The small business software landscape has seen exponential growth in recent years, and with the backdrop of the global pandemic, the shift to the cloud has only accelerated. Based on Intuit® research, small businesses, on average, use four or more apps to run their business. At the heart of it, as Clayton Christensen and his co-authors said, “people hire products to get jobs done.”
For small businesses, getting the right apps help automate jobs and simplify workflows save business owners time and effort. So far so good, but harnessing the full value of the tools you use requires that you have them connected.
At QuickBooks®, we have always believed in the power of a connected ecosystem. Customers who integrate apps they use with QuickBooks helps them save time, work smart, and be more efficient. Automatically and accurately managing data to stay in sync between the tools they use not only unlocks productivity, but also increases confidence. In addition, customers who connect the tools are stickier – or will use them longer because connected systems just work better.
A recent survey of new users suggests more than 36% already use tools that integrate with QuickBooks. While many customers use multiple apps, it is not always the case that customers actually connect the tools they use. Why? Some of the top reasons we have heard include the following:
- Lack of awareness: Small business owners don’t know the tools that they use integrate with QuickBooks.
- Lack of understanding of benefit: The fact that their tools will work better for them when connected is not always apparent.
- Lack of trust: There is a fear of the integration messing up their books.
Connected systems save time, effort, and money for our mutual customers, and since solution discovery happens inside and outside the QuickBooks marketplace, amplifying integration benefits is essential.
Here are three things to consider:
- Ensure your QuickBooks integration is top quality. A sub-par integration runs the risk of doing more damage than good to the customers’ data. Follow up with your customers who have the QuickBooks integration turned on to ensure it’s delivering on the promise of no work and complete confidence.
- Be proactive with your new customers about amplifying the benefits of QuickBooks integration. If accounting integration is not already woven into your first-time use flows, look for ways to surface it in-product as an action within the first few days of customer onboarding.
- Invest in articulating the benefits, and consider creating additional content that walks through how your tool works with QuickBooks. The benefits of an accounting integration may not always be apparent to all your customers.
Our customers will benefit from the power of integrations and by unlocking a connected ecosystem. By working together, we can help our mutual customers grow, scale, and thrive.