoIP-powered solution ready to integrate with your CRM of choice, consider switching to Vonage — it’s easier to switch than you might expect. To explore your needs — and how our platform can meet them — schedule a time to chat with a member of our team today!