As you look to build integrations, you’ll have a few different implementation options to consider, but connecting applications via their application programming interfaces (APIs) is likely at—or near—the top of your list. 

To help you decide whether it’s right for your organization, we’ll explain how it works and break down the different benefits it can provide to your organization.

What is API integration?

It’s the process of connecting applications via their APIs. This includes connecting the applications your organization uses internally and integrating 3rd-party applications with your product.

Related: Examples of API integration‍

API integration benefits

Here are the top business benefits of API integration:

Removes data silos

In the absence of integration, your employees may have a hard time finding the data they need. They may end up asking their colleagues for it, request it from IT, or simply operate with the assumption that it doesn’t exist.

Using API integration, employees can receive the data they're looking for, when they need it, and within the applications they’re already using—allowing you to prevent the scenarios above from occurring.

Performs to a high standard

To get the most out of integrations, you’ll need them to be reliable, offer frequent syncs, and be available for your desired integration scenarios. 

API integrations check all of these boxes: Most applications offer APIs that let you access the data you need; APIs can sync data in near real-time; and APIs don’t fail easily. 

Related: Benefits of 3rd-party integrations

Prevents human errors

Forcing employees to perform manual, error-prone tasks, such as copying and pasting data across applications, can lead to consequential issues. 

For instance, if you’re copying lead information from your marketing automation platform to your CRM, you can accidentally input the wrong first name for a lead. The rep that’s assigned the opportunity can then call the prospect by the wrong name, giving the prospect a bad first impression and making them less likely to convert.

Since API integrations can move data across applications automatically, employees won’t have to perform as many of these tedious, manual tasks. In turn, they can avoid the negative consequences that result from performing them.

Improves employee productivity

By allowing employees to avoid wasting time on manual tasks, and by providing them the information they need with little friction, they’re more likely to be productive. In addition, since they can focus more on work they enjoy performing, they’re likely to be happier—which contributes to their productivity even further. 

Note: The benefits below are specific to product integrations (i.e. integrations between your platform and the 3rd-party applications your clients use).

Lets you close more sales 

By offering the customer-facing integrations your prospects need, you’ll have one less blocker to winning over their business. And in cases when you offer certain integrations your rivals don’t, you’ll increase your chances of winning competitive deals.

Increases your customer retention rate

Enabling clients to integrate your product with their applications should enable your product to become more valuable. 

Clients may no longer have to manually export and import files into your application to add data from a 3rd-party application; you may be able to leverage the integrations to build in-app automations; the data from the integrations can power and improve your AI-based features, and so on.

Over time, these benefits should improve your customer experience, and, in turn, customer retention.

Enables you to move upmarket

Startup, mid-market, and enterprise organizations in a given industry and location tend to use a different set of applications for various categories of software. For instance, in the case of HRIS solutions, you might see a startup use Gusto, a mid-market organization use Namely, and an enterprise organization use Workday.

To help you move from one segment to the next successfully, you can build the API integrations that clients within these target segments use.

Related: Why SaaS integrations are important

Reap the full benefits of API integrations with Merge

Merge, the leading Unified API platform, lets you integrate with hundreds of applications across key software categories, from CRM to file storage to HRIS to ATS, with its unified API. 

The platform also offers integration management features to help you oversee and troubleshoot clients’ integration issues; comprehensive common models that allow your clients to access the data they need; and enterprise-grade security through features like Scopes and Audit Logs. 

Learn more about Merge by scheduling a demo with one of our integration experts.