Integrating AI Chatbots with CRM: How to Do It Right?

CHI Software
5 min readDec 20, 2024

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AI chatbots and CRM integration

Can you imagine the changes an AI chatbot CRM integration can bring to your business? As your company grows, customer expectations rise — and managing both the volume and complexity of interactions can become challenging. Without automation, your team might become overwhelmed by calls, emails and chats, all while trying to maintain a high level of service.

Now, picture that an AI chatbot seamlessly works with your CRM to handle routine tasks. According to recent data, the global chatbot market will be worth USD 1.19 billion in 2024 and will grow to USD 1.42 billion in 2025, which speaks to the massive value businesses are finding in chatbots.

At the same time, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are also on the rise, with annual market growth at a CAGR of 10.34% from 2024 to 2029. Combining an AI chatbot with aCRM can be a game-changer for companies.

However, integrating an AI chatbot into your CRM system isn’t just about adding another tool — it’s about strategically improving customer experience and growth. CHI Software, famous for its AI chatbot development services, is here to guide you through the entire process, from setting up business goals to refining the integration with your software ecosystem.

How to integrate your AI chatbot with CRM?
Follow these fundamental steps to make your AI chatbot CRM integration successful.

Step 1: Find Out What Your CRM Can Do

Most CRMs, such as Salesforce or HubSpot, have tools called APIs, which allow other systems to connect to them — think of them as a window through which your chatbot can send or receive information. Before you start, you need to:

  • Find out what your CRM allows a chatbot to do through its API, for example, adding new contacts or extracting customer information;
  • Discover how to log in securely. Some CRMs use passwords, tokens, or special API keys.

Step 2: Decide What You Want the Chatbot to Do

Among the variety of actions that AI chatbots with CRM can perform, you should clearly define what tasks you aim to cover. For example:

  • Automatically saving customer requests as new leads;
  • Pulling up information about existing customers while communicating with them;
  • Adding notes or updates to customer files through conversations.

We recommend clearly defining the most essential tasks your chatbot should perform. This approach will help developers streamline their work and speed up the process of integrating the chatbot with the CRM.

Step 3: Consider the Costs

Building a chatbot that integrates seamlessly with your CRM is an investment, so it’s essential to understand how much it will cost before you start.

We’ve previously created a detailed guide on the cost to build a chatbot. You can see the general pricing logic, but remember that integration and building a chatbot are different.

Usually, to evaluate the integration of a chatbot into CRM, you need to discuss the two initial stages with the vendor in person and have an additional call with the team.

CHI Software is here to tell you about the factors affecting the cost of your development:

  • Integration complexity: Simple integrations, such as connecting to a widely used CRM with well-documented APIs, usually cost less. If your company uses a less common CRM, the integration will require more time and resources.
  • Features and functionality: Advanced chatbots with multilingual support or complex workflows require more investment. Each additional feature increases the time and expertise needed for development.
  • Level of customization: The more chatbots require specific customizations, the higher the cost.
  • Timeframe for delivery: Tight deadlines can lead to increased costs due to the need to allocate additional resources. Flexible timeframes allow for more cost-effective project planning and delivery.
  • Scalability: The integration cost will increase if the chatbot, for example, needs to work with many simultaneous users.

Step 4: Coordinate Information

Your chatbot and CRM system should understand each other’s data. To do so, you need to check the information that the chatbot will use.

  • Take a look at what your chatbot collects (for example, email addresses or order numbers), then developers will make sure data matches the fields in your CRM.
  • Experts need to set up rules to double-check the data (for example, make sure email addresses are valid) before sending it to your CRM.

Step 5: Create a Connection

Now, it’s time to connect your chatbot to your CRM:

  • The first step is to create a “middleman” (middleware) that translates what the chatbot wants into commands that the CRM understands;
  • If the CRM provides shortcuts for coding (e.g., libraries or kits), experts can use them to save time.
  • Next, developers set up the chatbot to handle important customer actions, like answering questions or processing sales inquiries. The team teaches the chatbot to understand these tasks and map them to the right actions in your CRM.
  • The chatbot will then send the customer data (like name or email) to the CRM and update the corresponding records automatically. Developers will also ensure that your chatbot pulls data from the CRM to deliver personalized responses, like showing order statuses or sending reminders.
  • Experts add security measures to protect sensitive data, such as encrypting all private information and limiting who can access the system.

Lastly, testing and monitoring the chatbot and CRM operation are ongoing processes that ensure everything runs smoothly. Your team should thoroughly test the system to check if the chatbot saves and retrieves data correctly. It can also be helpful to do some testing by intentionally introducing errors to see how the system handles problems.

But you don’t think it’s all daisies and roses, do you? You’re absolutely right! You may face challenges on the way to a perfect connection. Read our original article to figure our what you can expect and how to overcome potential troubles.

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CHI Software
CHI Software

Written by CHI Software

We solve real-life challenges with innovative, tech-savvy solutions. https://chisw.com/

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