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9 Step CRM Integration Strategy – Roadmap, Best Practices and Key Considerations

An introduction to CRM integration strategy

A well-executed Customer Relationship Management (CRM) integration strategy is key for businesses that are looking to optimise daily business operations and enhance customer experiences. CRM integration is the process of connecting your CRM software with other business systems and applications. Connecting your CRM system with other databases creates a unified flow of data and provides a complete view of customer interactions.

This approach removes data silos, reduces manual data-entry tasks from employee workloads, and improves decision-making across departments. By integrating CRM software with tools such as ERP systems, marketing communication platforms, support ticketing applications and eCommerce web stores, businesses can create a streamlined customer journey, from the initial contact through to post-sale support.

A successful CRM integration strategy not only improves operational efficiency but also empowers teams to deliver personalised experiences to the customer. In turn, this will foster customer loyalty, and drive strategic revenue growth.

At Codeless Platforms, we have been perfecting the art of system integration and business process automation solutions. As we delve deeper into this article, we will use our 25 years of knowledge and experience to explore the key considerations and best practices for implementing an effective CRM integration strategy.

To help you along the way we have created a PDF with the key strategy roadmap for you to share with your team and a project workbook for you to use and start planning your integration and automation project.

[Related Article: What is CRM integration?].

Quick Start Roadmap Start Planning

How important is strategic planning in the success of CRM integration?

Strategic planning is crucial for the success of CRM integration. A well-designed CRM integration strategy helps organisations align their CRM implementation with business goals, maximise ROI, and drive adoption.

Each CRM feature helps organisations to strategically plan, identify and manage existing and new customers through the customer lifecycle and CRM process as highlighted in the image below. This can help to form the basis of an integration strategy.

Integrated Customer Lifecycle and CRM Process Flow

Image: Integrated Customer Lifecycle and CRM Process Flow

Here are some key reasons why strategic planning is so important for CRM integration:

Aligning CRM with Business Objectives

Strategic planning ensures that CRM integration is aligned with the organisation’s overall business objectives. By defining clear goals and objectives for the CRM integration, companies can ensure the system supports key business priorities like improving customer satisfaction, increasing sales, or enhancing operational efficiency.

Assessing Current Systems and Processes

A thorough assessment of existing systems, processes and integration needs is a critical first step. This allows organisations to identify gaps, define requirements, and create a roadmap for successful integration. Without this strategic assessment, companies risk implementing an integration solution that doesn’t fully meet their needs.

Ensuring Data Quality and Integrity

Strategic planning addresses key aspects such as data quality, technical architecture, and compliance. This is essential for maintaining data integrity across integrated business systems and ensuring the CRM platform provides reliable, actionable insights.

Driving User Adoption

One of the biggest challenges in CRM integration is low user adoption. A well-planned CRM integration strategy focuses on reducing manual administration tasks through user-centric design, intuitive interfaces, and adequate training to drive adoption and maximise the system’s value.

Enabling Scalability

As a business grows, CRM processes evolve and become more complex. Strategic planning allows companies to implement a scalable CRM integration solution that can adapt to changing business and market requirements.

Optimising Processes and Workflows

Strategic CRM integration planning involves mapping out customer journeys, sales funnels, and communication touchpoints. This allows the business to optimise processes and automate workflows for improved operational efficiency.

Facilitating Integration with Existing Systems

A strategic approach ensures seamless integration between CRM software and other business systems including marketing automation platforms, ERP systems, and customer service software. This integration is crucial for creating a unified view of customer data and streamlining operations.

Measuring Success and ROI

By defining clear objectives and KPIs upfront, strategic planning enables organisations to measure the success of their CRM integration and calculate ROI. This allows for continuous improvement and optimisation of the CRM strategy.

Strategic planning is an essential element of successful CRM integration. It aligns the system with business goals, addresses technical and operational challenges, drives user adoption, and ensures long-term value creation. Without proper planning, organisations risk implementing a CRM that fails to meet expectations or deliver meaningful business impact.

digital transformation blueprint and digital transformation roadmap example

Diagram: Digital Transformation Roadmap Example

eBook: What is Digital Transformation?

