Benefits of integrating your Phone System with your CRM/ERP

In previous posts I’ve touched on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and its benefits in streamlining your business process and giving you an overview of how business is operating. One of the core features of an ERP system is the management of the businesses front of house operations like a Client/Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
There are also standalone CRM systems out there like Salesforce, built as a SaaS, and offering integration into larger ERP systems. Many CRM vendors offer subscription-based web tools (cloud computing) and software as a service (SaaS). Some CRM systems are equipped with mobile capabilities, making information accessible to remote sales staff.
A CRM as defined on Wikipedia  is “a system for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers. It often involves using technology to organize, automate and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support.” The idea of this blog is to introduce the concept of using your phone system with your CRM whether it is standalone of part of an overall ERP system. At Hybrid we have used the 3CX CRM integration module with our own ERP Business Management Software, Herbst Insight.  The CRM module provides out of the box integration with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage ACT! SugarCRM and Google Contacts.

The integration with other CRM systems can be easily achieved by creating custom plugins.When a call arrives into your extension, you will be notified about it with a screen pop-up containing the information of the contact that is calling you. The 3CX CRM Integration module does this by searching the CRM system that you are using. If the caller ID matches one of your contact’s phones, the contact’s information will be shown in a screen pop-up. A salesperson can see the last sale transactions, credit limit, and previous orders without having to manually search the database. The user can also launch calls to contacts with a single click straight from the CRM application. No need to retype the phone number. All calls are logged as call records in the CRM package. This allows sales personnel to easily keep track of calls made to a customer and to take notes of what needs to be actioned.
Hybrid TP have installed many different phone systems for clients over the years and we are partners and users of 3CX’s phone software. If you would like to know more about how you can improve the interaction between the different technologies call us on 1800-911 900

If you want to learn more about ERP systems and their applications, look at our guide on ERP systems and benefits