Why is Meetsales API-first? The importance of integrations in enterprise sales
You probably have heard several times about “headless approach”, “API-first software”, and other similar terms. For many, they can be mysterious and hard to understand. However, knowing this technological trend is crucial if you want your business to be innovative and future-proof. The type of system architecture we want to discuss today is also how Meetsales was built, and we will explain why exactly we went in this direction. You will also learn how betting on API-first apps can benefit your brand.
There’s a lot to digest here, so let’s jump right in.
MACH Alliance for modern software development
Before we even showcase how the mentioned concepts can be your company’s best friends, we should start by taking a look at their roots and providing definitions. That wouldn’t be possible without taking the MACH Alliance into consideration. It’s an ecosystem that promotes software solutions with particular characteristics: using microservices and being cloud-native, headless, and API-first. According to the founders of the alliance, their goal is to help companies take advantage of innovative technologies and break the limitations that come with monolithic, less flexible structures. Their manifesto underlines the paradigm shift, where enterprises can release their products and services faster and without a need to trust a single provider with every component.
Their website also comes in handy when wondering about the meaning of MACH’s elements:
- “M: Individual pieces of business functionality that are independently developed, deployed, and managed.
- A: All functionality is exposed through an API.
- C: SaaS that leverages the cloud, beyond storage and hosting, including elastic scaling and automatically updating.
- H: Front-end presentation is decoupled from back-end logic and channel, programming language, and is framework agnostic.”
These definitions might be hard to interpret at first, but they focus on making the software independent, flexible, and modular, which is the major achievement you should act towards. Nothing should be connected too tightly, as brands of today want to let their solutions evolve and change according to the market trends, customer needs, and their own visions. The tweaks have to be introduced quickly if you want to outrun the competition. That’s why SaaS providers should really put their efforts into understanding and implementing these principles. This way they create something truly extraordinary.
We also value possibilities that come with the above-mentioned methods of creating new platforms and systems. That’s why we’ve built Meetsales as an API-first platform.
API-first, headless… What’s the difference?
Many people can’t distinguish API-first apps from headless apps. Not rarely, software solutions are developed using both of these technological advancements, but they are definitely not the same. Based on a LinkedIn article by Anatolii Iakimets: “A commerce solution can be Headless and not API-first. But not vice-versa.” This means that every API-first solution, including Meetsales, is also headless by definition.
Why? Going back to the MACH Alliance website, we can read that headless products have separate front-end and back-end. This means that both layers can be created independently, and then connected using different methods, API included. There are two rules that determine an API-first architecture:
- No restrictions in terms of API connections - meaning that the system can connect with as many APIs as we want in various ways.
- A high number of API coverage - meaning the number of API connections should be as close to 100% as possible.
Considering all that, we can conclude that an API-first architecture is, in fact, headless. It’s not monolithic in the sense that its front-end and back-end are not one, unbreakable block. You can probably guess why it can be beneficial for the business and its customers. We should take a closer look at that.
How API-first solutions can help your business?
First of all, they are excellent for companies that implement and act on their omnichannel strategy. In today’s world, every enterprise that sells to B2B and B2C customers reaches out to them via multiple channels. Creating monolithic solutions to handle each one of them separately is the opposite of efficient and successful omnichannel sales. Not to mention, it takes more time and resources to prepare them. If you want to run a modern business, it’s better to have a platform that will be used to manage multiple channels in a unified way.
API means you can connect every functionality you want to provide with a well-designed, usable front-end prepared with your branding and the exquisite customer experience in mind. Moreover, you can integrate your system with other tools and apps to create a robust internal work environment. That’s how Meetsales operates. Our back-end connects with Microsoft Exchange and Google Workspace to automate the mailing process, and with several sales enablement tools of your choice - including CRMs, ERPs, PIMs, eCommerce platforms, and payment gateways. You get everything in one place, which means your employees can become more productive and efficient.
Products that are built to be API-first offer numerous advantages for business owners, their teams, and customers. They allow you to quickly introduce changes, new features, and updates. It’s especially crucial for all enterprises that operate on software products, for example, their own app. Thanks to API, you can constantly test new ideas and look for the best ones for your stakeholders. Not to mention convenient development and maintenance, where one element can be worked on without disturbing the others.
