You retype the same data in different systems

Let your systems pass on the data themselves

Many businesses work with a few separate packages: accounting, a CRM, a scheduling tool, an online shop. Each package does its own job well. But they know nothing about each other. So someone retypes the data.

It can be done differently. With an API integration the data goes from one system to the other. You enter a client or order once. The integration puts it in the other place.

Do you recognise any of these situations?

• You put a new client into your CRM first and then again into your accounts.
• You retype orders from your online shop into your stock list or onto a packing slip.
• You copy hours worked from the schedule into the invoice by hand.
• After a client moves, the address is right in one system and wrong in the other.

What retyping does to your work

Retyping takes a few minutes each time. That seems little, but it comes back every day or week. And whoever retypes sometimes makes a typo. Then an invoice or an address is wrong, and someone later has to work out where it went wrong.

What exactly does an integration do?

An integration follows fixed rules. For example: every new order goes to the accounts, with the client attached. If something doesn't fit, such as an order without a client number, the integration gives an alert. An employee then sorts it out. That way a person keeps control of the exceptions.

Does your package already have a standard integration that does what you need? Then that is enough. An accounting integration from your package's app store may then be sufficient. In What is an API integration? you can read more about the difference.

When is retyping fine?

An integration doesn't make sense everywhere. Is it a few lines a week, or does your way of working still change often? Then retyping is sometimes fine. An integration suits work that comes back often and is done the same way each time.

How I help you with this

The first conversation is free. If you want to go further, I start with a business analysis. I look at which data is retyped where, and how often. Based on that you get a proposal with a fixed price, so you know in advance where you stand.

An API integration that I build gives an alert when something goes wrong. What an integration costs depends on the systems, how good their API is and how much data goes back and forth. Hosting and maintenance are agreed per month in consultation. You can read what the price depends on in what an API integration costs.

Frequently asked questions