Integrations are no longer a nice to have feature, but instead have evolved to become a must have, critical aspect of any modern, cloud based solution or platform. By connecting multiple tools together, integrations help us save a drastic amount of time, by simplifying and streamlining our workflows. VoIP providers specifically are always looking for new tools to integrate into their calling capabilities, with the most popular being CRM integration.

In fact, CRM integrations are so important we put a list together of the best VoIP providers that integrate with different CRMs. To add to that list, Dialpad has just recently announced their latest integration with the CRM provider Zendesk. Now through this seamless integration, users can gain access to important CRM metrics and access their advanced call controls from the same exact interface, saving crucial time and allowing agents to better focus on their tasks at hand. All of this is available without any noticeable impact on Dialpad pricing.

Dialpad and Zendesk Together

Dialpad is of course a business communications provider, focusing on business VoIP, messaging and conferencing, with a plan that fits any business of any size from the SMB all the way up to large Enterprise organizations. Already with a solid list of integrations, including Google G Suite, Microsoft Office and Salesforce, the provider is no stranger to integrations, and especially not CRM integrations.

So why exactly did Dialpad choose to open an integration with Zendesk? Well, according to their announcement of the new partnership, Zendesk is a leading cloud-based customer service solution. In fact, the provider is one of our top choices for Helpdesk software, enabling businesses with the right combination of features and price. In fact, Zendesk has even won multiple awards for their solutions, further solidifying the provider as a top choice.

With a Salesforce integration under their belt already, it makes sense that Dialpad would want to join forces with another leading provider in the CRM industry. No reason to create an integration for a platform no one bothers to use, after all.

A New Integration Brings New Functionality

Now it’s easy to sum up CRM and VoIP integrations by simply stating that they allow users to gain call controls within the CRM application, but that doesn’t truly tell the entire story. We actually consider VoIP to be one of the most important integration for a CRM solution. In fact, according to Dialpad, this new partnership is more like two integrations rolled up into one neat package.

  1. Dialpad for Zendesk allows for faster dialing with a built-in sidebar screen that appears within Dialpad’s desktop applications
  2. Dialpad telephony and call center applications are also made available inside the Zendesk web application.

So essentially these “two” integrations “allow customer service and support agents to place calls directly from either service,” meaning no matter which application the agent is currently utilizing, wither Dialpad’s or Zendesk’s, users gain the ability to place and control calls from that window. Dialpad also explains that these integrations will eventually make their way into the Dialpad mobile application for even more intense control on the go.

To sum it up, these “two” integrations allow users and agents to:

  • Place and control calls from either Zendesk or Dialpad applications
  • Automatically match existing customer data with incoming calls and voicemails, turning interactions into customer service tickets without any extra effort from the agent
  • Enables agents to manage more calls in a shorter period of time, without the need to flip between multiple applications, or repeat mundane tasks like inputting customer data and ticket information

Not only does this new partnership enable agents to save time through a combined interface, but it also utilizes automation to cut down the repetitive, manual data entry aspect that comes along with customer service. Overall, this is a pretty powerful combination, and the integration is now available within the Zendesk App Marketplace.

“When you empower your employees with a powerful business communications tool, everyone becomes a service agent,” said Dialpad’s Chief Product Officer Vincent Paquet. “With Dialpad’s Zendesk integration, we have reinvented customer service workflows and created a modern customer experience that operates from anywhere.”

The Importance of CRM Integrations

If there is only one single integration between different cloud platforms that your business is going to use, it should absolutely be the combination of VoIP and CRM — if your business is utilizing both platforms, that is. Now we’ve gone over time and time again the immense benefits of API powered integrations, as well as the specific benefits of CRM integrations, but I want to review for those that aren’t entirely familiar.

By combining together two applications, users do not have to flip between different windows just to access the information, or call controls, that they need at that very moment. For example, let’s say an agent is on the phone with a client, and the client asks a question the agent does not have an immediate answer to, so the agent needs to ask a supervisor for assistance. Without an integration, the user has to switch between the CRM data and call controls to find that mute button, and then flip back to the CRM application to find the information to relay to their manager.

But with a CRM and VoIP integration, that agent can access the mute or hold function directly inside their CRM application, allowing the agent to contact a supervisor and relay contextual information much quicker, all from the same single application interface. In short, when you integrate your CRM with your Cloud Communications, your agents can quickly reference information such as:

  • The Title and Company associated with that contact
  • Relevant Company information such as owner and business hours
  • Any open activities – current open tickets, cases, issues etc.
  • Activity history – closed tickets, cases or issues
  • Opportunity stage – part of the sales process and will be displayed if applicable

The Bottom Line

Not to beat a dead horse here, but integrations are an incredibly crucial aspect of just about any cloud solution. Thanks to the power of APIs that I mentioned briefly before, integrations no longer require heavy coding and a dedicated team to produce, but rather enable businesses to quickly join together multiple solutions, generally with just the click of a button.

At the end of the day, this seamless connection between CRM information and VoIP call controls enables agents to not only work quicker, and more efficiently, but also to provide a better customer experience by dedicated more time to the actual call and client’s inquiry, rather than wasting time searching for the right information, or time spent generating a ticket after every single call.