WhatsApp CRM: The 2024 Blueprint for Advanced Customer Engagement

In the past, businesses primarily relied on email and phone calls as their main communication channels to engage with customers. However, the landscape has transformed significantly in recent years with the immense popularity of WhatsApp and other messaging apps, leading to the emergence of WhatsApp CRM.

Nowadays, customers prefer friendly and conversational interaction with their favorite brands. They are super comfortable with WhatsApp and expect businesses to be present and available on their favorite app. Compared to email, WhatsApp communication is instant, more convenient, engaging, and personal. With an open rate above 90% in most countries, WhatsApp not only reaches audiences more effectively but also converts better. If you want to invest in a CRM integration for WhatsApp, it’s good to know a few important things.

What is a WhatsApp CRM? #

Let’s start with the crucial requirement for using WhatsApp as a professional CRM tool. First, you must register your business phone number with WhatsApp Business Platform, which allows you to integrate WhatsApp with a customer communication platform such as Rasayel.

Here’s why this is important:

When you integrate WhatsApp and your CRM with a platform like Rasayel, you’ll be able to sync your WhatsApp activity with your CRM, similar to how it’s done for email. When you receive a WhatsApp message, it arrives in the Rasayel inbox (or your platform of choice), along with the contact’s name and phone number. Rasayel will attempt to make an automatic match with your CRM contact list, and if a match is found, your conversation history with that person will be logged within your CRM as timeline events. You can assign those conversations to teammates, create automated CRM workflows that trigger automated WhatsApp messages, and more.

You can also engage multiple team members in conversations with customers, build complete customer profiles, get access to in-depth insights, automate your workflow, track analytics, and ultimately conduct sales & support on WhatsApp in one single platform.

Benefits of Using WhatsApp CRMs #

The convenience and familiarity customers find in using WhatsApp for everyday communication make it the perfect platform for managing customer relationships. Integrating WhatsApp with CRM systems not only aligns with the contemporary communication preferences of customers but also offers businesses an array of advantages, such as:

Key Features of WhatsApp CRM in 2024 #

As of 2024, WhatsApp CRM systems have become more intuitive and user-friendly, really stepping up the game for businesses and their customers. The newly integrated CRM features significantly enhance the customer experience, while streamlining business processes. This makes customer interactions more efficient and effective. Here’s a look at some of the standout features:

Enhanced Automation & AI #

Let the machines do the hard work. First up, AI-powered chatbots are getting smarter and better at offering personalized support that resonates with customers. Automated workflows can be used for sorting out leads, routing conversations, and sending out reminders. This means your team can focus on what they do best – having meaningful conversations and building relationships.

And don’t forget about predictive analytics. This is where AI shines, diving into customer data to figure out what they need before they even ask. Analytics help you tailor product recommendations, make interactions more relevant, and generally make the CRM experience smoother for everyone involved.

Seamless Integration & Collaboration #

Let’s face it, nobody likes juggling a million apps or missing out on key customer insights. With multi-channel conversations, you can be on WhatsApp, SMS, email, and even phone calls - all within the same platform. You can switch between channels as the conversation flows, without missing a beat. It’s all about being where your customers are, in the most seamless way possible.

The CRM integration is like building a bridge between your WhatsApp CRM and the rest of your tools. This means all your customer data and activity are in one place, giving you a 360-degree view of your customer interactions.

And let’s not forget about team collaboration. No more “let me check with my colleague” moments. CRM integration is a closed ecosystem where a bunch of agents can work together on the same conversation, sharing notes, and accessing customer history. This ensures that everyone is on the same page, providing the smoothest customer experience possible.

Advanced Customization & Personalization #

Advanced customization and personalization are key elements that can set a business apart in its customer engagement strategies. Segmentation is a powerful tool for tailoring your communication. By grouping customers based on various criteria like demographics, interests, or even their purchase history, you can create targeted messaging and campaigns that resonate more deeply. It’s about sending the right message to the right group, making your communication efforts more relevant and impactful.

Personalized WhatsApp templates are a real time-saver and a way to maintain consistency in your messaging. Whether it’s a warm greeting, a reminder for an appointment, or answers to frequently asked questions, having customizable templates allows you to quickly respond without losing that personal touch. It’s about blending efficiency with personalization to enhance the customer experience.

Security & Privacy #

Security and privacy are at the forefront of what makes this tool so reliable for businesses. End-to-end encryption means that every conversation between you and your customers stays just that – private. In the world of business, where sensitive information is often exchanged, knowing that your communication is locked down and secure is crucial.

