Understanding VoIP Integration: 5 Popular Integrations for 2024

Businesses use a combination of software to run its sales, marketing and support functions. A VoIP phone system is the first point of contact with a prospect or a customer so it’s important that it integrates smoothly with your current setup to ensure the gathered information can be actioned quickly and efficiently

The Big Switch Off is happening in the UK at the beginning of 2027 so every UK business will need to use VoIP for your business phone number.  Not only is far cheaper to implement and operate, it has better features and integrates into a range of different software in your business. We’ll cover the benefits and explore some of the best VoIP integrations for 2024.

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Understanding VoIP Integration

VoIP (voice over internet protocol) is a cloud-based digital phone system that integrates with other software in your business. With VoIP, you don’t need to worry about needing a physical desk phone. Calls can be made through any electronic device with an internet connection. Most sales and support teams will use a headset plugged into a PC or laptop. However, if you still wish to use desk phones, they can be connected to a VoIP provider if needed.

One of the most common VoIP integrations is integrating VoIP with a softphone system to allow any computer, tablet or mobile phone to make calls over the internet. It replicates the features of physical desk phones and provides greater flexibility for sales and support teams.

4 Benefits of VoIP Integration

The VoIP market is exploding and is estimated to  be worth $102.5 billion by 2026 and VoIP is an essential part of a software ecosystem for a business.

But what are the benefits of using VoIP?

Improve your overall software ecosystem

These days, businesses use a range of different software packages to run crucial aspects of their business. According to Statista, businesses use an average of 130 software as a service (SaaS) applications, all of which need to integrate and speak to each other.

VoIP sits at the heart of your software ecosystem. For sales teams, VoIP integrates into a sales CRM system like Hubspot or Pipedrive, meaning prospects’ details are immediately in the system. Similarly, when a customer is talking to the support team, the VoIP system integrates with support CRM like Zendesk to store the customer issue instantly so it can be actioned on as soon as possible.

Cost saving

VoIP takes very little investment to set up. The biggest expense is softphone software, which allows your teams to  turn their laptops or PCs into virtual desk phones. These software vary in price, with basic plans starting at £1 to £3 per user, per month and more expensive plans coming out at £25+ per user, per month.

On the other hand, installing and maintaining a physical desk phone system using the PSTN will be much more expensive. A basic handset will set you back £35, a mid-range handset will be about £100, while a high-end handset will cost around £300. Multiply this by the amount of users you need and you will soon see the cost building up. For example, 60 mid-range handsets will cost around £6000, and this is before any maintenance or replacement costs.

Easy scalability

The big advantage of a cheaper system is that you can scale much quicker. VoIP software allows you to add multiple users quickly without purchasing a physical handset, which means you can scale teams quickly if you need to increase sales targets or expand customer support.

Increased team efficiency

VoIP can integrate with a number of different software, meaning employees can perform better in their day-to-day roles. For example, a customer support agent in a call centre can instantly bring up a customer’s details, check the issue and see what needs to be actioned.

This type of efficiency improves customer experience and a business’ reputation. Internally, information gathered from a VoIP system is sent straight to a relevant software to be actioned. If your VoIP system integrates with a sales CRM like Pipedrive, the details captured by the sales development rep on the call and the main sales rep can follow up and action this straightaway, increasing the prospect of a sale.

5 Popular VoIP Integrations

Here are 5 popular VoIP integrations that can improve the performance and efficiency of your business.

API integration

CRM integration

CRM (customer relationship management) is a data-driven software solution that manages your customer’s and sales prospects’ information. The most popular CRMs today are Hubspot and Pipedrive for sales and Zendesk for customer service.

A VoIP provider like 8×8 is one of the best for CRM integrations, integrating with a range of CRMs like Salesforce, Hubspot, Pipedrive, Zoho and many others on all its plans.

Social media integration

These days most companies use social media to generate leads or as a channel for customers to contact the business. For example a business can use the messaging function of Facebook or Instagram to talk to a customer about any issues they are having and then provide a link to a VoIP call if they need to discuss the issue further.

Similarly, if a SaaS business is promoting their product on their social media pages, they can provide a link to book a demo with them. They can then use a VoIP to contact the prospect quickly to do the demo and hopefully progress the prospect towards a sale.

Live chatbot integration

You’ve probably noticed that many businesses have a small widget in the bottom right-hand corner of their website. These are chatbots, and they will usually ask if you need any help. Chatbots are a useful way of engaging with a website visitor, and with VoIP integration, you can bring the person from a chatbot to a live phone call.

Some chatbots, like Intercom, offer VoIP solutions to transfer a person from the messenger window to a voice or video call in an instant. As with every integration on this list, speed is the most important factor when using VoIP, which is vital in today’s highly competitive market.

AI transcription integration

AI is a hot topic with the emergence of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard. They aren’t the only AI applications, however. AI has other uses, and AI transcription apps are a great VoIP integration for sales and support teams.

Instead of typing or writing important information during a call, an AI transcription app automatically transcribes the conversation so it’s fully written out when the call is finished. This service makes things faster and more efficient when taking the next step after a call.

Factors to consider when choosing VOIP Integrations

• Compatibility: Before choosing an integration,  ensure your VoIP provider can seamlessly integrate with your chosen system, or if your software developers need to create an API to ensure compatibility.
• Security: Any information you collect on a call, whether from a customer or prospect, must be secure. When integrating with a CRM, for example, ensure it has a reputation for high security.
• Scalability: The big advantage of using VoIP is that you can scale quickly and easily. Therefore, you need to make sure that any software you integrate with scales at the same pace, especially if you need to expand sales and support capacity quickly.