[Tips] Choose the Right Integrations for Your Business

One of the best things about a cloud-based point of sale (POS) system is the open API capability. This means you can choose add-ons (partner integrations) to create a completely customized system. 

Is customer loyalty a huge priority for your business? Find a loyalty partner who offers everything you need and then some. Is online ordering a major part of your income stream? Thankfully there’s an abundance of online ordering partnerships that all bring a little something different to the table (or should we say doorstep?) so you can find the best fit. 

Guiding questions for identifying the right integrations

While it’s great to have choices, deciding on the right integrations can be overwhelming. Whether you’re at the beginning of a partner search or you’ve narrowed it down to just a few contenders, here are five questions to ask yourself when shopping for a third party integration for your point of sale. 

•  Does the integration align with your goals?

Make sure a prospective partner’s offering leads you to your goal rather than distracting from it. For instance, if a great customer experience is your main aim, does the integration improve the experience by making someone’s time in your establishment easier, more fun, or more memorable? Or does it leave room for potential frustrations, like a clunky user interface, a potentially longer ordering process, or superfluous steps for your customer? 

•  Would the partnership simplify your life? 

Integrations should always remove burdens rather than add to them. Partner integrations that require additional hardware, complex training, or a lot of workarounds in order to fit your needs are probably not the best fit. 

The right integration shouldn’t require you to multitask in order to manage it, either. In fact, an ideal integration will completely own, manage, or automate a part of your business so you no longer have to dedicate time and focus to its operational details. If you aren’t comfortable delegating that process to the integration, that’s a sign it’s not a match. 

•  Does the integration offer extraordinary customer support?

Even when the shoe fits just perfectly, there’s always a chance of a hiccup. Make sure your future integration offers cohesive, relevant, and easy-to-access help. Whether this means you’re working with the customer support team for your POS or reaching out to the integration partner’s own support team, make sure they have renowned customer support. You want to know they will help you get back on your feet no matter what may arise. 

•  Is the partnership worth the overall investment? 

Figuring out if the initial investment for a partner integration is in the budget is step one. After that, look into the long-term costs of the integration. This means monthly or yearly recurring service costs, any update costs, training costs, and the cost of additional resources. 

Will this integration require its own human resource to make sure it functions smoothly? If so, is it worth the cost? Make sure that the integration value far outweighs the resources necessary to install and maintain it. 

• Is the partner a best-in-class option?

There are tons of integrations you can choose from — including loyalty, accounting, workforce management, printing, and payment processing, to name a few. As if that isn’t overwhelming enough, there are tons of integration options within each category! However, some integrations are widely heralded as best-in-class solutions.

Help finding the right integrations

Still overwhelmed by your options for the right integrations? Not to worry! Some POS providers work with strategic integration partners to help pair their clients with the best integrations in the market. For information on Revel’s integration partners, check out our partners page.