You know you should automate more. But where do you start? What actually makes a difference?
After building hundreds of integrations for small businesses, we've seen which ones consistently save the most time and eliminate the most frustration.
Here are the ten most valuable API integrations we build—what they do, why they matter, and how much time they typically save.
1. Calendar + CRM: Never Manually Log a Meeting Again
What It Does
When you have a meeting with a client or prospect, the meeting details automatically appear in their CRM record. Who you met with, when, and (optionally) notes from your calendar event.
Works in reverse too—when you create a meeting in your CRM, it goes to your calendar automatically.
Why It Matters
You're already documenting meetings by putting them on your calendar. This integration means you don't have to document them again in your CRM.
Your contact history stays complete without you manually updating it. When you look at a client's record, you see the full timeline of interactions.
Time Saved
If you have 10 client meetings a week and spend 2 minutes logging each one, that's 20 minutes weekly. About 17 hours per year.
Tools We Connect
Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly + HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Monday.com, or any CRM with an API.
2. Contact Form + CRM + Email: Instant Lead Response
What It Does
Someone fills out your website contact form. Three things happen automatically:
- They're added to your CRM as a new lead
- They immediately receive a "thanks, we'll be in touch" confirmation email
- You get a notification with their information
Why It Matters
Fast response time matters for converting leads. Automated confirmation feels professional and reassures people that you received their inquiry.
No more manually copying form submissions into your CRM or wondering if you followed up with everyone.
Time Saved
5 minutes per inquiry (reading the form, adding to CRM, sending confirmation). If you get 20 inquiries per month, that's 100 minutes monthly, or 20 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Any form tool (Google Forms, Typeform, JotForm, Gravity Forms, WordPress forms) + any CRM + any email system.
3. Invoice System + Accounting Software: No More Double Entry
What It Does
When you create an invoice in your invoicing tool, it automatically creates the corresponding entry in your accounting software. When the invoice is paid, the payment is recorded in both places.
Why It Matters
You're already creating invoices. This means you don't have to manually enter the same information in QuickBooks or Xero.
Your books stay current without duplicate data entry. At tax time, everything is already recorded properly.
Time Saved
3-5 minutes per invoice. If you send 30 invoices per month, that's 90-150 minutes monthly, or 18-30 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Wave, Stripe, PayPal + QuickBooks Desktop/Online, Xero, or other accounting platforms.
4. E-commerce + Inventory + Email: Order Processing Automation
What It Does
When a customer places an order:
- Inventory is updated automatically
- The customer receives an order confirmation with details
- Your fulfillment team gets a notification
- When inventory hits a threshold, you get an alert to reorder
- When the order ships, the customer receives tracking information automatically
Why It Matters
Manual order processing is error-prone and time-consuming. This handles the routine steps so you can focus on fulfillment and customer service.
Customers get immediate updates, which reduces "where's my order?" support requests.
Time Saved
10 minutes per order (updating inventory, sending confirmations, tracking shipments). For 50 orders per month, that's 500 minutes monthly, or 100 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Square + inventory management systems + shipping platforms + email automation.
5. Support Ticket + Team Communication + CRM: Smart Request Routing
What It Does
When a support request comes in:
- It's automatically assigned to the right team member based on the issue type or customer
- That person is notified in Slack or Teams
- The request is logged in the customer's CRM record
- The customer receives an automatic acknowledgment
- When resolved, the customer gets a follow-up email
Why It Matters
Nothing falls through the cracks. The right person handles each request without you manually routing everything.
Response times improve because people are notified immediately instead of checking a queue periodically.
Time Saved
5 minutes per ticket (reading, routing, logging, acknowledging). For 40 tickets per month, that's 200 minutes monthly, or 40 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Zendesk, Help Scout, Intercom, Freshdesk + Slack, Microsoft Teams + any CRM.
6. Email + Task Management: Turn Emails Into Tasks Automatically
What It Does
Emails that meet certain criteria (from specific people, with specific keywords, forwarded to a special address) automatically become tasks in your project management system.
You can also set rules: emails from clients create tasks assigned to you, emails from vendors create tasks in a "vendor management" project, etc.
Why It Matters
Important emails don't get lost in your inbox. Action items get captured in your task system where you actually manage your work.
