In the world of technology there are a great number of terms which actually describe something very simple indeed, and API is one of them. API stands for application programming interface and it is basically the piece of code which enables apps to exist and to communicate with one another. For example when you open the Weather app on your iPhone, that information is not coming from Apple, but rather from a centralized weather system, which uses an API to deliver that information to you.
Integration API services help businesses to deliver API solutions for their applications and for the software which their business offers to the customer. There are many reasons as to why this is so critical to business, and here are just some of the reasons why APIs are critical to the success of so many companies.
Giving the Customer The Best Solutions
Ultimately the use of an API is about giving the customer the very best solution when it comes to the functionality of the site or dashboard which you offer them. Take for example a website such as SkyScanner, this is a company which relies on APIs to deliver the very best and most up to date information for its clients. Without these the site would not be able to find you the lowest airfares or the cheapest hotels. The inclusion of APIs, in this case those hotels and those airlines communicating with the SkyScanner setup, gives a far greater user experience for customers of SkyScanner.
Real Time Reporting
Much like SkyScanner shows us, and much like so many news sources deliver, APIs are utilized to give us up to the minute and real time reporting, far quicker than we could do though any human interaction. Let’s take for example the Netflix Twitter widget, this is an API which instantly updates whenever a new show is released on Netflix and that happens far more quickly than any other approach which we could have, such as the manual updating by a human, it is also able to be repeated more quickly and at better times.
Customer Simplicity
By far and away one of the best examples of how an API is able to work to deliver for customers are those which offer simplicity and the ease of use that the PayPal widget can. Whenever you make a purchase and you have the option to simply click on the PayPal icon and be taken to your own profile and account, this is an API. Of course what happens here is that there is no longer a need for you to enter card numbers, there is no need for you to sign into your account, the entire process takes a matter of seconds. This is exactly why APIs exist, so that you can make the life of the customer much easier and encourage them to take more action.
API integration is critical to the success of many business products and through their use customers can have much better experience.
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