VoIP Helps you Integrate your Contacts from Different Services

VoIP has become almost ubiquitous in the business world today, a far cry from when the technology first launched. It is well on its way to becoming the default method of voice communication, for both enterprises and individuals. In fact, quite a few carriers in different countries have announced plans to retire the old PSTN network in favor of VoIP over the next couple of decades.

At this point, almost everyone has made a VoIP call at some point in their lives even if they didn’t know it at the time. Given the plethora of mobile VoIP apps and other softphone applications, it’s not a surprise. The technology has revolutionized the telecommunication industry but its ripple effects are being felt in other areas as well.

For instance, VoIP service providers have introduced many new innovations to the traditional voicemail feature. Instead of users having to dial a number, listen to messages and deal with them one by one, they can now get them delivered straight to their inbox without delays. Similarly, auto attendant, ACD queues, virtual receptionist etc. and other features have changed workflows in many departments and organizations.

Enterprise Content Management

Every business manages a database of contacts – whether it is customers, partners, clients, other organizations etc. Specific departments even use specialized tools such as CRM applications for this task. It’s easy to see why – you need to have records to keep track of client orders, sales leads, service requests, and other such issues.

Unfortunately, managing all the contacts within an enterprise is not or straightforward. Employees will require different levels of access to the central database and some users need to be able to make changes and edits as well. In addition, you will need to have a person or team manage the entire database to make sure errors do not happen. To top it all off, you have to do this with all the different apps, services, and applications that different departments might be using within the same organization.

VoIP Can Help with Contact Management

As surprising as it may be, your VoIP phone service can help with managing your contacts as well. Quite a few service providers offer integration between their system and other software such as CRM tools. These integrations can help you keep your contacts database updated without manual intervention.

Let us consider a hypothetical example. Imagine a business that has contacts scattered everywhere. Across several mail services, CRM tools, and a custom application used by the customer service department. Suppose a sales agent has a conversation with a particular customer and forgets to update it within the CRM app they’re supposed to use. Now you have an out-of-date record that can cause problems in the future. As similar errors creep in, your databases become less reliable. You cannot use the information there as you cannot be sure if it is updated, accurate, or confidential.

VoIP Links to CRM Tools

Perhaps the most popular third-party integration is between VoIP services and CRM applications. Many service providers offer this feature to enterprise customers as part of their pricing plan. It allows for users to update contacts in one place. The tool automatically propagates such changes to the other system.

Let’s say an agent initiates a call from within the CRM database. The system notes the appropriate timestamps in the VoIP app as well. Similarly, calls made to contacts whose records are in the CRM can be updated with the latest information without the user having to open multiple applications.

Several vendors also support popular mail services like Gmail, Outlook, and other business tools. This means that users can integrate their contacts within the VoIP app and not worry about missing details. Imagine how much time users can save if they don’t have to constantly hunt down details before making a call? Or how much more productive your workers can be if they’re not worrying about writing down important details? Not only does it help your employees save time and be more productive but it also represents an efficiency improvement for the entire organization.

Properly integrating your CRM tool with the phone system can generate unexpected dividends. You might find that your sales team is able to generate and follow up on leads better than before. The performance of the customer service or tech support departments may also improve because of superior contact management. Your business can offer a superior customer experience for callers if agents already have their information when they call in for support issues.

What it comes down to is how you can improve process workflows and make sure that your employees have the information they need when they need it. Once upon a time, businesses switch to VoIP because it was cheaper than traditional systems. Today, they are demanding – and getting – more from these tools than ever before!