Integrating CRM to WhatsApp: What You Need To Know #

When it comes to integrating CRM with WhatsApp, there are a few key WhatsApp CRM requirements you should be aware of. This integration can transform how you connect with customers, but it’s important to get the setup right.

Set Up Your WhatsApp Business Account #

First things first, you’ll need a WhatsApp Business account. This is crucial because you’re going to use the WhatsApp Business API, which is the backbone for integration with most CRM systems. Think of it as your gateway to all the cool features and integrations.

Ensure Data Privacy Compliance #

You need to ensure that both your CRM system and the WhatsApp Business API are compliant with data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA. This involves securing customer data, managing consent properly, and being transparent about how customer information is used.

Evaluate CRM Integration Features #

Understanding the integration capabilities of your CRM system is key. Not all CRM systems offer the same level of integration with WhatsApp. You’ll want to check if your chosen CRM can handle the flow of data from WhatsApp, like customer messages, contact details & conversation histories.

Set Up Automated Responses #

One of the most essential features of using WhatsApp for business is the ability to set up automated responses. This can make a huge difference in managing customer inquiries, especially outside of business hours. Automated messages can handle basic queries, provide information, and even guide customers through simple processes. The key is to make these responses as helpful and human-like as possible, so your customers feel engaged and valued, even when they’re chatting with a bot.

Most Popular WhatsApp CRMs in 2024 #

There are thousands of CRMs available in 2024. Choosing one can make or break your efforts to rise above the competition and manage customer relationships most efficiently and effectively.

Knowing the top CRMs to integrate with your WhatsApp Business account can help your company achieve marketing and sales goals. Keep reading and learn what are the best WhatsApp CRM platforms today.

HubSpot #

Founded in 2005, Hubspot focused on marketing automation for a decade until it launched its CRM platform in 2014. Today, the platform offers free CRM software with features like:

The free version allows you to create up to 1,000,000 contacts and has no limits on users or customer data. The more advanced CRM functionality is available as part of HubSpot’s premium Sales Hub products that start at $450/month.

The paid Sales Hub offers advanced features such as:

Hubspot’s official WhatsApp integration enables you to communicate with your customers, track conversations, and build stronger relationships — all from its platform. This feature is currently in beta and is available only in the Professional and Enterprise editions of Marketing Hub and Service Hub.

WhatsApp for Sales by Rasayel Integration gives you a simple, fast inbox that helps your team connect with customers through any social messaging channel. You can send and receive messages with your HubSpot contacts over WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Viber, and other channels.

Features that come with the Rasayel integration include:

• Engagement Logging
• Activity Logging
• Match HubSpot contacts to Rasayel
• Messaging contacts without leaving HubSpot
• Send automated WhatsApp messages using HubSpot workflows

Rasayel also lets you display your WhatsApp chat in a HubSpot pop-up without leaving HubSpot. You can access all features, including receiving and sending messages, sending attachments, etc.

Additional features include recording messages as a timeline event and receiving in-app notifications when new messages are received.

WhatHub uses the WhatsApp Web interface. It allows you to send 1:1 messages to any HubSpot contact and record all your agents’ conversations with your contacts into their timelines. This will enable you to configure advanced automation, like triggering workflows, when a specific keyword is mentioned in a WhatsApp message.

Pipedrive #

The company claims that it represents the first CRM platform made by salespeople for salespeople. Pipedrive was created in 2010, focusing on activity-based selling, an approach that’s all about scheduling, completing, and tracking activities.

Visual pipelines are another example of their insightful approach, which lets you see exactly where each deal stands and has loads of innovative and easy-to-use features.

Pipedrive’s platform offers sales CRM tools with features like:

• Sales pipeline deals with integrated tools like a mobile app, recurring revenue, lead generation chatbot, contact management, etc.
• Automation
• Insights and reporting
• Email and communication tracking, etc.

Pipedrive doesn’t offer an unlimited free package. However, the five different level packages that start from $9.90 per month come with a free 14-day trial, and no credit card is required to test it out.

If you subscribe to Pipedrive, you can enrich your plan with add-ons like:

• LeadBooster - Chatbot, Live Chat, Prospector, Web Forms, Scheduler.
• Web Visitors - Identify which organizations are browsing your website.
• Campaigns - Create and send customizable email campaigns with pro templates.
• Smart Docs - Autofill documents with Pipedrive data, integrate with Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, or MS Docs, track open documents in real-time, request eSignatures, and set up shared templates.

