API integration

Application programming interface (API) integrations refer to the connection of multiple software platforms to exchange data or trigger actions. By connecting systems that don’t share info by default, API integrations let the tools function as a single interlinked system. That way, teams can avoid the need to manually reenter information across multiple tools, saving them time and reducing errors.

How does an API integration work?

Now that you know what an API integration is, here’s a breakdown of how they work.

Request

Once two software platforms are connected and configured via an API, teams can send a request from one system to the other. This might mean pulling in external data or triggering a specific action. A team might set up a data integration between its support software and customer relationship management (CRM) platform, for example. This allows service representatives to see customers’ account histories and past purchases while responding to inquiries.

Response

After receiving the request and verifying authorization credentials, the connected system sends back the requested data or carries out the specified action. In the previous example, this is when the CRM provides customer information to the support platform.

Result

The requesting platform uses the information received or verifies that the requested action has taken place. The workflow continues without anyone having to switch to another platform. In the case of the CRM integration, the support rep reviews the received data and can send an informed reply based on the customer’s full history. No need to track down records manually or ask the customer about their past interactions.

Common API integration examples in B2B

Teams take advantage of API integrations in many ways, but these are some of the most useful link-ups in B2B customer service operations:

• Sales and customer success: When a member of the sales team closes a deal, an API integration can automatically transfer the customer’s details from the CRM to the customer success platform. That way, the customer success team already has the necessary information before reaching out, creating a more efficient customer service strategy.
• HR and IT: By connecting these two tools, teams can trigger a notification to the IT team whenever a new hire joins. IT knows to set up the employee’s email and software access before their first day.
• Support and engineering: If a customer submits a bug report, the support platform can immediately send it to the engineering team’s issue tracker. Support doesn’t have to coordinate with engineering, and engineering doesn’t have to manually create a new task.