Salesforce data integration means integrating the data you gather in Salesforce about leads and clients and sharing that with another system. At the same time, the data gathered in the other system is shared with and accessible in Salesforce.
Salesforce has some useful built-in integrations. They include integrations with productivity apps such as Slack and with sources of potential clients such as LinkedIn.
Salesforce-ERP integration
Businesses also often integrate Salesforce with their ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. This is a common integration because it allows businesses to see all the data they hold about all their customers and staff in one place. And, thanks to the various Salesforce integration tools such as Rapidi, the process is a relatively easy one.
Without it, businesses often find that teams end up informally sharing data between them. For example, someone in the sales team might want to have access to a customer’s financial information, usually held in the ERP. Without integration, they’d have to ask a colleague for that information, building in a risk of errors and taking up time. ERPs frequently come with a built-in CRM, but businesses often want to use Salesforce instead because it’s easy to use and to scale with.
This infographic has more useful information about integrating Salesforce with an ERP or another system.
Benefits of Salesforce data integration
Salesforce is a really valuable business growth tool on its own. As your business gets bigger, it becomes almost impossible to keep up with leads and sales without some kind of CRM.
But Salesforce becomes even more powerful when you integrate it with other systems. While a large part of the data you hold about your customers is in Salesforce, it’s likely that you hold other data outside the system. That’s where integration comes in.
Salesforce data integration can:
1. Help you make sure the data you use is always accurate
If you don’t integrate Salesforce with other systems, especially your ERP, you’ll inevitably end up sharing data informally. This could mean via phone calls and emails on an ad-hoc basis, or it could mean via a regularly updated spreadsheet. But however you do it, when humans share data, they make human errors. There’s really no way around that – integration means automated, real-time sharing and complete accuracy.
2. Save you money on training
If people in your business need to learn to use more than one system, you’ll need to pay to train people in more than one system. Integration means that very few people will need to know how to use both Salesforce and another system, as they’ll be able to access all the data they need in Salesforce.
3. Build trust
If your data isn’t integrated and mistakes inevitably creep in, then mistrust and blame can quickly build up between teams. When data is shared, the mistakes don’t happen and teams work better together.
4. Plan for the future with confidence
Forecasting and decision-making depend on having good, reliable data. When you integrate Salesforce with other systems, you have that data.
Salesforce has become an essential for most businesses. And with it, so has Salesforce data integration. If you want to make the most of Salesforce, integrate it. There are a lot of tools that can help you do it!
