Most businesses do not have a software problem. They have a gap between their software problem: the CRM does not know what the accounts package knows, the online store does not know what the warehouse knows, and someone fills the gaps by retyping. System integration closes those gaps. Here is what it is, in plain terms, and how it is done.
The definition
System integration connects two or more pieces of software so that information entered in one is available in the others automatically, without a person copying it across.
An order placed on your website appears in your ERP. An invoice raised in your ERP appears in your accounts package. A new customer in your CRM appears in your email marketing tool. A delivery dispatched from your warehouse gets a tracking number from the courier and an email to the customer. Each of those is an integration.
Why it matters
Every manual handover between systems costs time and creates a chance for error. Add them up across a business and it is often the equivalent of a full-time salary, plus the cost of the mistakes. Our guide on automating manual data entry shows how to find them.
Integration also gives everyone the same version of the truth. When sales, operations and finance all read the same data, the monthly argument about whose figures are right disappears.
How systems talk to each other
Through APIs, which are the doors software provides for other software to read and write its data. We explain them in what is an API. An integration is a piece of software that uses the API of system A to fetch data and the API of system B to write it, applying rules along the way about what maps to what.
Where a system has no API, older methods still work: scheduled file exports and imports, or direct database connections. They are less elegant but often adequate.
The three ways to do it
1. No-code tools. Zapier, Make and similar services let you connect common apps with simple rules and no programming. Fast and cheap for straightforward, low-volume connections. See Zapier vs custom integration for their limits.
2. Native connectors. Many platforms provide ready-made integrations with popular partners: Shopify to Xero, Odoo to Shopify, HubSpot to Xero. Configure, map fields, go. Good when your needs match what the connector expects.
3. Custom integration. Software written specifically to connect your systems your way. Necessary when volumes are high, logic is complex, the systems are unusual or a connector does not exist. More work, most control.
Most businesses use a mix: a native connector here, a no-code automation there, custom where it counts.
The decision that matters most
Before connecting anything, decide which system owns each type of data. Customers might live in the CRM. Stock lives in the ERP. Product content lives in the store. Everything else reads from the owner. Without this, two systems both think they are right, and you get conflicts, duplicates and the same mess you had before, only faster.
Common integrations for UK businesses
- Online store to accounts: Xero and Shopify.
- Online store to ERP: Shopify to Odoo.
- Sales to operations: CRM and ERP.
- Warehouse to delivery: courier integration.
- Anything to marketing: customers and purchases into email tools for automated flows.
What a good integration includes
Clear mapping of fields between systems. Rules for what happens when data conflicts. Handling of failures: retries, queues, alerts when something stops. Logging so problems can be traced. Testing against real data, including the awkward cases. And documentation, so it can be maintained by someone other than the person who built it.
Where to start
List every place where a person moves information between two systems. Rank by hours and by error risk. The top of that list is your first integration. It is usually the online store to the accounts or ERP, because it happens every day and every error reaches a customer.
We build all three kinds of integration and will recommend the simplest that does the job. Read about our integrations service or request a quote.
Key takeaways
- System integration means connecting the software you already use so data moves between systems automatically.
- It removes retyping, and with it delays, errors and the arguments about whose numbers are right.
- Integrations range from no-code tools to native connectors to custom-built links, depending on complexity and volume.
- Decide which system owns each piece of data before you connect anything.
Frequently asked questions
Need help with system integrations?
eSolution Hub is a UK company with its own engineering team in Lahore. Every project starts with a free 30 minute discovery call and a written quote. Read about our system integrations service or request a quote.
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