You may have heard the term “API” used in relation to software development, but what exactly is an API? An API stands for Application Programming Interface. In simple terms, an API is a set of rules that determine how two pieces of software will interact with each other.
An API can be used to create integrations between two pieces of software, or to allow third-party developers to build features for your software. For example, the Facebook API enables Developers to build applications that interact with Facebook data (such as posts, comments, and profiles) and perform actions on behalf of users (such as posting a status update or liking a page).
If you’re a CMO or responsible for marketing at your company, you may be wondering how an API can benefit your business. Here are three ways:
1. An API Can Help You Increase Sales and Revenue
If you have an eCommerce business, you can use an API to connect your shopping cart to a product fulfillment provider such as Shipstation. This enables orders placed on your website to be automatically sent to Shipstation for fulfillment, which can save you time and money. Additionally, using an integration like this can help reduce shipping errors and improve customer satisfaction.
2. An API Can Help You Automate Marketing Tasks
If you’re using a CRM such as Salesforce or Hubspot, you can use an API to connect it to your email marketing platform such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact. This enables you to automatically add new contacts from your CRM into your email marketing platform so that they can receive your newsletters, product updates, etc. This automation can save you time and improve the efficiency of your marketing efforts.
3. An API Can Help You Improve Customer Service
If you use a ticketing system such as Zendesk or Freshdesk, you can use an API to connect it to your live chat platform such as Intercom or Drift. This will enable your customer service team to provide quicker responses to customer inquiries by chatting with them in real-time rather than making them wait for an email response.
Bottom Line
As you can see, APIs can provide a variety of benefits for businesses in different industries. If you think your business could benefit from using an API, visit altairdata.com to speak to a specialist today. Altair specializes in API development and integration to bring you the freshest data at the click of a button. Here at Altair, we will be able to assess your needs and develop a custom solution that meets your specific business requirements.