All the mentioned above benefits have one thing in common. They lower the risk of failure at all stages of production and implementation of a particular system. API-first adds agility and adaptability to the software. No matter if there are rapidly changing market conditions or technical malfunctions, introducing modifications is relatively quick and easy. That prepares entrepreneurs for all scenarios and supports them when they have to react. Nowadays, it’s crucial to work this way - otherwise, you might be eaten by the competition. In the world of business rivalry, brands that deliver high-quality products and services faster usually win.
Meetsales - your API-first sales enablement platform
Many SaaS platforms in the last few years have been betting on API–first architectures while building their solutions. They want to provide reliable, versatile software to their B2B and B2C clients. With us, it was exactly the same. We knew that Meetsales had to be an API-first platform because that’s what our client needs. Entrepreneurs that sell to other companies rely on multiple tools to make sure they achieve their goals. Adding a sales enablement platform to their stack has to be justified, and one of the criteria that influences their decision-making process is the possibility of integrating it with other apps.
As we’ve mentioned before, Meetsales’ strong side is that it can become a part of one environment with a CRM, an eCommerce store, a mailing solution, and a payment gate at the same time. It can also replace many of your currently used tools. However, if you don’t want to revolutionize the internal work system of your sales department, just add Meetsales, connect it with your stack, and let it optimize your employees’ work even more. You might wonder why we’ve picked this direction and how it can be valuable for your business. Here are some thoughts on that.
Why is Meetsales architecture API-first?
Did you know that some companies specialize in creating APIs and these are the products they sell? They simply know that in today’s world, we need connections between highly-specialized, expert solutions. They rather deliver the possibility to conjoin them, than create another app that has to fight with an overwhelming amount of competitors. Although we’ve created our platform as a new, separate solution, we agree with these brands - there are so many proven, appreciated systems, that creating similar functionalities from scratch would be counterproductive.
Our goal with Meetsales was to make remote B2B sales convenient, productive, and user-friendly for both salespeople and customers. We’ve prepared a pioneer video calling module with eCommerce functionalities, including product presentation, shopping cart, and payment processing. It can do a lot on its own, but we know that salespeople rely on their tools to bring them data, increase their efficiency, and help them stay on top of their tasks. We’ve wanted to give them a valuable addition, not the only thing they should use. Unless they want to, of course.
Meetsales’ clients are usually companies with established ways of work that look for new, exciting opportunities to be even better at sales. Most of them come from industries that for decades focused their efforts on an offline, direct sales model. Due to the pandemic and the technological revolution, they had to change their approach. Some of them succeeded at that, but others still look for perfect tools that will help them achieve similar or better results. Of course, some of our customers are also startups that have just begun their sales journey, and we think they should also enter the market with the right arsenal of solutions on board. Going API-first gives them almost unlimited possibilities.
Meetsales is API-first because our clients want to compose it with other solutions they know and love. CRMs, analytics apps, email inboxes, calendars, and more high-quality services can collaborate with each other to help salespeople achieve their spectacular goals. We add even more value to this set.
Try Meetsales today
With our platform, you can bridge the gap between offline sales and eCommerce, elevating remote sales to another level. It’s easier than ever to sell products or services to people from all over the world using the power of video. No matter where your team is and how many people are in it, with Meetsales you get access to a calling platform that allows your employees to build genuine, long-lasting business relationships with customers. It wasn’t possible before when phones were the main sales channel. Now we have multiple video-based apps, but they don’t have additional features that support selling various items. That’s why Meetsales was created - to provide everything that is needed for successful remote sales on an enterprise level.
Our API-first solution will satisfy your needs and requirements, no matter how big your sales department is. We want to be your partners and show you how you can utilize video, automation, and data to power your business. Try Meetsales for free and find out what are its basic features like scheduling meetings in a few clicks, presenting products in real-time, and finalizing transactions during one video call. After you check out our solution, you can upgrade to take advantage of its full potential, including integrations.
What will you gain? Resource optimization, increased productivity, higher motivation among employees, and growing revenue. All you need to do is take the first step. Bet on our product. Sell more and better with Meetsales.