[Related Article: The Definitive Guide to Digital Transformation].

How do I choose the right CRM integration tool?

Selecting the right CRM integration tool is an important step for your integration strategy. There are numerous options available such as iPaaS, point-to-point integrations, or bespoke development. With an array of CRM integration tools available it’s essential to evaluate integration solutions that are based on the criteria outlined in your operational needs and goals.

The following key factors will guide you through the decision-making process, ensuring you choose a solution that not only meets your exact needs, but also supports future growth and enhances your CRM’s effectiveness across the organisation.

  1. Compatibility: Ensure the integration tool supports your specific CRM system and the applications you want to connect. Look for pre-built connectors or APIs that match your tech stack.
  2. Scalability: Select a tool that can grow with your business, handling increased data volumes and additional integrations as your needs evolve.
  3. Ease of use: Opt for user-friendly tools with visual interfaces that allow for low-code or no-code integration setup, reducing reliance on IT resources.
  4. Data mapping capabilities: Choose tools that offer flexible data mapping options to align fields between different systems accurately.
  5. Real-time vs. batch processing: Determine whether you need real-time data synchronisation or if scheduled batch updates are suffice for your use case.
  6. Security and compliance: Verify that the CRM integration tool adheres to industry standards and regulations relevant to your business and primary business systems (ERP/Accounting), ensuring data protection and privacy.
  7. Customisation options: Look for tools that allow for tailored workflows and business logic to meet your specific integration requirements.
  8. Support and documentation: Consider the availability of customer support, training resources, and comprehensive documentation to aid in implementation and troubleshooting.
  9. Cost-effectiveness: Evaluate the pricing structure and ensure it aligns with your budget and expected ROI from the integration.
  10. Reliability and performance: Research the tool’s uptime guarantees, error handling capabilities, and performance metrics to ensure stable and efficient integrations.

By carefully assessing these factors, you can select a CRM integration tool that best fits your business and operational needs and maximises the value of your CRM system.

What is system integration Best Practices - Learn about data integration best practices for enterprise architects including challenges, methods and planning.

Image: System integration enables organisations to integrate a wide range of business systems, databases and applications together

[Related Article: What is an integration platform?].

9 key components of a successful CRM integration strategy

How to develop an effective CRM integration plan

Customer Relationship Management systems are the backbone of many SMBs and enterprise organisations. The true power of CRM software does not lie just with its standalone capabilities, but how well it integrates with other business systems and applications.

The following CRM integration strategy will enable businesses of all sizes to outline a practical and cost-effective integration strategy to enhance CRM value by following project management best practices. It will address key areas of consideration, including technical architecture, data quality, compliance and user-adoption.

To assist you in this process, download the workbook below.

Get my Roadmap Start Planning

1. Assessment and planning

The assessment and planning phase of your CRM integration strategy will enable you to define a project scope and the business objectives. The assessment phase will also help you to reduce risk and maximise the potential in the subsequent phases of the project. Key elements in this phase can include:

  • Evaluate existing systems and processes
  • Define project scope and objectives
  • Conduct stakeholder interviews to understand user requirements, processes and potential challenges
  • Identify CRM integration needs, goals and objectives
  • Create a project timeline, establish a project team, and establish budget

Outlining project overview

Below we have outlined an example project overview that will help you to highlight key departments that may be impacted with the integration. It’s a simple way to detail business goals and objectives so that your integration is fully aligned with the business. This step will help you to identify key stakeholders and will define your project management team.

DepartmentGoal / Objective
SalesSpend less time in CRM system, increase visibility of pipeline and KPI reports, free up sales team to speak to existing customers and new prospects, enable field sales to have up-to-date information, adhere to GDPR.
Customer servicesReduce time spent on manual client retention and renewal notice tasks, improve customer satisfaction, reduce time and costs of rectifying support queries, reduce employee time on inbound support calls by X hours.

