Increase productivity - Why your team should connect web apps with APIs.

The current tech world is highly complex and agile, and the speed of change has been meteoric. Automated workflows are essential to keep pace with digital transformation and are increasingly simple if you know how to connect web apps with APIs. Increasingly, people are working remotely, so seamless automation and collaboration are key for increased productivity between your employees and clients.

By bringing apps together so information moves between them, you can streamline your business and ensure an uninterrupted flow of information between people. Connecting web apps and API integration can power processes by keeping data in sync to enhance productivity and boost revenue. According to Zapier, 94 per cent of businesses perform time-consuming and repetitive tasks in their role.

Automation can be used in any team or business sector. However, it can be particularly useful in marketing and sales, where there are high volumes of customer data. Still, it can also be valuable in human resources, finances, customer service, and operations.

Why is automation so important?

Businesses can increase uptime, and when processes are automated, activity can continue when people are not working. As a result, employees need not focus on repetitive tasks and manual processes, so they can be freed up to complete more strategic, higher-level work. This productivity improvement will result in improved morale and overall job satisfaction.

How we Connect web apps with APIs

For Investors in Property, we integrated their website with SalesForce Property Base to automatically pull in their properties. We use a similar API for Cushman and Wakefield‘s property feed.

Automation also reduces the likelihood of human error, biases, and inconsistencies. Even the most skilled workers can make mistakes, and errors can be flagged and actioned quickly with automated systems. Improved transparency will reduce and eliminate bottlenecks. There can be improved clarity about what team members need to do, which creates greater accountability.

App connection for automation can lead to smoother workflows with customer-facing businesses. For example, one poor customer experience in eCommerce will make a customer less likely to purchase from the company in the future.

Saving money where possible is an important part of running a successful business. However, according to Gartner, just 43% of organisations achieve the cuts they set out to in their first year of cost reduction. They note that this is due to poor planning and that cuts do not provide long-term returns. Automated workflows allow for cost savings: staff are more productive, operations can be scaled to meet business needs and better serve customers, and legacy systems can be removed, leading to more simplified tech solutions.

Standardisation of processes will improve compliance with company policies and procedures. Data will be more secure, particularly when businesses manage sensitive information. This can lead to better governance and control.

How do you connect web apps with APIs?

Overview

From start-ups to enterprise leaders, the first step in understanding the best automation processes is to see the technology and apps a business uses. This can be anything from a customer relationships manager like Hubspot, Salesforce or even Mailchimp to their eCommerce site or accounting packages like Xero or Quickbooks, if online. Do these solutions benefit the team, and why?

Discovery

What is the end goal? By knowing the ideal end goal, developers can evaluate what needs to be done to create practical and actionable aims. Consultants can look at ways to reduce manual processes, remove static data (like Excel files) and speed up day-to-day work. Predictable tasks are obvious targets for automation. Static workflows that run in strict sequences are easier to implement than dynamic workflows.

We can look at the best ways to do this. App and workflow integration needs careful thought and analysis. Integrations must be cohesive, and not every part of workflows can be automated, and some processes will require human intervention.

 Solution

Once we know what data connection we need, we will use Webhooks and other API tools to share data around existing or new web platforms. Webhooks allow apps to ‘speak’ to each other and to send automated messages or information to other apps. For example, it is how eCommerce apps communicate with payment systems or banking systems communicate with customer accounts. Our systems are built bespoke so you can expect more secure and faster loading results than any off-the-shelf solutions.

Once your new system is up and running and enhancing processes, we can track KPIs, allowing developers to get feedback and make any adjustments accordingly. An agile approach is perfect for optimising your new workflows.

Once workflow automation has been implemented, companies can see huge transformations. DevStars recently completed some extensive QuickBooks work with Shine to generate invoices directly from the new WebApp. We also connected Salesforce to a bespoke front-end website, which allowed Investors in Property to continue working in their prefered CRM to seamlessly update their website.

To learn more about how we could help you, please call 020 8898 3993 or use our contact form here