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Integrations are an essential part of many digital platforms today. Customers expect your product to work seamlessly with the other tools they already use. But while it's tempting to say yes to every integration request, doing so without a clear business case can lead to long-term problems.
Before you commit to building a new integration into your product's core, here are some key considerations that help prevent underused, costly, or problematic decisions.
The first question to ask: how many of your current or potential customers are actually using the software you're being asked to integrate with?
Just because one or two customers request an integration doesn't mean it’s worth implementing. Analyze how many of your users will realistically benefit from it. Consider creating a short survey or reviewing usage data to confirm demand.
Key point: The more widespread the use of the third-party tool among your customers, the stronger the case for integration.
It’s easy to focus on the technical complexity of an integration, but the decision needs to be grounded in business value. Will this integration generate more revenue? Will it help retain valuable customers? Or is it something nice to have, with low impact?
Ask yourself:
If the answer is unclear, take time to build a clear business case before moving forward.
Many integrations seem simple at first but become expensive to maintain. APIs change. Platforms evolve. Support tickets pile up when things break.
This is especially critical if the integration is built into your core product. You’re committing not just to the build, but also to every update, fix, and potential rebuild over time.
One of the biggest risks is building something that ends up with very few users. This happens when the initial excitement or pressure from a few customers overrides a proper evaluation.
Underused integrations still need to be maintained. But when customer usage drops or never takes off those resources become a sunk cost.
What’s at stake:
A strong business case helps you avoid this trap by balancing short-term wins against long-term sustainability.
Integrations should align with your product strategy, not distract from it. If an integration request doesn't fit your long-term vision, it's worth saying no or offering a workaround instead.
Sometimes, the right answer isn’t to build a full native integration, but to allow customers to connect tools themselves (e.g. using tools like Zapier) or augment your core product by adding custom integrations using Triggre. This way, you can support flexibility without locking yourself into high maintenance work.
Every integration introduces new data flows. That means new risks.
If you're passing customer data to a third-party system, you need to ensure that privacy policies, security standards, and compliance rules are met, especially when working with AI-powered tools or platforms that process sensitive data.
This ties into your broader data governance strategy. You can explore more about this topic in this blog on ensuring data privacy when integrating AI tools.
Before green-lighting an integration request, make sure you can answer these questions:
If you can't confidently answer these, it might be better to hold off or explore a more flexible, lower-maintenance solution.
Integrations can add a lot of value, but they also come with hidden costs. By treating every request as a business decision, and not just a technical one, you reduce the risk of building features that don’t pay off. The rule of thumb is: build only when there’s a clear case.
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