Identify systems and applications

When you are performing the initial assessment and planning phase you will need to make a list of the business systems used by each relevant department. This will allow you to identify the business process that you are looking to automate. Systems that you may look to integrate with CRM software can include ERP, accounting, customer services, eCommerce and WMS. This will help you to pinpoint any system integration requirements for each department and the potential cross-overs, data sources, objects, and end points.

Detail each system and department as highlighted below. This can be used as a reference point when you discuss automation and integration requirements with the project management team and IT sources.

DepartmentSystems and Applications
SalesCRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SugarCRM, Agile CRM etc.) MS Exchange, quoting software, credit referencing software, marketing software (MailChimp, dotdigital, HubSpot etc.).
Customer servicesCRM, customer service software (Zendesk, Freshdesk, ZohoDesk, AzureDesk etc.), questionnaire software (SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics etc.), customer web portals, phone system integration.

Detail processes to be automate

Now that you have researched the systems and processes within in department you will be in a position to start planning a top level-view of the business processes that will be automated from the CRM integration. Outlining these individual process will help your IT team to form the project deliverables and highlight any additional processes that may benefit from automation.

Business process automation examples can be seen below.

DepartmentAutomation Required
SalesCRM integration with accounting system to alert sales team of account(s) on hold, MS Exchange integration, automatic notifications of sales enquiries via website to relevant account manager, automate invoice and sales orders, synchronise price changes between ERP, CRM and web shop, discount quote approval workflow, sales report automation.
Customer servicesAutomate welcome pack creation and distribution, automate renewal notices, automate the escalation of unresolved support issues, automatically assign new support tickets, allocate support calls based on the nature of the problem.

Build your business case

Now that you have highlighted the business goals and objectives, and the processes that can be automated across the CRM process, it’s time to build your business case. If you have done your research correctly your business case will sell itself and will make your life easier. The aim at this stage is to detail the current processing issues that you have identified, and detail how you will overcome them.

When building a business case for integration you will be required to provide knowledge of process bottlenecks in each affected department, time spent, and the existing costs of each manual task. This will help you calculate the ROI against the initial cost of the integration project. We will discuss how to calculate your ROI later in this strategy.

DepartmentBusiness Case
SalesOn average, a sales team member spends X hours a day in the CRM system performing repetitive data entry and searching multiple systems for current pricing and stock availability. Integrating CRM and ERP/accounting systems will save £X per day in repetitive data entry time and enable the sales team to concentrate on upselling and prospecting new business. Currently there are no maximum discount levels in place costing the business £X per annum. Discount quote approval workflow will help generate an additional £X per annum in revenue growth and provide an audit trail.
Customer servicesCustomer retention currently costs £X per day in manual administration. Automating renewal notices and associated processes will reduce attrition and costs, remove time-consuming administration and increase financial performance.

Start Planning

2. Data Analysis and Mapping

The foundation of a successful CRM integration lies in thorough data preparation. This phase will help you identify all existing data sources and assess the quality and completeness of the information and data they contain. This step is crucial for spotting and addressing any data issues, gaps or inconsistencies before they can impact your integration.

The data gathered will provide the blueprint for your integration and process map. It will enable you to design seamless data transfers and identify potential bottlenecks. Your data map will define business rules for data transformation and ensure that information is consistently formatted between systems, applications and databases.

The data analysis and mapping stage is the ideal time to implement data quality improvement techniques to improve the value of your CRM data. Establishing strong policies in data governance and compliance will safeguard data integrity for the business and with relevant regulations.

  • Inventory of existing data sources
  • Analyse data quality and completeness for errors and inconsistencies
  • Create data mapping documents and flows using BPMN
  • Define data transformation rules
  • Establish data governance policies

discount approval process  example

Diagram: Sales Quote Discount Approval Process Example

Establish Business Rules

Business rules will assist in structuring, controlling or influencing a business process or associated task. Each business rule you set will involve people, processes, company behaviours, and systems and applications. Below, we have provided some basic business rule examples that can be used as a starting point.

