VoIP integration with CRM: The essential guide

Have you ever worked on a team that uses seven different apps for internal communications? Or maybe you’ve noticed the overlap between certain software solutions and know firsthand how confusing it can be.

There are some tools you can’t (and wouldn’t want to) give up, like your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. Your customer relationship management solution (CRM system) is likewise essential in organizing your team’s sales process and tracking customer interactions.

For any growing small business or larger enterprise, the solution is integrations. As a comprehensive, cloud-based solution that syncs data between platforms in real-time, a VoIP-CRM integration can solve those pesky operational problems once and for all.

In this guide to VoIP integration with CRM, we explain the basics and spell out its benefits. By the end, you’ll be eager to enable a CRM integration with a premier VoIP provider like OpenPhone. Ready to learn the answers to all of your questions about VoIP integration with CRMs?

How does a VoIP integration with your CRM work?

In case you need to break this down for your team, we’re here to explain exactly how VoIP phone systems integrate with CRMs.

In short, integrations allow for automatic data syncing between any two compatible software platforms of your choosing. You can use multiple VoIP integrations (e.g. Slack, Zapier, and email) if your VoIP provider allows it. This process lets you maximize the strengths of each platform without making any tradeoffs. Enjoy the convenience of a VoIP app and the complexity of CRM features like sales analytics and forecasting.

Once you integrate your VoIP system with your CRM, any relevant calls or messages will be recorded in your CRM. That removes the need to manually log every customer contact touchpoint or re-enter contact information in both systems. When a client calls you can also see the CRM contact’s name in your phone system, so you can pull up their history in just a couple of clicks and be ready to go. 

Opting to integrate your VoIP service with your CRM is one of the simplest ways of organizing client and prospect data while improving the customer experience. Increased conversions and better team communication are welcome bonuses of this game-changing tool.

Selecting the best VoIP system for CRM integration

The first step to integrating VoIP with CRM is to find software tools that are compatible with each other — otherwise, you won’t be saving much time at all. If your current phone carrier or VoIP service provider doesn’t offer CRM integrations, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere.

Beyond ensuring a VoIP platform integrates with your CRM software, teams can shortlist their must-have VoIP features, such as:

KPI tracking and analytics

Key performance indicators (KPIs) help your organization track progress toward business objectives. To help you track your business goals, find a VoIP system with compatible analytics capabilities.

For example, if you want to quantify the reach of your communication, you can track the number of unique conversations. Alternatively, you could double-down on productivity teamwide or at an individual level, all based on metrics like total time on the phone, number of messages sent, and activities per hour. Or, you can review activities by hour of the day to find out when your team is most active or when inbound calls spike.

Then you can use tools like webhooks to bring together data from your CRM, phone system, and other tools. 

No matter what kind of data you’re interested in tracking, you first need to find a modern VoIP system that can deliver on key metrics and reporting.

CRM contact visibility in your phone system

The dreaded “address book dilemma” can be a serious problem for fast-growing businesses. It’s disorienting to constantly switch back and forth between your CRM and phone address book.

With a VoIP provider like OpenPhone, your VoIP address book can sync automatically with your CRM. That makes it easy to quickly identify CRM contacts in your VoIP system each time you receive incoming calls and messages. Keep tabs on essential customer information and communications without juggling multiple desktop windows.

Auto-log conversations

One of the biggest perks of integrating your CRM account with your VoIP service is the ability to auto-log. After you get a VoIP number, you can effortlessly import all customer messages and calls without missing a beat with auto-logged data.

You won’t have to undertake any additional steps to ensure your colleague in sales sees the customer service call you just made on a client account. The auto-log feature makes it easy for cross-department collaboration. It’s an essential component of any VoIP-CRM integration and a feature OpenPhone is proud to offer its users.

Additional business features

Other business phone features could be useful in your arsenal to streamline your internal business communication and general workflow. Because OpenPhone was built for the modern-day workplace, its features stand out from other VoIP providers. OpenPhone’s VoIP service offerings include all of the business tools you’d expect and those you didn’t know you needed. That includes:

• Call recordings
• Away voicemail greetings
• Customized business hours
• Snippets and auto-replies
• Auto-attendant (IVR)
• Caller ID
• Internal chat threads
• SMS and MMS capabilities
• Call analytics
• Integrations with tools like Zapier, Slack, and email

When you take the time to browse for top VoIP providers, you’re bound to find the best one for your business. Consider things like pricing, analytics, business feature options, and of course, integration capabilities. Once you’ve made your decision, you’re ready to hit the ground running and take advantage of VoIP integrations with CRM.

