How to use SMS integration with your CRM 

Learn how Infobip SMS integrates into your favorite CRM, giving you the power to instantly message customers on the most reliable channel through the best connected platform.

Monika Lončarić Senior Content Marketing Specialist

With a simple SMS CRM integration, you can connect your messaging platform with your CRM to share data in real time—enhancing communication, service delivery, and customer engagement. 

Adding CRM with SMS features to your tech stack helps your sales, marketing, and support teams connect better with customers. It does this through automated text messaging, smarter workflows, and easy data syncing. 

SMS is one of the most powerful communication channels for reaching customers directly—and here’s why: 

  • Reliable deliverability: 98% deliverability rate 
  • Global reach and scalability: Available on all mobile devices in 190+ countries 
  • Unmatched open rates: 98% open rate on average for SMS

This makes SMS ideal for urgent, time-sensitive alerts and notifications that need to be seen—fast. But many businesses still use CRM and SMS tools separately, creating fragmented systems and scattered customer data. 

Did you know? 

51%

of brands report having fragmented tools that don’t share data 

40%

of brands struggle to organize customer data

60%

of brands use SMS to interact with customers

40%

of brands use a CRM

The good news? With the right CRM with text messaging capabilities, you can bring everything together. By integrating SMS marketing directly into your CRM, you’ll improve campaign performance, streamline operations, and drive better outcomes across every department.

What is SMS CRM?

An SMS CRM is a customer relationship management system that includes SMS as a native or integrated messaging channel. This allows you to:

  • Automate and personalize SMS campaigns
  • Sync contacts, conversations, and interaction data
  • Track delivery, engagement, and response rates in real time

With a CRM with SMS like Infobip, your team can leverage customer insights to send timely, relevant messages that boost engagement and deliver real results.

What can I do with an SMS integrated into my CRM?

Integrating your CRM with SMS marketing capabilities enables powerful use cases across marketing, sales, and support:

  • Automated text messaging for reminders, confirmations, and follow-ups
  • Targeted marketing campaigns using CRM data like behavior, preferences, or location
  • Enhanced customer engagement with personalized, real-time messaging
  • Real-time alerts and transactional updates (ie. appointment reminders)
  • Two-way CRM SMS marketing conversations
  • Visibility into message delivery, opens, clicks, and replies for optimizing campaign performance

A strong messaging CRM helps ensure every communication is timely, relevant, and aligned with your customer’s journey.

How to connect SMS with your CRM

Connecting SMS to your CRM is surprisingly easy – and free.

Infobip provides flexible, developer-friendly options to integrate with virtually any CRM platform. Here are some popular CRMs and how the integration with Infobip SMS works:

Integration: Infobip can be integrated with Salesforce to enable SMS communication directly from the Salesforce interface. This integration allows users to send and receive SMS messages, automate SMS campaigns, and track message delivery and responses.

How it works: Users can leverage Salesforce’s automation tools, like Process Builder and Flow, to trigger SMS messages based on specific events or criteria. Infobip’s API is used to facilitate the sending and receiving of messages, and all interactions can be logged within Salesforce for comprehensive tracking and analytics.

Integration: Infobip integrates with HubSpot to allow businesses to incorporate SMS into their marketing, sales, and customer service workflows. This integration supports sending personalized messages and automating SMS campaigns.

How it works: Through HubSpot’s workflow automation, users can set up triggers for sending SMS messages, such as form submissions or deal stage changes. Infobip’s API handles message delivery, and responses can be captured and logged into HubSpot for follow-up actions.

Integration: Infobip can be integrated with Zoho CRM to enable SMS communication as part of customer interaction strategies. This integration supports both individual and bulk messaging.

How it works: Users can send SMS messages directly from Zoho CRM’s interface, either manually or through automated workflows. Infobip’s API ensures reliable message delivery, and users can track message status and responses within Zoho CRM.

Integration: Infobip integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365 to provide SMS capabilities for customer engagement and communication.

