Today’s app integration technology gives you the power to connect just about any apps you use to streamline your operations.
By simply defining actions and setting triggers, your apps can work together, freeing your time and making your processes more efficient. By simply defining actions and setting triggers, your apps can work together, freeing your time and helping you create more efficient workflows, automate your systems, and more. For example, many business owners use Gmail and Dropbox. But did you know you can actually integrate these apps, so incoming Gmail attachments are automatically saved to your Dropbox? This is just one example--of many--that demonstrates the power of app integration.
App integration has risen out of necessity, based on the number of apps that business owners use on a daily basis. Software, apps, and business tools are everywhere. You can build a captive audience by blogging on sites like Medium, market your brand using social media, grow and monitor your customer database and sales funnel using CRM software, keep track of files online via apps, like Google Drive and Dropbox, and manage all of your finances online using tools like QuickBooks and FreshBooks. While all of these tools make it easier and more efficient to run a business, the real power comes when you integrate and connect these apps for increased functionality.
App integration is something that developers are increasingly considering when creating software, since the more tools that your app plays “nice” with, the more sales you will see. You may already see certain integrations available with apps you are using, but thanks to tools like Zapier and IFTTT, the sky is the limit! (IFTTT, an abbreviation of "If This Then That," is a free web-based service that allows users to create chains of simple conditional statements, called “recipes,” which are triggered based on changes to other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.)
How many apps does your business use? Are you intrigued by the possibility of eliminating some manual processes through app integration? Two key benefits of integrating your apps are:
Enhanced convenience and functionality
Integrating apps allows you to let them ‘speak’ to each other in order to share information and perform additional actions that the single app alone cannot do. For example, you can use Zapier to integrate your shopping cart software with your customer relationship management (CRM) or email marketing software and accounting software, so that each new sale triggers an action that adds the buyer to your email list and then triggers the transaction to be added to your accounting package. Being able to dictate what actions your apps should take affords you the full benefit of your apps’ functionality.
Increased productivity via automation
Having to perform single tasks in multiple apps and software programs can be cumbersome and time-consuming. By integrating apps and allowing them to work together, you can automate processes that were once manual.
Having the ability to integrate and connect apps is an excellent way to enhance the efficiency of your business processes and increase your business productivity, which only means good things for your bottom line.
Now that you understand the power of app integration, it’s time to examine how you can use it to connect your business and operations in a range of new ways. As we mentioned above, some apps are automatically created to integrate with other apps, so explore the functionality of your most-used tools to see if they can work together. If they can’t, then it’s time to look into Zapier and IFTTT. This Ultimate IFTTT Guide will get you up to speed quickly, and this PDF of 101 Ways to Use Zapier will help you understand the kinds of app integrations that are possible. The apps you use are helping to make your business more efficient. Now it’s time to take that efficiency to the next level using app integration.
