Companies are beginning to utilize new technological tools in their day-to-day operations. As technology continues to advance, it’s become vital to integrate these tools into their practices to streamline operations and stay ahead of the competition. One of the most important tools to have at your disposal is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
These systems help companies manage and nurture relationships with their customer base. As companies continue to grow, sometimes they’ll upgrade their CRM system, or even integrate multiple to work in unison. This can help them utilize specific features from different platforms to address their needs perfectly.
However, the integration process doesn’t go smoothly every single time. Take it from someone in the industry who has seen things firsthand. Today, we’ll go over the integration process, as well as the pros and cons that can arise from it.
The Importance of CRM Integration
CRM integration can be very important for growing your business. Utilizing tools from multiple platforms allows you to maximize the impact these systems can have on your company.
Some of the benefits of integration include better data accuracy, improved communication, comprehensive customer insights, and streamlined processes. I would say that these benefits are pretty nice.
Enhanced data accuracy ensures that there will be consistency with your customer database. Having duplicated data makes for a messy system and a tougher job for employees. Improved communication throughout your teams in real-time on projects helps jobs get done faster and at a higher quality.
Comprehensive customer insights that are up-to-date will help you make personalized marketing campaigns that will be more effective in communicating with your audience. This will result in more customer sales. More streamlined processes will allow for less manual errors and more consistency throughout every aspect of your business.
Challenges in CRM Integration
Despite the numerous benefits, integrating two CRM systems can be a complex and challenging endeavor. Organizations must be prepared to address several key challenges, such as data synchronization, data cleansing, customization, and security.
Data synchronization is vital because different CRM systems will store data differently. This makes it crucial to make sure nothing gets lost. Data cleansing helps you avoid inaccuracies and conflicts. Doing this before you integrate is immensely important.
Custom fields and workflows may be different with every CRM system, so adjustments may need to be made in order for the integration to go smoothly. The security system in place that protects customer data during integration needs to be put in place for effective integration. Giving proper access to the correct person and role is very important.
Challenges are always going to arise, but having a plan of attack in place prior to integrating can help ease any struggles that come up.