What are the advantages of using a VoIP integration with CRM?

So, why is it a good idea to integrate your CRM with your VoIP phone system? A VoIP-CRM integration can make your life easier by centralizing customer contact information and giving you an overview of your sales funnel. Let’s break down the top advantages of using a VoIP-CRM integration in a little more detail:

Get a clearer picture of your sales funnel

With your auto-logged activities, you can run reports in your CRM to see how your team spends their time on the phone. Filter by customer support representative, dates, and other criteria to gain an accurate overview of VoIP phone usage. Who’s spending the most time on calls? What kind of conversion rates are you seeing? You can then use these metrics to coach your sales team, reward team members that go above and beyond, and track call outcomes.

Collect vital customer information in a flash

We’ve already detailed a couple of scenarios in which customer data analysis can help your business get a leg-up over the competition. When you operate a call center, good data collection practices are particularly useful.

In most cases, call center agents have to dial customers separately, input call data into a CRM, and re-consult with the CRM when it’s time for a follow-up. With a VoIP integration, however, reps can click to call directly from the CRM and sync information across devices and platforms.

Even if you don’t run a call center, your sales team stands to benefit from greater collaborative functionality. If Joe calls a client and Sally needs to follow up, she can easily access Joe’s client records from one convenient dashboard.

Save big on operating costs

Time is money. As a result of increased operational efficiency, VoIP-CRM integrations allow you to save big. Rather than chasing down prospects manually with follow-up messages and corresponding separately with team members, you can relax knowing everything is stored safely in one place in the cloud.

You can use this newfound time and capital to focus on the things that matter, like reaching out to new prospects or adding value to your company’s services or products. 

Track all your phone communication

With click-to-call enabled in your CRM, your team shouldn’t have to ever use their personal phones for work. Instead, reps can conduct calls directly from your VoIP service via desktop or cell phone. Your company won’t ever have to worry about missing phone call data. Your team members will also enjoy a healthier work-life balance with separate work and personal phone numbers.

Save time after every call

The best VoIP-CRM integrations auto-log all activities, saving teams time and energy. Your CRM automatically stores all of your inbound and outbound calls, voicemails, call recordings, and texts under the relevant contact. That takes away the stress and time-suck of manually logging information.

Plus, the next time you need to reference a customer conversation, you know exactly where to find it.

Organize customer contact information across systems

Worried about entering duplicate contacts? How about the stress of keeping up with multiple address books? With a VoIP-CRM integration, you can throw those worries out the window. CRM contacts can automatically push to your VoIP system to avoid duplicate contacts.

Deepen your existing customer relationships

Integrations are a great way of streamlining customer acquisition. But we can’t round out this guide without touching on another of their main selling points: the ability to deepen trust and build relationships with existing customers. 

These current clients could be calling with customer-support concerns or to ask questions about forthcoming features. Whatever they need, a CRM allows you to provide valuable help in a jiffy. Dial back directly from your CRM, instantly view caller history, and read past customer requests in no time at all.

The best part is you don’t have to spend hours of your week switching between platforms or composing the same repeat text message over and over. 

Automation is your friend, and VoIP integrations with CRM remove repetitive, monotonous tasks from your daily schedule. Plus, you can impress customers with your in-depth knowledge of their specific use case.

Get the best of both worlds

In today’s interconnected world, you shouldn’t have to reap the benefits of your VoIP phone system or your CRM in isolation. There’s no substitute for an all-in-one CRM like HubSpot, just like there’s no stand-in for stellar VoIP phone service. When you link your primary business tools together, you never have to compromise on your business call management or customer relations — you simply get the best of both worlds.

Using HubSpot or Salesforce? Connect your CRM to OpenPhone

There are plenty of CRM platforms and VoIP providers on the market today. The trick is finding the right tools for your business and ensuring they’re compatible.

If you’re ready to make the leap and connect your HubSpot or Salesforce CRM to OpenPhone, what are you waiting for? OpenPhone’s strong business feature offerings and integration options make it more than just a run-of-the-mill phone system. Take advantage of call logging synchronization with your CRM account, transparent pricing plans, and easy scalability using OpenPhone.

Test it out for yourself by signing up for a free trial of OpenPhone today.

FAQ: VoIP Integration with CRM

Celita Summa

By day, Celita is a Florida-based freelance writer specializing in technology, marketing, sustainability, and a plethora of other topics. Nothing makes her happier than reading and writing well-researched content. By night, Celita can be found developing her talents, which include her black belt in karate, her fluent Italian, and her knack for vegan cooking.