No more using your inbox as a to-do list.
Time Saved
2 minutes per task (reading email, creating task, copying details). If you create 30 tasks from emails monthly, that's 60 minutes monthly, or 12 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Gmail, Outlook + Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday.com, Todoist, or any task management tool.
7. Payment Received + Thank You + Receipt + CRM Update
What It Does
When a client pays an invoice or makes a purchase:
- They immediately receive a thank you email and receipt
- Their CRM record is updated (marked as paid, next steps triggered)
- You receive a notification
- Accounting software is updated
- If it's a recurring client, the next invoice is scheduled or the next phase begins
Why It Matters
Getting paid should trigger the next steps in your process automatically. Clients get immediate confirmation. Your records stay current without manual updates.
Time Saved
5 minutes per payment (sending receipt, updating CRM, logging payment). For 25 payments monthly, that's 125 minutes monthly, or 25 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Stripe, PayPal, Square, QuickBooks Payments + any CRM + accounting software + email.
8. New Blog Post + Social Media + Email List
What It Does
When you publish a new blog post:
- It's automatically shared to your social media accounts (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)
- A summary goes to your email subscribers
- It's added to your content calendar or tracking sheet
You can customize the message for each platform, or use templates that auto-generate from the post title and excerpt.
Why It Matters
You create content once, but distribution takes time. This handles the repetitive sharing so your content gets seen without you manually posting to five different places.
Time Saved
10-15 minutes per post (crafting social posts, scheduling, emailing). If you publish 4 posts monthly, that's 40-60 minutes monthly, or 8-12 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
WordPress, Medium, Substack + Buffer, Hootsuite, Twitter API, LinkedIn API + Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or other email platforms.
9. Appointment Scheduled + Reminder Sequence + Post-Meeting Follow-Up
What It Does
When someone books an appointment:
- They immediately receive a confirmation with meeting details
- 24 hours before: reminder email with Zoom link and what to prepare
- 1 hour before: quick reminder notification
- After the meeting: automatic follow-up email with next steps or a feedback request
Why It Matters
Reminder emails reduce no-shows dramatically. Post-meeting follow-ups keep momentum going without you remembering to send them.
Every appointment gets the same professional treatment automatically.
Time Saved
5 minutes per appointment (sending confirmation, reminders, follow-up). For 20 appointments monthly, that's 100 minutes monthly, or 20 hours yearly.
Plus: fewer no-shows save even more time.
Tools We Connect
Calendly, Acuity, Google Calendar, Outlook + email automation platforms + Zoom, Google Meet.
10. Spreadsheet + Database + Dashboard: Automated Reporting
What It Does
Data from multiple sources (CRM, accounting, analytics, sales platforms) automatically flows into a central spreadsheet or database. Reports and dashboards update automatically.
You can receive a weekly summary email with key metrics, or have a live dashboard that's always current.
Why It Matters
You make better decisions with current data. Pulling reports manually means they're often outdated by the time you look at them.
Automated reporting means you always know your key numbers without spending time generating reports.
Time Saved
30-60 minutes per report. If you generate weekly reports, that's 2-4 hours monthly, or 24-48 hours yearly.
Tools We Connect
Google Sheets, Airtable, Excel + any data source (CRM, analytics, e-commerce platforms, accounting software) + Data Studio, Tableau, or custom dashboards.
The Bigger Picture: Compounding Time Savings
Notice that most of these integrations save 10-30 hours per year individually. That doesn't sound life-changing.
But businesses typically benefit from multiple integrations. If you implement just five of these, you're saving 50-150 hours per year. That's 1-3 hours every single week, forever.
That's time you can spend:
- Serving more clients
- Developing new offerings
- Marketing and business development
- Actually taking time off
Which Ones Matter Most?
The best integrations to start with are the ones that eliminate your most repetitive tasks.
Ask yourself:
- What do I do multiple times per week that's the same every time?
- What data do I copy from one system to another regularly?
- What emails do I send that follow a template?
- What reports do I generate manually?
Those are your best candidates. Pick one. Automate it. Feel the relief. Then move on to the next.
Ready to stop doing the same tasks over and over? Book a quick call. Tell us which of these resonates most with your business, and we'll show you exactly how the integration would work for you.