As end customers are more accustomed to getting instant access and instant gratification (think Instagram Reels, Google searches, the ability to ask their smartphone anything and get an answer), this has naturally and somewhat unfairly become the expectation for contacting any business.

In fact, 70% of customers say it’s very important for an organization to deliver a unified, seamless experience at any point of interaction.

When someone calls a support number, they expect:

• An instant response
• To be routed to an agent who can solve their problem
• Their problem to be solved in an efficient manner
• There to be no resistance and minimal effort required from their side

If systems are disconnected, there’s failure on all four expectations.

In the Nextiva State of Customer Experience 2024, a key takeaway was that “Customer preferences are rapidly changing and can outpace businesses that don’t adopt technology to keep up.”

To maintain an advantage over competitors, you must enable your customer to be at the height of technology. This doesn’t mean they need to go all-in on artificial intelligence and fast forward digital transformation plans by five years. But it does mean you must help them adapt.

The integration of their unified comms suite and CRM helps achieve many benefits, all leading to a better customer experience. If your customers already have both technologies, integration must be the next step.

CRM integration is the two-way information exchange between a customer relationship management system (like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho, etc.) and another application.

Using each system’s APIs, technology providers create a flow of data and information to enable faster processes, less data leakage, and better customer experiences.

For example, ACME Technologies uses Salesforce as its CRM and Microsoft Teams as its phone system.

When used standalone, these systems are effective in their own silo. Salesforce stores all the customer data and tracks customer interactions as they move from prospect to paying and renewing customers. Microsoft Teams handles phone calls, both inbound and outbound.

When integrated, contact center agents receive calls on their Teams app and get all the information Salesforce stores presented on their screen. Without having to put customers on hold, manually search for information, and duplicate call logs, agents get access to everything they need. The entire process becomes smoother and more efficient.

While implementing CRM integration can be as simple as plug and play thanks to providers like Akixi, a few hurdles remain.

Before you jump in feet first, it’s important to review common issues so you’re aware of the potential challenges customers may face come implementation time.

Challenges of CRM integration implementations

As highlighted in CX Network’s Global State of CX 2024,

Helping customer secure buy-in for CRM integration

To your main point of contact, it makes total sense. Their two most used and most customer-facing platforms simply have to integrate with each other.

The passing of data between platforms in real time is beneficial for in-the-moment actions as well as detailed reporting on past interactions. Now, your prospect must build a business case that highlights both the tangible and intangible factors they expect post-implementation.

You can help customers here by including the following when they’re trying to gain buy-in:

Training teams to use CRM integration

As with any new technology introduction, you’re going to get new functionality. In most cases, this means extensive product training that removes users and agents from their daily tasks.

In the case of CRM integration, however, you have a choice:

• Customers use their phone system as the front end and let the CRM integration handle the back end work.
• Use the interface of a CRM integration tool for added features (like Caller Preview, Contact Popping, and Call Activity Logging.

Often, staff don’t notice the difference when it comes to new features of CRM integration. That’s the beauty of it. Features like Caller Preview make agents’ lives easier, providing them with data and context for the call so they don’t have to ask routine questions that increase average handle time.

Rather than learning how to use a new interface or feature, the integration of key systems removes manual steps that once prolonged serving customers.

Growing the customer base with CRM integration

The main question when spending money on any new technology is “How are we going to grow the business with this tool?”

With regards to CRM integration, your customers have already communicated (and realized) the benefits of each system standalone. The value of combining the two lies in personalization of calls for both outbound campaigns and serving existing customers. After all, the more your customers know about their customers, the better the experience they can provide.

Likewise, when thinking about customer retention, the higher the first call resolution rate (FCR), the better customer service is and the more likely customers are to renew.

When we know that customer churn costs US companies $168bn per year, there’s a lot service providers can do to help remedy it.

As well as having the technology in your portfolio, and the right back end enabler, like Akixi, you must work with customers to create a plan for implementation and ongoing success.

Use these questions and pointers to collaborate best when you’re trying to move a deal over the line at the vital stage.

Define clear objectives

What is your customers’ goal when integrating your CRM and UC systems?

• Are they trying to stop data leakage and duplicated misinformation when agents must copy and paste or manually update the same records across multiple systems?
• Do they wish they could provide prospects and customers a more personalized experience so they can close more deals?
• Do they have an existing in-house integration that requires constant maintenance and needs replacing?

Think about relating these goals to key metrics like improving average handle time, FCR, and customer satisfaction scores. Post-implementation, you’ll have a benchmark and both you and customers can gauge the success of your rollout.

If you can say you improved FCR by 50%, that’s a case study your marketing team will welcome with open arms.

Involve stakeholders early

The last thing you need is a senior stakeholder to pull the plug near your go-live date because they don’t have all the information they need to give your customer the green light.

It’s vital to establish a communications plan ahead of time.

In this, include:

• Reasons for change
• Expected outcomes once deployed
• Timelines for implementation
• Milestones needed to proceed on expected go-live date
• How to raise objections

When dealing with large enterprises with a formal change management board, go above and beyond when it comes to communications.

For example, it might be a company procedure to upload the project plan to the intranet. But to make sure everybody who needs to know is in the know, help your contact overcommunicate by sending encouraging the following:

• Email copy of your plan
• Dedicating a new Microsoft Teams channel
• Holding a Q&A meeting

Post-deployment, continue the conversation so all stakeholders understand the success of the UC and CRM integration.

Choose the right integration partner

Here’s where your decision is crucial.

To start providing CRM integration, make sure you select an integration partner rather than a provider of services.

You want a business that understands your own requirements as well as your customers’ requirements. You need someone who has experience dealing with similar industries or companies as the ones you specialize in.

Akixi has helped hundreds of service providers and thousands of end customers integrate their CRM systems with their voice and UC solutions.

We specialize in verticals like: