Your systems work. They just do not talk to each other
Each tool you bought solves its own problem well. The problem is the space between them, which nobody sold to anybody and which ended up handed to a person with two tabs open.
- Invoicing
- Online shop
- Spreadsheet
A single record
What you get
Connections between the tools you already use
Each piece of data is entered once and propagates, without replacing any of the tools.
A main source, decided
For each type of information it is decided and documented which system is in charge.
A record of everything that passes through
What came in, what went out, what failed and what was tried again.
How it unfolds
Decide the source of truth
Before connecting anything at all, we decide where each type of information has to be changed for it to count.
Connect the systems
By events whenever possible, and by periodic synchronisation when there are no events.
Retry and alert
When a service fails, the integration keeps what was left undelivered, tries again and alerts a person if it gives up.
What we do not promise
- We do not replace the tools you already use. Changing CRM is a much bigger project.
- Without an API, the route is less elegant: scheduled exports, files or direct reading of the database. We say so from the outset.
- We do not connect systems without it being decided which is the main source of each piece of information.
More detail
Why this happens to everyone
Nobody chooses to have isolated systems. It happens by accumulation. The invoicing software is bought because it was mandatory, the CRM because the sales team grew, the online shop because the opportunity came up, and the email tool because the marketing manager already knew it. Each decision was reasonable in itself.
What never had an owner was the space between them. And since that space had to be filled by someone, it was filled by people, by hand, without anyone ever having decided it would be so.
The question we ask first
Before connecting anything at all: what is the source of truth for each type of information?
If a customer changes address, where does that change have to be made for it to count? If the answer is ‘it depends’ or ‘in all of them’, the integration cannot be built yet, because there is no way to resolve conflicts. Deciding this is tedious, it causes arguments, and it is the difference between an integration that holds up and one that spends its life creating duplicates.
How we connect
By events, whenever possible. When something happens in a system, it gives notice and the information moves on straight away. It is faster and uses less.
By periodic synchronisation, when there are no events. Every five minutes, every hour, once a day. It is chosen according to the real urgency, not according to what looks best.
With retries, always. Services go down, connections drop, a response takes too long. Everything we set up assumes this and tries again, with increasing waits, and alerts a person when it gives up.
The most common case: the website that does not talk to the rest
The example that comes up most is also the most expensive in lost opportunity. Someone fills in a form on the website. What should happen is: record created, immediate notification to whoever replies, follow-up scheduled, and measurement.
What usually happens is that an email arrives in a shared inbox. If the right person does not see it, nobody else knows it existed. That is why we treat websites and lead capture as being, in practice, a matter of integration.
What we are always asked
What if one of the tools has no API?
It happens, especially with older software. In those cases there is almost always a way: scheduled exports, files in a shared folder, direct read access to the database. It is less elegant and we say so from the outset, but it solves the problem.
What happens when one of the systems is down?
The integration keeps what it could not deliver and tries again. What we never do is let information drop silently: if after several attempts it does not go through, someone is alerted, with the record of what was left undelivered.
Does this force us to change CRM?
No. The principle of this line of work is exactly the opposite: keep the tools you already pay for and already know how to use, and solve the space between them. Changing CRM is a much bigger project, and it is rarely the solution for data that does not circulate.
Tell us what is holding back your operation.
Describe the problem in your own words. You do not need to know what has to be built.
- We read your request.
- We reply within one hour, by email or telephone, in English or in Portuguese.
- If it makes sense, we arrange a conversation.