Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, and other popular CRMs can integrate with WhatsApp—but is it the right fit for your business? Here’s what you need to know before investing in a CRM WhatsApp integration.
Table of Contents
- How to integrate a CRM with WhatsApp
- Which CRMs can integrate with WhatsApp?
a. Salesforce CRM WhatsApp Integration
b. HubSpot CRM WhatsApp Integration
c. Zoho CRM WhatsApp Integration
d. Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM WhatsApp Integration
e. SugarCRM CRM WhatsApp Integration - Benefits of a CRM WhatsApp Integration
- Limitations of using a CRM WhatsApp Integration
- Alternative for long-term success: Messaging-dedicated platforms
- Why use a messaging-dedicated platform?
How you integrate a CRM with WhatsApp will depend on your unique business needs and current software stack. Some CRMs offer native integrations and support, while others rely on third-party integrations and extensions.
These options might be an okay fit today, but messaging is quickly becoming much more than just a customer service channel. Messaging will soon account for the majority of business-to-customer interactions across sales, marketing, and support departments alike.
For that reason, many companies are opting for messaging-specific technology to handle their messaging needs. Conversational platforms are emerging as a critical tool to handle different messaging experiences across different departments, languages, and markets.
In this article, we’ll review how to quickly integrate WhatsApp with today’s most popular CRMs. Then, we’ll talk about why many businesses are choosing conversational platforms instead.
Features and benefits:
- Customers can message your company from the WhatsApp messaging app, and agents can reply from the Service Console.
- Agents have access to the information they need to address customers from within the Service Cloud Console.
- Businesses can also send out a series of pre-approved notifications.
Requirements:
- Salesforce account (you’ll need either an Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, or Developer edition with Service Cloud or Sales Cloud)
- Digital Engagement, Service Cloud, and Chat user license
- Approved WhatsApp Business account
- Verified Facebook Business Manager account
How to set up Salesforce WhatsApp integration:
Email WhatsAppEnablement@salesforce.com with the following information
- Facebook Business Manager ID
- Salesforce Org ID (Sandbox or Production)
- The name associated with the Facebook Business Manager ID
- WhatsApp phone number, contact information, and the information you’d like displayed on your business profile
Find more detailed setup instructions here
Features and benefits:
- Send WhatsApp messages through HubSpot Workflows.
- Create HubSpot Triggers based on message content and status, to initiate actions like send an email, create tasks.
- Get notifications for new messages and add new leads automatically.
Requirements:
- You must be a HubSpot user
- You must purchase the HubSpot+WhatsApp Integration tool
- You’ll also need a Niswey Subscription (for integrating with a general WhatsApp number)
How to set up Hubspot WhatsApp integration:
- If you want to integrate HubSpot with a general (Not Business API) WhatsApp number, you can download a Google Chrome extension and follow these instructions.
- If you want to integrate Hubspot with a WhatsApp Business API number, you’ll need to work with an authorized WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, like Hubtype.
Zoho CRM offers WhatsApp solutions through its extension marketplace.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM uses Twilio as a third-party to integrate WhatsApp and its CRM.
Features and benefits:
- The WhatsApp channel feature lets you integrate WhatsApp through Twilio with Omnichannel for Customer Service to engage with customers who prefer the WhatsApp channel.
Requirements:
- The latest version of Omnichannel for Customer Service
- Twilio account with an appropriate subscription or a Twilio sandbox account.
How to set up Microsoft 365 Dynamics WhatsApp integration:
- In the site map, select Channels under General settings, and on the Accounts and channels page, select Add account.
- Enter the WhatsApp and Twilio channel details.
- On the WhatsApp numbers page, select Add, and on the page that appears, enter the business name and phone number.
- On the Callback information page, copy the value in the Twilio inbound URL box. You'll use the copied information for the Twilio account.
- Select Done. The account is added to the list.
There are no out-of-the-box solutions for SugarCRM, but, there is an addon available through SugarOutfitters that allows bi-directional text messaging from your SugarCRM.
