What a software integration is
A software integration is code that passes data between two systems automatically, so a booking, payment or contact entered in one appears in the other. It uses each system's API, webhooks or scheduled syncs. We build integrations for UK businesses whose staff spend time copying records between tools that already exist.
What usually gets connected
Most integration work is one of these pairs. The detail is in which records move, which way, and what happens when they disagree.
| From | To | What moves |
|---|---|---|
| Website or booking form | CRM or job system | New enquiries and bookings, with the customer matched to an existing record |
| Card terminal or pay-by-link | Xero or Sage | Payments, marked against the right invoice |
| Job or booking system | Accounts package | Invoices raised from completed work, with the right VAT codes |
| Shared inbox | CRM or job record | Emails filed on the customer they belong to |
| Stock or order system | Website | Prices, stock levels and order status |
How an integration is built
Map the records
We list which fields move, which system owns each one, and how a customer in one is matched to the same customer in the other.
Pick the mechanism
A webhook when the other system can tell us something changed. A scheduled sync when it can't. A direct API call when a person presses a button.
Handle the failures
APIs go down and tokens expire. Every failed message is logged, retried, and shown to a person if it still fails.
Run it alongside
The integration runs next to the manual process first, so both sets of records can be compared before anyone stops typing.
When a system has no API
Plenty of older desktop systems have no API at all. Some will export a CSV on a schedule, and some keep their data in a database we can read directly. Either can be enough for a one-way feed.
When neither works, an integration is the wrong fix. The better route is usually to move the data out once and replace the system, which is what replacing desktop software covers. If we don't know which case you're in, a short discovery spike finds out before you commit to a build.
Try the off-the-shelf connectors first
Many pairs of systems already connect without any code from us.
When a built integration is worth it
- The connector exists but drops fields you need, or can't match customers properly.
- Records need rules on the way across: VAT codes, account codes, deposits, part payments.
- A Zapier or Make workflow has grown into dozens of steps that break without warning.
- One of the systems is your own, with no listing in anyone's app marketplace.
Use the app marketplace or Zapier
If both systems list each other as an integration, turn it on and test it for a month. If the data is simple and one-way, a Zapier or Make workflow will do it cheaply. We'll say so on the call.
Integration work in more detail
Payments and accounting
Stripe or Square payments that mark invoices paid in Xero or Sage, with deposits, instalments and debtor chasing.
Read moreBespoke CRM
A CRM that sits inside your operations, with the inbox and the accounts connected from the start.
Read moreCustomer portals
A portal over an existing job system, reading and writing the data your office already keeps.
Read moreQuestions about integrations
What is API integration?
It is code that uses one system's API to send or fetch data from another, so records move between them automatically. An API is the published way a system lets other software read and write its data.
Can you connect a system that has no API?
Sometimes. If it exports files on a schedule or keeps its data in a database we can read, a one-way feed is often possible. If it does neither, replacing the system is usually the better route.
What happens when one of the systems is down?
The integration waits and retries. Messages that keep failing are logged and shown to a person, so nothing is lost quietly when an API is down or a login expires.
Who looks after the integration once it is live?
It can be us, on a monthly retainer you can cancel, or your own developer. The code and hosting accounts are in your name, with notes on how each connection works.
Tell us which systems don't talk
On a free initial alignment call, list the tools you use and where staff copy data between them. If an existing connector covers it, we'll point you to it.