Best CRM for WhatsApp 2023: 10 WhatsApp Business Integrations

Quick summary:

This article will tell you everything you need to know about the best WhatsApp CRM integrations. We will look at 10 different vendors, discuss pricing when available, benefits and drawbacks, and specific purposes. Read on to learn more about CRM integrations with WhatsApp.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital communication, WhatsApp has cemented its place as a crucial platform for businesses seeking to enhance customer interactions. Integrating WhatsApp with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems has become more than a convenience—it's a strategic necessity.

In this article, we delve into the top 10 WhatsApp Business integrations that stand out this year. Leveraging our extensive experience in CRM technology, we have meticulously tested and reviewed these integrations to guide businesses toward making informed decisions.

From enhancing live chat capabilities to revolutionizing customer engagement and sales processes, each integration has been evaluated for its unique strengths and suitability for different business needs.

Whether you're a small enterprise or a large corporation, these insights will help you understand how integrating WhatsApp with your CRM can transform your customer interactions and drive business growth in today's fast-paced digital world.

CRM with WhatsApp integration comparison chart (top 10 highest rated)

This table provides a good introduction to the content we’ll be reviewing below.

Why use CRM integration with WhatsApp Business?

There are good reasons to integrate WhatsApp business with CRM. Mainly, it will increase your communication channels for your customers, as well as let you reach out to new leads via SMS, which is the best place to get your audience’s attention. In some use cases, you can use this CRM integration to connect with other social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn. A good WhatsApp integration can also help your team remain compliant in different regions regarding advertising and data, for example, with the EU’s GDPR rules.

WhatsApp as a CRM can be applied either via the WhatsApp Business App, or with the more advanced WhatsApp Business API integration with CRM. 

What is the best CRM for WhatsApp? Here’s our top 10 list:

The rest of this text will get more in-depth with the options for the best CRM for WhatsApp. Many of these CRM systems are also great standalone tools. But today we will focus on their cross-functionality with WhatsApp.  

1. HubSpot WhatsApp integration (Best CRM with WhatsApp integration overall)

Why we chose it:

We voted HubSpot's WhatsApp integration as our top pick due to its exceptional features and our firsthand experience with its efficiency.

The integration ensures that every customer interaction on WhatsApp is seamlessly captured in the CRM, a feature we found invaluable for maintaining comprehensive customer histories.

Its automation features stood out, enabling timely and personalized customer communications. We also appreciated HubSpot's intuitive interface and detailed analytics, which can significantly enhance your WhatsApp marketing and sales strategies.

Pros:

Overall, HubSpot CRM software is a great sales tool when combined with WhatsApp. There is great standard WhatsApp message functionality, as well as notifications and follow-ups.

You get to manage all your WhatsApp SMS communication from inside the HubSpot platform. This includes 1:1 messaging, and access to all your conversation histories from your contact list.

You can add multimedia here, including images, videos and URLs on top of your texts. Incoming messages can also be easily recorded.

HubSpot lets you create, store, share and modify text message templates for use with WhatsApp. HubSpot automation workflows also help streamline your WhatsApp messaging.

Cons:

Regardless of which HubSpot plan you are on, you have a maximum of 1 concurrent device per phone number to use with a HubSpot WhatsApp CRM integration. As a basic messaging app, this is not too bad, but if you have a large sales team, this might not be the most effective CRM tool for WhatsApp.

Pricing:

• Starter plan is $53.08 per month billed annually 

• Professional plan is $89.10 per month billed annually 

HubSpot CRM review

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^{Go to HubSpot’s official website}

2. Zendesk WhatsApp Integration (Top WhatsApp messaging CRM integration)

Why we chose it:

Zendesk is first and foremost a customer service solution, particularly for customer relationship management for startups and small businesses. Nowadays, Zendesk has a lot of useful features to help with sales, including basic lead generation, which helps get new potential customers.

Key features of the Zendesk integration include its ability to connect to the WhatsApp Business API, allowing seamless use of WhatsApp as a customer communication channel through Zendesk.

This integration centralizes various communication channels, including email, live chat, phone, and WhatsApp, into one shared inbox, significantly enhancing team efficiency by eliminating the need to switch between platforms

This system is particularly beneficial for managing large volumes of customer interactions systematically. Moreover, the platform provides valuable insights into conversations, offering data on satisfaction ratings, average first reply times, and new tickets, which are crucial for optimizing customer service strategies.

Pros:

Zendesk integrates nicely with WhatsApp, as well as many of the other Meta apps such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

You can really get on top of your small business messaging needs with Zendeks, providing everything you need in a neat and clear interface, with some level of customizability regarding contact information, custom fields and metrics.

