Software Integration

What is software integration?

Software integration is the process of connecting your different software systems together in a way that allows them to communicate with each other and share data between them. By linking your separate systems and applications, you can avoid duplicating your data entry efforts, reduce manual input and importantly, stop having to work out which version of your data is the one that's correct and up to date.

If you’re like most of our clients, you probably use several systems every day - one for quoting, another for order management, a third for customer related activities and yet another for financial tracking. You probably also spend far too much time manually copying data between them to try and ensure your data is consistent across all of your systems.

The good news is - you don't have to! You don’t need to throw out the systems you’ve already invested in, rather, we can help them work together through a tailored software integration solution built around your specific workflows and the outcomes you want to achieve.

Benefits of software integration

There are countless benefits to integrating your software; here are some of the key ones:

Get more done with less effort

By integrating new or existing software systems, your business can improve it's operations tenfold by reducing manual data entry and repetitive tasks across multiple different systems. Integration essentially allows you to do everything in one system, once!  

Single source of truth (at last!)

Software integration provides your users with up to date access to information from multiple sources all in one place. This ensures consistency and helps to improve decision making across your business because regardless of the user, everyone is able to see the same information at the same time.

Save yourself some cash

Integrating the systems you already have can be much more cost effective than replacing them. You protect your existing investments, reduce maintenance costs and can choose to automate the irritating manual tasks that drain your resources (and your budget). Fewer systems = fewer surprises = lower costs.

Better collaboration

Another core benefit of integrated software is that it can really boost collaboration within your organisation. This is because your departments can communicate via one unified platform rather than setting tasks in one system only to realise a week later the assignee doesn't have access...

Bespoke software friendly

Have you got bespoke software that already works as you want it to for your business? Fantastic - let’s keep it that way. Custom integrations can connect your existing systems, so you get all the benefits of modern connectivity without ditching your oldie but goodie technologies. 

Deeper integrations

Bespoke integrations are not exclusive to bespoke software. They can also be used to connect off-the-shelf systems outside of the limits of their standard integrations. For example, your CRM might have a standard integration with your accounting system that only allows it to pass across basic customer details. A bespoke integration however, could also send new orders, update payment status, create invoices and trigger specific actions based on your own business rules.

Are there any risks associated with software integration?

In short, yes, of course. Like any software development project, integration comes with some risks, but these can usually be identified and managed with the right experience and planning.

One of the biggest risks is around data. If information is being passed automatically between different systems, you need to be confident that it is being transferred correctly, securely and at the right time. Poorly designed integrations can result in duplicated, missing or inaccurate data.

There can also be technical limitations. An existing system may have a restricted API, outdated technology or limited documentation, which can make integration more complicated than expected. Third party systems can also change their APIs, potentially affecting an integration you've already built.

Finally, there's reliability to consider. If one system is unavailable, an integration needs to be able to manage that gracefully rather than bringing your wider processes to a grinding halt.

Examples of software integration

Software integration can take many forms, here are a few common examples that may or may not be relevant to your business:

• CRM integration with your accounting system - Automatically send new customers, orders and invoice information between from your CRM to your accounting system
• Website integration with your CRM - Send website enquiries, registrations and prospect details directly to your CRM
• Ecommerce platform integration with your inventory management system - This type of integration allows you to keep your product, stock and order information synchronised between your ecommerce platform and inventory system
• Payroll platform with your HR system - Transfer employee information including hours worked and absence data straight into your payroll system for quick and accurate paydays
• Booking systems and M365 - Synchronise appointments and availability between your staff's calendars and your customer facing booking systems
• Website integration with your analytics tool(s) - If you want to understand how your website is performing, connect if to your analytics tools for visibility over traffic, length of stay and navigation.

Remember, if it's not listed, it's probably still possible!

Integrating bespoke systems

If your business already has one or multiple bespoke systems and your now considering another, there's a pretty high chance the originals were not built in a way that allows them to communicate with each other, even if your new software can be. 

That doesn't mean your existing bespoke software can't be connected, however. Depending on how it was built, we may be able to integrate your existing systems with the new one and potentially integrate the existing systems with each other too.

For example, you might have one bespoke system responsible for storing customer information and another managing orders and operations. Rather than forcing your staff to enter the same information into both, they could be connected so the relevant data passes between them automatically. Your new custom finance system could then be integrated into the same setup so invoices can be automatically created, giving you a much more joined up flow of information.

Your exact options will depend on your existing software, how it was built and what access it provides. In some cases, integration is relatively straightforward; in others, some development work may be needed to make older software capable of communicating with newer systems. Either way, it's worth exploring before assuming your systems have to remain separate or worse, you have to replace them.

Integrating off-the-shelf software

Your bespoke software can also be integrated with off-the-shelf software via a custom integration. Why would you need a custom integration we hear you ask...

Well, most off-the-shelf systems provide an API, but the information and functionality exposed through that API can be fairly limited and might not be what you're looking for. You may be able to access basic customer or order information, for example, but not the more specific data or actions your business really needs.

Bespoke integrations can sometimes get around these limitations, accessing data functionality that isn't included in the standard integration and using it within your new system. This could mean pulling across additional information, updating records or triggering actions automatically.

So how does this work in less technical terms?

System A & B are both off-the-shelf.

A standard integration between two off-the-shelf systems will typically use a defined subset of that API.

• System A's API might make 50 different types of data available.
• The standard integration with System B might only use 10 of them.
• System B may therefore only receive those 10, even though System A technically makes more information available.
• A bespoke integration can potentially use more of the available API, provided the API actually exposes that data and allows the required actions.

It is important to note that a bespoke integration can't magically access information that an API doesn't expose. If the supplier doesn't make certain data available through its API, you may need another approach and sometimes it simply won't be possible.

How can we help?

Our UK based development team will take the time to understand your specific business and what you want to achieve through software integration. We'll map out your current workflows and work closely with you to identify where integration could remove duplication, streamline processes and make your day-to-day operations more efficient. your way.

Throughout the process, we'll be upfront about potential timescales, risks and costs, giving you the information you need to make informed decisions.

FAQs

Further reading

How do we prepare for a software integration project?

What are the key challenges we might face when integrating our software systems?