DepartmentBusiness Rule Example
SalesSales Discount Approval – Yes Sales Manager Approval – Escalate Sales Director Approval if discount over X%
Customer servicesSupport ticket raised online – Escalation required Yes/No – allocate to relevant employee

3. Technical Architecture and Design

This stage of the CRM integration strategy requires you to make decisions that will shape the integration framework. First, you will need to select the most appropriate integration method, such as API, ETL, web services etc. You will then need to draft an integration architecture that will provide efficient flow of data and system interoperability.

It’s important to select the right integration tools and technologies that align with the architecture and organisational capabilities. Tools such as iPaaS will help you to future-proof integration projects by providing you with the ability to scale automations up or down as and when business needs dictate.

The last step is to address security and compliance requirements, and protect sensitive data in cloud, hybrid or on-premises environments. This will ensure the integration adheres to relevant industry standards and regulations.

  • Choose integration method (API, middleware, iPaaS, ETL, etc.)
  • Design integration architecture
  • Select appropriate tools and technologies
  • Plan for scalability and performance to adapt to changes in business needs
  • Address security and compliance requirements

4. Development and testing

The next step is to build and test the integration solution. Start this step by developing core integration components, followed by data transformation logic to ensure a seamless flow of data between systems. Once robust error handling and logging mechanisms have been created to troubleshoot and maintain system integrity you will be able to move through a series of testing stages. Testing stages include unit testing to verify individual components, integration to ensure data synchronisation, and user acceptance testing (UAT) to confirm the integration solution meets business requirements.

  • Develop integration components
  • Build and implement data transformation logic
  • Create error handling and logging mechanisms
  • Test the integration
  • Execute user acceptance testing (UAT)

5. Deployment and Go-Live

Prepare a comprehensive deployment checklist to ensure all required components of the integration strategy are ready for launch. You may need to schedule downtime which can limit business disruption. Post-deployment validation should be performed rigorously to verify all systems are functioning as intended. The last stage of deployment and go-live is to provide user training and support to ensure adaptation.

  • Prepare deployment checklist
  • If necessary, schedule downtime to minimise disruption
  • Execute deployment plan
  • Perform post-deployment validation
  • Provide user training and support

6. Monitoring and Optimisation

An important component of any CRM integration strategy is to include a monitoring and optimisation phase. Ongoing monitoring and optimisation ensures the CRM integration remains effective and is consistently aligned to changing business needs. This will also help you to maximise long-term value and return on investment and should include:

  1. Implement robust monitoring tools to track system performance
  2. Establish tailored key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure integration effectiveness
  3. Deploy real-time monitoring dashboards to increase visibility into data flows

The monitoring and optimisation phase also involves:

Conducting regular performance reviews to:

  • Analyse trends and identify process bottlenecks and data silos
  • Assess the integration’s impact on business processes and employee workloads

Leveraging insights to:

  • Optimise processes and data flows
  • Scale integrations up or down to changing business requirements

7. Maintenance and Support

This phase of your strategy will concentrate on comprehensive support systems for any post-implementation issues that may arise. It may include designing a specific contact person and developing guidelines for routine upkeep and problem solving. A structured change management protocol could be implemented to systematically handle future system modifications.

You may need to schedule periodic updates to align processes with business requirements and upgrades in your technology stack. For additional support it is recommended to provide regular training sessions to maintain user knowledge and introduce new features.

Key actions include:

  • Create support protocols
  • Document maintenance procedures
  • Implement a change management framework
  • Schedule system updates
  • Conduct ongoing employee training

8. Continuous Improvement

A robust CRM integration strategy will incorporate a plan for ongoing enhancement. This process starts with collecting user insights for ‘real-world’ usage and obstacles which will highlight areas for improvement. Regularly evaluating the integration and the associated systems and tools will help the business to stay in-line with changing requirements and market trends.

