A complete software integration guide

Modern workplaces are a maze of software.

There are messaging apps like Slack to collaborate, file management systems like Dropbox to manage documents, and project management software like Asana to stay on top of projects.

Each platform helps companies manage various aspects of their operations. But the proliferation of software has led to instances of “software sprawl” — when a technology stack becomes difficult to manage, preventing teams from working productively.

Today, companies use an average of 110 software applications. Without proper integrations in place, problems like siloed data and a lack of visibility start to crop up. 

This is where software integration comes in.

In this article, we’ll explain what software integration is and how it can benefit your company. We’ll also look at ways to integrate your apps and cover how to set up those integrations.

What is software integration?

Software integration is the process of connecting two or more software applications, typically through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). Integrations allow applications to communicate and share data with each other in real time.

More companies are turning to cloud-based software for critical business functions. In fact, the global Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market is expected to reach $208 billion in 2023.

While SaaS is more cost-effective than traditional on-site software deployments, a growing tech stack leads to issues like fragmented data. This makes it difficult for employees to find the information they need.

Workers spend hours of time every week searching for information across different apps and copy-pasting data between tools.

Software integration unifies different types of software and keeps employees from constantly switching between apps. It also keeps important data in one place.

Here’s an application software integration example for Google Calendar and Notion, popular tools for managing schedules and staying on top of projects:

Instead of switching between the two platforms, users on Notion can view their Google Calendar from directly within their Notion documents. 

Now let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits of integrating software. 

What are the benefits of software integration?

Here’s why integrating your software should be a top priority.

Eliminates data silos

Disjointed systems create data silos — when data exists in one system but is inaccessible to others. Data silos can occur when separate departments use their own tools. 

For example, the marketing team might use an email tool to keep a contact list, while the sales team uses a customer relationship management system (CRM). These lists will become different over time unless the datasets are unified.

Software integrations facilitate data sharing between different applications. They also eliminate the need to manually move data between systems, which is time-consuming and error-prone.

In the example above, integrating an email tool with a CRM allows for seamless data transfers between platforms. Updates made to one dataset are automatically synchronized, ensuring that marketing and sales have the latest data to work with.

Improves decision making 

Gathering data in one place is key to making informed decisions. Fragmented data, on the other hand, prevents business leaders from gaining a holistic view of company data. This lack of visibility can affect the decision-making process.

For example, if the sales data in a CRM isn’t updated, business leaders can’t accurately forecast revenue and make informed budgeting decisions.

With tools like Plus, you can integrate data from your CRM, productivity tools, and other platforms to create a comprehensive business report like this one:

From one screen, you can see how many deals you have in your sales pipeline, the customers you’re onboarding, which accounts are being renewed, and more. 

Reduces context-switching fatigue

Context switching occurs when workers switch between different apps to find what they need. And getting back on task doesn’t always happen immediately — workers take an average of 9-and-a-half minutes to get back into a productive workflow. 

Indeed, 43% of employees report spending 36 minutes every day switching between apps. 45% say context switching affects their productivity, and 43% say it causes fatigue.

Integrating your software can reduce context-switching fatigue. It can also help employees work more productively without disrupting their workflow.

Streamlines your business processes

Business processes form the foundations of a company’s operations. However, disconnected systems can prevent employees from efficiently carrying out processes.

With the right software integrations in place, you can simplify your business processes and reduce the time employees spend on mundane tasks. 

For example, let’s say that you’re preparing weekly marketing reports. You could open up dozens of tabs to compile the information you need. Or you can use software like Plus to capture key charts and bring them together.

To summarize, software integration eliminates data silos, improves productivity, and streamlines your processes. 

Now let’s look at how companies integrate their applications.

4 common types of software integrations

Here’s a look at different ways to connect disparate systems. 

1. Application programming interface (API)

An application programming interface or API is a set of functions that enable applications to interact with each other. It can save your team hours by automating tasks between apps.

For example, let’s say you want to tweet your latest articles. Without software integrations, you must copy the article URL, open Twitter, paste the link, and hit the Tweet button. 

With Twitter’s API, you can create a process that automatically tweets new articles you publish. However, building a custom API like this often requires a team of engineers. If you’re setting up a simple integration, consider using a no-code integration platform like Zapier.

Here’s an example of a Zapier integration that automatically tweets new WordPress posts: 

This is just one example. Zapier has an extensive library of pre-built integrations that you can use to connect and automate tasks. 

Pros:

• Enables seamless data transfers between different applications
• Saves time by automating tedious and mundane tasks
• Allows developers to customize integrations to fit company needs

Cons:

• Custom integrations are costly to set up and require ongoing maintenance
• Requires additional development work if certain functionality isn’t available
• Poses security and privacy risks if the integrations aren’t implemented correctly

2. Native integrations

Native integrations typically have more functionality than third-party API integrations. They’re also typically built and maintained by one (or both) of the companies’ development teams.

For example, Slack offers a native integration with Salesforce that lets you save conversations to corresponding customer records without leaving the platform.

