Telephony Integration: The Most Significant Problem for Phone Systems Today

Customer experience (CX) is king in the retail industry; nevertheless, when interacting with customers over the phone, CX tends to be lackluster. If the phone operator must ask the caller, “Can you give me your last name, order number, and phone number so I can find you in the system?” then the CX is not up to the standards of today’s tech-savvy (and sometimes impatient) shoppers.

However, the issue isn’t with phones. Despite the availability of text, email, self-service, etc., many people prefer phones for communicating with brands. The problem is a lack of telephony integration between a retailer’s phone system and various customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.

The Consequences of Outdated Phone Infrastructure

An improperly integrated or nonexistent integration between one’s phone system and CRM will degrade CX. Imagine a flower shop that doesn’t have a telephony integration. Whenever there's an inbound call, the receptionist, who must have the CRM open in a separate window on their computer, will need to ask a list of questions while inputting data or performing information look-up manually.

Regardless of whether the customer has been ordering flowers from this shop for 10 years, they must constantly repeat the same basic information every time they call to place an order, even if it’s the same order every time. While some customers may shrug their shoulders and just accept this level of service, others might loathe the added hassle. Plus, there will always be a sense that this flower shop doesn’t truly know or have a meaningful connection with them.

Manual data entry can further jeopardize the CX in that as the receptionist switches between systems to search for client information, the higher the possibility of them inputting data incorrectly, resulting in errors and inconsistencies.

CX Benefits of Integrating CRMs With Phone Systems

Retailers can drastically improve CX by integrating their phone systems with their CRMs. Doing so allows the phone system to pull data from inbound calls and automatically populate the receptionist or front desk person’s screen with the caller’s name and other details that explain if this is an existing customer, the last employee they spoke with, their previous order, etc. This information empowers the phone operator to answer the call intelligently, skipping the annoying questions and getting right to the heart of the caller’s request.

Consumers appreciate personalized treatment, not just being seen as an account number, especially in retail environments. With this telephony integration, that hypothetical flower shop can answer calls in a much more personalized way, asking, “Hey, So-and-so, how are you? Are you ordering those roses for your wife again? Or are you getting something different?” Such a personalized experience will massively improve customer acquisition and retention while boosting word-of-mouth referrals.

Creating Integrations Where None Exist

In the past, properly integrating one’s CRM with their phone system was a time-consuming and often cost-prohibited endeavor. Thankfully, innovative custom Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service providers are breaking down cost barriers, helping retailers integrate their phone systems with dozens of different CRM platforms. Although retailers can build an integration themselves, in certain circumstances, depending on the CRM, there is no known integration. Leading VoIP phone service providers can create an entirely new and unique integration where none exists.

Remember, the Problem Isn’t Phones

Today, many retailers believe that phones are the source of their CX frustrations. This sentiment is understandable since, for most, the phone is little more than a hello-and-goodbye tool. Others might even consider their phone to be as useful as a paperweight. The reality is that phones aren't to blame for their CX woes. Rather, it's a lack of telephony between the phone system and CRM, which, when integrated, ascends CX to the next level.

Jim Eckes is co-founder of TieTechnology, an easy integration VoIP business phone service.