Software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications have managed to dominate organizations’ technology stacks. Do you work in sales? If yes, you’re more likely to leverage a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Do you work in finance? If yes, you’re definitely using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Do you work in HR? You’re relying on a human resources information system - and the list continues. Given the myriad variety of SaaS applications available, there’s little surprise that the enterprise organization leverages a plethora of such applications.
In order to ensure your company makes use of these applications to their advantage, you need to integrate them with the other technology in your business ecosystem. SaaS integration solutions play a crucial role here.
SaaS integration or SaaS application integration enables companies to connect your different SaaS applications with other cloud-based applications or other on-premise applications you might be using with application programming interfaces or APIs. Once the connection has been made, the apps can request and share data freely with one another.
For example, Google workplace suites use SaaS integration. Google has integrated multiple applications such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. Now, because Google hosts all apps, they built the platform with the ease of data exchange and transfer in mind. SaaS integration platforms make it so that multiple applications from myriad vendors can communicate with each other.
Benefits of SaaS Integration
SaaS integration offers businesses many benefits:
It Saves Time: Many organizations use SaaS integration solutions to save time. You can rely on these solutions to transfer information between apps as required. It takes a bit of time to install the initial integration solution, and you’re good to go. There’s no need to worry about entering data manually.
For instance, if you employ a ticketing system in order to carry out various customer services using a CRM, the support people do not have to update the customer information across both systems. When a support agent marks a case closed in the ticketing system, it can automatically update the CRM. The time the agents manage to save can be invested in far more value-added tasks.
It Reduces Error: Manual entry errors increase the risk of errors. Even a small error can cost the business. You can rely on resources to locate as well as correct the error. In fact, the havoc the error itself may have wreaked on customer satisfaction or vendor relationships.
When a company automatically send the right information between multiple applications, it need not rely on a middle person to correctly enter the information. Automation reduces and sometimes even eliminates human error.
It Improves Transparency: When so many SaaS applications are used, integration solutions keep the right information in the right place at the right time. You can use your choice of tool to keep it updated so that the team has the right information to make informed business decisions in real-time.
It Improves the Quality of Customer Service: In the current disruptive times, customers have become more demanding than ever. It’s their goal to get done things quickly, and correctly. In case a person makes an e-commerce purchase, they expect an order confirmation on an immediate basis. And when the order is done, the customers want to have all the information about when it is shipped, along with a tracking number so it can be monitored throughout. If they make a decision to request a refund, they want the transaction to happen immediately, along with another confirmation email.
When your business applications are connected, the processes become automated, and ultimately customers become happy.
It is easy to scale: As a company grows, it becomes easy for its functions to get out of control. But when the applications are integrated, they send information and data back and forth without the risk of potential. It makes it easy to scale business processes across different business ecosystems. In case the company is making attempts to scale, integration must be a fundamental part of its strategy.
In short, SaaS integration platforms empower companies to save time, reduce error, increase transparency, improve customer service, and facilitate scalability.