Standard is enough if:
- your package already has an integration with the other system;
- the data transfers the way you want;
- you don't need your own rules or choices.
Integrations
Have integrations built between your systems.
Want an API integration built? I connect your accounting, CRM, online shop or planning to each other. Then you enter a customer, order or invoice once, and the integration passes it on to your other systems.
Explanation
What is an API integration?
An integration lets two systems share data with each other. Nobody has to retype it any more.
A lot of software has an API: a fixed entry point through which other software can retrieve and send data. An API integration uses that entry point. If you create a new customer in your CRM, the integration also adds them to your accounting system. If an order comes in through your online shop, it also appears in your planning.
For each type of data we agree which system leads. That system has the final say. That way you never work with two versions of the same customer. You can read more in what an API integration is.
An integration is for you if:
- you type the same data into two or more systems;
- retyping leads to mistakes;
- colleagues wait until someone has passed something on;
- you gather figures from different systems.
Sound familiar? Then also read you retype the same data.
Standard or custom
First check whether a standard integration is enough.
Many software packages already have integrations, for example in the supplier's app store. Does such a standard integration do what you need? Then I'll recommend it, and you don't need to have anything built.
Custom work is needed if:
- no standard integration exists;
- data needs handling differently from the standard, for example merged or converted;
- more than two systems are involved;
- there is a choice involved, such as which carrier or which employee.
No commission from suppliers
I receive no commission if you buy new software. I first look at what is possible with your current systems.
Systems
Which systems can you have connected?
Almost any system with an API. A few examples from SMEs.
Accounting
Invoices, customers and payments from your other systems, ready in your accounting system. Read what an accounting integration is.
CRM
Customer details and contact history in one place, even when they come in by email or through your website.
Online shop
Orders, stock and shipping: from your online shop to your planning, warehouse or accounting system. See processing online shop orders automatically.
Planning
A new order or job appears in the planning straight away, with the details your planner needs.
Stock and purchasing
Stock, purchasing and production from your ERP package to the systems that work with them. With suppliers sometimes via EDI.
Email and forms
A request from your email or a web form goes into the right system. With AI added, the integration can also read ordinary text.
Does a package have no API? Then an integration can sometimes read in an export at fixed times. If more than two systems are involved, this is known as system integration.
In practice
Two online shops from Ede, connected.
For De Rijplaten Specialist and De Slowfeeder Specialist I built automatic transport planning and a quote generator. In both, data moves from one system to another without retyping, with AI in between.
Online shop and route planning
An order comes in through Shopify. AI chooses between DHL and their own transport, and for their own transport it schedules the order straight into the driver's route.
Email and quoting system
AI recognises a request in the email and enters the details into the system, which proposes a price. After one click to approve, the quote goes to the customer.
How it goes
What happens when you have an integration built?
From the first call to an integration that is up and running. Would you like to list your work yourself beforehand? Read how to map your processes.
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Introductory call
You tell me which systems you use and what you retype. I'll tell you honestly whether an integration helps, or whether a standard integration is enough.
Free by phone or at your premises
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Analysis
I look at which data needs to go back and forth, which system leads and what the APIs of your packages can do.
One week recommended duration
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Proposal
You receive a proposal with a fixed price: what the integration does, what it costs and when I start. Then you decide.
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Build and test
I build the integration and test it with examples from your own business. If something goes wrong later, you get an alert.
2–3 weeks after approval of the proposal
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In use and maintenance
I explain to someone on your team how the integration works. After that I maintain it. If a package changes its API, I adapt the integration.
Fixed agreement for hosting and maintenance
Costs
What does an integration cost?
That depends on your systems and on what the integration needs to do. That is why you start with an analysis. Then you receive a proposal with a fixed price, so you know where you stand in advance. The first call is free.
What the price depends on
- how many systems are involved;
- how good the API of your packages is;
- how many types of data go back and forth, and with which rules;
- whether your data needs cleaning up first.
You can read more about this in what an API integration costs.
What you get
- an integration that passes your data on to your other systems;
- a test with examples from your own business;
- an alert if something goes wrong;
- an explanation for someone on your team.
Fixed price, agreed in advance · building usually takes 2–3 weeks
Maintenance
An integration depends on the systems around it, and those sometimes change. We set out hosting and maintenance in advance in a monthly agreement.
He actively thinks along with you and quickly puts his finger on the sore spot.
Bert van Roekel De Rijplaten Specialist and De Slowfeeder SpecialistRead the full reviewTranslated from Dutch · original on GoogleQuestions
Questions about integrations.
Is your question not listed? Feel free to ask it in the first call.
What does it cost to have an API integration built?
That depends on how many systems are involved, how good their API is, how many types of data go back and forth and whether your data needs cleaning up first. The first call is free. After that I carry out a paid business analysis. Based on that, you receive a proposal with a fixed price, so you know where you stand in advance. We also agree hosting and maintenance in advance. You can read more in what an API integration costs.
How long does it take to have an integration built?
Building takes 2 to 3 weeks, after the analysis and the proposal. That is an indication: the schedule for your situation is in the proposal.
Can I build an integration myself?
Sometimes, yes. With an integration platform you can put together a simple integration yourself, without programming. If it involves orders, invoices or customer data, you also want to know what happens if something goes wrong: who gets an alert, and what happens to the data that didn't come through? I take care of that in the integrations I build. Also read what low-code and no-code is.
What if my package has no API?
Then an integration can sometimes read in an export at fixed times, for example every night. If that isn't possible either, I'll tell you honestly. Sometimes a different package or custom software is the better choice.
What happens if an integration goes wrong?
Then you get an alert. That way you know something didn't come through and someone can fix it, instead of you only noticing weeks later.
Is an integration secure?
An integration logs in with an API key or via OAuth. I give it only the permissions it needs. We sign a data processing agreement for each project.
Who owns the integration?
You do. The code and your data belong to your business. If you stop the maintenance, you take them with you.
Can an integration include AI?
Yes. AI can read text that an ordinary integration doesn't understand, such as a request in an email or a PDF invoice. AI prepares the data and an employee checks anything unusual. You can read more about this under automation and AI for SMEs.
Next step
Curious what could work for you?
- The first conversation is free and without obligation
- By phone or at your premises
- You speak directly with me
Bart van Engelenhoven You tell me what takes up your time, I tell you honestly whether I can help.