Bot-CRM Integration: How to Best Connect Your Bot and CRM?

Bots, especially AI bots, can be very useful if integrated with CRM. That said, this procedure is not without pitfalls. A good understanding of both AI and CRM is needed to gain the most out of integrating them. Let’s talk about bot-CRM integration and how to do it right!

Bot-CRM Integration: What Does It Mean?

The bots that we are talking about today are software systems that exist to perform various tasks for your business. For example, chatbots handle communication with clients, and most bots can perform data collection and analysis for you. 

Bots have evolved a lot over the past few years. Indeed, with the development of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and some other technologies, they are getting better and better! And that is a good reason to get a bot for your company based on what it needs. 

Customer relationship management or CRM is also a software system. It is supposed to facilitate your work with your clients, including potential ones. CRM normally tracks every interaction you have with your customers. That means a lot of data, which CRM handles. 

When you perform bot-CRM integration, you give the bot access to that data. What can the bot then do? Easily retrieve it when needed, work with it following the algorithms you have selected, and introduce new data. Bots can help with using your CRM, and here are just a few ideas on how to use their integration.

Use your CRM to retain customers.

Jeffery Gitomer, author

Bot-CRM Integration in Action!

AI bots are very useful even on their own. However, with CRM, they become unstoppable!

• Automation. That is what bots do best! Integrated with a CRM system, a bot can automate many actions depending on your preferences. A common example is automating the collection of data from customer interactions. It is much less error-prone than manual data entry.
• Customer service. With a bot-CRM integration, your bot can use all the data you have about every specific customer. That allows for greater personalization of any interactions between your bot and client, improved problem-solving and generally better user experience. In addition, bots of all kinds are great for answering frequently asked questions. And they are always available!
• Leads and follow-ups. After all, CRM works with all clients, even potential ones. Bots, in turn, are good for automatically sending follow-ups and other messages to leads and existing clients. Those will be personalized with greetings, too!
• Analytics and reporting. Bots can assist CRM in analysis and help create reports with metrics that interest you as a business owner. For example, engagement rates are a very important parameter that your bot can help you measure. 
• Marketing. Bots can analyze your customer base and find segments within it. Then, they can send personalized offers to specific segments, improving your marketing efforts.

Issues to Consider

Bot-CRM integration is a complex endeavor, so here are a few issues to consider when pursuing it. 

• Time and resources. Depending on how large your company and CRM are, the time required for the integration may increase. The cost of the process can also be significant depending on the features you want. Strike a balance between the expenses and the usefulness of the integration to your business.
• Maintenance. The two major software systems that you want to integrate will require maintenance. Make sure that you take it into account when calculating the costs. 
• Cybersecurity. Your CRM contains a lot of information, some of which may be sensitive and personal. Make sure that you follow the local legislation on information management. 

How to Establish a Bot-CRM Integration?

Here are a few tips on how to integrate your bot and CRM systems.

• Determine the goals. The first step is to understand why you want to integrate your bot and CRM. What do you need that for?
• Choose the CRM and bot. There are a lot of options these days, from Hubspot to Freshworks. You need to take into account your goals and decide what software will help you achieve them.
• Carry out the integration. This step might require professional assistance. Also, the bot might need to be trained and customized, depending on what you want.
• Constant monitoring. Aside from maintenance, it is useful to evaluate the bot-CRM integration from time to time. If their performance is monitored, you will be able to find issues early and make improvements. 

In Conclusion

Bot-CRM integration is a very useful tool for businesses. Bots that are integrated in CRM can automate, handle customer support and provide analysis and reports. The main issues are the resources required for the integration, as well as cybersecurity. To get the most out of this process, you need to plan well, establish your goals and monitor the results.