18 ways to automate SugarCRM with SMS, with Enjay SMS Pro Add-on

In today's world of Social Media and WhatsApp, Generally we consider SMS to be outdated. But the actual facts are little different. Even today SMS is considered most direct, personal, serious and authentic means of instant communication. 

Integrating SMS into a CRM system can help to automate and personalise the entire CRM experience. Enjay SMS Pro Add-on for SugarCRM is exactly what you would dream of. Consider following Scenarios where SMS enhances the effectiveness of CRM.

Improving sales 

1. Assign new lead to any sales team member and they receive SMS with details of customer. (Similarly customers receive thank you message with contact of our sales person who will be handling this lead.).

2. Escalate delayed in followup. If particular lead not followed up for specified time, send an SMS alert to sales person and his senior.

3. Create a special number if you receive SMS on that number a lead is automatically created in CRM.

4. If a meeting is scheduled in CRM, SMS is automatically sent to all the attendees including customer and our sales team members. This improves the coordination.  Similarly send thank you message to attendees when ever meeting is over.

5. Notify all team members (or team leaders) whenever opportunity is won, this encourages and acknowledges the efforts by sales person. This can also be done for Lost Opportunities.
6. If expected closing date of opportunity is passed then send SMS to Sales person and his team leader to look into it.
7. If you have information regarding birthdays and anniversaries entered into CRM, you can also send Greeting messages by SMS.
8. Group SMS can be a greatly effective marketing tool to broadcast information about your new product or servie.

Support and other Team Management tasks:

1. If task is assigned to some person, he can be notified by sms. Similarly if the task is not completed within stipulated time, we can have a notification to the user. We can even have it escalated to his senior.
2. If a support case is assigned to particular engineer, alert him with SMS, which includes customer contact details. Similarly notify customer about who is going to attend his case.
3. Similarly when case is completed, fire SMS regarding the same to client, saying something like  "Thanks for your business, the case is closed, if not satisfied, please re-open the case or call to xxxxxxx"  
4. If case is not solved within stipulated time then escalate the same and send alert sms to Team Leaders and support staff.

5. If you maintain subscription or product license information in CRM, then inform customer when subscription or license or warranty is expiring on the particular product.
6. If you are using Courier in / Courier out modules in CRM then whenever courier is sent to Customer, send SMS to him stating the courier details with ETA, This creates absolute transparency in operations.

Administrative and reporting benefits

1. Since all inbound and outbound SMSs are logged in to calls module, you can know complete history of communications with any person from any media like email, call, SMS etc.
2. This add on can talk to any standard web sms gateway in the world. So no need to worry about the compatibility.
3. Support for Inbound SMS, provides the crucial missing link in the communication chain.
4. Support for regular work-flow tool in SugarCRM Pro version makes this tool very versatile. You can fire SMS on any change in any module or after time elapse.

Authored by Limesh Parekh, CEO, Enjay IT Solutions Ltd.