What is voice CRM? Phone calls, transcripts and CRM records

“Voice CRM” is a descriptive term for CRM workflows that connect phone conversations with customer records. Suppliers use it for different things: a CRM with calling, a phone platform integrated with a CRM, or a separate conversation-capture service. The label does not guarantee that all calls are recorded or every follow-up is automatic.

Three ways to connect calls with your CRM

Traditional CRMs may already offer automatic call logging, transcription or calling integrations. Check your CRM and plan to see which features are available, rather than assuming that these systems require everything to be done manually. For what a phone system should pass to the CRM, see CRM-integrated phone systems.

Examples of each setup

A few examples, described from the suppliers' public pricing pages. Prices and terms change, so check them on each supplier's site.

• Close: a sales CRM with built-in calling. According to the Close pricing page (checked 19 October 2026), call recording is included in every plan and call transcription comes with the paid Call Assistant add-on. Prices are per user per month.
• Aircall: a business phone platform with HubSpot and Pipedrive integrations. According to the Aircall pricing page (checked 19 October 2026), you pay per licence per month, and the plans with a published price require at least 3 licences.
• JustCall: a business phone platform with more than 100 CRM and data integrations. According to the JustCall pricing page (checked 19 October 2026), you pay per user per month (the published prices are for annual billing), and the plans with a published price require at least 2 users.
• Heilo: a service that records a sales team's calls and sends the results to the CRM you already use. It is billed per number per month; see below.

From a conversation to a customer record

1. A call is made or received through a setup that supports capture.
2. The call is recorded according to the approved procedure.
3. The service saves the audio and, where available, creates a transcript and summary.
4. A configured integration matches the call to a contact and saves the data in the permitted CRM fields.
5. A person checks important details and takes responsibility for the next step.

Each stage can fail or need a decision. A call placed with your phone's ordinary dialler does not automatically reach a cloud recording platform. A phone-number match can also be ambiguous when people share a number or call anonymously.

What Heilo is in this model

Heilo helps B2B sales teams capture their phone conversations. It listens to, records and summarises calls that go through it, then can send the results to the team's existing CRM. It is not intended to replace a sales team's existing CRM. Smaller service firms without their own CRM can use Heilo's built-in contacts, projects and tasks.

Heilo records only calls that go through it. There are three plans:

• Heilo Line gives each rep their own +48 business number. Inbound and outbound calls through that number are recorded automatically, and outbound calls start in the dashboard with “Call via Heilo” (+48 numbers only). After each call you get a transcript, a summary, suggested tasks and notes from the call coach. See the call assistant page.
• With Heilo Select, you keep your own number and add Heilo to a chosen call. Your carrier must support conference calling, and Heilo records from the moment it joins.
• Heilo Voicemail captures messages left after missed calls once you set up forwarding with your carrier.

A call dialled in your phone's ordinary dialler does not go through Heilo and is not recorded.

Once you set up an integration, the API, signed webhooks, Zapier or Make send the results to your CRM: the summary and key points, suggested tasks, the full transcript, links to the recording and to the call in the Heilo dashboard, and the customer's number, direction, date and duration, so the integration files the note under the right contact. Heilo is not an app inside your CRM: the result reaches the CRM after the call ends, and you cannot start a call from the CRM. If a call was captured but the CRM note is missing, use the missing-call checklist to check delivery and find out why the data was not saved.

Heilo does not speak as an AI receptionist or confirm a customer's order. If SMS notifications are configured, they provide context and a link rather than the full transcript. AI estimates, such as a call's rating, require human interpretation.

Selection checklist

• Which incoming and outgoing calls will be recorded with our setup?
• Does the recording capture both voices and the whole conversation?
• What fields reach our CRM, and what happens on a retry?
• Can we verify names, prices and dates against the source?
• Who can access and export the data?
• How do retention and deletion work across integrations?
• What is charged per number, user, minute or processing step?

Use a representative trial approved by your business to answer these questions. The label “voice CRM” and a list of features do not tell you how accurate a system is or guarantee the highest ROI. Voice CRM is less useful when customers mostly reach you by email, chat or a ticketing system and phone calls are rare.

Privacy and cost

Review recording permissions, the lawful basis for processing personal data, how recordings will be used at work, data-processing terms and international transfers for the workflow you plan to use. EU hosting and a deletion button are not enough to establish compliance. See business recording requirements.

Heilo gives you tools to inform the other person: an announcement, your own wording and marking the call. New numbers start in “Announcement before the call” mode, and you can change the mode per number. As data controller, your company is responsible for the lawful basis and for informing participants. Heilo's terms list the subprocessors that handle data on Heilo's behalf.

In Heilo, recordings are kept for 365 days by default and then deleted, while the transcript stays. A call moved to the trash is erased completely after 30 days.

Check the supplier's current plan and the complete cost of numbers, minutes, integrations and staff work. Heilo bills per number per month; plans and prices are on the pricing page. Heilo Line includes 6 hours of recorded calls per number in each billing period; each extra hour is billed per minute at the rate on the pricing page and added to the next invoice. Heilo Voicemail and Heilo Select carry an indicative limit of 500 recorded minutes per number per month that never blocks calls.

Reviewed by the Heilo team on 19 October 2026. This article explains the concept and draws on product documentation and the suppliers' public pricing pages; it does not compare their prices.

FAQ

What is the difference between voice CRM and call centre software?

Call centre software handles large inbound queues, staff scheduling and routing between agents. Voice CRM focuses on getting the content of a call into the customer record. Heilo has no call queues, IVR or extensions, so it does not replace a call centre phone system.

Can voice CRM replace our CRM?

Some products are complete CRMs; others feed a CRM. For Heilo's B2B use, your own CRM remains the destination. A small firm without a CRM can work in Heilo's built-in contacts, projects and tasks.

Is voice CRM the same as voice notes in a CRM?

No. A voice note is a recording or dictation a salesperson makes after a conversation. Call capture records the conversation itself. Heilo transcribes only calls that went through Heilo: through the business number, after you added Heilo to a call, or in voicemail.

Is voice CRM GDPR-compliant?

The type of tool does not decide that. Compliance depends on how your company, as data controller, sets the lawful basis, informs the people on the call and how long it keeps recordings. Ask the supplier for its data processing agreement, its list of subprocessors and its deletion rules.

How much does voice CRM cost?

The example tools above charge per user or licence per month. Heilo charges per number per month; plans and prices are on the pricing page.

How long does setup take?

Activating a Heilo Line number requires company verification by Polish tax ID (NIP). Then you choose a number and Heilo orders it from the carrier, so the time depends on verification and the carrier. You set up the CRM integration separately, following the setup guide.

Does a transcript prove the agreement exactly?

No. Check important details against the recording and the context of the conversation.

Are all follow-ups automatic?

Only if they are built into and configured in your chosen workflow. Make someone responsible for decisions and commitments.