3rd Party Software Integration
The majority of the projects we work on have some kind of 3rd Party software integration. Integrations with other software are often done without a lot of custom programming, it becomes an ideal choice when you want to add custom functionality to your website but don’t want to build the solution from scratch.
Our Process
Assessment
Before we begin, it’s essential to understand the pains we are trying to solve as well as the expected gains you are trying to achieve. The first step in this process is to learn as much as we can about the needs of our clients.
Discovery
Here we need to prove that the solution will indeed perform as we intend. Think about how a carpenter will “rough-in” something to make sure it fits. We do the same thing, make sure it works before fully committing, we meet again to review.
Design & Development
Designers will evaluate what parts of the solution are customizable and how we can fit this with our client’s brand. The development team fully hooks up the solution and makes sure it is thoroughly tested and will be bug-free when it goes live.
Delivery & Support
It’s important to us that our clients feel supported when they launch new features. That’s why we fix any issues found up to 30 days after your website goes live. Most of our clients that have interactive websites also work with us to support their website.
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
Which payment gateways do you have experience with?
The agency you are partnered with must know how to integrate with payment gateways securely and properly. Personal Identifiable Information (PII) should be protected, and PCI best practices should be followed. Here is a list of specific payment gateways that we have experience with:- Braintree - Stripe - Worldpay - Square - Authorize.net - Elevon - PayPal & Payflow Pro - FirstData - USAePay
How do I choose which type of integration I need?
Typically, we see this go one of two ways. Firstly, you are already working with a solution, and you know that it needs to be implemented, like a Hubspot form. The other, a decision hasn’t been made, and you are looking for help. Here are some common types of integrations.
The first method is through APIs, think of an API as a way for two computers to talk to each other directly. It can be a web browser communicating with a remote service, or one application talking to another application behind the scenes.
A webhook is a type of callback from one service to another, usually triggered by some event. When that event occurs, the source site makes an HTTP request to the URL configured for the webhook.
A bot or widget is typically some JavaScript code that you can easily add to any page.
How do I know if I need a custom integration?
We prefer you to contact us and discuss it. It’s a lot easier to start working with an agency to arrive at these decisions collaboratively. At our agency, we perform research on your options and put together the pros and cons of multiple options. Based on the features and your needs, we provide a recommendation that demonstrates the benefit as well as the tradeoffs (there are always tradeoffs).
What if a 3rd party solution isn’t available for what I’m looking for?
Sometimes the tradeoffs of using an existing solution are just too much, and you might decide not to use it. That’s ok, depending on how important the functionality is to your business, you might consider having the specific solution you are looking for custom-built for you. With custom web development, you own the solution vs. lease it. Usually, the upfront costs are higher, but you have the full ability to customize it.