Mastering CRM Integrations: A Guide for B2B Marketing Managers

Wouldn’t it be nice to save yourself time while reducing errors every day? By embracing CRM integrations, you can do exactly that. With stats like 72% of salespeople spend up to an hour every day on data entry, it’s easy to see why companies should take advantage of automation through CRM integrations. In this article, we are going to go through the best CRMs to use if you’re looking to take advantage of integrations, and the top software you should be using. First, let’s go over an introduction to CRM integration.

What is a CRM Integration?

A CRM integration is the connectivity between your customer relationship management platform, or CRM, and other marketing software that you are using. Integrations can result in automations that can improve the functionality of your tools. And, can reduce the need to go back and forth between multiple different tools. With marketers using between 12 and 31 software tools every day, it’s easy to see why companies are looking to reduce this headache and improve workplace efficiency. Here are more reasons why CRM integrations are so essential for organizations like yours.

Why CRM Integrations Are So Essential

With so much information on our hands, it’s easy to lose track of data and fall behind. By doing this, you can let leads fall between the cracks and reduce the number of conversions you receive. Here are a few of the top reasons why CRM integrations are so important for B2B marketing managers.

Enhance Data Accuracy

Integrations ensure that your data is consistent across all platforms. This not only reduces the risk of human-made errors, but also provides a single source for customer information. As a result, you have the opportunity to enhance the accuracy of your marketing campaigns.

Improve Customer Experiences

By integrating your CRM with other software tools, you can gain a better understanding of your customer’s journey. This perspective can enable you to create targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. As a result, you can improve customer engagement, and satisfaction, and ensure no lead gets left behind.

Choosing the Right CRM

Selecting the right CRM is a critical step in building a solid foundation for your integrations. This is because not all CRMs have the same abilities and functions. You should consider factors like ease of use, scalability, and compatibility with other tools that you are currently using. Here are a few of my favorite CRMs that are always growing their integration list.

HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the most popular CRMs on the market, and for good reason. It is a powerful CRM that seamlessly connects your data, teams, and customers on one platform. They have multiple different add ons, that they call Hubs, including Service, CMS, Marketing, and Sales that can ensure you get the most out of your CRM. Hubspot offers thousands of native integrations, and they continue to expand their list every month. They also have an API, so if by chance they don’t have a native integration, you can still build one out yourself. Hubspot has 4.4 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd, with positive reviews praising usability. 

Salesforce

HubSpot and Salesforce are typically neck and neck for the top CRM platforms for B2B companies. Salesforce is a great option for SMBs and for enterprise companies, as they have a great tear system. While Salesforce is typically harder to implement and manage than Hubspot, but it has more in-depth capabilities. Salesforce also integrates with thousands of native tools and has an API to build even more. Salesforce has 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd, with positive reviews loving how capable Salesforce is once you get over the learning curve.

Zoho CRM

The last software on our list is Zoho CRM. Zoho CRM brings the best out of customer-facing teams with animation, analytics, and personalized solutions. They proclaim that Zoho is built to get more done with less. Zoho has over 800 integrations available and is constantly growing this list. They are a more affordable option than the other two CRMs I mentioned previously. Zoho CRM is 4 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd, with most negative reviews saying the customer support is subpar.

Embracing Zapier

Zapier is one of the most useful tools for building out integrations. Zapier is a user-friendly platform that helps to facilitate seamless connections between different software tools. Acting as a bridge between your CRM and other tools, Zapier automates workflows through “Zaps”, which are predefined automations. This can help marketing managers create custom integrations without the need to involve a developer. Take a look at this article, How to Use Zapier to Grow Your B2B Company, if you’re looking for more information.

Top CRM Integrations You Should be Using

Now that you know the best CRMs for integrations, and the importance of Zapier, let’s go through some of my favorite CRM integrations.

1. Visitor Queue

If you’re looking to automate your lead generation processes beyond website forms, this is the CRM integration for you. Visitor Queue is a website visitor identification software that can discover the companies that visit your website through a unique form of IP address reversal. This can help you see how companies get to your website, what pages they view, and how long they spend on each page. You can also access employee contact information to help you reach out and guide them further down your sales funnel. Integrate Visitor Queue with your CRM to send both company information and contacts to seamlessly follow up. We offer dozens of integrations with various CRMs, as well as an API and Zapier integration to help you get even more out of your data. Visitor Queue has 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd.

2. TypeForm

TypeForm is a form building software that you can use to create signup forms, collect customer feedback, registrations, client onboarding, and more. Since these forms collect contact information and feedback, you can integrate TypeForm with your CRM to send that information there for further follow ups. It could be a good idea to create automated workflows based on the feedback you receive from the forms. Typeform has 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd.

3. Zendesk

Zendesk is a customer service software that lets you build a live chat and resource center to ensure your prospect’s questions are answered. By providing your leads with a good customer experience, you are more likely to build lasting relationships and improve your customer retention rates. By integrating Zendesk with your CRM, every time a website visitor provides their contact information on your live chat, it can go directly to your CRM for a follow up. Zendesk has 4.3 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd.

4. Slack

Slack is a popular communication tool that allows you to easily message your team, send secure documents, and more. By integrating Slack with your CRM, you can receive instant updates and notifications when an event or trigger happens. As an example, you could set up Slack notifications every time a new lead is added to your CRM from a website form. This can help ensure that there is no lead left behind and monitor day-to-day activities. Slack has 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd.

5. ChatGPT

Have you ever needed to send a follow up email, but have no clue what to write? That’s where ChatGPT comes into play. You can integrate ChatGPT with your CRM to automatically create custom email templates, responses, and more. All you have to do is click send! This can make it a lot easier to follow up, and speed up your communication with clients. ChatGPT is a unique integration that many companies are not taking full advantage of at this time. ChatGPT has 4.7 out of 5 stars on G2 Crowd.

What’s Next?

Mastering CRM integrations is not just a trend, it’s a necessity for B2B marketing managers. By choosing the right CRM and integrating your favorite software, you can save time, money, and improve your customer’s experience at every touch point they have with your business. If you’re not sure where to get started, try to see what integrations are available with the current CRM you are using. As always, if you have any questions about how to use Visitor Queue for your organization, don’t hesitate to reach out.