VoIP is used primarily by businesses as a cost-effective telephony service over the internet instead of the more traditional legacy telephone service. Because it’s all
Not all sales CRM software offers these kinds of integrations, so for those that have them, it’s time to start taking advantage.
Sales can do this in a number of ways, and they should take advantage of VoIP integrations because they help create a more seamless user experience, which ultimately leads to a better customer experience. We’re going to break down specific features that make VoIP integrations so important and how they can boost the effectiveness of sales reps.
What can VoIP integrations do?
There are a number of ways companies can take advantage of sales CRM VoIP integrations. Some of these include the ability to make calls within the software, automated call logging and recording, advanced caller data, phone activity reports, and creating segmented fields and interactions.
Let’s take a closer look at what each feature does specifically.
Calls within CRM software
The first integration sales reps can take advantage of to make their experience much smoother is the ability to make calls within their CRM software. This is incredibly helpful because reps who are already taking advantage of their CRM software can quickly look up any customer’s data and simply click-to-call the contact without leaving the software. Some even allow call forwarding, which sends conversations directly to your phone.
This is important for boosting the effectiveness of your sales reps because having to go back and forth can lead to agents having to ask their customer to hold while they try to figure out what they’ve called about in the past, why they might be calling, and to see if there are any notes from previous interactions that may help. CRM software with VoIP integrations can let agents pull up each contact’s data to the agent’s advantage.
Here are three specific examples of CRM software providers who offer powerful VoIP integrations:
- Salesforce
Salesforce not only offers VoIP integrations but offers VoIP integrations with 15 different providers, making it much easier for businesses who already take advantage of cloud telephony to integrate with Salesforce.
- HubSpot
If you already use VoIP phones and you’re looking to implement sales CRM software but you’re not quite ready to take on added costs, HubSpot is a free CRM software solution that offers integrations with Invoca and Aircall.
Users can make calls directly from their dashboard, avoiding the back and forth that comes with using multiple products simultaneously and avoiding the need for additional hardware.
- Pipedrive CRM
Talkdesk is of the many VoIP integrations Pipedrive CRM offers. Users can search contact information directly from Pipedrive to provide reps with more context and offer users personalized experiences while streamlining workflows by automatically logging data after every conversation.
Automated call logging and recording
Automated call logging is a great tool for sales reps looking to get the most out of every interaction with leads and opportunities over the phone. Call logging will automatically record info gathered from the phone call and insert it into the CRM for later conversations and to share with other reps who might be able to help convert the lead into a customer.
Automated Call Recording, as the name suggests, records the calls each rep has with a prospect. This feature is particularly useful because this allows agents to play back conversations at any time. They can listen to the conversation in or out of the office, and take notes if they wish to make improvements for future conversations with the lead or with new leads.
Sales managers love this feature that often comes with VoIP integrations because it works directly with their CRM and inputs data in real time for access from anywhere with an internet connection, further enhancing the CRM’s mobility features.
Automate call reminders and follow-ups
Call reminders are a great way for sales reps to stay on top of the phone calls they make every day. It’s easy for businesses to get carried away with the number of calls they make and receive because sales is a numbers game: the more people you call, the better the odds of acquiring leads that will convert into customers.
Having a reminder pop up directly in the CRM, which is also easy to get lost due to the seemingly-endless contact data constantly being inputted. Because of this, sales reps have little reason to miss a call with a lead that could turn into a serious opportunity for the future.
Managers who have VoIP phones but no way of getting reminders for important phone calls will appreciate the fact that CRM software can do this directly in the software. VoIP already offers a lot, but in conjunction with sales automation software, both become much more powerful.
Multiple service providers
Businesses who use CRM software might be hesitant to start integrating VoIP features into it because it would require working with the VoIP system already in place or being forced to use a service that doesn’t actually fit their needs. The good news is that many CRM software providers like Zoho CRM offer the ability to integrate their sales CRM with multiple VoIP providers.
By offering multiple service providers, businesses can pick and choose what works best for them. There are tons of VoIP providers who offer lists of features that the average small business will not need. In most cases, providing customers with multiple options is the way to go because they’ll be comfortable. This will naturally boost confidence in the rep’s ability to make the buyer’s journey more seamless.
Call routing
Call routing is a great way for sales reps to provide leads with a better experience. Some CRM providers give reps the option to send calls directly to people that have more experience with certain situations and would have a higher chance of converting the lead into a customer.
The way it would work is a rep or a sales manager would see a call is being made thanks to the caller ID features that come with VoIP integrations. The agent or manager would, at the same time, receive a pop up of the lead’s previous interactions with the business. From there, the rep or manager could determine who the call should be routed to and forward it. In a VoIP system, this wouldn’t be nearly as effective or seamless because it would be difficult to get the lead’s information.
With sales CRM software, the data would be pulled up automatically and instantly. Needless to say, there is no reason to not have any form of siloed call routing with the current state of CRM.
The final word
VoIP is a cost-effective way for sales and leads to interact with each other and directly with their sales automation software. Reps can categorize their leads into specific segments, figure out who’s calling, learn more about who they’re working with based on previous interactions, automatically store calling and contact data directly into the CRM, record conversations to replay later, and call leads directly from the CRM to look up the lead’s information easier.
All these things help improve user and customer experience, among having your marketing and sales synchronized. Sales reps are given even more tools thanks to the VoIP integrations and they don’t have to worry about going back and forth between platforms, allowing them to focus entirely on the lead.
Customer experience is the biggest business trend in 2018 and will continue to change the way businesses interact with leads and customers going forward. VoIP integrations are an excellent tool for sales teams to ensure every experience is a positive one.
