4 Ways to Lower the Cost of Your Infor Syteline and Non-Infor CRM Integration

Infor Syteline and Infor CRM integration is free in the cloud, but it is an extra charge for on-premises customers. If you aren’t using Infor CRM and want to integrate, you must use another tool. This blog explores the integration of Infor Syteline with a non-Infor CRM and offers our top four recommendations for lowering the costs on that integration.  

Phase Your Implementation 

Breaking down the integration process into manageable phases not only helps budget management, but also minimizes the risk of large-scale failures.  

Consider starting with a one-way integration.  Move sales order, assets, invoices, products and pricing from Syteline to your CRM for opportunity management and quoting.   

In a subsequent phase, move won quotes with customer and contact information from the CRM to Syteline.  In the future, common integrations can include shipping information, inventory, or repair data.  

This step-by-step approach allows you to allocate resources more efficiently and tackle any issues that arise in the early stages, preventing costly corrections later.  

Note that the duration of a phased implementation depends on the complexity of the integration and the specific requirements of the business. It can range from a few months to over a year. 

Use Integration Framework 

An integration framework serves as an intermediary layer that connects different software applications, facilitating communication and data exchange between them. Infor offers an integration layer called ION. Although ION is free for cloud customers, the cost of building the integration can be excessive.    

Alternative iPaaS solutions like Zapier or StarfishETL can provide a lower cost solution.   

iPaaS solutions simplify the integration process and provide flexibility to adapt to changing APIs. This not only accelerates the integration timeline, but also lowers the costs associated with custom development and maintenance. 

Train IT Teams to Help 

Relying solely on external consultants for integration tasks can be expensive. Training your internal IT teams on the integration platform is a cost-effective alternative.  

With proper training, your IT staff can handle routine integration tasks, troubleshoot issues, and make necessary adjustments without needing to hire external consultants for every minor issue.  

Investing in mentoring programs and certification courses for your IT team can pay off in the long run by reducing dependency on external resources and ensuring smoother integration processes. 

Minimize the Data Integration Points 

Integrating only essential data points that provide the most value to your operations can save you time and money. Excessive data integration can lead to errors, synchronization issues, and increased complexity.  

Minimizing the integration points has another added benefit: less transaction volume. If large volumes of data are being synced between Syteline and the CRM, and multiple users are making changes, the integration may struggle to keep up, causing syncing delays. Being selective about integration points helps avoid those concerns.  

Only integrate data when you have to.  If it rarely changes, consider batch vs real-time syncing.   

Conclusion 

Lowering the cost of integrating Infor Syteline and a non-Infor CRM is achievable with the right strategies. By phasing your implementation, using an integration framework, training your IT teams, and minimizing data integration points you can reduce integration costs effectively.  

StarfishETL’s easy-to-use platform makes managing your Syteline and CRM integration simple and affordable. We offer developer mentoring and cost structures that fit your budget. If you’d like help with an Infor Syteline integration project, reach out at sales@starfishetl.com to request a free consultation.