Features and benefits:
- Two-way WhatsApp conversations
- Send WhatsApp messages
- Use existing email templates as WhatsApp templates
- Create and manage WhatsApp templates with dynamic fields
Low barriers to entry
It’s relatively easy to connect a WhatsApp channel directly to your CRM. In most of the cases described above, getting started involves purchasing an add-on, extension, or additional licenses.
Get started quickly
Again, out-of-the-box solutions and third-party integrations mean that you can start using WhatsApp to communicate with your customers right away.
Within the next 5 years, 80% of all B2C communication will be done across messaging channels and chat. CRMs provide a connector, but they are not designed to handle the features, automation, in-app experiences, and cross-functional use cases messaging channels will bring.
It’s important to understand the limitations before investing in a CRM WhatsApp Integration.
Cost inefficiencies
Using a CRM for messaging means that you’ll need to buy new add-ons, upgrade software, or invest in additional modules. This requires additional fees per user. As a result, a CRM-based solution often costs more than a conversational platform solution.
And because they’re not built for messaging, CRMs come without any of the cost-saving features that a conversational platform will have. Media-rich automation and asynchronous ticketing, for example, are important tools that make your team more productive.
Poor CX for customers
Most CRMs were built with traditional channels in mind. Currently, they can’t take full advantage of the features that make messaging popular--like multimedia sharing, voice memos, buttons, carousels, payments, and more.
On top of that, many CRMs rely solely on natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding (NLU) to automate parts of the conversation. NLP and NLU can result in a poor user experience; without investing a ton in training, it’s difficult for a bot to understand all of the potential questions your customers might have.
Between having to type out questions in full, and having issues when the bot cannot understand requests, the experience can be frustrating. That’s important considering that 82% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service (Zendesk).
Poor UI for agents decreases their efficiency
CRMs are powerful tools, but messaging is not their primary function. That means that even trying to send a simple message can require multiple steps. For example, to share an image, an agent might first have to upload the image to the CRM, then share the file link with the customer.
Messaging will soon handle 80% of all B2C communication--so the technology you choose shouldn’t be an addon or afterthought. You’ll need a solution that will help you succeed in the long term.
At Hubtype’s, our conversational applications are built for messaging. Every aspect of our product enhances the experience of your customers, agents, and administrators. From automating media-rich user experiences to managing data and integrations, our product is designed to set your business up for long-term success.
Integrates with your CRM
We know how important it is for you to keep using the tools that you love. Yes, even your CRM. We empower your CRM, not compete with it. Our product can send all case data to your CRM so that there are no information silos.
And if you want to keep everything in one place, Hubtype can deliver it. Our conversational platform and its associated ticket desk can operate an application within the platform. This means your agents do not need to switch between tools, all our technology can live within their usual desktop setup.
Greater capacity for self-service and automation
Not all automation is good automation. To be effective, automation must be contextual, goal-oriented, quick, and clear. Ambiguity slows everything down; it’s important for conversational flows to have guard rails to guide the conversation towards the end goal.
With Hubtype, you’ll use decision trees, buttons, quick replies, and other conversational elements to make sure automation improves your customer experience, instead of making it more frustrating. We make it easy to automate and update FAQs, helping you succeed in the age of self-service.
While we use NLP and NLU for some use cases, we find that a combination of decision trees and visual UI/UX components make for quicker, more efficient experiences for customers.
Better experience for customers
People prefer WhatsApp to traditional channels because it makes life easier. They can send a photo, voice memo, GIFs, documents, locations, and more. These features streamline communication and make conversations more engaging.
But CRMs are not able to take advantage of those features. Right now, messaging through a CRM is mostly just text-based. Hubtype, on the other hand, uses the best possible UI/UX features available.
With Hubtype, you can use date pickers, log-ins, webviews, catalogs, payments, and more. You can treat each interaction as a mini use case, significantly reducing the steps it takes to get from point A to point B.
Better experience for agents
The layout of Hubtype is also easier for agents, too. Our conversational platform puts everything in the context of messaging, such as the status of cases, managing message templates, or asynchronous chats, media visualization, automation context. The result is a more productive team.
Book a demo
Book a demo to find out if Hubtype is the right fit for your business. We’ll be happy to talk about the pros and cons of using a direct CRM WhatsApp Integration.
