Cutting costs with connectivity: enhancing business efficiency by connecting your systems

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allow different software platforms to communicate with one another. It defines how requests are made and how data is shared between systems, enabling applications to "talk" to each other without human intervention. APIs power everything from integrating CRM systems with ERP systems or customer portals. Essentially, APIs act as bridges between disparate systems.

1. Seamless Data Sharing and Accessibility

APIs allow digital platforms to exchange data in real time, ensuring that information remains consistent across all connected systems. For example, when a customer updates their contact details in a customer portal, APIs can instantly push that updated information to a CRM system where internal sales works with. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of human error. Additionally, employees across departments can access up-to-date information from any connected system, leading to better decision-making and more efficient workflows.

2. Improved Efficiency Through Automation

API integration automates repetitive tasks and processes that would otherwise require manual (human) intervention. For instance, e-commerce platforms can automatically update inventory levels across systems after a sale and synchronize payment records with accounting software. This not only saves time but also ensures that the business operates efficiently and consistently. With automation in place, businesses can reduce costs and free up employees to focus on higher-value tasks.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

With connected systems, businesses can offer a more seamless and personalized customer experience. For example, if an e-commerce platform is integrated with a shipping provider via API, customers can receive real-time updates on their order status without requiring manual intervention from the business and improving engagement and satisfaction.

4. Scalability and Flexibility

APIs make it easier for businesses to scale without the need for additional investments. As companies grow and adopt new technologies or platforms, API integration ensures that these systems can be easily connected to the existing ecosystem. Whether it's incorporating new payment gateways, marketing tools, or customer service portals, APIs provide the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs without overhauling the entire infrastructure.

5. Cost Savings

Building custom integrations from scratch for every new platform is both time-consuming and expensive. By using APIs, businesses can leverage pre-built solutions, significantly reducing the costs associated with development and maintenance. APIs allow companies to tap into existing systems and services rather than reinventing the wheel, leading to faster deployment and reduced operational costs.

We develop a central system that controls all communication between the different platforms: the integration middleware. After the initial cost, connecting additional systems is a much lower cost.

6. Better Insights and Reporting

API integrations enable the flow of data between platforms, providing businesses with a comprehensive view of their operations. Integrating sales, marketing, and customer service platforms allows companies to aggregate data from multiple sources, offering deeper insights into customer behavior and market trends.

This holistic view of data is critical for making informed, data-driven decisions that drive business growth.

The SEVENDAYS integration middleware takes care of the data aggregation and not only brings together data from different systems, but can also apply business logic for transformations of the data and can add a access permissions layer if needed.

7. Real-Time Communication

Real-time data sharing via APIs ensures that systems are always up-to-date. In industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics, where real-time information is essential, APIs ensure that systems communicate efficiently. For example, financial platforms can synchronize transaction data with accounting software in real time, eliminating delays and potential discrepancies.

8. Security and Compliance

Many APIs come with built-in security features such as encryption, authentication, and access controls, ensuring that only authorized systems and users can access sensitive data. By centralizing data flow through APIs, businesses can also monitor and enforce compliance more effectively. This is especially important in industries with strict regulatory requirements, like healthcare and finance, where data security is paramount.

We are dedicated integration specialists that have a lot of experience in connecting systems to each other.

We can connect with every system, but we already connected the following platforms:

• HubSpot, Salesforce, Campaign Monitor, Mautic

• Stripe, Mollie, MultiSafepay

• One Signal, Twilio

• Wise

• Google Cloud (Maps API)

• Teamleader, Robaws, Coachview, Billit, Buttons For Cleaners

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

• Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision)

• …

Our SEVENDAYS integration middleware has the following strengts:

• Play a central role in the sync process

• Disable point to point connections

• Manage authentication, business logic

• Dispatch, queue, throttle api connections

• Manage high data load, scalable

• Add flexibility in future connections to other systems

We provide an automated test setup for reviewing and validating the correct operation in the different scenarios. We can also scale-up the Queue infrastructure setup with multiple workers + supervisor for realtime handling of the queue.