M5 Networks (News - Alert), a provider of managed business phone systems with CRM integration, announced partnership with LinkPoint360, a provider of enterprise e-mail integration software applications to the CRM industry, to develop seamless e-mail and voice integration for leading CRM platforms.

The partnership will provide telephony integration for M5 customers from the LinkPoint360 Outlook Add-in.

The integration will help bridge the gap between Microsoft (News - Alert) Outlook, the world's most popular e-mail management interface, and Salesforce.com, Microsoft CRM and SalesLogix, the system of record for many enterprises, the company said.

Customer service agents or salespeople interact with customers and prospects often without any record. This happens mainly because transferring e-mails out of Outlook into CRM or manually creating an activity every time the phone is dialed, is time consuming, easily forgotten and error prone, says Brent Barbara, vice president of Client Solutions and Alliances for M5 Networks

“This is exactly the problem that M5 and Linkpoint360 have solved,” Barbara added. “The 360 view into your business activities needs no longer be a myth."

The integrated solution helps ensure that Salesforce.com (News - Alert), Microsoft CRM and SalesLogix become the repository for all interactions, increasing both its productivity and analytic value.  

The partnership allows users to instantly view contact information from their CRM within Outlook for each recipient of an e-mail.  It provides them with options to “click-to-record” the e-mail right into a contact, lead, opportunity or case. They can also create new support cases.

The click-to-dial functionality for M5 's business phone system allows users to respond via telephone to a customer query and create a record of the call without ever leaving Outlook. LinkPoint360 will also post a completed call activity directly into CRM.

"It can take longer to log e-mail and call activities in your CRM than it does to do the real work.  Productivity and good record keeping become at odds,” said Glenn Lehner, director of Business Development of LinkPoint360.  “This approach eliminates the friction and simplifies the process in a way that benefits both agents and managers.”    

 In April, M5 Networks announced it has acquired Callfinity (News - Alert), a provider of contact center software solution, enabling M5 to offer advanced IP contact center technologies to its mid-size business clients.