Deep diving into the importance and value of software integrations

Guest blog by Reapit, the UK’s leading supplier for estate agency CRM solutions.

Do you like apps?

One of the advantages of centralising day-to-day processes through a single system is how new tools can be made to work together in harmony to drive efficiencies that enrich the end-customer experience and help businesses to grow their revenue streams.

If you have used or managed a CRM before then you might be aware that some allow for API integrations to be implemented that can improve or add to some aspect of functionality.

But app integrations are a step beyond this for CRMs. These are bespoke third-party solutions that can download much like an app you might find on your smartphone.  They enable the user to pick and choose from tried and tested solutions.

App integrations help foster future-proofed software ecosystems that can be continually updated with new technologies, adapted to operational requirements, and changes in consumer behaviour.

The advantages are many, but the core benefits of such app integrations are how they can be used to enhance the efficiency of your teams, save costs for your agency and improve overall decision making to enhance the customer experience and promote business growth.

Driving up vital efficiencies

Software, including many CRMs, can often be fairly rigid and inflexible, with limited customisation or adaptability, a dependency on updates that might incrementally add improvements or new features that fit your business requirements. This would likely extend to poor or even zero compatibility between third-party integrations, with businesses facing challenging hurdles to get their disparate bits to work.

It was a very decentralised process, and is hardly an efficient way to operate, nor does it represent a sound return of investment.

This is where app integrations can really change the current game plan. Open software, such as Reapit’s CRM – which allows for independent, third-party integrations – extends the customisation potential of the software beyond mere API integrations, allowing agencies to pick and choose from bespoke app integrations that they can deploy to run their business more efficiently.

Best of all, properly integrated software from tested and approved partners can all run through one system. Centralisation of this nature means better connectivity between chosen integrations, which then means more automated processes, less duplicated data, and more efficient and agile service for customers.

Stronger cost efficiency and revenue growth

The cost savings generated by your software are just as important as any potential revenue gains.  This is where a fully integrated CRM really starts to shine as tested and approved apps can integrate seamlessly onto a single platform. Agencies then have the power to download and deploy from a range of apps immediately ready for use and guaranteed to work effectively from within their CRM solution. Having all your integrations on one platform gives your agency a complete and holistic overview of all your data, which promotes a more efficient and streamlined service that can help you to deliver enhanced customer experiences leading to stronger revenue streams and improved ROIs. Of course, bespoke is never out of the picture, and for agencies looking to go further with the Reapit CRM, they can use the Foundations Developer Portal to build their own apps with which to enhance their service offering.

Smarter decision-making for happier customers

At the end of the day, keeping customers happy and growing your revenue are the most important goals of any business. Which is why it is really important for agencies, and businesses in general, to leverage all of their available data to make smarter, more impactful decisions that can improve the way they operate. The ‘customer is king’, after all.

The more accurate the data, the more effective the overall decision-making. This touches on the two points above – efficiency and cost. But it’s also where app integrations perhaps shine their brightest.

Third-party apps that integrate into a centralised ecosystem can share and standardise data to help build shared workflows.  Thiis can be deployed to hyper-personalise the customer experience, using real-time data from a centralised platform and its software integrations to make better decisions and drive profitability.

For agents, app integrations that help them to be more efficient, more cost-effective, and more informed enable them to deliver a better overall experience to customers.

What more could one ask for?

The Partnership has integrated with Reapit UK, giving Estate Agents the ability to receive live case updates through the Case Tracker App. Case Tracker is available to download from within the Reapit Marketplace. For more information visit: Reapit.com – The Partnership Case Tracker