Why and how you should make your businesses systems more holistic

One of the most effective ways to scale your business and achieve higher results is by implementing proven business systems. Particularly, you want to invest in tools that ease your workload while streamlining essential processes.

However, the problem comes when you have multiple business systems and tools that need to sync seamlessly with each other. You do not want a situation where you’re manually copying data from one tool to the other, as this will inevitably come with costly mistakes. To avoid this kind of scenario, it’s crucial to implement a software integration system by choosing one of the three options below.

Types of business systems integration available today

Native integration

By native integration, it means you’re getting all your business tech tools from one provider. In most cases, each system features a built-in function that facilitates seamless integration with all other sister tools. This makes it very easy to assemble systems that work smoothly and without requiring a lot of skills to manage.

On the downside, however, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find a system developer who has everything you need under one roof. If this happens, you can use this next option.

Third-party integration

These tools are created primarily to serve as the bridge between multiple business apps. Essentially, they facilitate seamless communication and data exchanges between the linked software. This can either be through one-way or two-way data sync and transfer.

Two excellent examples of third-party integrators are PieSync and Zapier. The main advantage of using these solutions is that you can integrate hundreds of popular tools into your existing business systems. For example, PieSync supports seamless syncing of data from nearly all types of business apps. This includes CRMs, email autoresponders, accounting tools, and customer support tools.

APIs

API is an abbreviation for application programming interface. These are pieces of software that help two or more online platforms to communicate and exchange data easily. A good example of API in use is an affiliate website that pulls product details such as images and prices directly from the manufacturer or seller. This means any changes that the seller makes on their website reflect almost immediately on the affiliate site.

The same happens with business tools whose developers offer API access. You can use this feature to connect to your existing business tool for easy syncing of data.

Using integrators to make your business more holistic

Implementing integration tools in your online business comes with several valuable benefits as follows:

Eliminate the need for manual data entry and export

One of the common challenges of having multiple business tools is being able to sync and update data all over the system in real-time. The majority of these apps are not compatible with each other, meaning you have to transfer data manually when you need to update them. As you can imagine, this can be quite a laborious and time-consuming process that also leaves a lot of room for human errors.

By applying any of the three integration techniques that we explained earlier, you eliminate the need to import or export crucial business data manually between apps. Updates are also faster and automated for effortless and error-free record management.

Scale your business processes

When you have all the data you need in one central point, it becomes easier to track key processes that contribute to the overall success of your business. For example, you can easily track your prospects and leads based on the actions they’re taking on various touchpoints. Review how they’re opening your emails, scrolling your website, and interacting with your social media platforms. Using these patterns, you can identify the most appropriate course of action, like sending a proven offer that drives your sales.

Simplify your administrative tasks

Only a few processes consume as much time in business as seemingly trivial tasks like data entry, contact management, and meeting scheduling. If you’ve been struggling with these issues, we have some good news for you.

Advancing technology means that you can find a tool to automate nearly every imaginable business process today. What’s more, you can integrate these tools using any of the methods we explained earlier so that all data collected is updated almost instantly across the business.

CRMs, for example, are incredibly efficient when it comes to capturing customer data, sending emails, and tracking leads. As if that’s not enough, they allow easy integration with other tools, which can further expand their functions in just a few clicks and installs.

What strategies are you laying to make your business more holistic? We’d love to hear your feedback.