By Christina Jacobsen, Director of Revenue Operations
When done right, an API integration platform will transform your revenue operations.
Are you grappling with how to integrate your CRM and ERP systems? You’re not alone.
A recent IDG study revealed that 89% of companies struggle with data and system integration.
Before you integrate your workflow automation platforms, it’s important to know what’s at stake. Choose the wrong process or make a mistake in its implementation and you could end up worse off than when you started.
We get it.
We help clients tackle these challenges every day–including our internal revenue operations team! We recently integrated our sales and finance systems with our API Integration Platform.
When it comes to data integration and hyperautomation, we understand the importance of “getting it right” and make it a point to share best practices when possible.
But, it’s also important to know what not to do. Here are 5 common data and system integration mistakes to avoid:
1. Automate Outdated Processes
Too often, organizations invest a tremendous amount of time and money integrating workflow automation platforms only to realize they still have siloed processes. This results in rework and slows your ability to implement hyperautomation.
How to Avoid: Before you integrate two or more workflow automation platforms, it’s important to conduct an end-to-end process analysis. This enables you to identify best practices, optimize workflows, and align your processes quickly.
This up-front work sets the stage for implementing hyperautomation and achieving scale.
2. Create Multiple Sources of Truth
With multiple sources of truth, employees lack trust in the data. They waste time validating and updating data between the CRM and ERP systems. This prevents the adoption of your new API integration platform and hinders growth.
How to Avoid: First, establish knowledgeable and reliable data owners for your CRM and ERP. Then, document their responsibilities and implement a consistent data governance model. For example, you may decide that your ERP will own all customer information. Therefore, any updates to customer data need to happen in your ERP and then your API will sync the data to your CRM accordingly.
3. Overcomplicate Technology
A key success factor for hyperautomation is simplicity.
If you’re struggling to get users to adopt a new technology or process. It’s likely that you have an overcomplicated solution. This inhibits your ability to quickly scale.
How to Avoid: Keep the employee and customer experience at the center of your solution architecture. Make it a priority to create simpler processes that you can train quickly to reduce your onboarding time.
4. Fail to Include Key Stakeholders
Unfortunately, some critical end users are excluded from the system and data requirement planning process. This leads to user resistance rather than buy-in.
Not only does this slow user adoption, but it can also affect your ability to keep within your budget. Missed requirements lead to rework, redesign, and retraining.
How to Avoid: Prior to any development, establish a reputable, knowledgeable team of subject matter experts for every department. Confirm that these team members understand business processes and technical requirements.
This team will serve as your change agents and act as liaisons between your developers and business users.
5. Run Parallel Systems for Too Long
A common reason you need to integrate ERP and CRM systems is a merger and acquisition. To be successful, it comes down to time-to-value.
If you let legacy processes and systems linger, it taxes your resources and slows your ability to scale.
How to Avoid: After an acquisition, make it a priority to quickly migrate the newly acquired organization into your system.
Successfully integrating your CRM and ERP systems isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. When done right, you’ll simplify workflows, streamline operations, and improve your employee and customer experience.
For more details on how to successfully implement an API Integration Platform coupled with hyperautomation, visit our website.
