The problem
In one financial services business, the commercial team worked in a CRM. The financial consultants worked in a separate analytics platform, where they uploaded and analysed client data.
Both systems were needed, but they didn't talk to each other, so data was re-keyed by hand. That was slow, caused mistakes and meant nobody had a single view of a client.
The solution
The answer was a custom two-way sync between the two platforms:
- Field mapping handled the differences in how each system stored its data.
- A regular schedule kept both systems up to date without anyone doing anything.
- Secure APIs and encrypted transfer protected client data, with the sync running inside the company's own infrastructure.
- Testing and refinement came before it went live.
The result
Manual transfers stopped. Both systems held the same, accurate data, and management could see client activity and financial analysis side by side.
Planning your own sync
If this sounds familiar, these questions are worth answering first:
- Which system owns each piece of data? Decide what happens when the same record is changed in both places.
- How fresh does the data need to be? Many businesses don't need instant updates, and a scheduled sync is simpler to run.
- What happens when a sync fails? Someone should be told, and the sync should be able to pick up where it left off.
- How sensitive is the data? Client and financial data needs encrypted transfer and limited access.
Before building anything, check whether a ready-made connector covers your needs. If your systems have custom fields or unusual rules, a custom sync can be the better choice.
This article draws on work by Syed Quadri, SMART5's director, while working at another organisation. It wasn't a SMART5 client project, so the organisation isn't named.