A user in Slack can pull records from Salesforce and share them with the rest of the team in a channel. This helps keep each team member on the same page before kicking off a meeting.

With native integrations, there’s no coding required, and you can get started quickly. You can also often customize these integrations to fit your specific use case.

Pros:

• Available at a low or no additional cost to your current subscription
• Comes with support and ongoing maintenance to facilitate the adoption
• Tackles a range of use cases and offers customization options

Cons:

• Native integrations may not be available for the applications you use

• Some platforms don’t maintain or update their integrations
• Integrations may have limited functionality or require technical support

3. Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Integration Platform as a Service, or iPaaS, is a cloud-based solution that allows companies to connect their applications. Users can build information flows for software residing in the cloud or on-premise.

Many iPaaS vendors have extensive libraries of pre-built connectors and workflows for popular SaaS and on-premise apps. Some vendors also offer user-friendly interfaces with drag-and-drop functionality to build your own integrations. 

For example, Workato provides pre-built integrations for its iPaaS platform for hundreds of SaaS products but also has a visual workflow builder for users to create “recipes.”

With these visual builders, users can connect different applications and build sophisticated workflows in minutes without any coding experience. Pricing is also typically based on usage, so you only pay for what you use.

Pros:

• Enables you to synchronize data across on-premise and cloud-based applications
• Features drag-and-drop tools to create automated workflows
• Offers security and governance controls to keep your data secure

Cons:

• Requires some degree of technical expertise to build and deploy integrations
• A confusing array of iPaaS vendors with a wide range of integration options
• The potential risk of human error and accidental data exposure

4. Live Snapshots via embeds

Don’t want to deal with complicated integrations?

One of the easiest ways to set up any integration is using Plus, a data visualization tool that lets you take and embed live Snapshots into productivity tools like Notion, Slack, and Google Slides.

Let’s say you’re preparing a financial report for your business partners. With Plus, you can take a live Snapshot of key charts in your CRM, enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or another tool and bring them into one place.

Unlike regular screenshots, which are static, the live Snapshots you take with Plus regularly update. This ensures that your team is always working with the latest data. 

Pros:

• Allows you to combine data from different sources into one location
• Helps you track important metrics with recurring updates
• Requires little technical expertise to build data-driven dashboards

Cons:

• Not built as an enterprise API integration tool
• Doesn’t have automated workflows

How to get started with software integration

Follow these steps to integrate disparate software systems:

1. Start with the end in mind

When getting started with software integrations, it’s important that you establish clear objectives from the start. What exactly are you trying to achieve?

Use cases for software integrations include:

• Improving collaboration between different departments 
• Syncing customer data across your tools
• Automating processes like invoice approvals 
• Pulling key metrics into one dashboard to forecast revenue
• Aggregating market data to keep tabs on the competition

Identify a use case that aligns with your company’s objectives. Consider bringing in department heads to get their input on what software integrations to prioritize.

2. Choose your data sources

Compile a list of all the tools in your tech stack and review them with your team. What apps are part of their workflow? Are they constantly switching between certain apps?

For example, let’s say the sales team enters a new lead into a CRM when a visitor subscribes to the company’s newsletter. However, they must switch between Salesforce and Mailchimp to perform these steps. Integrating these platforms would help streamline this process.

Look for other disparate systems that could benefit from integrations. Simplifying workflows will help your team work more productively.

3. Decide on an integration solution

Once you’ve defined your objectives and decided on the apps you’ll integrate, the next step is to choose an integration solution. To quickly recap, here are common ways to integrate software:

• Application programming interfaces (API)
• Native integrations
• Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)
• Live Snapshots via embeds

The simplest way to get started with integration is to use a no-code integration platform. With Zapier, you can do things like automatically add new subscribers as a lead to Salesforce.

But make sure to choose an integration solution that fits your specific use case. For example, if you want to bring customer data from different sources into platforms like Notion or Google Slides, then a tool like Plus may suit your needs better.

4. Build and test the software integration

Whether you use an API or a no-code integration platform, make sure to test the integration thoroughly. Update a test record in one platform and check that it correctly syncs in the other. 

Some platforms like Workato offer test environments that let you test your integrations.

Once you fix any issues and deploy your integration, be sure to update your standard operating procedures (SOPs) with instructions on how these integrations work to ensure a smooth rollout.

5. Assess and evaluate your software integration

Software integration projects aren’t always successful the first time. After launching an integration, continue to monitor its performance and keep a close eye on any issues that arise.

Most importantly, get feedback from those who are using the integration. What kind of impact has the integration had on their workflow? Do they have any suggestions on how it can be improved? Note their feedback and iterate on the integration.

Conclusion

Software integrations help your team work more productively, as they connect disparate systems and improve data flow. APIs and iPaaS platforms are common ways to integrate apps. However, these integrations often require complex configurations.

Fortunately, there’s a simpler way to integrate your apps. With Plus, you can take live Snapshots from any platform and embed them into tools like Google Slides and Notion.

Plus makes it easy to get access to all of your information wherever you need it. Try it out today!