Webopedia defines the term API Integration by first defining what an API is within computer programming.
An application programming interface (API) is a “set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications … it specifies how software components should interact.”
In simpler terms, think of API as a means of shipping messages to and from an application.
To further break this down, say you’re a payment processing business. You want to utilize another web-based service, like IRIS CRM, for improving business operations, sales, and customer support.
In order to do so, you’ll need to incorporate data captured from your business’ service. This is information is stored in a backend database. When integrated with IRIS CRM, it can be made applicable to tracking your leads captured and merchants boarded over time.
IRIS CRM open API provides the functions needed for integrating your system’s data into our web service. In doing so, you’ll be able to apply our suite of tools and features to the specific use cases of your business.
Using IRIS CRM’s API Integration
The most popular API across web-based services is commonly referred to as the REST API. In fact, 70% of public APIs are REST APIs. In this case, the word ‘public’ refers to a company that has made functions specific to their software available to any computer programmer looking to integrate them into their own technology.
REST APIs typically involve the following:
- A web-based API application
- Remote servers
- Specific data requests
- Returned data/functions.
In the case of IRIS CRM, our API is designed around this type of REST API.
To tie it all together, think of IRIS CRM as the web-based API application and your company’s remote servers as storing all of your service’s data. When the two are integrated through our open API, they can start to talk to one another.
This connection allows IRIS CRM and your business’ backend functionality to perform a joint function. The joint function, in this case, involves updating your CRM lead and merchant data.
Why Should You Use IRIS CRM’s Open API?
A CRM is valuable in the sense that it allows you to provide structure around the data you’ve gathered from customers. Once organized and tracked, you can use it to gain insights into various aspects of your business and improve processes over time.
IRIS CRM helps businesses in the payment processing industry improve not only their sales, but their back end operations, customer support, and overall profitability. Integrate with our open API and you can use our lead API to manage leads with pre-populated merchant agreements and automatic sales cycle notifications.
From a lead to a sale, integrated merchant data then gives you access to residual income reporting and profitability metrics. You can also build up your customer support teams with merchant tracking capabilities that help them identify flight risks and merchants that have not settled a batch within customizable time frames.
Put your data to work for your business and watch it grow. To learn more about integrating with IRIS CRM’s open API, contact our team today!