You can use Zendesk to create basic WhatsApp workflows, add custom buttons to your messages, create automatic responses and canned responses, and set it up so that you get regular notifications.

Cons:

While it is possible to see Zendesk WhatsApp CRM integration as more than a customer support tool, but as a WhatsApp sales tool as well, there have been a few sales experts who claim that when it comes to procuring new leads, Zendesk is OK, but not the number one.

You’ll really want to start with the more expensive Zendesk Suite to get the most out of this integration.

Pricing:

• Zendesk Suite Team is $49 per user per month billed annually 

• Zendesk Suite Growth is $79 per user per month billed annually 

• Zendesk Suite Professional $99 per user per month billed annually  

Zendesk Sell review

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^{Go to Zendesk’s official website}

3. Kayako WhatsApp integration (Great WhatsApp integration for live chat)

Why we chose it:

Kayako is another customer service software solution aiming to help support reps use existing customer data to provide superior SMS customer service with minimal friction. It is also a great CRM integration for WhatsApp if you need a lot of live chart functionality.

After extensive hands-on testing of various CRM integrations for WhatsApp, we found the Kayako WhatsApp integration to be a standout choice, particularly for live chat functionalities. 

Kayako's integration excels in seamless connectivity with WhatsApp, enabling real-time customer interactions that are crucial for modern businesses. The intuitive interface really stood out for us, and the features were quite robust.

Features, such as automated responses and conversation tagging, streamline the customer service process, making it both efficient and user-friendly.

Pros:

Customer service team members can integrate their Kayako Helpdesk tool with WhatsApp to be the ultimate live chat tool for providing service and keeping up with the highest standards of the user experience. 

Kayako is an overall solid multi-channel help desk software, and on top of live chat, they have great team member collaboration tools as well as social media conversation features which can bring in messaging from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and more into a single view.

Cons:

The Kayako Whatspp integration will require a third part connector system to get these two platforms sharing data and working together, for example, you can always try out Zapier to see what options there are between WhatsApp and Kayako.

Pricing:

• $125 per user per month

• Added charged depending on the integration tool 

Visit site
^{Go to Kayako’s official website}

4. Twilio WhatsApp Integration (Good customer engagement WhatsApp integration)

Why we chose it:

Twilio stands out for its robust and versatile messaging capabilities, which are essential for engaging customers in today's digital landscape. Its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing CRM systems allows for personalized and timely interactions with customers.

After researching and testing the tool, we believe that users will be able to observe a noticeable improvement in engagement metrics, thanks to Twilio's advanced automation and programmable messaging features.

This integration has proven to be a reliable tool for customer service, enhancing customer satisfaction and streamlining communication processes.

Pros:

You can use Twilio customer engagement system with both WhatsApp Business App and via Twilio’s API. 

You get transactional messaging for notifications and follow-ups, and it is also useful for alerts, promotions and other marketing messaging.

Twilio lets you create personalized customer experiences and then combine those with other communication channels like email and voice. 

Other Twilio products like Twilio Frontline, Twilio Segment and Twilio Verify add extra functionality to this platform.

Cons:

It’s been said that getting everything set up and running with your Twilio WhatsApp Business Platform may take a little bit of time and effort.

Pricing:

• Pricing is based on the number of messages

• Contact Twilio for exact pricing

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^{Go to Twilio’s official website}

5. Zoho WhatsApp Integration (Good mobile CRM WhatsApp integration)

Why we chose it:

Like HubSpot and Zendesk, Zoho is another monster name in business software, especially for CRM, marketing sales, support, and more. To integrate Zoho with WhatsApp Web, you’ll need to use a third-party tool, though there are many great options out there.

Zoho's integration transforms mobile CRM by enabling direct and efficient communication with customers through WhatsApp. One notable feature is the synchronization of WhatsApp conversations with Zoho CRM, which allows for tracking and managing customer interactions on the go.

The feature we liked the most about this integration is the ability to instantly access customer data and history, leading to more personalized and informed interactions.

Additionally, the ability to send bulk WhatsApp messages directly from the CRM is a game-changer, as it can significantly boost your outreach and engagement efforts.

Pros:

First off, Zoho has great mobile apps for iOS and Android, and with the right WhatsApp CRM integration, these mobile apps can seriously help with sales and support.

Support agents can access all their instant messaging from WhatsApp contacts directly inside their favorite Zoho Desk portal for a unified experience, also making it easy for team members to collaborate on issues. Easily convert problems discussed in WhatsApp conversations to active support tickets. 

You do not even need to have a WhatsApp number when using an integration tool, as opposed to the standard way of doing things when you use the WhatsApp API.

