How to Add iMessage to Any CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Close, and More

Sales and support teams get 3-5x higher response rates when they reach customers via iMessage instead of email or SMS. But iMessage is only useful if it is integrated into the CRM your team already uses. This guide shows how to connect iMessage to Salesforce, HubSpot, Close, and any other CRM using Sendblue's native integrations, Zapier, or custom API calls.

Why Add iMessage to Your CRM?

Your CRM is where your team lives. Adding iMessage to it means:

Higher response rates: iMessage gets 30-45% response rates vs. 5-10% for SMS and 1-2% for email. Blue bubbles feel personal and trusted.
Conversation history in one place: Every iMessage exchange is logged in the contact's CRM record. No switching between apps.
Team collaboration: Multiple team members can see and continue iMessage conversations with contacts. No one loses context when a rep is out.
Contact card delivery: Send vCards that put your brand name on every future message — a feature unique to Sendblue.
Automation: Trigger iMessages based on CRM events: deal stage changes, form submissions, appointment reminders, follow-up sequences.

Sendblue is the only iMessage API provider with native CRM integrations for 6+ platforms, plus Zapier/Make support for connecting to hundreds more.

Native Integrations

Sendblue has built-in integrations that take minutes to set up — no code required:

HubSpot — Two-way sync with automatic contact matching and conversation logging
Salesforce — Activity logging, custom object support, and workflow triggers
Close CRM — Native inbox integration with two-way messaging
GoHighLevel (GHL) — Full integration with conversation sync
Monday.com — Board integration with messaging automation
Follow Up Boss (FUB) — Built for real estate teams with automatic lead routing

These native integrations are enabled directly from the Sendblue dashboard under Integrations. Most take under 5 minutes to configure.

HubSpot Integration

The HubSpot integration is one of the most popular. Here's what it does:

Connect: Authorize the integration from the Sendblue dashboard with your HubSpot account
Automatic contact matching: When an iMessage comes in, Sendblue matches the phone number to a HubSpot contact. If no match exists, it creates a new contact.
Conversation logging: Every sent and received iMessage appears as a timeline activity on the HubSpot contact record. Your team sees the full conversation history.
Send from HubSpot: Reps can initiate iMessage conversations directly from HubSpot contact records.
Workflow triggers: Use HubSpot workflows to trigger iMessages — e.g., send a welcome iMessage when a contact fills out a form, or a follow-up when a deal moves to a new stage.

The integration supports media attachments, contact cards, and read receipts within HubSpot. Visit our integrations page for detailed setup instructions.

Salesforce Integration

For Salesforce, Sendblue supports two integration approaches depending on your needs:

Activity logging via API: Every iMessage conversation is logged as an Activity on the Salesforce Contact or Lead record. This works with both Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.

Custom API integration: For deeper integration, use Sendblue's API with Salesforce Apex or Flow:

// Salesforce Apex: Send iMessage from a Contact record
public class SendblueService {

    private static final String API_URL = 'https://api.sendblue.co/api/send-message';

    @future(callout=true)
    public static void sendMessage(String phoneNumber, String content) {
        HttpRequest req = new HttpRequest();
        req.setEndpoint(API_URL);
        req.setMethod('POST');
        req.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
        req.setHeader('sb-api-key-id', 'YOUR_API_KEY');
        req.setHeader('sb-api-secret-key', 'YOUR_API_SECRET');
        req.setBody(JSON.serialize(new Map<String, String>{
            'number' => phoneNumber,
            'content' => content
        }));

        Http http = new Http();
        HttpResponse res = http.send(req);
        System.debug('Sendblue response: ' + res.getBody());
    }
}

You can trigger this from Salesforce Flow, Process Builder, or an Apex trigger when a record is updated.

Close CRM

Close CRM is popular with inside sales teams, and Sendblue's native integration fits directly into Close's workflow:

Two-way inbox: iMessage conversations appear in Close's communication timeline alongside calls and emails
Send from Close: Reps send iMessages without leaving Close
Smart Views: Filter contacts by iMessage activity — e.g., "leads who responded to iMessage in the last 7 days"
Sequence integration: Include iMessage touchpoints in Close sales sequences

The Close integration is particularly powerful for outbound sales teams who use Close's built-in calling and now want to add iMessage as a follow-up channel.

Zapier / Make Integration

For CRMs without a native Sendblue integration, use Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat) to connect iMessage to any tool:

Popular Zap examples:

New Pipedrive deal → Send welcome iMessage
New Freshsales contact → Send intro + vCard
New Zoho CRM lead → Check iMessage availability → Send message
iMessage reply received → Create/update CRM contact
Deal stage change → Send follow-up iMessage

Setting it up in Zapier:

Create a new Zap
Set your CRM as the trigger (e.g., "New Contact in Pipedrive")
Add Sendblue as the action (search for "Sendblue" in Zapier)
Map the phone number field from your CRM to Sendblue's number field
Write your message template
Test and activate

Sendblue's Zapier integration supports sending messages, sending media, checking iMessage availability, and receiving incoming messages as triggers.

Custom API Integration

For full control, integrate iMessage into your CRM using Sendblue's API. The pattern is the same regardless of CRM:

Outbound (CRM → iMessage):

// When a CRM event occurs, send an iMessage
async function onDealStageChange(deal) {
  if (deal.stage === 'demo_scheduled') {
    await fetch('https://api.sendblue.co/api/send-message', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'sb-api-key-id': process.env.SENDBLUE_API_KEY,
        'sb-api-secret-key': process.env.SENDBLUE_API_SECRET,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        number: deal.contact.phone,
        content: `Hi ${deal.contact.firstName}, your demo is confirmed for ${deal.demoDate}. Reply if you need to reschedule!`,
      }),
    });
  }
}

Inbound (iMessage → CRM):

// Webhook handler: when an iMessage reply comes in, update the CRM
app.post('/webhooks/receive', async (req, res) => {
  const { from_number, content, date_sent } = req.body;

  // Find or create contact in your CRM
  const contact = await crm.findContactByPhone(from_number)
    || await crm.createContact({ phone: from_number });

  // Log the message as an activity
  await crm.createActivity({
    contactId: contact.id,
    type: 'iMessage Received',
    content: content,
    date: date_sent,
  });

  // Optionally notify the assigned rep
  await notifyRep(contact.assignedRep, from_number, content);

  res.json({ status: 'ok' });
});

Key Features for CRM Integration

When integrating iMessage with your CRM, these Sendblue features are particularly valuable:

Two-way sync: Both outbound and inbound messages are logged in the CRM contact record
Team inbox: Multiple reps can view and respond to conversations from the Sendblue dashboard
Contact card delivery: Send vCards that brand your phone number. When saved, your company name appears on all future messages — a massive trust signal.
Conversation history: Full message history is accessible via API for migration or reporting
iMessage detection: Check which contacts have iMessage before sending, so you can route to iMessage or SMS appropriately
Delivery receipts: Know when messages are delivered and read — useful for sales follow-up timing

Getting Started

Here's the fastest path to iMessage in your CRM:

Create a free Sendblue account
Check for a native integration: Go to Integrations in the dashboard. If your CRM is listed, activate it in one click.
No native integration? Use Zapier for a no-code setup, or the API for full customization.
Test with your team: Send test iMessages and verify they appear in your CRM.

For complex integrations or enterprise deployments, request a demo and our team will help you design the integration architecture for your specific CRM workflow.

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