A lot of SaaS companies start off with integrations to others. Some, like me, prefer to not integrate at all. But the reality is that your SaaS will eventually start to integrate with other systems. It’s inevitable.
I’m a guy that’s not formal at all. It’s a hassle putting up a face, going to meetings working out proposals, passing documentation and so on. Those are the things I hate. I’m the guy wearing a shirt and shorts in a meeting. I don’t really care much for formalities, dressing up for the part nor do I like spending hours in a meeting.
I can wing it though and just suck it up to do those things but there is one thing that’s the hardest for me to swallow. In most cases when it comes to partnerships and integrations, you are relying on the other party to do their job as well as you do. That part is the hardest part for me to accept.
That’s why I’m creating this short list of tips from what I’ve learned the past years from doing partnerships. (Don’t worry, it’s a short read. I don’t write 10k word articles anymore.)
Thing 1: You have to accept that you cannot control everything and look at the benefits of the partnership
The earlier you accept this, the faster you’ll progress. Partnerships already take a ton of time, especially with bigger corporations, so the earlier you tell yourself to push through, then that’s less time to be able to get to the finish line. Focus on the benefits of the partnership. You both will benefit, so there’s also incentive for them to do their best and mat dedication.
Thing 2: Setting up a good process and contact point person is vital
Probably the most important thing ever. You will need to get the other side to dedicate a specific contact person for you. This will help you go direct, lessen the number of people to talk to and lessen gate keepers. Just go straight to the person that can help you and get things done. That’s it.
Thing 3: Test, test and test. Keep testing
Things will fail. It’s guaranteed to happen. Something will just all of a sudden break and users will go ape shit. So do not neglect the power of testing. You need to test before you release and you need to continue testing even after you release. Put up some automated tests and notifications so quickly warn your side if there’s something not working.
Thing 4: Documentation is key
We only partner with those with clear and precise documentations. It doesn’t matter if their documentation is ugly as heck, sometimes, it’s much better because you know a Dev made it so it’s just form over function LOL.
Thing 5: Communicate new partnerships to your users
Lastly, your users will need to know about these integrations. Tell them about it. Not only will they use it, they will let you know what can be improved. You can also claim that it’s still beta and that will save you a ton of time as it will deflect the feedback from users that like to go batshit crazy when something doesn’t work for them.
Drop me a DM and say Hi. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.