Cons:

You will need to run through the entire WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) embedded sign up protocol, which is not too difficult, but still takes some effort. 

If you want to do things like build a WhatsApp chat bot to work with Zoho Desk, you’ll need a third party tool.

Pricing:

• Zoho starts at $14 per user per month billed annually

• Other charges per WhatsApp messages may apply, check with vendor 

Zoho CRM review

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^{Go to Zoho’s official website}

6. Bitrix24 WhatsApp Integration (Best free CRM with WhatsApp integration)

Why we chose it:

Bitrix24 is pretty well known for being a decent free business platform that can help with CRM, project management, team collaboration and even offer some basic automation. What sets Bitrix24 apart is its comprehensive suite of features, offered at no cost.

The integration allows for seamless synchronization of WhatsApp messages with the CRM, enabling efficient tracking and management of customer interactions. A standout feature is the ability to create automated workflows within WhatsApp conversations.

For example, we could set up auto-responses for common queries, which significantly enhance customer support efficiency. Additionally, the integration's ease of use in setting up and managing contacts and conversations directly from the CRM dashboard was exemplary.

It’s these practical, user-friendly features that make Bitrix24 an invaluable tool for businesses looking to leverage WhatsApp for customer relationship management without incurring additional costs.

Pros:

Primary reason this is good is that it is free. Of course, there are paid options you can choose for more tools and features, but it is nice to get started using WhatsApp as a CRM system with Bitrix24 without breaking open your wallet.

Bitrix24 will help you with the integration, thereby making it as smooth of a transition as possible.

You can automate away small tasks, work together with call center technology or email systems, and even bring in some basic task management cross-functionality.

Bitrix24 CRM integration for WhatsApp works well on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

Cons:

You get 5 GBs of online storage, which is not bad, but not the best. 

While there are some basic sales pipeline features, they are not the most simple nor the most powerful, but they will do the job.

Pricing:

• There is a free Bitrix24 plan

• Basic plan is $49 per month billed annually for 5 users

• Standard plan is $99 per month billed annually for 50 users

• Professional plan is $199 per month billed annually for 100 users

Bitrix24 review

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^{Go to Bitrix 24’s official website}

7. Respond.io (Great integration for WhatsApp Business API)

Why we chose it:

Respond.io's integration with WhatsApp Business API has rightfully earned its place as a great choice for businesses seeking to enhance their customer communication. 

What distinguishes Respond.io is its robust multi-channel support, seamlessly integrating WhatsApp with other communication platforms. This capability was evident in its ability to unify customer messages from various channels into a single, streamlined interface, greatly simplifying response management.

Particularly impressive was its AI-driven automated response system, which we utilized to provide instant, accurate answers to common inquiries. This can significantly improve your response times and customer satisfaction.

Moreover, the platform's advanced analytics gives you valuable insights into customer interactions, enabling you to tailor your communication strategies more effectively.

Pros:

You can use Respond.io with the WhatsApp API cloud access provided by Meta, which is the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

Use this tool to provide more information about your business or products which can be advertised directly over WhatsApp and even include modules for shopping and payments.

You get a WhatsApp number, a link to your website, a cover photo, a display name and a business address; all of this creates a more personalized WhatsApp user experience.

Other WhatsApp business number features include color-based quality rating, message templates, multiple tiers for phone number messaging limits, and phone number status. 

Cons:

You do not necessarily have to know much about WhatsApp Business Service Providers, otherwise known as BSPs, but it helps if you want to be an expert at using their tools.

There are lots of options for features here, which is generally a good thing, though for some novice users, it might seem overwhelming.

Pricing:

• Basic Respond.io pricing is $79 per month billed annually

• There are extra charges for message limits

Visit site
^{Go to Respond.io’s official website}

8. SugarCRM (Top sales CRM integration with WhatsApp)

Why we chose it:

SugarCRM's integration with WhatsApp has been a standout in our search for the top sales CRM solutions. SugarCRM excels in streamlining sales communications by integrating WhatsApp messaging directly into the CRM interface.

This integration can be a game-changer for your sales team. For instance, the ability to instantly send personalized WhatsApp messages to leads and customers directly from the CRM will not only save time but also significantly increase your engagement rates.

We found the seamless synchronization of chat histories into customer profiles a great addition that allows you to provide more tailored and informed sales pitches.

Additionally, SugarCRM's advanced analytics tools offered deep insights into customer interactions over WhatsApp, helping teams fine-tune their sales strategies. 

Pros:

With the right connection, you can manage full 2-way conversations from WhatsApp directly inside your SugarCRM platform. It can also be used to send strictly WhatsApp messages.

There are a variety of views to manage your WhatsApp messaging, from a general list view to a more detailed view.

