4 Reasons Why Apps That Integrate Into Your Workflow Are the Future

We live in a world clouded with hundreds of thousands of apps. In this case, I’m not talking about Instagram or Venmo — I mean B2B cloud software applications.

Consider this example of how specific software has become: Just last week I was served some targeted marketing from a company that specializes in customized email signatures.

This company, Sigstr, has found a way to turn employee emails into an advertising channel. Without getting into too much detail, companies pay Sigstr for its ability to create “ads” based on recent content in order to automate email signatures for employees. Sounds pretty niche, right? Wrong.

As someone who works in software, I am frequently juggling anywhere from 2–10 different cloud software applications on an average day. From Box to Salesforce, to my Gmail, I find myself constantly logging into different portals to find what I need. And I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

Just yesterday, I took a quick inventory of all SaaS applications my team at Reflektive uses and it came out to a total of 18 different services. While many of these cloud computing services offer integrations with each other, there is a staggering amount that lacks them.

Reflektive, for example, integrates with both my Slack and my Gmail (among other integrations) — making my feedback experience with both of those applications seamless and streamlined. But for the applications that do not offer integrations, I find myself forgetting where to find them, or worse — forgetting about them all together.

Can’t find it, don't use it

The adoption rate is a huge success metric when determining the quality of a SaaS application and low adoption rates are directly tied to the usability and functionality of a tool.

In 2019, The SaaS technology industry is projected to bring in $201 billion in annual revenue

If users have to visit a separate portal, log in, and spend minutes searching for information — they are not likely to adopt and engage with the application.

While my team uses about 18 SaaS applications on a daily/weekly basis, data shows that the average SMB organization has about 14 different cloud app subscriptions.

When apps offer integrations, those integrations can serve as a reminder about the app, which can aid in engagement and frequency of use.

Without these integrations, apps can fall victim to getting lost in the sea with all of the others and ultimately, if none of your employees are using and engaging with a tool, then decision-makers are unlikely to renew the software’s license.

Staying within your workflow increases productivity

Productivity is where integrations pack the biggest punch. If executed right, integrations keep your application top-of-mind by living within an employee’s existing workflow. Plug-ins and Chrome extensions are great examples of solutions to keep your application top of mind for users — while also staying out of the way of their normal operations.

One way the people management software company, Reflektive, takes advantage of the convenience of plug-ins is by allowing users to give real-time feedback within their native Gmail or Outlook applications. With a few simple clicks, employees are able to say thanks or give constructive feedback to their peers or managers — all without leaving their browser or web page.

Without the convenience of the plug-in, users would need to open a separate tab, type in the web address and spend time logging in from there.

There’s a reason why Single Sign-On (SSO) software is so lucrative

Login times have proven to be a huge waste of money when added up throughout the course of a year. Though it’s surprising, the minutes wasted everyday logging in can be detrimental to daily productivity and an organization’s bottom line. In fact, the average size SMB company stands to lose almost $15,000 per year on login time alone.

By cutting down on login times and time wasted finding the right application, integrations allow users to spend time on more productive tasks that add value to their organizations.

Integrations enable customization

Cloud software aims to provide companies with solutions to fix a business or organizational problem. This is why one of the biggest benefits of app integration is the ability to provide an organization with more control over their software and data.

Plug-ins and extensions make software easy to scale as companies grow. By being flexible, integrations can help retain existing customers as they expand and add more employees.

Not all software combinations benefit from integrations, but by providing the opportunity and option, apps empower their customers.

Silicon Valley practically churns out a new software company every day

I found 9 companies who sell email signature software on a quick Google search alone (side note: WTF?). In a world where we have companies dedicated to things as mundane as email signatures, all of these things are important to keep in mind when designing SaaS applications that you want to stand out of the crowd.

It’s clear that even in niche markets, companies have a surprising amount of choice when prospecting cloud software options, which is why integrations will become increasingly important as competition thickens in the coming years.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by + 382,862 people.

Subscribe to receive our top stories here.