5 Benefits of VoIP CRM Integration & How to Use It

VoIP software has been around for quite a while now and it’s evolved quite a bit. From a superb replacement for a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) with just the basic calling features, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is now a powerhouse that makes life easier for call centers around the world.

One of the major reasons for the success of VoIP telephony is its ability to integrate with a wide variety of tools. In particular, VoIP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) integrations have been a reason for businesses to switch from plain POTS to VoIP.

Today we’ll explain what a VoIP CRM integration is, how it works, and what the main benefits are.

What is a VoIP CRM integration?

A VoIP CRM integration is a connection between two business apps – your VoIP software (such as CloudTalk) and your CRM application (such as Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho). The integration lets you easily exchange data between the two apps so you don’t have to waste time finding information or dialing numbers manually, among other things.

Usually, you feed the data from your CRM database to your VoIP tool to make your call center agents’ lives easier. But let’s go into a bit more detail.

How Does a VoIP CRM Integration Work?

For starters, you need to have an active subscription to at least two tools: your VoIP contact center tool (CloudTalk) and your preferred CRM. Before choosing a VoIP solution, it’s crucial to make sure that the CRM you’re using is on their list of integrations. For example, CloudTalk integrates with all of the aforementioned tools + 30 other integrations.

In the simplest terms, VoIP software is used for making calls, while CRMs are used for storing customer data. Put two and two together, and handling customer calls becomes much easier and more productive.

The list of things that you can do with the two tools combined is nearly endless, but here are some basics:

• synchronize data in two ways (calls, notes, deals, recordings, tags)
• access call recordings from your CRM
• make calls directly from your CRM with an embedded call widget
• get caller information on your screen when a customer calls your agent
• go to a customer’s profile in your CRM and call them with one click, without dialing manually
• synchronize your SMS campaigns with your CRM
• get call center statistics in your CRM
• create workflow automations (e.g., send an SMS from your VoIP tool if a customer does not respond to an agent’s call)

The great news is that you can do all of this in CloudTalk, using one of our many CRM integrations. It’s important to note that the functionalities you gain from the integration will be different depending on the specific CRM that you’re using. However, most of the CRMs we integrate with have all the great features mentioned above.

The Main Benefits Of Using a VoIP CRM Integration

If you take a quick glance at the possibilities mentioned above, it’s clear that the combination of these tools can be incredibly powerful. Your specific benefits will depend on a variety of factors, but these are the most important ones to keep in mind.

Saves Time And Money

Agents love VoIP CRM integrations. One simple reason is they no longer have to spend hours in their CRM tools looking for information. Once a new call comes in, they immediately see everything you have about that particular customer – their name, previous purchases, touchpoints, and more.

If they need to make an outbound call, they can just go to the CRM dashboard and click on the recipient’s number to dial instead of searching for it. The same goes for sending a follow-up email or an SMS.

In your CRM, you can create lists of phone numbers for your agents to dial. If the customer doesn’t respond, the VoIP tool just moves on to the next number in line. This may sound like just a few seconds, but it can be a huge time saver for someone making hundreds of calls per week.

It Makes Your Agents Happier

It’s a safe bet to assume that most people don’t want to perform repetitive, time-consuming tasks constantly. Imagine having to dial 100 numbers per day, open an Excel sheet, then copy and paste the number into your VoIP tool for each one. The seconds add up, and your agents would have to spend a good part of their days doing something that can be easily automated.

Data entry is one of the most common reasons why sales agents dislike their jobs, as it is tedious and requires manual labor that is easily automated. So you may save a few dollars by not getting a VoIP provider with a CRM integration, but the price you pay is much steeper – unhappy, unproductive agents who will leave your company and will cost more to replace.

Improves Accuracy

Copying and pasting data between apps is not only time-consuming but also leaves lots of room for human error. With dozens of calls to make during each shift, your agents can mistakenly enter the wrong data and potentially cost you a customer.

A CRM VoIP integration automatically pulls data between apps so your agents can focus on sales rather than making sure they don’t miss a digit in the CRM profile.

Increases Customer Satisfaction

Companies that invest in personalization grow 40% faster compared to those that don’t. Your customers are aware that you probably serve thousands of others besides them. However, they still want you to treat their case with special attention. If you personalize each touchpoint, it shows your customers that you care about having their business – be it a $5 or a $500,000 sale.

A CRM VoIP integration lets you access all of the data about each customer before every call. Whether you’re making an outbound call or receiving an inbound one, all of the previous customer interactions will show up: calls, emails, messages, agent notes, and more.

Even if the agent responsible has never talked to that particular customer before, they’ll know more than enough to take a personalized approach and sweep your customers off their feet.

Improves Productivity

With a VoIP CRM integration, your agents don’t have to constantly juggle two different apps. While this may take just a few seconds each time, you probably know the feeling when all it takes is a few clicks for you to end up sneaking in a visit to YouTube or Amazon in between. You could easily save hours every month without such distractions.

