In the past two years, generative AI and large language models (LLMs) have taken center stage in digital conversations. However, the true return on investment (ROI) for any organization lies not just in adopting these technologies but in seamlessly integrating them into the existing tech stack.
Generally speaking, integrating new and old tech is a challenge for many practitioners, with 31 percent of CX Network members saying this is one of their top three challenges when investing in new CX solutions.
When it comes to generative AI, integration enhances AI agents, aligns with brand guidelines, ensures compliance and leverages existing customer data. As a result, integrations are now more crucial than ever in delivering exceptional customer experiences, driving deeper insights and maximizing generative AI's potential.
Understanding integrations: Purpose and impact
Every software application or platform fundamentally consists of three key layers:
- User interface (UI): The front-end experience that users interact with.
- Business logic: The rules and processes that drive application behavior.
- Data layer: The foundation storing and managing information.
In most organizations, no single tool can address every operational need. This often results in multiple disconnected systems, causing fragmented data, reduced context and a suboptimal customer experience. These disconnected silos make it harder to draw insights from data, they also complicate workflows and lead to missed opportunities for personalization and efficiency.
For platforms in the CX domain, getting integrations right is essential. Effective integrations not only elevate customer satisfaction but also optimize operational costs by streamlining workflows and centralizing data.
When systems communicate seamlessly, customer support agents can access full customer histories in real-time, marketing teams can better segment and personalize campaigns and sales teams can track the entire customer journey effortlessly.
By prioritizing a strategic, well-executed integration framework, businesses can unlock generative AI's full potential, foster innovation and maintain a competitive edge in today's digital landscape.
How to identify and build the right integrations
In today's application-saturated landscape, having a well-defined integration strategy is essential. Without it, the process of deciding which integrations to build can quickly become overwhelming.
As your product gains traction, potential customers will inevitably ask: "Does your product integrate with X?" Over time, these requests will multiply, making it critical to adopt a strategic approach.
This is where the 80/20 rule can become your guiding principle: focus on the top 20 percent of integrations that will drive 80 percent of your impact.
Step 1: Define your integration goals
Before diving into integrations, start by outlining clear goals. Ask yourself: Why do you need these integrations?
Typically, integrations should align with objectives like enhancing product adoption, improving customer satisfaction and driving revenue growth. Consider both short-term wins and long-term strategic positioning.
For instance, if the goal is to improve agent productivity in a contact center, integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) tools might be prioritized. If the goal is to enhance self-service capabilities, integrations with knowledge bases or chatbot platforms may take precedence.
Step 2: Identify key categories and use cases
Determine which integration categories are most relevant to your product. Identify the primary use cases within each category that can deliver the highest value. These categories should complement your core product and provide tangible benefits to your customers.
Common integration categories include:
- CRM systems: For enhanced customer interactions (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot).
- Communication platforms: To centralize conversations (e.g., WhatsApp, Slack).
- Marketing automation tools: For personalized marketing (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot).
- AI and analytics tools: To derive insights and train models (e.g., Writer, Snowflake).
By mapping integrations to specific use cases, teams can better assess their potential impact.
Step 3: Prioritize based on market potential
Next, list the products within these categories that align with your goals. Evaluate and prioritize them based on key factors such as:
- Revenue potential: Which integrations are likely to unlock the most growth opportunities?
- Customer adoption: Are customers actively seeking these integrations?
- Total addressable market (TAM): What’s the overall market size for these integrations?
- Competitive landscape: What integrations are competitors offering that your product lacks?
A simple prioritization framework like a weighted scoring model can help here. Assign scores to potential integrations based on the above factors and focus on high-impact candidates first.
Step 4: The buy vs. build dilemma
Once you've finalized the list of priority integrations, the next big decision is whether to build these integrations in-house or buy them through third-party solutions. CX Network’s 2025 research into the Global State of CX found 74 percent of practitioners acquire new AI capabilities through third party vendors.
However, if you remain undecided on the best route, here are some factors to guide your decision:
- Strategic importance: How critical is the integration to your product’s success? For high-impact integrations, building in-house is often preferable.
- Integration depth: Do you need deep, bi-directional, real-time integrations, or will simpler, asynchronous connections suffice?
- Market availability: Does a reliable, off-the-shelf solution already exist?
- Scalability: Can the integration framework be easily replicated across multiple platforms in the same category?
- Development effort: What resources and time will be required to build the integration?
- Partner ecosystem: How big is the partner you're integrating with and how does that affect long-term scalability?
The decision should balance immediate resource availability with long-term control and flexibility. While third-party solutions offer speed, custom-built integrations can provide deeper functionality and better performance alignment.
Step 5: Build a scalable integration framework
If you decide to build integrations internally, invest in a reusable, scalable framework. Here’s a simple roadmap:
- Categorize and bucket use cases: Group integrations by category, e.g., CRM integrations like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics.
- Create modular frameworks: Develop generic frameworks that can be easily extended to new applications within the same category.
- Empower external developers: Provide robust APIs, SDKs and documentation to encourage partners, customers and developers to build custom integrations.
Consider adopting a microservices-based architecture for better flexibility and scalability. Microservices allow you to break down integrations into smaller, reusable components, making it easier to maintain, update and expand your integration ecosystem.
The role of monitoring and maintenance
Integrations are not a one-and-done initiative. Continuous monitoring is essential to ensure optimal performance, identify potential issues early and adapt to changes in connected platforms. Implementing observability practices, with dashboards and alerts, can help track integration health, performance and usage trends.
Additionally, establish a feedback loop with end-users and stakeholders. Understanding their evolving needs will guide future integration efforts and ensure ongoing relevance.
Key takeaway: Focus, framework and flexibility
Remember, you don’t need 1,000 integrations to win customers. What truly matters is prioritizing the integrations that drive the most value, building scalable frameworks for future growth and offering flexibility for bespoke needs. By doing so, you not only enhance your product's appeal but also position yourself for long-term success in an increasingly interconnected world.
In the era of generative AI, integrations serve as the connective tissue between data, applications and customer experiences.
A thoughtful, scalable and proactive integration strategy is the foundation for harnessing AI's transformative potential and delivering exceptional value to your customers.
Quick links
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