3CLogic employees head to New York City this week, for the CRM Evolution 2013 Conference & Expo (myself included!) I thought it might be relevant to share some info on CRM integration within your contact center.
Many contact centers use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to keep track of customers and leads, creating a database of information that enables your contact center representatives to deliver personalized service with every single interaction.
However, as a contact center, you not only want to engage your customers and leads personally, you also want to do so efficiently. The most efficient use of your representative’s time is to invest in cloud-based contact center software with predictive or fixed-ratio dialers that can scale up or down depending on the real-time needs of your contact center.
So how do you combine the awesome powers of these two software suites?
Wonder Twins Activate! CRM Integration!
That’s right. It’s possible to harness both the inclusive customer service experience of CRM software and the efficiency and scalability of contact center software in an integrated solution. But not every CRM integration is the same.
Within the telecom market today, software solutions can offer three different levels of integration between the contact center dialer software and the CRM database:
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Out-of-Box
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Specific Custom Features
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Fully- Customized Integration
How do you know which type of CRM integration will fit the needs of your business? I’ve got you covered! Here’s a breakdown of the three levels of CRM Integration and how your contact center can determine which solution fits the needs of their business.
1. Out-of-Box
Out-of-Box CRM integration is fantastic if you have found a CRM software and contact center solution that suit the needs of your contact center and have an existing partnership between the two companies.
So, an out-of-box integration is really only possible with some of the larger or more mainstream CRM software companies like SalesForce or Microsoft Dynamics. These are larger, already established software companies who have built partnerships with software solutions for readily available integration. With these CRMs, CRM integration in your contact center can happen quickly because it is essentially a “plug-in” with no other product delivery services or technical wherewithal necessary. It’s like taking a toy out of the box, inserting AA batteries, and pressing the on switch. Look at Sparky the Robo-Dog Go! Out-of-box CRM integration is basically plug-and-play. A few simple steps and you’re ready to go.
The downside is that it may not have specific features or functions that your contact center needs because, again, it is only available with mainstream CRM software. If your existing CRM is not one of the well-known ones, or your company designed it in-house, you may have to search for a contact center solution willing to customize your CRM integration with their solution.
2. Specific Features
So, let’s say you find a contact center solution willing to do a solution with your existing, but probably more mainstream CRM. That’s great. But as you begin to utilize the combined resources of your CRM and contact center solution, you discover quickly that you wish it could do a few more things. Rather than searching for a new CRM software with the features you want, you should look into a more customized CRM integration to add a few of those specific features that you were looking for. Maybe you want a single-window interface so that your contact center representatives don’t have to keep stalling the customer as they switch windows. Or you wish that you could customize the options in the dropdown menus to better suit the results of your business calls.
This way, you get the ease of migration from an out-of-box solution, then add the finishing touches the way you like it. Like adding your own cinnamon to the latte you got from the Starbucks across the street. Or you want it in your own ceramic mug instead of a disposable coffee cup. Already made, but adjusted just for you.
3. Fully-Customized Integration
Alright, now let’s go with the case that neither of those scenarios work for you. You want your CRM and contact center software integration to do exactly what you want, when you want it. Your business is totally unique, and as such, your software has to be uniquely crafted to your specifications in order to accommodate the demands and needs of your business and your customers.
You want specific real-time and historical reports for your business. You want email automation functions. You want your own rockin’ hold music for customers to jam to. You want a customized comprehensive IVR to make sure that customer inquiries are handled the right way and sent to the right representative. You want enhanced security that is compliant to the standards of your niche industry. You want certain processes in your system to be automated so that contact center representatives and administrators don’t have to waste their time.
All of this and more is possible with a fully customized integration. If you can dream it, they can build it.
Very select companies are going to be willing to work with you on this. However, the ones that do can build an integration that, once implemented, will provide the efficiency, personalized service, and metrics that your business needs to blow away your competition.
Seamless CRM Integration
And, there you have it. Three levels of CRM integration depending on the needs of your contact center. You’ll want to harness the power of an effective cloud-based contact center solution with the database of your CRM, in order to promote productivity with your business and builder stronger customer relationships.
Don’t forget to stop in and see me if you find yourself at CRM Evolution this week!