There are important customer experience tracking features that provide useful data according to many metrics based on your CRM sales efforts over WhatsApp.

Cons:

Not everyone is excited about applying a third-party tool to get your CRM and WhatsApp integrated. With SugarCRM, a common tool is made by Vertiy Infotech.

Pricing:

• The Verity tool is a one-time payment of $699

• Sugar Sell costs $49 per user per month billed annually 

Visit site
^{Go to SugarCRM’s official website}

9. Kommo fka amoCRM (Great CRM WhatsApp integration for chatbots)

Why we chose it:

Kommo's integration with WhatsApp, particularly in the realm of chatbot functionality, stands out as an excellent choice in our CRM evaluations. The platform's integration excels in implementing chatbots within WhatsApp, a feature that can dramatically transform your customer interaction dynamics.

For instance, we leveraged Kommo's chatbots to automate initial customer interactions, which will not only expedite response times but also ensure 24/7 availability for customer inquiries.

The seamless integration of these chatbots into a CRM system allows for a more efficient management of customer queries and improved lead nurturing processes.

Additionally, the intuitive design of Kommo makes it easy to customize chatbot workflows, aligning them perfectly with your specific business needs.

Pros:

Kommo lets users engage with customers and leads over many social media channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Instagram, and more.

The Kommo WhatsApp integration is fully native and you can be set up and running with minimal effort in no time.

One of the best advantages of this platform is that there is a chatbot builder for WhatsApp that requires zero coding knowledge to use.

You can use this tool to track customers who are in your sales pipeline.

Cons:

Honestly, it is difficult to find any cons with Kommo, except maybe that it isn’t exactly a fully-stacked CRM.

Pricing:

• Base plan is $15 per user per month 

• Advanced plan is $25 per user per month 

• Enterprise plan is $45 per user per month 

Visit site
^{Go to Kommo’s official website}

10. Salesforce WhatsApp Integration (Best new CRM integration with WhatsApp business manager)

Why we chose it:

The Salesforce WhatsApp Integration has emerged as the best new player in the realm of CRM integrations with WhatsApp Business Manager. Salesforce's integration stands out for its deep and seamless connection with WhatsApp, enabling a level of customer interaction that is both innovative and efficient.

A key feature that impressed us was the ability to directly manage and track WhatsApp conversations within Salesforce, providing a unified view of customer interactions.

This integration will allow your team to personalize communication at scale, using Salesforce's robust data management and analytics capabilities to tailor conversations on WhatsApp.

Furthermore, the integration’s ease in setting up automated responses and customer journey workflows within WhatsApp directly from Salesforce was exemplary, streamlining communication processes and enhancing overall productivity.

Pros:

Imagine all the powers of the Salesforce toolkit working alongside the ease and convenience of WhatsApp messaging.

Salesforce Genie will increase your efficiency and sales accuracy with a real-time CRM data insights platform.

You can create an end-to-end customer sales journey, add personalized content, and take advantage of AI and automation to streamline the process. 

Cons:

The product is set to be released in December 2022, so as of now, one cannot truly rely on user reviews to see how amazing it is.

Pricing:

• Salesforce plans and pricing are quite complicated depending on your needs, so contact them for exact costs

Salesforce review

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^{Go to Salesforce’s official website}

What is the best WhatsApp CRM for me? Our conclusion

As you stand at the crossroads of digital communication, integrating a CRM with WhatsApp is not just an option but a strategic necessity. This article has highlighted key CRM vendors offering WhatsApp integration, each tailored to different business needs and customer engagement approaches.

Now, the next step is yours: evaluate your business's unique requirements, customer interaction patterns, and long-term communication goals. Choose a CRM integration that not only meets these criteria but also propels your business toward greater efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Don't just read about the potential of WhatsApp CRM integration; act on it. Start by assessing your current communication challenges, and then engage with a vendor that aligns with your business vision.

Embrace this opportunity to revolutionize your customer interactions and stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

FAQs

What is the difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?

The difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business is that WhatsApp is a standalone personal messaging app owned by Meta for sending and receiving texts and multimedia. WhatsApp Business is for companies who get to link it to multiple devices, with 4 devices being the maximum.

How much does WhatsApp Business cost?

The exact pricing of WhatsApp Business can vary. It is a pay-as-you-go system, though the first 1,000 conversations from each month are free. Otherwise, there is a tiered pricing system, which varies depending on which country or currency you are using. 

What are the disadvantages of a WhatsApp Business account?

The disadvantage of a WhatsApp Business account is that you cannot get your business verified as opposed to users of the WhatsApp Business API. There is also a maximum of 4 devices that you can link, and you are not really permitted to do broadcast messaging.