How it works: Users can configure workflows in Dynamics 365 to send SMS messages based on specific triggers, such as lead creation or status updates. Infobip’s API manages the message sending process, and all interactions can be recorded in Dynamics 365 for analysis and reporting.

Integration: Infobip can be integrated with Pipedrive to facilitate SMS communication as part of sales and customer relationship management.

How it works: Users can send SMS messages directly from Pipedrive, either manually or through automated sequences. Infobip’s API handles delivery, and message interactions can be tracked within Pipedrive to enhance sales processes and customer follow-ups.

General integration process:

API integration: Most CRM integrations with Infobip SMS are facilitated through Infobip’s robust API, which allows for seamless communication between the CRM and Infobip’s messaging platform.

Automation and triggers: CRMs typically offer automation tools that can be configured to trigger SMS messages based on specific events or criteria, such as customer inquiries, order confirmations, or appointment reminders.

Tracking and analytics: Integrations often include features for tracking message delivery, open rates, and responses, providing valuable insights into customer engagement and campaign effectiveness.

Overall, integrating Infobip SMS with CRMs enhances communication capabilities, allowing businesses to reach customers more effectively and efficiently. Each CRM may have specific integration steps and features, so it’s important to refer to the documentation provided by both Infobip and the CRM for detailed setup instructions.

Best practices for CRM with SMS integrations

To make the most of your SMS CRM integration, follow these best practices:

1. Start with clean, segmented data

Make sure your CRM is organized with:

  • Valid phone numbers
  • Accurate segments (e.g., location, lifecycle stage)
  • Opt-in status and messaging preferences

The cleaner your CRM, the more effective your SMS marketing campaigns will be.

2. Secure proper consent

Compliance is key. Always get explicit consent before sending SMS messages.

  • Use double opt-in workflows
  • Make opt-outs automatic
  • Store date and time of consent within your CRM

3. Automate with triggers and workflows

Use your CRM’s automation features to trigger SMS based on real-time events, like:

  • New lead added
  • Cart abandoned
  • Appointment booked

This gives you the best CRM with text messaging by enabling real-time, event-driven customer journeys.

4. Personalize at scale

With CRM variables and dynamic templates, you can personalize messages with:

  • Customer name
  • Appointment details
  • Loyalty points
  • Product recommendations
  • Behavioral data

Example: “Hi Alex, your payment for Order #2053 is due tomorrow. Reply YES to confirm.”

5. Monitor and optimize

Use Infobip’s analytics tools to track:

  • Delivery and response rates
  • Campaign success by segment
  • SMS vs. email performance

Run A/B tests to improve your messaging and boost campaign performance.

*Pro tip: Test SMS with a single journey or segment before scaling across all teams.

CRM with text messaging compliance

Infobip is fully compliant with global messaging regulations like GDPR, TCPA, and DPA standards. With our CRM SMS integration, you can:

  • Track opt-ins/opt-outs in real time
  • Create automated, compliant workflows
  • Suppress messages when consent is revoked
  • Store customer data securely with encryption
  • Generate reports for audits

Learn more in our SMS compliance guide.

Scale your SMS communication globally

No matter if you are messaging in the US, UK, Brazil, or elsewhere, Infobip helps you grow your SMS outreach worldwide. You can do this with one platform and one API.

Features include:

  • Time zone optimization to send at the right moment
  • Message templates
  • Smart carrier routing for faster delivery
  • Real-time tracking to monitor SMS campaign performance

With support for over 190 countries, Infobip ensures your marketing campaigns reach the right customers, in the right language, at the right time.

The best CRM with text messaging use cases

Here’s how leading teams are using SMS CRM integrations:

Marketing teams

  • Launch personalized SMS campaigns
  • Nurture leads with automated sequences
  • Boost conversions with time-limited offers

Sales teams

  • Follow up on form submissions
  • Send demo or call reminders
  • Engage cold leads with friendly check-ins

Customer service

  • Send ticket status updates
  • Automate CSAT and NPS surveys
  • Deliver support via real-time text

FAQs for SMS CRM integrations

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