“Seamless integration” is oversold. Three questions before you sign.

An integration is a project, not a feature. Here is how to find out what you are really buying.

Sebastián Gómez2 min readRelated situation: I need to choose the right technology partner

Your CRM vendor promised “seamless integration with your accounting system.” You believed them. Six months later, nothing talks to nothing, and your team is still copying and pasting.

“Integration” is oversold. Vendors use the word because it sounds simple. It isn’t.

Here is the plain version. An integration is code written so two systems can share information. Every integration is its own small project, with a scope, a cost, a testing plan, and an owner responsible for keeping it working after go-live.

1. Is it already built, or will they build it for you?

Built and supported by the vendor means you are buying a product. Custom means you are funding a small development project on top of your license fee.

2. Which system owns the data when they disagree?

If your CRM has one phone number for a customer and your ERP has another, one of them wins. Somebody has to decide, in writing, before anyone writes code.

3. Who fixes it when it breaks?

Integrations break. Vendors change their APIs. If neither vendor takes ownership, your operations team owns it, and they are not developers. It is common to see a company pay five figures for a “seamless” integration and then pay again every year to keep it running.

An integration is a project, not a feature. Price it and plan it like one.

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