What do Netflix, Instagram, and Spotify have in common? They’re all household names that use Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to manage their businesses. While APIs may not be on your radar yet, this technology can help you run your business in ways you never imagined! To show you how, let’s explore the 7 API benefits for your business and the lessons you can learn from each company’s approach to using APIs to create long-term success.
#1. Easy to integrate into your code
A great API should integrate seamlessly into your codebase. The API itself should be easy to use and shouldn’t take a lot of time to learn, which makes it more likely for developers to actually use it. It’s much easier to integrate an existing API with pre-existing code than having to rewrite large chunks of code from scratch. You can hire API developers to make use of this benefit and develop a great API.
Rewriting code is risky since there’s no guarantee that you can get it right on the first try. Also, depending on how big your project is, rewriting may cost you even more money as there will be many other things involved in integrating such as fixing bugs in third-party services or custom workflows when you want to integrate services together.
#2. Allows for more mobile and in-app integration
Building on top of existing platforms is a great way to leverage what’s already out there, and an API can help do just that. As long as you understand your user base, building on top of a platform can not only enhance your experience but also make it more efficient by combining services into one simple, easy-to-use option.
By utilizing third-party applications and services to streamline your business processes and practices, you’ll give your users something they want while saving yourself time in the process. Companies like Uber and Airbnb have become huge names by focusing on one thing: efficiency. If you want to follow their lead (and why wouldn’t you?), using an API is a smart way to accomplish your goals.
#3. API automates your business processes
Since an API acts as a middleman between two or more platforms, it can take care of several of your business’s day-to-day functions. With an API, you can automate some aspects of content management, marketing, customer relations, and more. By using an API to create a process for each function in your business, you make your business more efficient and able to provide better service.
A great example of how an application programming interface (API) works is Google Analytics’ JSON Interface Reporting option. Using JSON allows advertisers to set up automation based on rules they create within their own platforms—allowing them to optimize their ads according to criteria they select themselves without ever having to leave Facebook or Twitter.
#4. API improves customer services
To benefit your customers, offer a great user experience by integrating an API into your website. Allow online customers to interact with your brand via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter—and be sure to put customer service at top priority.
A good way to do so is by integrating an SMS chat system into your website as well. Using text messaging for customer service gives you a direct line of communication to customers; it’s a real-time solution for answering questions and responding to issues quickly and effectively, which can positively impact consumer loyalty and retention rates overall. As mentioned before, people have short attention spans these days—so make sure you’re ready for questions 24/7!
#5. API improves the marketing process
Once you have an API, it becomes easier to manage your marketing team and automate processes in general. You can also store data easily and make it available to multiple platforms. The value of being able to share data across systems is hard to overstate, as you save time by not having to replicate work and effort. And access to relevant, fresh data makes it much easier for companies to tailor their offerings, so customers keep coming back for more. A
n API could also help with organization—with a single portal, marketers have easy access to company policies (such as email guidelines), top-line performance figures, insight into goals, and all sorts of other information.
#6. API provides better customer support
While a human customer service representative may be able to solve an issue when a customer has a problem, it’s difficult for them to truly personalize their support. An API can give customers access to tailored and up-to-date information as well as help them find answers to common questions. Since every business is different, having access to a centralized location for finding answers ensures no customer is left out or receives bad service. Keeping your customers happy is one of the best ways to build brand loyalty, and we all know how important brand loyalty is in today’s market.
#7. API reduces business costs
One of the primary benefits of APIs is that they can help your business reduce costs. How? By facilitating a more efficient workflow across a number of your applications and other tools you may be using. For example, you could use an app or another tool to store data in real-time; an API could then pull that data into some other system for processing and analysis.
This means you can free up your employees from spending hours manually entering data since they’ll be able to focus on other areas of their jobs instead. In addition, using an API as part of a workflow ensures information gets where it needs to go when it needs to get there—you don’t have to worry about any delays along the way.
Conclusion
If you’re using existing tech to improve your business, then you should be thinking about how APIS can do the same for you. APIs are quickly becoming an essential part of any modern business, so if you want to stay competitive, you should consider API integration.
While API integration does require a lot more time and effort than using already existing tech, it’s an effective way of streamlining your business and gaining a competitive edge. By investing in API integration for your company, you’ll see a significant return on investment with less money going out on expensive tech support.
But the most significant benefit of API integration is that it allows your business to innovate, helping you stay up with changes in technology and providing a competitive edge against established businesses. Be forward-thinking with your company’s tech by integrating with an API today. A top IT Consulting company can guide you here.
