As a systems and automation, strategist, I have seen firsthand the power of integrations. And connecting business systems for maximum efficiency. In today’s video, I’ll be sharing with you some practical examples of clients I’ve helped and how integrating these systems has helped them achieve their business goals.
So if integrating your systems is of interest to you, then stick around and let’s get into it.
Before we dive into examples. Let me tell you a little bit more about me. My name is Jacqui Money. I live in an off-grid tiny house in South Africa and building a food forest. I’ve got five beautiful dogs. Two of them are giant breed. Yes, I know giant breed dogs in a tiny house. It’s hysterical, a husband named Warren, he’s even more introverted than I am. And I love helping women run and scale big businesses with tiny teams and custom backend systems. That’s what I absolutely love doing. I believe everything can be simpler and easier and tinier so that we can all live bigger, better lives.
What are integrations?
Integrations are simply the connection of two or more systems to work together seamlessly. This means that data can flow. Easily from one system to the other saving time and reducing errors.
Let me give you an example of how integrations can help you become more efficient in your business.
Lucy a client I worked with had a problem with her customer relationship management system. And which was not integrated with the email marketing platform. They were manually inputting data from the CRM to the email marketing system, which was time consuming and prone to errors. By integrating these two systems with an automation tool like Zapier.
We were able to automate the process of adding new subscribers to their email lists, reducing manual input errors, and saving her an hour of time a day.
Jake another client we worked with was struggling with manually entering the sales data into their accounting system. This was a tedious task and prone to errors as well.
We integrated his cart with his invoicing system, saving him the frustration of doing things manually.
And then there’s Felicia. Who was having trouble keeping track of her team’s hours on projects? They were using a project management system and a separate time tracking tool, which was causing confusion and inaccuracies.
For this client who suggested they switched to a more robust project management management tool, like ClickUp. There is time-tracking integrated in the tool.
My favorite integrations
There are so many systems and tools you can integrate to help you streamline your businesses. And help your business and help you become more efficient. Some of my favorite integrations include.
Integrating my scheduler with my Airtable CRM so that when people book a discovery call with me, they automatically added to Airtable Integrating my cart, Thrivecart with my community Heartbeat so that when people purchase my membership, they get added to the community.
Integrating my Google calendar with ClickUp so that all my appointments get added to click up as a task for easy note taking on the call.
And then lastly integrating my scheduler for VIP days with Google drive and Google docs, so that when people book me for a VIP day, all onboarding of the client, Is automated.
Steps to take when integrating tools and systems
Step one: Identify the systems you want to integrate. This could be your CRM, email marketing system, project management tool, scheduling tool, and so on.
Step two: Determine the data you want to transfer between the systems. This could be customer data, appointment details, project tasks, and so on.
Step three: Choose an integration tool. There are many integration tools available such as Zapier, Pabbly and Make, which was formerly known as Integromat. Choose a tool that supports the systems you want to integrate and offers the features you need. I use and recommend Zappier. It’s easier to use and easy to understand.
Step four: Set up the integration. This may involve connecting your accounts, selecting the data you want to transfer and setting up rules for how the data should be transferred.
Most frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to integrate systems?
The answer to this question varies, depending on the integration tool you use Some integration tools such as Zapier offer a free plan that allows you to create basic integrations. However, if you need more advanced features or integrations, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan. The cost of the paid plans can range anywhere from $20 to $500 a month, depending on the tool and the features you need.
How long does it take to set up an integration?
Again, this depends on the complexity of the integration and the tools you’re using. Some integrations can be set up in minutes while others may take hours or even days.
Can I integrate multiple systems at once or do I need to do them one at a time?
Yes, you can absolutely integrate multiple systems at once using an integration tool. The tool will allow you to connect multiple systems and set up rules for data transfer between them.
Do I need technical expertise to integrate my systems or can I do it on my own?
You can absolutely figure out how to do it on your own. But I encourage you to look at how much you, you charge an hour and how long it will take you to learn how to do it, and then make a decision about whether it’s better to invest in an expert or spend hours trying to figure it out.
By connecting your business systems, you can automate tedious tasks, reduce errors, and save time and money. If this brought up any more questions and answers, get on my email list, hit reply to any of my emails and ask me a question.
- If this brought up more questions than answers, the next step for you is to get my FREE ZERO FLUFF Onboard Like a Pro Checklist and let’s keep on talking about systems, automation, and how I can help you grow and scale your business without burning out.
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