Managing deals in Pipedrive’s sales funnel is straightforward, thanks to the visual and intuitive interface. Unlike many other lead management CRMs, with Pipedrive, you can create and customize as many funnels as you need to represent your unique sales process.

Pipedrive uses color indicators that help you notice which sales opportunities require your attention and which actions have not been carried out on time.

With the Twilio SMS & WhatsApp integration, you can easily connect with your entire customer database or select groups via WhatsApp and SMS, streamlining bulk messaging using Pipedrive filters. All interactions are recorded in Pipedrive. The Pinnacle SMS & WhatsApp for Pipedrive extension offers similar functionalities for free, allowing message sending, template editing, and viewing conversation histories within Pipedrive, enhanced by interactive features for efficient task management.

Rasayel has a WhatsApp integration for Pipedrive that provides you with direct access to your CRM without switching tools. With the Rasayel integration for WhatsApp, your sales team can:

• See your Pipedrive information directly in your shared WhatsApp team inbox
• View Pipedrive lead or deal information in Rasayel
• Automatically log WhatsApp chats in Pipedrive
• Generate Pipedrive reports on your team’s WhatsApp activities

Salesforce #

By far the biggest CRM today, Salesforce was founded in 1999 to serve small businesses helping them bring CRM databases to the cloud. Over the years, however, its focus has primarily shifted to larger companies, adapting their software for the largest enterprises in the world.

Salesforce’s huge platform consists of a set of building blocks that enable you to build your CRM system, with the possibility to customize technically everything.

This doesn’t mean they disregard entirely small businesses and startups, as they target them with a plan called “Small Business,” which is technically a limited version of the full platform.

Salesforce offers a variety of pricing plans for its products, and each product has its own set of plans. For example, the Sales Cloud has a variety of editions, from the Essentials edition at $25 to the Enterprise edition at $165.

The Salesforce arsenal of some of the most advanced features includes:

Once you subscribe to Salesforce, you can extend your capabilities with the add-ons they offer:

• CPQ & Billing for building recurring customer relationships.
• Sales Cloud Einstein for increasing sales productivity and effectiveness with turnkey intelligence and automation.
• Pardot for faster growth with marketing automation.

Recently, Salesforce started a strategic partnership with WhatsApp that will allow Salesforce customers to connect with their customers. The new integration will enable brands to easily customize their experience to connect with their customers to answer questions, provide support, and promote and sell products. This will inevitably increase engagement, loyalty, convenience, interaction, and satisfaction for both the brand and the customer.

Zoho #

This is the oldest company in this comparison. Founded in 1996, Zoho Corporation is an Indian software development company. After developing a series of different applications, Zoho CRM was launched in 2005, and today it positions itself as the cheaper alternative to Salesforce.

Similar to Salesforce, Zoho assists you with system integration partners and trainers, providing the necessary consultancy to help you make the most of the software.

Zoho CRM offers four different plans for sales teams, with the cheapest starting from $12 per user per month, while the ultimate plan with the most advanced features will cost you about $45 monthly.

All plans include CRM features and tools with increasing levels of functionality depending on the price:

Whatsapp for Zoho CRM is a solution that integrates all the mobile phone numbers of the sales team using WhatsApp directly into Zoho CRM, improving the traceability of conversations, sales follow-ups, and customer service. Key features include:

• Add leads and contacts to Zoho CRM from WhatsApp Web
• Save your conversations from WhatsApp Web and view them in Zoho CRM
• Switch between the different Zoho CRM layouts, offering the possibility of creating leads with different custom fields from WhatsApp.
• Search and find contacts and leads stored in Zoho CRM and start a conversation with them easily, without the hassle of saving them to WhatsApp beforehand.

Whatsapp Hub for Zoho CRM allows you to record the history of all messages sent and received by your team in contact with your customers on WhatsApp. Beyond recording all messages sent and received, even on the mobile version in Zoho CRM, this integration allows you to register new leads upon receiving the first message from a new customer and send automated messages.

WhatsApp Business Extension for Zoho CRM is a WhatsApp API integration for Zoho CRM by WATI that allows you to send WhatsApp messages from Zoho CRM. It comes with features such as:

• Send WhatsApp messages from the Leads and Contacts modules using the “Send WhatsApp” feature.
• Chat with your customers on WhatsApp directly from within Zoho CRM
• Add custom variable values to personalize messages easily.
• Configure your Zoho CRM workflows to send automated WhatsApp messages when their criteria are met.

