If you own an e-commerce store, you probably know the importance of getting the right software development company to build the infrastructure for you, and of using the right software Sadly, there’s no single best tool to streamline all the processes, but the good news is: you can pretty much have it all by integrating powerful tools with one another. Here’s why exactly you should take a closer look at tool integration for your business.
What is tool integration in the first place?
There’s no doubt that many businesses use a range of tools on a daily basis. If you’re already storing data in your e-commerce suite, CRM software or call centre solutions, why not have them all integrated? This way, your team won’t have to juggle between multiple systems in order to find the information they need. It’s almost as if an “all-in-one” solution existed.
To put it simply: tool integration allows different applications to communicate and exchange data with one another. It makes it easier to keep everything in one place while taking advantage of multiple tools, which might include a free CRM, without the necessity to switch between them endlessly. Because of it, you can bring out the best out of your software, unify some of your business processes and automate certain tasks.
How to integrate your tools, then?
There are a few possibilities when it comes to tool integration. First of all, you can take advantage of Zapier, which can be best described as a dedicated translator between different web APIs. Essentially, it provides certain workflows to automate the use of web applications at once. This can also be done manually, through a custom API integration (a programmable connection between the systems), but requires a bit more knowledge and expertise.
Dedicated integrations, on the other hand, are developed and “agreed upon” between specific tools. To give you an example – if you’re using a popular HubSpot CRM, you can integrate it with Help Scout, CloudTalk or Leadfeeder, just to name a few. Livespace, on the other hand, can be integrated with Landingi or Sellizer. Such dedicated integrations are usually very easy to set up.
Why exactly should you integrate your tools, though?
If the simplicity of tool integration has not been convincing enough, here are some more reasons to take advantage of it:
- Higher productivity and improved workflow. Let’s face it – using dedicated software is great, but juggling between multiple tools and constantly moving data from one place to another takes time. A lot of time, in fact, that could easily be spent on more creative tasks. That’s precisely when tool integration comes in useful – so that your team doesn’t have to waste time on filling in and transferring important data manually.
- Data accessibility. Speaking of data, having it all in one place makes it much easier to find whatever your team members might need at a given moment. Basically: everything that your team requires is access to one tool, and proficiency in using it. Thanks to tool integration, they will find relevant data from other software in there as well.
- Fewer errors. There are many things that can go wrong when moving data back and forth all the time. Yet again, tool integration comes to the rescue in order to decrease the amount of scattered, asynchronous and overlapping data, which can cause mistakes in data-driven decision making, as an example. You might not be able to analyse relevant data, or even draw incorrect insights that will affect your business in the future.
- Reduced costs. The less time and effort your team has to spend on manual and administrative tasks, the better for your business. Why is that? Think of all the hours that your team members have to waste on accessing, finding, and moving data from one place to another. Now, what if this time could be spent differently, on more significant tasks? Not to mention that making wrong decisions on the basis of incomplete data can do you a lot of harm, including losing you money. Luckily, modern software providers are well aware of that and often offer integrations as a part of their plans, at no additional costs.
- A more detailed picture of your customers. The more data on your customers and prospects you have, the better for your sales, marketing, and even customer service efforts. You can personalise your campaigns and tailor support to the right people, at the right time. This also improves the cooperation between different teams and helps you provide an omnichannel experience to your customers – which wouldn’t go as smoothly without tool integration.
Connect your favourite business tools to leverage their power
17% of salespeople name the lack of integration with other tools as the biggest challenge in their jobs. That’s hardly surprising, given the amount of data they have to deal with each day. If you want to make it easier for your employees to stay productive at work, you might want to provide them with the right
As a matter of fact, tool integration can bring your e-commerce business a lot of benefits, not only in terms of sales. In a nutshell, it can help you provide outstanding customer experience, and boost your marketing efforts in the long run. And the best part? Plenty of software providers allow you to connect their tools easily. Plus, in the majority of cases, tool integration is a matter of minutes, and there’s no actual setup or any installation fees needed.
Make all your data synchronised and available at all times to increase the productivity of your team. Try tool integration now!
