Data integration allows businesses to share crucial information between different systems in real time, such as between a CRM and an ERP. With data integration, businesses know that they’re working from reliable, accurate, trustworthy data. This is crucial, because data supports business planning, growth and success is numerous ways.
Let’s look in detail at why data integration is so important.
It helps you connect and respond to your customers
Data integration means that everyone in your business can see everything they need to know about your customers, whenever they want, within seconds. Without data integration, staff can’t easily access data if it’s on a system they don’t usually use. They’ll then need to ask others for help, or rely on data that’s been copied manually between systems and might be unreliable as a result.
Being able to access accurate data quickly means being able to respond to questions quickly and with confidence. If you can see a customer’s full history at the click of a button, you’ll find it much easier to build trusting, enduring customer relationships.
It improves internal relationships
As well as making sure that your team can connect better with your customers, data integration helps your team connect better with each other. If you are relying on manual copying of data, the inevitable mistakes can quickly lead to mistrust. If a team member needs to ask someone elsewhere in the business for help and gets an answer (even if given in good faith) that is wrong and leads to embarrassment, that damages internal relationships.
Integration means that everyone in the business can see the same information, at the same time. This makes it easier to solve problems and create ideas together.
It saves you time and money
Errors that happen due to manual data copying cost money and time to put right and can lose your business by damaging your reputation. And there’s another cost: the time taken to do the manual copying can also be significant, meaning you need to either employ extra staff to do it, or take others away from their core jobs, costing you time and talent.
It allows you to plan strategically
To make a plan for the future and make better decisions, you need to have access to reliable data. The integration allows you to see what’s going on across your business. It helps you see seasonal changes in sales, for example, or analyze how well you respond to complaints. You can spot trends, recognize deficiencies and plan accordingly.
It aids growth
Data integration helps you grow partly because it helps you work more strategically. It also helps encourage proactivity and open, trusting business culture by developing those all-important relationships. It helps you build and maintain your reputation effectively by allowing to respond to customers quickly and anticipate their needs more easily. All these things are vital to long-term growth and sustainable business success.