Odoo #

Known for its suite of open-source business apps, Odoo offers a comprehensive range of business applications, including a robust CRM system. Odoo CRM has strong integration capabilities, flexibility, and a user-friendly interface, catering to both small businesses and large enterprises.

If you’re new to Odoo’s suite of applications, you can take advantage of their introductory offer: the CRM app is available for free, including free hosting & support. This no-cost option is an excellent opportunity to explore the capabilities of Odoo CRM without any financial commitment.

While Odoo CRM doesn’t have a native WhatsApp integration, it supports integration through third-party modules and extensions.

With the Odoo WhatsApp app, you can connect a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to an Odoo database using a standard API connection, which will allow you to:

• Receive and reply to WhatsApp messages directly from an Odoo database
• Create new templates with dynamic placeholders/variables
• Send pre-approved templates that use dynamic variables, such as:
  • Quotations from the Sales app
  • Receipts and invoices from the Point of Sale app
  • Tickets from the Events app

Integrating Odoo CRM with WhatsApp unlocks a range of features that can help you manage your business communication and efficiency, particularly in sales and customer service.

Why Use WhatsApp CRM Integration with Rasayel #

Integrating Rasayel with your WhatsApp CRM can take your customer interactions to the next level, offering benefits across various aspects of your business. Here’s how it can make a significant impact:

WhatsApp CRM for Sales #

By automating personalized greetings, follow-ups, and lead qualification workflows, Rasayel helps you nurture leads more effectively, speeding up the entire sales cycle. It’s all about making your customers feel valued and understood, right from the first interaction.

The convenience of closing deals directly on WhatsApp is a huge plus. No more platform-hopping; sales reps and customers can communicate seamlessly on a single, familiar platform, making the whole process smoother and more user-friendly.

Let’s not forget the powerful features that come with Rasayel – CRM data integration, AI-powered chatbots, and detailed analytics are just a few examples. These features don’t just add value; they streamline your sales process from lead generation through to order fulfillment, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness at every step.

Rasayel also offers features like Engagement logging and Activity logging. These tools provide you with a comprehensive view of your customer interactions, helping you understand what works and what doesn’t.

WhatsApp CRM for Customer Service #

When it comes to support, Rasayel’s integration with WhatsApp CRM takes things up a notch. The chatbots can instantly address common issues, significantly reducing the average handling times and the wait periods for customers. This rapid resolution capability not only enhances efficiency but also greatly improves the customer experience.

The ability to offer personalized support is a major advantage. By tapping into customer history and CRM data, support teams can provide tailor-made assistance, fostering stronger relationships and boosting overall customer satisfaction. This personal touch in customer service is crucial in today’s competitive market.

The platform facilitates multi-agent collaboration, allowing various team members to work together seamlessly. This collaboration is particularly beneficial for tackling complex issues, ensuring that customers receive the most informed and effective solutions on time.

WhatsApp CRM for Customer Engagement #

Using Rasayel’s WhatsApp integration for HubSpot for customer engagement opens up new and effective ways to connect with your audience. It enables you to segment your customer base and launch highly personalized marketing campaigns directly through WhatsApp. By utilizing data points such as customer interests, purchase history, and other relevant information, these campaigns can be finely tuned to resonate with each segment, ensuring that your messages are both relevant and engaging.

Beyond WhatsApp messaging in HubSpot, Rasayel allows you to create interactive elements like surveys, polls, and loyalty programs. These tools are fantastic for driving higher engagement, as they not only involve customers more actively but also help in building deeper and more meaningful relationships with them.

Conclusion #

Trying to find and choose the right WhatsApp CRM for your business can be a difficult task. Luckily, some of the most popular platforms offer trial versions you can try and base your decision on experience.

Before making your final decision, though, ask yourself, do you need to acquire the most advantaged package or a WhatsApp CRM with the right tools and features for your needs?

Frequently Asked Questions #

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About the author

Miodrag Magyar

Miodrag brings over 15 years of hands-on experience in content writing and marketing, with a talent for making even the trickiest topics clear and interesting. His passion lies in guiding businesses to effectively utilize WhatsApp to build stronger customer relationships and drive results. With an eye for detail and a heart for storytelling, he’s here to show how effective WhatsApp communication can boost sales and enhance customer engagement.

@Miodrag Magyar on LinkedIn