{"id":45443,"date":"2019-01-23T06:46:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T11:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=45443"},"modified":"2019-09-24T01:52:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T05:52:33","slug":"the-integration-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/the-integration-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"More, Please: The Integration Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>In the past, people just accepted tools and apps as they were, but today, there&#8217;s a huge push to make everything work together &#8212; with an easy set-up and a seamless result. What are the benefits of integration, and why is it important to take integration into consideration when you\u2019re choosing a software to use? In this article, we answer these questions, and more! &nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the deal with integration?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In a nutshell: for most companies that are already relying on tools and platforms to streamline their workflow, integration is the obvious next step.<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Consider this: a few decades back, tools such as Sogolytics or Xero were unheard of. If you needed to survey your customers, you\u2019d create a survey, and then manually send it out to your audience. If you had to take care of your accounting, you\u2019d pull up your Excel spreadsheet, and painstakingly record every transaction or sale. <br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Fast forward a few years later, and companies started to have more tools at their disposal, and they used these tools to streamline their processes and automate certain tasks. Obviously, when adopting this new technology, each company had to grapple with a learning curve, so that was a challenge in itself.<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That said, now that most companies are familiar and comfortable with these tools, the question is no longer: <em>How do I use this tool to optimize my workflow? <\/em>Instead, it\u2019s: <em>How do I maximize the value that I get out of this tool, and use it in tandem with my other tools? <\/em>In other words, the next frontier has become integration, and the goal is to have all the apps and tools that you\u2019re using function together seamlessly (instead of working as disjointed, separate pieces). <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The benefits of integration<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>There are two primary benefits of integration. First, integration allows teams to work more productively; on top of that, it also gives teams the ability to leverage their data and use it to fine-tune their strategies.<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Now, the first benefit of integration (increased productivity!) is pretty straightforward. Here\u2019s an example: Say a sales rep is checking in with a lead on the phone, and this lead mentions that they\u2019re thinking of signing up for the product\/service, <em>but <\/em>they\u2019ve been experiencing some problems with the software. <br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Assuming that the company\u2019s CRM system integrates with their customer service platform, the sales rep can easily sift through this lead\u2019s customer service enquiries, and pinpoint exactly what problem this lead is facing. There\u2019s no signing in, no loading time, and no toggling between screens required &#8212; this saves time, and gives your lead a better experience.<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Productivity aside, integration also allows companies to glean more insights about their data. While most organizations are good at collecting data, it\u2019s common for organizations to struggle when it comes to analyzing data to arrive at meaningful insights. Typically, this boils down to the problem of having your information reside in separate data silos. &nbsp;<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>For instance, if you use both Sogolytics and Salesforce, your survey data would reside in your Sogolytics account, with your customer data staying in your Salesforce account. This makes it difficult for you to identify patterns, draw parallels, and look at the bigger picture. Here\u2019s where your integration comes in: simply integrate Sogolytics with Salesforce, and you\u2019ll be able to marry your transactional data (survey feedback) with your relational data (customer demographic), and scrutinize the results. <br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Aside from allowing you to do a deep dive with your data, this integration also helps you to use each tool to target your users with a more granular, refined approach. When you pull data from Salesforce, you can customize your Sogolytics survey questions based on the demographics of the customer. For example, a client who has been a client for 3 years can be asked one set of questions, and a new client can be asked a different set of questions. On the flip side, when you push data into Salesforce, you can also set up Workflow rules to trigger certain emails, update fields, etc., based on your survey results.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do integrations work?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>If you\u2019re using an on-premise system (which is pretty rare these days!), you\u2019ll typically use an integration platform to connect your other SaaS applications and tools with this system. The largest ERP vendors (Oracle and SAP) have their own proprietary tools that you can tap upon, but if your vendor doesn\u2019t provide an in-house solution, you can tap middleware platforms such as Django, GlassFish, or WebLogic.<br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>What if you\u2019re trying to connect two (or more!) cloud-based applications? In this case, you\u2019d commonly use an Application Level Integration (API) to move data between the two applications in real time. These days, APIs are a core component of any cloud-based application\u2019s strategy; according to reports, <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/01\/the-strategic-value-of-apis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Salesforce generates nearly 50% of their annual revenue through APIs, and Expedia generates a whopping 90% of their annual revenue through the same<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A final word on using integrations to drive more success<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Internally, integrations help your team do more with less; externally, they help you respond to your customers more quickly, and provide them with a better experience. If you haven\u2019t done so already, be sure to set up and capitalize on whatever integrations you have at your fingertips &#8212; and when adding a new software or tool to your toolkit, make sure it integrates well with your existing tools. <br><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>PS: Have you heard? We\u2019re proud to announce that Sogolytics\u2019s partnership with Zapier is now live! Contact our support team at support1@sogosurvey.com for an exclusive invite! <\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the past, people just accepted tools and apps as they were, but today, there&#8217;s a huge push to make everything work together &#8212; with an easy set-up and a seamless result. What are the benefits of integration, and why is it important to take integration into consideration when you\u2019re choosing a software to use? In this article, we answer these questions, and more! &nbsp; What\u2019s the deal with integration? In a nutshell: for most companies that are already relying on tools and platforms to streamline their workflow, integration is the obvious next step. Consider this: a few decades back, tools such as Sogolytics or Xero were unheard of. If you needed to survey your customers, you\u2019d create a survey, and then manually send it out to your audience. If you had to take care of your accounting, you\u2019d pull up your Excel spreadsheet, and painstakingly record every transaction or sale. Fast forward a few years later, and companies started to have more tools at their disposal, and they used these tools to streamline their processes and automate certain tasks. Obviously, when adopting this new technology, each company had to grapple with a learning curve, so that was a challenge in itself. That said, now that most companies are familiar and comfortable with these tools, the question is no longer: How do I use this tool to optimize my workflow? Instead, it\u2019s: How do I maximize the value that I get out of this tool, and use it in tandem [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":5055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[205,75],"tags":[60,322,67,281,319],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>More, Please: The Integration Conversation - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The rise of integration means higher demands on every tool and pressure to streamline processes. Are we asking for too much? Work smart, right?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/the-integration-conversation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More, Please: The Integration Conversation - Sogolytics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The rise of integration means higher demands on every tool and pressure to streamline processes. Are we asking for too much? 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