Connecting your phone system to your software

Phone system CRM integration can bring a caller's record onto the screen and log calls against the right contact. A Microsoft Teams phone system connection does a different job: it lets people answer business calls in Teams. Start with the task you want to make easier, then check what your exact setup supports.

Choose the job before the connection

Connecting software is useful when it removes a specific step from the working day. That might mean finding a customer record while the phone rings, recording that a conversation happened or answering the office number from a laptop.

Those tasks need different connections. Teams can become the place where a person answers the phone. HubSpot holds customer contacts and deals. Cliniko holds patient information and appointments. A phone connection should fit what each product does.

Write down the task in ordinary language before asking about compatibility. For example, you might want a contact record to open when a known number calls. Or you might want an office call to ring in Teams while someone works from home. A clear request is easier to check than a broad request to connect everything.

Do not assume a feature available with one connection comes with another. The phone system, its plan and the software account all affect what can happen.

Microsoft Teams changes where you answer

With the arrangement described on our site, the phone system still receives the call and applies the business rules. The menu, opening hours and queues stay with the phone system. Teams becomes the place where the call rings.

A person can answer on a laptop, in a browser or on a mobile. They can transfer the call through the phone system. Presence can also affect routing, so a meeting status can send a call to voicemail, another person or a queue under agreed rules.

This suits people who already work in Teams throughout the day. It does not mean every job needs to use it. A front counter can keep a physical handset while office staff answer in Teams on the same system.

Check your Microsoft plan, the phone system's support for the connection, your internet and your numbers before ordering anything. We handle the phone system side. The person who manages your Microsoft accounts should be involved in checking that side of the setup.

HubSpot connects calls to customer records

HubSpot integration addresses the gap between a conversation and the customer record. When an incoming number matches a contact, the record can open on screen before you answer.

The connection described on our site logs inbound and outbound calls against the contact automatically. Clicking a number in HubSpot makes the phone dial it. That removes the step of reading the number from one screen and typing it into another device.

You can add notes while the record is open. Where recording is switched on, links to the recordings can sit with the logged call. Contact directory syncing depends on how the connection is built, so ask which direction it works for your setup.

An automatic call log is not the same as a written account of every promise made. Decide who adds the conversation notes and the next action. The connection helps keep the record together, but you still need a useful follow-up process.

Before committing, check the phone system, its licensed plan and how your HubSpot account is arranged. Ask for the supported features for that combination rather than relying on the software name alone.

Cliniko connects the phone to the front desk

Cliniko is practice management software, rather than a sales CRM. The practical aim is to help the person answering a patient call find the right record without starting from scratch.

Where the connection supports it, the phone system reads the incoming number and looks for a matching patient record. The details can appear before the call is answered. A call can be noted against that record, and returning a call can become a click from the record.

Your appointment book, notes and templates stay in Cliniko. Connecting the phone does not replace those functions. It passes information between the phone system and the practice software.

Confirm which parts your own combination can deliver before anything is bought. Decide who should see records on screen and who can read call notes afterwards. If recording is part of the request, settle your obligations with your own adviser before configuring it. A working connection does not decide those questions for the practice.

Prepare a short brief before you ask

You do not need to design the technical connection yourself. Bring enough information for someone to check it properly:

• The software you use and the account or plan details you can identify.
• The phone system you use now, or a photo of a handset if you do not know.
• How many people need the connection and where they answer calls.
• The tasks you want it to handle, such as record lookup, call logging or answering in Teams.
• Who looks after the phones, software accounts and IT.

Ask which requested tasks work, which need changes and which are outside the proposed setup. Get that answer in writing before ordering.

Also separate a connection problem from a basic phone problem. If calls already go unanswered or reach the wrong place, include that in the brief. Opening a customer record will not decide who should answer the call.

Match the service to your software

Read the detailed pages for Microsoft Teams calling, HubSpot phone integration or Cliniko phone integration to see the relevant setup and checks.

To get a quote, tell us what you run today and the task you want the connection to handle. We can check the phone system side and explain what your combination can do before you commit.