CRM drives sales by providing centralized customer and lead management with instant access to the history of each customer and prospect. Most CRM software offer up to date customer history on demand with access through the Web or desktop application. The power of lead management and CRM can be amplified by integration to a Dialer platform to improve efficiency and productivity. Most Dialers provide for different modes of dialing like Predictive, Preview and Progressive. ACD integration to CRM allows better management of incoming calls. The most important aspect of setting up CRM integration is the ability of Dialer and ACD software to work seamlessly with the CRM.
It is critical to review the API available for the integration of Dialer/ACD system to understand how well it can work with any CRM. There will be some overlap in functionality like real-time and historical management information between CRM and the Dialer/ACD platform.
Typically the API for integration of a Dialer/ACD platform with any CRM should present three broad sets of methods. The first set of API methods cover setup and account management of the sales or customer service workforce so that they can be setup using the existing CRM user management information without duplication. The second set of methods within the API for CRM integration will cover the requirements of the day to day management. The third set of methods will be CRM specific custom requirements. These are custom methods added by the Dialer/ACD software developers to address specific CRM needs.
The benefits of a successful integration of an ACD and Dialer software to a given CRM platform provides faster access and better customer reach thus differentiating the company in competitive situations.