Modern contact center software may have integrated CRM, which makes life easier for agents. However, portmanteau, all-in-one software may have inherent drawbacks. Further, the software is developed specifically for a purpose. IP PBX does what it is supposed to do: make and receive calls. Accounting software focuses on accounting functions. Contact center software is specifically tailored for call centers to handle inbound and outbound calls as part of customer service or for campaigns. Businesses typically use a variety of software solutions, each purposed for specific tasks. Sometimes, or, to be more precise, in many cases, one may need more features such as IP PBX requiring to handle video conferencing, accounting to be ported to ERP and communications and for call center software to have CRM integration. Call centers that use legacy, standalone contact center software without CRM may find their workflow hampered. The solution could be to upgrade to a newer software solution at a high cost or opt for Zoho Phonebridge integration to achieve the same or better levels of functionality. Along with it you even get Zoho CRM, the best of both worlds at a smartly affordable price and with minimum disruption to the existing setup.

APIs at work

Hodusoft’s Zoho phonebridge and CRM integration works its magic to raise functionality of contact center software through the simple process of APIs. API stands for Application Programming Interface. In this case, your contact center software remains intact and undisturbed. Zoho CRM and phonebridge application is ported to and tied with the call center software througha process of API integration that lets the two standalone software now communicate with each other. For example, an agent using the contact center software need not exit and launch Zoho CRM in order to access customer data and phone lists. He can do so right from within the call center application. APIs, in a manner of speaking, “bridge” the two. The beauty of APIs is that modules are made up of reusable code which means developers do not have to write from scratch. It is repurpose and reuse, leading to fast execution.

What you get with Zoho integration

There are CRMs out there like SalesForce that can cost quite a lot and, besides, a whole lot of its features could be of little use in call centers. Enter Zoho CRM. It is free and offers a slew of features mirroring the needs of call centers. It also integrates with other Zoho apps to offer lead management, contact management, customer data maintenance and multi-channel marketing. Zoho lets you manage and organize data to smoothen call center workflows. The call center solution becomes the front end with Zoho at the back.

How do agents benefit?

Hodusoft integrates Zoho phonebridge seamlessly into the existing contact center software. Agents, call centers and customers of call centers benefit.

• Agents need not prepare lists manually and dial manually. You get single click calls
• You get pop up notification for incoming calls
• You can set up the system to remind you about scheduled calls, such as calling leads at specified times.
• You can record conversations and derive analytics
• You can even automate campaigns by configuring IVR to access lists from ZohoCRM and let it dial out numbers automatically, leaving a voicemail message or text message with call back facility.
• You can define which lists go to which agent or map lists to group of agents and automatic call distributor and skill based mapping.

Depending on the existing setup, Hodusoft’s engineers will set up and configure Zoho phonebridge to work according to customer defined parameters.

Does it take long?

And does it cost much are common questions asked of Hodusoft when one talks about Zoho phonebridge integration with contact center software? It does not take long since Hodusoft already has a set of APIs that need only a little bit of tweaking to interface with customer’s software. Again, it does not cost much since the job is done fast and with less effort. Spend a little, Gain a lot. Your agent stress levels go down and productivity rises. You and your customers gain in every way. Once you use it you will wonder how you ever did without it. This is our promise.

Sourced from: Hodusoft. View the original article here.