Key steps include:

  • Collect user insights
  • Identify opportunities for improvement
  • Roll out enhancements
  • Monitor existing and emerging integration technologies
  • Periodically review your integration strategy

9. Data Governance and Compliance

Incorporating a data governance and compliance section in your integration strategy will help you to safeguard data integrity. This phase will provide comprehensive data governance protocols to ensure proper data handling across all business systems. This will enable you to implement stringent measures to adhere to relevant regulations such as GDPR or CCPA. Integrating audit trails and logging systems will enable you to monitor all data interactions to provide you with a complete overview of critical data.

Key actions include:

  • Develop a data governance framework
  • Align with regulations e.g. GDPR, CCPA
  • Deploy audit and logging mechanisms
  • Perform routine security evaluations
  • Maintain compliance documentation

Start Planning

How can I ensure data security during CRM integration?

Data is a business’s most valuable asset. This means that data security should be a top priority with regular reviews and updates to stay ahead of evolving threats. When selecting your CRM integration vendor ensure that their service includes robust data security measures. Below we have highlighted key areas that should be part of your data security considerations.

Encryption Protocols

Implement robust encryption protocols for data in transit and at rest. Use industry standard encryption methods such as SSL/TLS for data transfer and AES-256 for stored data.

Authentication Measures

Enforce strong authentication measures, including multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls. This includes support for multi-factor authentication, including OpenID Connect, Azure Active Directory and OAuth2 .

Audit and Monitor

Regularly audit and monitor all data access and modifications. Implement logging mechanisms to track user activities and detect any unusual patterns that might indicate a security breach.

Compliance

Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA. This includes obtaining necessary consents for data processing and implementing data retention polices.

Secure API Endpoints

Use secure API endpoints and implement API rate limiting to prevent potential DDoS attacks. Regularly update and patch all systems involved in the integration to address known vulnerabilities.

Security Assessments

Perform regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address potential weaknesses in your integration set-up or technology stack.

Training

Provide comprehensive security training to all staff involved in new systems and the CRM integration process. This ensures they understand best practices for data handling and can identify potential security threats.

[Related Article: 7 common CRM integration challenges and how to overcome them].

What is the ROI of implementing a CRM integration strategy?

The success of your CRM integration can be measured through improved employee efficiency, data accuracy, and business performance. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track include:

  • Time saved on manual data entry
  • Reduction in data errors
  • Increase in customer satisfaction scores
  • Sales cycle length reduction
  • Boost in cross-sell and upsell rates
  • Improved employee productivity

ROI Calculation Methods

ROI calculation methods typically involve comparing the costs of integration against the benefits gained. To calculate the ROI for a CRM integration project, you can use the following formula:

ROI = ((Net Benefits – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment) x 100

Where:

  • Net Benefits = Total financial gains or savings resulted from the CRM integration, e.g. data entry time and cost saved, increased sales etc.
  • Cost of Investment = Total cost associated with implementing and maintaining the integration.

To break this down even further:

1. Calculate the Cost of Investment

  • Include software licensing fees
  • Implementation costs (Consulting, customisation, data migration etc.)
  • Training expenses
  • Ongoing maintenance and support costs

2. Determine Net Benefits

  • Time and costs saved from manual administration tasks and data entry
  • Increased revenue from improved sales processes
  • Improved customer retention value
  • Other quantifiable benefits achieved through the integration

3. Apply the Formula

ROI (%) = ((Net Benefits – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment) x 100

For example, if the total Net Benefits over a certain period are £50,000 and the Cost of Investment is £10,000, the ROI would be:

ROI = ((£50,000 – £10,000) / £10,000 x 100 = 400%

This means the CRM integration project provided a 400% return on investment.

It’s important to remember to calculate your ROI over a specific timeframe. This could be from 1 year to 3 years to achieve an accurate picture of the ROI. It is also worth considering both tangible and intangible benefits when you are assessing the overall value of the CRM integration to your business.

