As your business grows, so do the systems and technology that are required to keep everything running smoothly.
What started out as a simple CRM may have grown into this vast, sprawling system that is increasingly hard to manage and filled with confusion and potentially damaging overlap.
This is where integration can be the key to not only making your business more efficient – but also far more productive.
What is system integration?
Your digital infrastructure may be massive, but it is full of tiny little sections that link up and talk to each other, ensuring everything works in sync.
In a well-run digital setup, every system sings from the same hymn sheet. However, problems arise when the individual components start telling each other different things.
This often happens when information – often entered manually – doesn’t match up. Additionally, if you are inputting the same data multiple times, it not only increases the chances of a mistake, but is also simply a waste of valuable time and resources.
And this is where automation is the key. Removing all those unnecessary extra steps streamlines the process, while you also lower the risk of an error.
Why do I need to integrate my systems?
Besides trying to ensure everything works in total harmony, there’s a good chance you may lose ground to your competitors if they’ve already taken the proactive step and integrated their systems. Globally, businesses across the world are waking up the realisation that it can save them a lot of time, manpower – and money.
Since working from home became more mainstream, firms have increasingly adopted software in a far more positive way and if you don’t act, it’s possible that your rivals may gain a competitive advantage.
There’s also a good chance they’ll be making more profit too.
How does integration improve efficiency and productivity?
And the increased profit? That’s because by integrating and automating the systems, you simply don’t need as much man power to manage the operational side of the business.
There’s currently a huge shortage in skilled workers, but the good news is, the more you integrate and automate, the more you free up the time of the existing team, so there is less need to recruit.
That should lower the cost to the business in both wages and recruitment, boosting your bottom line, so the message is clear – if you can’t find the staff, sort out the systems.
Is there a downside to integrating our systems?
In a nutshell, not really.
Time is the biggest obstacle as often, it isn’t an easy fix. Systems that aren’t running smoothly can often be disjointed, so getting them running perfectly won’t be an overnight job.
You will also need to invest the time to learn and understand it, while those with legacy systems – like those using desktop-based systems – may find that they aren’t as straight forward to integrate.
The only other reason that may put off firms from integrating their systems is the cost. Often it is a big financial undertaking, but these are costs that should be recouped quite early on due to those crucial increases in productivity and efficiency.
If you’re considering software integration and need support to digitally transform your business, get in touch with our expert team here.