Why CRM Integration Matters?
Integration is a concept that can transform your customer service from mediocre to superior. Today, it’s easier than ever to achieve this. All you need is a customer relationship management (CRM) system that supports integrations.
CRM systems are centralized customer service platforms that bring every customer touchpoint, interaction and sales history into one place.
CRM integration occurs when customer service software integrates with other business and external third-party applications. All of these systems become linked and can automatically transfer data to one another, ensuring that all the relevant stakeholders are updated with the same customer data in one fell swoop.
Let’s suppose a customer makes a purchase on your e-commerce platform hosted on Shopify. The payment automatically feeds into your CRM system, which is integrated with your accounting system, instantly updating the customer’s account.
This means your accounting staff don’t have to manually update invoices, saving time and ensuring invoices and monthly statements accurately reflect the customer’s latest transactions. At the same time, your customer service agents can view the customer’s latest purchase and promote similar products in cross-selling campaigns.
That’s one example of how CRM integrations can enhance customer service, improve business efficiency, and boost customer retention rates.
CRM integration should be a key component in customer management. It helps customer service agents operate more efficiently and elevates the customer experience.
Data Silos Negatively Impact Customer Service
When your various business systems don’t “talk” to each other, your employees have to share information with other departments and manually transfer data across multiple systems.
This often means duplicating the same information across various systems, which is time-consuming and can lead to data errors. Even with the most stringent reporting processes, information may not always reach every intended recipient.
Data silos create operational inefficiencies and data discrepancies that can frustrate customers and cause them to abandon your brand.
For example, if there is a lag in data updates to your customer support software, you won’t have the latest interaction with customers. Should a customer follow up on the status of a service request, the support agent may respond based on an older interaction. This may annoy the customer if they have to repeat their request. It creates an unprofessional image and undesired friction for the customer.
According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 59% of customers in the U.S. said they will walk away after several bad experiences, and 17% will do so after just one bad experience.
Data silos can result in missed opportunities, like anticipating customer needs and creating targeted personalized marketing campaigns. It can ultimately lead to lost sales opportunities. CRM integration bridges the gap between these silos, allowing for a seamless flow of data across multiple platforms.
How CRM Integration Improves Customer Service
There’s really no reason to struggle to provide a great customer service experience. The tools are there, and when integrated, you can easily meet (and exceed) your customer’s expectations. Here’s how CRM integration can improve your customer service.
1. Streamline workflows for greater efficiency
Integrating your customer service software with other applications allows many processes to take place automatically. Automation means data transfer can happen immediately and at any time of the day or night.
Combined with AI tools, like chatbots, your customers can receive assistance with basic queries outside of office hours. Should the chatbot be unable to address the query, it can automatically forward it to the customer support team and an agent can attend to the following day.
2. Improve productivity for customer service agents
With a centralized customer database that receives instant updates from various business systems, your customer service agents no longer have to:
- waste time searching for information from other departments
- wait for weekly or monthly customer data updates
- jump from one information system to another to access or update information
Instead, they can focus on higher-value tasks, like using the data from your CRM for lead generation, marketing outreach, and building customer relationships.
3. Reduce customer friction
CRM integration reduces friction along the customer journey. What is friction? Customer friction occurs when it is difficult to find information, buy or return a product, use a product, contact your business or access customer support.
Most customers want speedy service. Integrating your customer service software with your website, e-commerce store, social media and point-of-sale system creates a seamless experience.
However, should friction occur, your support team can quickly spot if customers have had problems with a product, have outstanding service requests, or are dissatisfied with the service and intervene. Most customers will forgive a bad experience if the company takes immediate steps to correct the situation.
4. Support lead generation
If a customer visits your website and browses your products but doesn’t purchase any, wouldn’t it be good to know that? Your sales team could reach out to these prospective customers.
If your website or e-commerce store links to your CRM software, you could pursue an engagement with these customers that could lead to a purchase later on. Remember the marketing “Rule of 7” that says most people need to see a brand seven times before they’ll make a purchase.
5. Help you make data-driven marketing decisions
CRM software collects vast amounts of customer data, including sales data, customer preferences, marketing campaign success rates, and customer service histories.
You can analyze these metrics to gain deeper insights into your customers’ shopping habits, their value to the company and the challenges they experience. Their feedback can inform your marketing strategy and help improve your services.
How to integrate CRM software with other business applications
Several excellent customer service software platforms are available on the market. Many are easy to install and have plug-and-play integration, making it easy to link with your existing business systems and third-party vendors.
The customer service software you choose should meet your business’s needs, be customizable and able to scale as your business grows. When purchasing out-of-the-box software, make sure it includes robust security protocols so your customers’ data is protected.
Alternatively, you could install an integration platform like HexaSync that can link your existing customer service platform with your older legacy business systems.
Your customer service agents can only do what they can from a human perspective to provide exceptional customer support. Their job becomes much easier when they have the right technology. CRM integration is an important element of the customer service toolkit, making it easier for agents to serve customers so that they want to return over and over.