Another great aspect is that your agents can access customer data on any device, at any time. They can get data about an incoming call on their mobile phones and answer it on the spot instead of going to their laptop where they usually use the CRM.

Last but not least, agents have to spend less time catching up with one another. When a new call comes in, the agent handling it will immediately know about any previous interactions with the customer and so they won’t have to reach out to another agent to get more information.

Makes Full Use of SMS

Integrating SMS in your call center campaigns can be complex, especially if you have the wrong combo of CRM and VoIP tool. With a proper CRM VoIP integration, you can continue the conversation you had on the phone through SMS.

For example, if a customer does not respond to an outbound call from an agent, a VoIP tool can pull their phone number and automatically send them an SMS asking for a better time to call.

In a different situation, when a call goes really well, the integration can work in your favor to send an SMS with a link to book a demo for your product immediately afterward.

The use cases are endless, and SMS can be one of the most powerful marketing channels you use for inbound and outbound campaigns. In 2022, 34% of people open text messages within 5 minutes of receiving them, and 89% of people read them within the first 30 minutes of receipt.

Furthermore, some VoIP providers like CloudTalk also offer MMS, which can dramatically boost customer engagement and help with effective troubleshooting. 

How to Set Up VoIP CRM Integration In CloudTalk

It is easier than you might think. To get access to integrations, you need to be on our Essentials plan. For the low cost of $30 per user per month. Here are the integrations you can choose from in CloudTalk:

• Hubspot
• Pipedrive
• Salesforce
• Zendesk Sell
• Zoho CRM
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• Copper
• NoCRM
• AmoCRM
• Onpipeline CRM
• ActiveCampaign
• Freshsales

To set up your CRM integration, simply head to your CloudTalk dashboard, click on Account, and then Integrations. Then choose your CRM from the list above and click on the +Add button, and you’ve just connected your CRM to CloudTalk in three clicks.

How VoIP CRM integration work in CloudTalk? We will tell you, but you can see by yourself:

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How VoIP CRM Integration Work in CloudTalk

That’s all fine and dandy, but let’s go from theory to practice. Say that you use CloudTalk as your VoIP tool and Hubspot as your CRM. Here’s what typical day-to-day use of these two tools would look like.

1. Set up your VoIP CRM integration

As you read a few moments ago, it takes just a few clicks to connect your CRM with CloudTalk. 

2. Your agents start dialing from the CRM

Instead of getting a list of leads in a spreadsheet, your call center agents can load up Hubspot and see the customers they need to call that day. On this list, they see each contact’s details, previous interactions, and – most importantly – a button to immediately start a call from Hubspot.

3. While they’re on a call

Agents can immediately take notes about the call in Hubspot, as well as add tags, and the data will be automatically synchronized between the two apps. The call will also be recorded (if you choose that option) so that the next time the same agent tries to dial, they can listen in to learn what the previous interaction was like.

4. After the call

CloudTalk and Hubspot also synchronize the SMS messages you send. You can set up a workflow so that each Hubspot lead receives a follow-up SMS after the call. This could be immediately afterward, a day, a week, or a month later.

5. When the customer calls back

If you’ve already talked to a customer, you’ll know immediately when they call you. As soon as the call comes up in CloudTalk, you’ll see all previous interactions: calls, SMS communication, tags, notes, call recordings, and more. Before your agent picks up the phone, they’ll know how to approach the customer and where to pick up from.

Frequently Asked Questions

Maybe you have a question that we didn’t address above. Below is some additional information for you.

How much does it cost to integrate VoIP with CRM?

That depends on how much your CRM system costs and what you’re paying for your VoIP provider. In CloudTalk, you can get any CRM integration from our list on the Essential plan, which costs $30 per user per month. So, assuming you already use some type of CRM, that’s an additional $30 to pay for the integration. However, CloudTalk also comes with a host of other great features in this plan, so it’s worth checking out.

What is the best CRM app to use for this type of integration?

It may change according to the size of your company, sales team, what you sell, how many touch points you have, what data you collect, and more. Some of the most popular CRMs include Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive – and CloudTalk integrates with all of them. It’s best to choose something that fits your needs now, and gives you room to grow in the future.

What are some must-have features for a VoIP CRM integration?

Some of the top features you need include click-to-call, notes, SMS synchronization, tagging, workflow automation, and call recording. The exact features you’ll want depend on your own usage and needs, but these are the core ones we would always recommend.

What’s the best way to use a VoIP CRM integration?

There are countless different use cases, so it’s best to consult with your team and see what would save them the most time and effort every day to make them more productive. Call pops, storing recordings, and calling directly from a CRM are some great places to get started.

Wrapping Up

If you’re already using a CRM tool, it’s best to find a VoIP provider that integrates with your specific tool so you can save time for your agents and money for your company. And if you’re using a great VoIP tool like CloudTalk, you’ll know that we integrate with all of the most popular CRMs out there and that the combination of these two tools will make your life in sales or customer support a breeze.

So what are you waiting for? Integrations are just one of the reasons why call center managers and agents love CloudTalk.