What is an API and why integrate your company’s systems?
What an API is in plain language, what problems systems integration solves and examples for businesses.
An API in plain language
An API is a channel through which two systems exchange information automatically. Think of a waiter: you order, the waiter takes it to the kitchen and brings back your dish. You never have to walk into the kitchen.
The problem it solves
Many companies use several systems that don’t talk to each other: the online store, invoicing, inventory, the CRM. The result is someone copying data by hand, with all the time and errors that involves.
Integration examples
- Every online store sale updates inventory and creates the invoice.
- New leads from the website form go straight into the CRM.
- Confirmed payments are recorded in accounting without data entry.
- A daily report builds itself from several systems.
How to know if it’s worth it
- Does someone on your team move data from one system to another?
- Do errors come from outdated information between departments?
- Do you wait until month-end to see numbers you could see today?