Integrate your Drupal website with CRM applications for better customer engagement

Customers are the heart of a business. As a business owner interacting directly with customers, or as a digital marketer for a business, you need to:

• Track prospects and customers to provide individualized services.
• Manage leads to find the high quality ones and improve revenue.
• Engage with customers—the right tools can give you specific information about customers and their transactions.
• Integrate social media with the business for better marketing and customer relationships.
• Automate and optimize the end-to-end sales process.

The objectives mentioned above require a well thought out Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy. A CRM application seamlessly integrated with the business/CMS website can help in achieving this, leading the company to better customer retention and higher profitability.

A Drupal CRM integration allows you the flexibility of using a CRM of your choice with your Drupal website. Drupal modules offer custom integration with any type of third-party CRM and Marketing Automation APIs like HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, and Eloqua. Drupal 8 has a revamped web services module which makes it even easier to integrate with third-party applications. You can also use the Drupal CRM Core to create a custom CRM or integrate your existing basic CRM with platforms like CiviCRM, RedHen, and Sugar CRM.

Here are some CRM applications that Drupal can work with:

Webform CiviCRM

CiviCRM is a web-based contact relationship management application built in PHP. It integrates well with Drupal. It works seamlessly for functions like synchronization between Drupal roles and CiviCRM memberships, rules and triggers, Ubercart, views and web forms. It is a good tool for managing online subscriptions and contacts. Drupal modules can also be built to make use of direct CiviCRM.

Too many security updates, poor online documentation and lack of all CRM features are some drawbacks of CiviCRM.

RedHen CRM

The best part about RedHen CRM is that its high level design is similar to Drupal Commerce, and therefore it uses Drupal capabilities well. It is a lightweight CRM application that has features like contact management, engagement tracking, customisable forms for input, etc. It is highly customisable, making it advantageous for businesses with very specific requirements. However, the frequency of software updates is very low.

Salesforce Suite

Salesforce.com is a popular cloud-based CRM application. It automates the end-to-end sales process. Drupal has a module called Salesforce Suite. This module enables integration between Drupal entities and Salesforce data objects, allowing data exchange between Drupal-based applications and Salesforce. You can create object mapping and extend the APIs to create functionality for customised business workflows. But the options available depend on the license you have. Salesforce is better suited for big businesses.

Other CRM applications that Drupal works well with include:

• CRM Core is a platform within Drupal which can be used to track contacts, relationships and activities. It allows reporting and bulk operations, like sending emails to customers and merging contacts.
• OpenCRM is a native Drupal CRM solution that has tools such as entities, rules, fields, etc, that can be used to build a CRM system as per client requirements.
• SugarCRM is a highly customizable CRM solution that can integrate with Drupal to provide integration via web form integration and data synchronization.

A Drupal-based CRM product is a good choice as it can be customised for specific requirements. On the other hand, CRM products like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics are more comprehensive but might need more work when it comes to customisation.

Srijan has experience and expertise in projects involving integration of Drupal with CRM applications. These projects have its helped clients build a reliable CRM strategy.