Multichannel customer support: how to organize CRM integration with messengers

Today, the client expects to be contacted wherever it is convenient for him: in Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber or corporate chat on the website. If the response is delayed or you have to “jump” between different channels, the business loses trust and deals.

The main problem of most companies is that communication with customers is scattered across different messengers and applications: one manager has several windows open, correspondence is lost, the dialogue history is not available to colleagues. The result is chaos in communications, lost leads and dissatisfied customers.

The solution is to set up the integration of all chats with CRM and work with them centrally. This works especially effectively in the case of developing individual CRMs, where the system is adjusted to specific company processes. This way the team gets a single working environment where the full history of communications is visible, it is easy to control the workload of managers and neither applications nor dialogues are lost.

In this article, we will share our experience: we will tell you how to organize multi-channel customer support and integrate CRM with popular messengers.

Modern users communicate with businesses through an increasing number of channels, and this creates new challenges for companies.

Main reasons:

• The growth of the number of communication channels. Today, a consumer can write anywhere – from the website to Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp. Ignoring at least one of these channels means losing part of the audience.
• Customer expectations. Quick response, accessibility and convenience have already become the standard. Delays or “jumps” between channels instantly reduce the level of trust.
• Disparate chats. Correspondence is scattered across applications, managers spend time searching for messages, and some requests are simply lost.
• Risks of chaos. Duplicate responses, missing messages and lack of control lead to a decline in the quality of service.

Advantages of a single support window:

• centralized work with all channels in the customer management system;
• full communication history;
• reduced risk of duplication and loss of messages;
• control of the workload and quality of the team’s work;
• uniform service standards for the entire company.

Conclusion: businesses should focus on unifying all sources of appeals into a single communication channel. This approach allows you to see the full picture of interactions, connect analytics, record KPIs and build a system for monitoring the quality of service.

At first glance, omnichannel and multichannel sound like synonyms: both businesses use multiple channels to communicate with customers. But in practice, the approaches differ.

Multichannel is “many channels, but separated.” A company can communicate through a website, instant messengers, and email in parallel, but each channel exists on its own. As a result, the history of interactions is fragmented: some messages go to WhatsApp, some to Telegram, and some to mail. Managers switch between windows, waste time, and it is difficult for a manager to assess the effectiveness of work and understand which channel is really bringing in leads.

Omnichannel is about providing a single ecosystem. All communications flow into CRM, where they are connected into a single picture. The manager has one working window in which he sees the entire history of dialogues with the client, regardless of where he wrote – in the website chat, WhatsApp, or Viber. This approach eliminates chaos, speeds up the team’s work, and allows you to build a service at a qualitatively new level.

Why is omnichannel important for business?

First, it is a complete history of communication: the manager understands the entire context of communication and does not ask repeated questions.

Secondly, it is comprehensive analytics that shows the path of a lead from the first contact to the deal and helps to understand which channels work more effectively.

And finally, it is personalization, when a company can adapt communication to a specific user, increasing their loyalty and the likelihood of a purchase.

CRM integration with messengers is not just a convenient feature, but a strategic step that allows a business to centralize communication and increase the efficiency of customer support. Each channel has its own characteristics, but when properly configured, they become part of a single system.

Basic integration steps:

1. connecting a business account in the selected messenger;
2. configuring the official API or using a CRM connector/module;
3. linking the account to the CRM and testing its operation;
4. launching automations: chatbots, message templates, notifications;
5. training the team and monitoring the quality of service.

Important: integration requires not only initial setup, but also regular support – updating the API, monitoring stability and adapting to new requirements.

Integration with Telegram

Telegram is one of the most flexible channels. Connection is carried out through bots and APIs that connect to the system. This allows you to conduct dialogues directly with CRM, automate responses to typical requests and receive quick notifications. This approach speeds up the team’s work and reduces the burden on managers.

WhatsApp integration

WhatsApp uses the official Business API, which provides secure and scalable work. In conjunction with CRM, managers can process requests, send agreed message templates, and conduct mass support.
It is worth considering that the connection is made through official providers (Meta, Twilio, 360dialog, etc.) and requires paid tariffs. In addition, WhatsApp rules are regularly updated – API settings must be kept up to date.

Viber integration

Viber is especially popular in local markets. Connection is made through the Viber Business API, after which CRM can use it for mailings, notifications, and personalized offers.
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the limits and specifics of the platform: mass support via Viber is often more expensive than in some other messengers (for example, Telegram). To maintain high message deliverability and audience trust, it is necessary to follow the service’s rules and quotas.

Implementation example: chat-oriented AvaCRM

AvaCRM is a sales and customer interaction management tool, originally built around chats. The system works in the format of a progressive web application (PWA) and combines its advantages: quick access from a browser and mobile devices, ease of use without installing additional programs.
We wrote more about the value of a chat-oriented approach in the article about chat-oriented CRM.

AvaCRM provides omnichannel

The system combines all key channels in one interface: Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp. Thanks to this, the manager sees all requests centrally, and the manager gains control over the quality of service and transparent statistics.

End-to-end analytics and source labels

Each dialogue in AvaCRM is automatically tied to a specific lead and deal. The system records the source of the request, which allows you to build end-to-end analytics – from the first message from the client to the closing of the deal. This helps to assess the effectiveness of channels, optimize marketing, and understand which communications bring the greatest results to the business.

The future of CRM systems is a combination of a chat-oriented approach, artificial intelligence, automation and integrations with ERP. This format provides true omnichannel: for managers, all communication with customers is collected in a single system, and users continue to communicate in their usual messengers.

AvaCRM demonstrates how this works in practice. The system combines many messengers into a single interface, turning disparate correspondence into a transparent process with analytics, source labels and a complete history of dialogues. This makes support predictable, fast and convenient for both customers and the team.

Do you want to implement CRM with omnichannel support specifically for your tasks? Contact us – we will help you set up the system and integrations that will really strengthen your business.