Bitrix24 integration via Zapier

Modern online business is successful only if there is a relation between the IT products used. The set of such programs is completely different for each case depending on business goals and objectives. There are simply no universal platforms that enable to combine all possible software together, although some products do have many of the necessary functions. Difficult or even impossible issues often arise when it comes to direct integration but most of them can be solved using Zapier. 

API usage and potential difficulties

Our company Avivi is engaged in the worldwide implementation of business tools, giving preference to the Bitrix24 toolbox. This product is rapidly gaining popularity, offering a reasonable price for end-users and extensive opportunities for integrators to interact with other software and custom development. Open APIs allow using ready-made integrations or creating new ones, however, on one condition: the described and available interaction methods should also be in the integrated software. And here the most unpredictable begins. 

Various services cannot integrate with Bitrix24 for many reasons. This is especially common in custom products which users have developed for themselves. Given our long-term experience, this occurs in 27% of cases of customer requests and is due to the following reasons:

●      The creation of APIs is not provided from the very beginning according to the terms of reference;

●      APIs are partially implemented for certain needs, which is not enough for a full integration with Bitrix24;

●      APIs are created with errors.

In most cases, this issue is solved on the client-side by developing the necessary methods. However, this entails additional costs, which can sometimes be more expensive than a Bitrix24 subscription or drag out for an indefinite period of time. In the rarest cases, it is impossible to create APIs at all and it is easier to switch to a new platform than to deal with the old one. Nevertheless, this is not a reason to make drastic changes to your business if you still need the integration with Bitrix24. 

Invaluable help from Zapier 

Avivi has resorted to the Zapier service many times and our managers advised customers this option when integrating their platform with Bitrix24 was technically impossible. At its core, Zapier acts as a kind of bridge that mediates between Bitrix24 and the customer's software. This is possible due to the special methods running the service. Simply said, it does not need many APIs, without which Bitrix24 cannot receive or send information. 

You already know that Zapier operates simply and effectively: it determines the conditions in the trigger under which the necessary actions occur. This bundle is called Zap and is the basis of the entire service. Thus, even in the absence of APIs or imperfection of ready-made methods, Zapier enables to create a set of necessary "Zaps" that will provide one-way or two-way data exchange between platforms. 

Practical use 

For clarity, we would like to present one of the latest cases from our client. One of the modern online schools which teaches children the IT basics and trends in the development of accounts in various social networks has chosen Bitrix24 CRM as the most suitable for storing information about students. Data on the students' payment is next in importance after the contact details. The further growth of the school is impossible without the automation of this process:

—       The client program used by the customer is custom-made and has no required set of APIs, but the development of their unique methods is not provided by the company's budget;

—       managers cannot track the payment of each student, without which the organization of the learning process is impossible;

—       in addition to the desired Bitrix24 and the customer's software, there are other programs in the client's business processes that are secondary but also need to be integrated with the CRM.

Since the mission of Avivi is to comprehensively assist entrepreneurs around the world to earn more using modern technologies, it was unacceptable for us to resolve only one issue with APIs for an IT product which only we are interested in.

 But using the Zapier service allows us not only to solve the main issue with the control of payments in Bitrix24 but also any other issue where data exchange is necessary. We used "Zaps" to implement the main part of the technical task: as soon as the student pays for the required training period, Zap automatically informs Bitrix24 CRM and the payment data is recorded in the Contact card until the next billing period. In addition to Bitrix24, this process also involves a payment system, a platform for creating Wix websites where the first customer's website is hosted, and a similar Tilda platform where the second website is hosted. A third service would easily fit in here on hiseweyr.com where our client planned to place his offers, and all this is due to the unified integration of all of the above with Zapier. Bitrix24 only needs this general integration. 

Conclusions

Avivi has seen many IT projects that promise a good profits to their owners at the level of ideas and public benefit but do not meet the APIs requirements for integration with Bitrix24. The Zapier service solves the vast majority of possible issues with maximum efficiency and minimal risk for all interested parties. And what could be better for a modern business of any scale and sphere?