# CRM # CRM Integrations Study Guide --- # What is CRM? CRM stands for: # Customer Relationship Management A CRM stores customer information and interaction history. Common CRMs: * Salesforce * Zendesk * ServiceNow * HubSpot * Microsoft Dynamics --- # Why CRM Integrations Matter CRM integrations allow platforms like Glia to share customer data with business systems. Example: ```text Glia ↔ CRM ↔ Banking System ``` This helps agents see: * customer profile * account details * previous interactions * open tickets * case history --- # Common CRM Integration Use Cases | Use Case | Description | | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Customer lookup | Find customer details when interaction starts | | Screen pop | Automatically open customer record for agent | | Ticket creation | Create case after chat/call | | Interaction logging | Save chat/call history in CRM | | Status updates | Update ticket or customer journey status | | Routing logic | Route customer based on CRM data | | Authentication context | Use logged-in user info to identify customer | --- # Basic CRM Integration Flow ```text Customer starts chat ↓ Glia receives customer ID ↓ Glia calls CRM API ↓ CRM returns customer data ↓ Agent sees customer profile ``` --- # Example CRM API Request ```http GET /api/customers/12345 Authorization: Bearer token Content-Type: application/json ``` Purpose: Retrieve customer profile from CRM. --- # Example CRM API Response ```json { "customerId": "12345", "name": "Cesar Gonzalez", "status": "premium", "openCases": 2 } ``` --- # Common Integration Patterns | Pattern | Description | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | API integration | Systems exchange data using REST APIs | | Webhooks | CRM receives event notifications | | Embedded widget | Glia embedded inside CRM | | Screen pop | Customer record opens automatically | | Data sync | Customer data synchronized between systems | | SSO | Users authenticate once across systems | --- # CRM Integration With Webhooks Example: ```text Chat completed ↓ Webhook sent to CRM ↓ CRM creates case summary ``` Webhook payload: ```json { "event": "chat_completed", "customerId": "12345", "agent": "agent01", "summary": "Customer asked about loan status" } ``` --- # CRM Integration With Screen Pop Screen pop means: # automatically opening the customer record for the agent Example: ```text Incoming interaction → CRM opens customer profile ``` This improves: * agent speed * personalization * customer experience --- # CRM Integration With Routing CRM data can influence routing. Example: ```text Customer status = VIP ↓ Route to priority queue ``` Other routing examples: * language * account type * product * region * open case severity --- # Common CRM Integration Problems | Problem | Likely Cause | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | Customer not found | Wrong customer ID or CRM record missing | | Screen pop not working | Bad URL mapping or missing customer field | | Ticket not created | API failure, bad payload, permissions issue | | Data not syncing | Webhook failure or field mapping issue | | 401 Unauthorized | Invalid or expired token | | 403 Forbidden | Missing CRM permissions | | 400 Bad Request | Invalid JSON or missing required fields | | Slow response | CRM latency or network issue | --- # CRM Integration Troubleshooting Flow # Step 1 — Understand the Expected Flow Ask: ```text What should happen? What actually happened? Where does the flow fail? ``` Example: ```text Expected: Chat ends → CRM ticket created Actual: Chat ends → No ticket appears ``` --- # Step 2 — Identify the Integration Type Check whether the issue involves: * REST API * webhook * SSO * screen pop * embedded widget * data sync --- # Step 3 — Check Authentication Validate: * OAuth token * bearer token * API key * permissions * scopes Common errors: * 401 = authentication problem * 403 = permission problem --- # Step 4 — Validate API Request Check: * endpoint URL * HTTP method * headers * JSON payload * required fields Example: ```http POST /api/cases Authorization: Bearer token Content-Type: application/json ``` --- # Step 5 — Validate Field Mapping Field mapping means matching data between systems. Example: | Glia Field | CRM Field | | ------------- | -------------- | | customerId | Contact ID | | email | Email | | interactionId | Case Reference | | agentName | Owner | | transcript | Case Notes | Common issue: ```text Glia sends customerId, but CRM expects contactId ``` --- # Step 6 — Review Logs Check: * API logs * webhook delivery logs * CRM logs * timestamps * request IDs * correlation IDs --- # Step 7 — Validate Network Check: * DNS * firewall * proxy * HTTPS/TLS * allowlists * rate limits --- # Step 8 — Test With Known Good Data Use a test customer record. Example: ```text Customer ID 12345 exists in CRM ``` Then validate: * lookup works * screen pop works * ticket creation works --- # Step 9 — Escalate With Evidence Before escalating, collect: * timestamps * request/response examples * HTTP response codes * screenshots * affected users * correlation IDs --- # Common Troubleshooting Scenarios ## Scenario 1 — CRM Customer Lookup Fails Possible causes: * wrong customer ID * missing record * incorrect endpoint * expired token Troubleshooting: * verify customer exists in CRM * test API call manually * check 401/403/404 errors * validate field mapping --- ## Scenario 2 — Ticket Creation Fails Possible causes: * missing required fields * invalid JSON * insufficient permissions * CRM API outage Troubleshooting: * validate JSON payload * check required fields * review API response * confirm CRM service status --- ## Scenario 3 — Screen Pop Not Opening Possible causes: * browser pop-up blocked * bad URL template * missing customer identifier * CRM permissions issue Troubleshooting: * validate URL format * confirm customer ID is passed * test manually in browser * check agent permissions --- ## Scenario 4 — Webhook Not Updating CRM Possible causes: * webhook URL incorrect * endpoint unavailable * authentication failure * TLS certificate issue Troubleshooting: * validate webhook delivery logs * check endpoint availability * verify HTTPS/TLS * inspect response codes --- ## Scenario 5 — Slow CRM Response Possible causes: * CRM latency * network delay * rate limiting * overloaded integration middleware Troubleshooting: * check API response time * review rate limits * validate middleware health * compare with other requests --- # Good Interview Answer ## “How would you troubleshoot a CRM integration issue?” > “I would first confirm the expected workflow and identify where the failure occurs, whether it is API, webhook, SSO, screen pop, or data sync related. Then I would validate authentication, request payloads, field mapping, response codes, logs, network connectivity, and test with known good records before escalating with clear evidence.” --- # Key Terms To Know | Term | Meaning | | --------------- | --------------------------------------- | | CRM | Customer relationship management system | | Screen pop | Auto-open customer record | | Field mapping | Matching fields between systems | | API integration | Systems exchanging data through APIs | | Webhook | Event notification to another system | | SSO | Single sign-on | | Data sync | Keeping systems updated | | Correlation ID | Tracking ID for troubleshooting | | Rate limit | Maximum allowed API calls | | Middleware | System between two applications | --- # Easy Memory Trick # CRM integration = customer context + automation It helps agents know: ```text Who is the customer? What happened before? What should happen next? ```