No native integration does not necessarily mean two business tools cannot exchange data. A custom connection may use APIs, webhooks, scheduled file imports, or—in suitable cases—automation of an authorized interface. The right choice depends on access, reliability, and the workflow you need.
Start by describing the handoff, not by choosing the technology: which record changes, what must happen in the other system, and how quickly?
Inspect the available interfaces
Check each product's current API, webhook, export, import, and account-permission options. Feature access can depend on the subscription or account configuration, so confirm the actual environment rather than relying on a marketing integration list.
An API can support structured requests. A webhook can notify the receiving system about changes. A scheduled file exchange may be sufficient for a nightly update. An interface-driven automation can be more sensitive to layout and session changes and needs suitable access and maintenance expectations.
Define one source of truth per field
Choose which system owns each field. If both applications can change the same customer address, define conflict handling before enabling two-way synchronization. Otherwise, one update can overwrite another or create a loop.
An illustrative connection could treat the CRM as the owner of company details while the billing system owns payment status. The integration copies agreed fields rather than treating either entire record as universally authoritative.
Use stable cross-system IDs. Names and email addresses can change; a persistent mapping makes updates safer and easier to investigate.
Design around timing and limits
Decide whether immediate updates are necessary or whether a scheduled batch works. Account for rate limits, temporary outages, and events arriving more than once.
For example, HTTP 429 responses indicate rate limiting. A connection needs a documented response to that condition rather than retrying aggressively or dropping the operation.
Keep a durable record of pending work and a way to reconcile destination state against the source. Webhook delivery alone is not proof that every downstream field is correct.
Treat access as part of the handover
Use access scoped to the job, protect credentials, and document who owns the connection. Avoid making a business-critical integration depend on an employee's personal account without a continuity plan.
Decide how credentials are rotated and what happens when permissions change. Staff should know where to check the connection's status and whom to contact when it fails.
Test the uncomfortable cases
Include duplicate events, deleted records, a destination outage, changed field values, revoked access, and conflicting updates. Confirm that recovery does not create duplicate invoices, customers, or tasks.
The output of discovery should be a clear integration contract and a bounded first workflow. Our API integration service can assess the available connection methods. Share the two tools and the handoff you currently perform manually to scope the work.
