Integrating VoIP with Other Applications

Integration is a buzzword when it comes to VoIP. Organizations are always interested in doing more with less and that applies to technology as well. If your company has already deployed VoIP and employees are comfortable with the new system, the next step is exploring what more you can do with it.

You can test sophisticated features that were infeasible with older PBX tools (digital faxing) or that were out of financial reach for most businesses (auto attendant/IVR). Quite a few enterprises are building unified communication suites on top of their VoIP system. What else can you with your VoIP phones?

Integrate VoIP with Other Enterprise Tools

Integrations could potentially offer many benefits for your business, especially when it involves voice calling. With older generation, analog phones, integrations with enterprise applications was not possible. Voice calls were confined to their own network and there weren’t many ways you could use the generated data.

For instance, suppose you get the contact number of a customer during a phone conversation with them. You cannot directly add that data to your CRM application. You have to write down the number and then enter it in the appropriate software.

VoIP is a whole different ballgame. If you integrate VoIP with your CRM application, you can pass data back and forth. Support agents can call customers with a single click from inside the CRM app. You can record phone conversations with clients and transcribe them automatically. You can even import that data into any software client of your choice!

That is just the beginning of what you can do when you integrate VoIP with other enterprise software. There is no limit to the number of integrations you can have, although managing data flows may become complicated after a while.

VoIP Integration – One Click Set up

Many reputable VoIP service providers offer one-click Integration with popular enterprise tools such as CRM apps, HR software etc. Suppose you use Salesforce CRM in your company. It is highly probable that your VoIP service integrates with it. Some vendors may charge extra for each integration while others include it in certain pricing plans.

Such out-of-the-box integration is the best solution you can get. There is no work for you to do beyond turning on the feature or setting. However, it is not possible for every VoIP service to integrate with every enterprise application out there. So what can you do if your service provider does not integrate with the particular app you need?

DIY VoIP Integration

With a little bit of extra work, you can still make the integration work. Many cloud-based applications and services offer APIs. API stands for Application Programming Interface and in most cases, it is API is just a few lines of code that can import or export relevant data. The API does most of the heavy lifting for you since it knows how to access the data it needs. You don’t have to write code from scratch or waste time in figuring out how to connect different services. Experienced developers can get APIs working within a few hours if need be.

Third-Party Integration Providers

What if you don’t have the in-house expertise to integrate the APIs yourself? Don’t worry, there are quite a few companies that can do the work for you. These integration providers have a much bigger list of connections than the default that your vendor offers. If you require an integration that is not on their list, these companies can create a custom solution for your business. While such services come with a price tag, it will be less expensive than hiring freelance developers and managing them.

Benefits of Integrating VoIP

CRM applications are not the only software that can benefit from closer integration with your phone system. Think of other departments or teams that rely on the phones for daily tasks. If you have a contact center for customer support, it is a prime candidate for VoIP integration.

Many VoIP vendors offer helpdesk software that integrates with their phone service. A service rep answering a customer call can get instant access to the relevant information without having to ask the caller for an account number. Any tool that helps service reps solve customer issues without any additional work on their part is a great one to have!

If your business uses an industry-specific application, you can connect it to your phones as well. Some examples of such software include property management tools, HR software, accounting applications etc. You can streamline operations, reduce the time taken for completing tasks, and improve efficiency among project teams with VoIP integration.

Every VoIP integration will not be useful for every organization. But bringing disparate tools into a cohesive whole provides advantages to any organization. Ask your service provider about integrating VoIP with other business apps. You might be surprised at all the things you can do with it!