“BPA Platform has been a fantastic purchase for us. Some of our manual tasks have been streamlined to tens of hours in place of the hundreds of manual hours pre-BPA Platform. It has allowed the company to scale up its capacity as its business has grown. It is reasonably priced and has a clear price structure. We know that if we want to add something in the future, we know roughly what that’s going to cost us.”

Jason Holmes, Operations Manager, Numed Healthcare

Download Numed Healthcare Case Study

CRM integration services

With 25 years of experience in system integration and business process automation, Codeless Platforms has established itself as a specialist in providing robust CRM integration services. Our flagship product, BPA Platform, offers a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to streamline their day-to-day operations and enhance customer relationships through seamless CRM integration.

We pride ourselves on working closely with channel partners to deliver successful integrations and exceptional customer service. With over 450 partners globally, this collaborative approach ensures that each solution is tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients, maximising the value of their CRM and ERP investments.

Through collaboration with ISVs and leading channel VARs, specialist features have been built into BPA Platform to provide you with an end-to-end automated business. This provides organisations with the ability to create a solution that is completely personalised to their internal applications and business operations.

Automating business processes requires a solid understanding of data and a comprehensive knowledge of source or target applications. Codeless Platforms has a proven track record in deploying CRM integration solutions, and has accredited partner status with well-known ISVs, such as SAP, Microsoft and Sage, along with industry-specific applications and systems in many economic regions.

Codeless Platforms’ professional services team can help you to plan your CRM integration project and execute solutions that are a 100% fit every time. Our Professional Services team provides direct implementation and expert services essential to getting solutions up and running quickly and correctly so that you can achieve additional value from your business systems as soon as possible.

BPA Platform offers cloud-based iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service), hybrid or on-premises deployment options, providing flexibility to suit different business environments. Our platform excels in data integration, offering robust tools for data cleansing, transformation and synchronisation across multiple systems.

Key features of our CRM integration services include:

  • Bi-directional data synchronisation
  • Automated workflow and approval processes
  • Automated alerts and notifications
  • Drag and drop functionality to build automated processes and integrations
  • Data transformation functions to change data between input and output
  • Access to hundreds of data connectors via an easy-to-use platform
  • Scalable solutions to scale integrations and automations up or down depending on business needs
  • Business process automation tools as standard
  • Comprehensive security and compliance measures

Whether you are a CRM user, a CRM development agency or CRM reseller, when using Codeless Platforms’ BPA Platform for CRM integration you will achieve significant cost savings and productivity gains throughout your business.

By leveraging our 25 years of expertise and the powerful capabilities of BPA Platform, businesses can unlock the full potential of their CRM systems, creating a unified, data-driven environment that fosters growth and customer satisfaction.

For more information on our CRM integration services, download the brochure below or call us on +44 (0) 330 99 88 700.

Learn about BPA Platform

Frequently Asked Questions

CRM integration connects a company’s customer relationship management system with other software or platforms to enable data exchange, synchronisation and the automation of business processes.
CRM systems can seamlessly integrate with ERP solutions through APIs, web services or third-party connectors, enabling a bidirectional flow of critical business data.
Companies can unlock many benefits, including improved data quality, enhanced customer insights, streamlined workflows, and increased productivity.
CRM system integration tools act as bridges, allowing various systems to communicate effectively and share data in real-time. The primary function of CRM integration tools is to remove data silos and create a unified flow of information across the business.
The future of CRM integration is full of potential. As emerging technologies, such as AI, ML and IoT, become more sophisticated over time, they will unlock new possibilities for understanding and serving customers. At the same time, the shift towards a customer-centric approach and the increasing importance of data security will shape how these technologies are implemented.

eBook: 9 Step CRM Integration Strategy

eBook: 9 Step CRM Integration Strategy

Unlock the full potential of your CRM system with our step-by-step CRM integration strategy. Learn how to plan, design, and optimise your integration project to create a unified, data-driven environment.

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