Integration

A connection between two apps so data moves from one to the other automatically, instead of someone copying it across by hand.

For example, when a deal is marked won in the CRM, an integration can create the client in the accounts software and the project in the project tool. Without it, someone on the team types the same client name, fee and dates into three places.

Why it matters to your firm: the hours a people business loses are mostly in the gaps between apps, not inside them. Each integration closes a gap and gives the person who used to do the copying their time back. Start with an ops audit to find which gaps cost the most.