System Integrations: How to get your systems talking to each other
Most businesses we speak to use between five and ten systems in their daily work. CRM in one place, accounting in another, projects in a third, time tracking in a fourth. Information is copied manually between them. This takes time, and it leads to errors.
«In reality, I have a dream scenario where, right from sales through to project and onwards to logistics and out, it's one system that connects,» a customer explained. «Because we have something in one system, and something in"
the other. It will be a bit here and there.»
System integrations remove the manual glue between systems.
What is system integration?
A System integration connects two systems so that data flows automatically between them. When a project manager creates a project in Business Online, it is automatically created in the accounting system. When a customer
Updated in CRM, updated in accounting. No copying, no double work.
It can go one way or both ways. What is suitable depends on what you need.
Microsoft 365 is already in place
Business Online is built on Microsoft 365. This means that Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint are not an integration. They are the foundation.
Emails from Outlook link directly to customer cards and projects. Documents are stored in SharePoint with version control. Tasks can be assigned in Planner directly from the project. You work in the tools you already
knows.
Most system integrations other platforms need to build towards M365 have Business Online built in from the start.
The accounting system connected to the projects
The most common integration our customers require is between Business Online and their accounting system. We have two-way integrations with three Norwegian accounting systems:
Tripletex Synchronises customers, suppliers, contacts, projects and order lines both ways. Changes are captured in real time.
Visma.net Finance Synchronises customers, contacts, projects and quotes. Can be extended with inventory management and sales orders.
Visma NXT Finance connected with customers, suppliers and contacts.
PowerOffice GO On my way.
In practice, this means that the project manager creates a project in Business Online, and it appears in the accounting system without anyone having to do anything. The invoice basis is included.
When you need something tailor-made
Not all system integrations are the same. Some customers have their own systems they need to connect to, whether it's time tracking, purchasing or document management. Then we use REST API, a standard technology for
data exchange.
For those who don't have developers available, there's Zapier. It allows you to connect Business Online to hundreds of other services without writing any code.
Read more about a company where everything has come together
Lie Blikk received three ISO certifications at the same time as they introduced Business Online. The quality control plans were what tied the system together.
Fewer systems, less glue
The best integration work is the work you don't have to do.
Because Business Online brings together CRM, project, quality, and HR into one platform, you don't need to integrate them with each other. They share data from the start.
«The negative surprise was the number of programmes you sit and work in,» said a potential customer after mapping out their system landscape before the meeting with Business Online. With fewer systems, you need fewer system integrations.
The systems should work for you, not the other way around
Every time someone copies a customer number from one system to another, it's time that could have been spent on something better. System integrations aren't about technology for technology's sake. It's about
The information is available where it's needed, when it's needed, without anyone having to manually move it there. That's the difference between a system that helps and a system that creates more work.
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Would you like to know more about system integrations in Business Online?
Let's have a chat about the systems you currently have and how they can best be integrated with Business Online. 30 minutes, no commitment.