5 Surefire Tricks to Integrate Your CRM With Gmail
After 10 years in the email game, Gmail now has 900 million active users. Its surge in popularity can be attributed in part to its increased usage as a business tool. Google has invested a lot into pitching Gmail to business users, and the web-based mail client is a core part of its Apps for Work suite. There are many benefits of using the solution, not least of which is the cost savings to your company.
While Gmail is an easy-to-use, reliable, and cost-effective solution, it’s likely that you’re not using it to its full potential within your business. If you have a CRM software in place to manage your customer interactions, there’s probably some disconnect with Gmail. Conversations can take place over email that are invisible to your CRM, and it’s unlikely that your sales or marketing teams will religiously enter all the contacts and communication they make over Gmail into your CRM software.
So, what do you do? Fear not, because there are plenty of solutions out there that don’t require lots of technical wizardry to put in place. Here are some tips for integrating your CRM with Gmail (or to turn Gmail into a CRM, if you don’t already have one):
1. Take advantage of existing integrations
As GetApp’s cloud software report, GetRank, highlights, integrations are a key part of any CRM. Many of the best CRM apps already have Gmail integration built in. Insightly, for example, includes a "Gmail gadget" that allows you to create a new task, opportunity, associated project, or an event directly from an email or a contact in Gmail. Likewise, Salesforce features a "Gmail to Salesforce" function, whereby you can automatically log Gmail conversations as leads, contacts, opportunities, or similar.
Pipeliner CRM is another example of a solution with great Gmail support straight out of the box. It lets you receive and reply to email conversations from Pipeliner, storing these chats under a "feed" section within the CRM.
2. Get plugged in
If you’ve already invested in a CRM, then another option for integrating it with Gmail is via a third-party plug-in or add-on. There are plenty of smart developers out there that are creating apps to connect Gmail with CRM software. For instance, Selligy Pursuit seamlessly integrates Salesforce into Gmail. One of its coolest features are the email templates, which have variables for any field within Salesforce.
If you’re a NetSuite user, it’s worth checking out CloudExtend Google Apps for NetSuite. This bit of kit syncs up Gmail messages to their corresponding NetSuite records. It also includes the option to create records in the CRM without leaving Gmail.
Zoho itself offers an add-on for its CRM product, known snappily as the Zoho CRM Contextual Gadget for Gmail. The tool allows you to quickly add leads or contacts from Gmail to your CRM, view notes or tasks related to a contact, and search within your inbox to see if a lead or contact exists within your CRM account.
3. Go Streak-ing
Streak is a third-party CRM that actually lives within Gmail, making it a great option if your company isn’t already tied into a CRM solution. The cloud-based software can be set up and installed “within a minute,” and once running, can help with internal collaboration and management of your deals, leads, and support queue within Gmail.
4. Say yes to Yesware
Yesware is another useful product that can marry your CRM with Gmail effortlessly. Its CRM Sync features include Salesforce Sync, which helps you create Salesforce contacts directly from Gmail, automatically syncs tracking data, and allows you to view activity reports for all your contacts, leads, and accounts. A nice bonus is that it can also sync up your Google and Salesforce calendars to help avoid confusion around events.
It’s not just Salesforce that Yesware supports, either. It also integrates with other CRMs including Pipedrive, Batchbook, SugarCRM, Nimble, NetSuite, and Nutshell.
5. Stick with Google Contacts
You’d probably never consider using humble Gmail’s built-in contacts book as a CRM. Don’t poo-poo it completely though, because it is a little bit more than just a straight out address book—and, of course, it’s free!
With Contacts you can gather and record an impressive range of data about an individual, and it automatically keeps contacts updated through their Google+ profile (yes, people do still use it!). It’s very easy to view a history of your correspondence with a person in Google Contacts just by tapping "More" and selecting "View Recent Conversations."
