Twilio SMS & Zoho CRM Integration for Fred Astaire Dance Studio
Project Overview
This integration project enables Fred Astaire Dance Studio to send and receive text messages within their Zoho CRM for each contact.The application features a chat-like module within each Zoho Contact/Lead, allowing users to manage SMS communications seamlessly.
Development Timeline
- Start Date: November 2023
- Completion Date: January 2024 (ongoing maintenance and feature additions)
Key Features
- Chat-like application within Zoho CRM for managing SMS communications.
- Automatic welcome message for new leads and follow-up messages based on responses.
- Webhook to handle calls and send XML responses via Twilio's TwiML.
- Integration with Zoho Analytics to incorporate Twilio stats.
- Database management for tracking messages and contacts.
Technologies Used
- Backend: Next.js, Prisma, Twilio API, Zoho API, Postgres
- Frontend:React (Next.js framework), Jest
- Hosting:Vercel
Challenges and Solutions
- Integrating with Zoho Extension Creator:
- Challenge: Difficulty in inserting the application into Zoho through their Extension creator, especially with a Vite application due to static HTML packaging limitations.
- Solution: Transitioned to a serverless approach using Next.js and Vercel, which allowed for more dynamic capabilities and seamless integration with Zoho.Vercel, which allowed for more dynamic capabilities and seamless integration with Zoho.
- Database Migration:
- Challenge: Initially using MySQL, but faced limitations and needed a more robust solution.
- Solution: Migrated the database to Postgres to utilize Vercel Postgres storage, improving scalability and performance.
- Challenge: Ensuring secure access to contact messages and information.
- Solution: Implemented API routes that require an access token from the Zoho user to access messages and contact information.
Development Process
- Backend Development
- Integrated Twilio API and Zoho API for seamless communication.
- Set up a Postgres database for storing contact information and tracking messages.
- Created webhooks to handle incoming messages and calls, and send automated responses.
- Integrated Twilio stats into Zoho Analytics for comprehensive data analysis.
- Frontend Development
- Built the frontend with React and Typescript.
- Developed a chat-like interface within Zoho CRM using React (Next.js).
- Implemented features for loading contact information and message history.
- Deployment
- Deployed the application using Vercel for serverless hosting.
- Configured webhooks and APIs to ensure reliable and real-time communication.
Outcome
- Successfully enabled Fred Astaire Dance Studio to manage SMS communications directly within Zoho CRM.
- Automated welcome and follow-up messages improved lead engagement.
- Integration with Zoho Analytics provided enhanced data insights.
- Ongoing maintenance and feature additions continue to enhance the application’s functionality.
User Feedback
"As the owner of 12 Fred Astaire Dance Studios, I, Philip Gutierrez, was fortunate to have Kevin Andrews join our team to develop a custom integration between our Twilio SMS account and Zoho CRM. Our existing applications weren’t meeting our studio’s needs, and Kevin was an incredible asset in solving this challenge.
Kevin built an app that seamlessly integrated our systems, enabling automated workflows, assigning users to appropriate leads, and providing us with the flexibility to communicate with leads directly within the CRM. He was not only technically proficient but also extremely timely and adaptable, working closely with us to ensure the solution was tailored to our specific requirements.
Thanks to Kevin’s expertise, we now have a powerful tool that enhances our lead management process, makingcommunication more efficient and effective. We highly recommendKevin for any project requiring a custom solution and appreciate his exceptional work on this integration."
- Philip Gutierrez
