The First Three Connections I Build for Almost Every Business
TLDR
You do not need to integrate everything. Start with three connections. When a deal closes, create the work automatically. When work changes, update the customer record. When invoices move, update your visibility. These three connect customers, work, and money. That is where clarity comes from.
When most people think about "systems integration" they picture something massive.
A big project. A big budget. A big mess.
That is not how it should work.
The goal is not to integrate everything.
The goal is to connect the few things that immediately remove friction and reveal the truth.
If your business tools are disconnected, these are the first three connections I build for almost every business.
Connection one: closed deal becomes real work
Sales closes a deal.
Then what happens?
In a lot of businesses, nothing happens automatically.
Someone has to remember to create a project. Someone has to remember to start onboarding. Someone has to remember to notify the team.
That is how work slips through the cracks.
So the first connection is simple.
When a deal becomes a customer, create the work automatically.
Create the project Assign an owner Generate a kickoff checklist Notify the team
This one change removes a ton of chaos.
It also makes your pipeline real, because it turns promises into actions.
Connection two: work updates the customer record
Most businesses have no reliable way to answer this question.
How are our customers doing right now?
Not last month. Not at the end of the quarter. Right now.
The reason is simple.
The work is happening in one place and the customer record is somewhere else.
So people end up making decisions with incomplete context.
This is the second connection I build.
When work changes, update the customer record automatically.
Project status updates Delivery milestones Support activity Onboarding progress
When that information flows back into the customer record, you stop flying blind.
You know who is healthy.
You know who is at risk.
And you know who needs attention before it becomes a problem.
Connection three: invoices and payments update visibility
Money is where the truth eventually shows up.
But if your billing system is disconnected from your customer and work systems, your visibility is delayed.
You do not see issues until the end of the month.
You do not notice overdue accounts until they are very overdue.
You do not know which customers are profitable without a manual analysis.
So the third connection is this.
When invoices are created or paid, update your visibility automatically.
Invoice created updates customer status Invoice paid updates account health Overdue invoices trigger alerts Revenue dashboards refresh without manual work
This is where the guessing stops.
Because the numbers match.
Why these three first?
Because they connect the three things that matter most.
Customers Work Money
When those are connected, everything becomes easier.
Reporting stops being a project.
Accountability becomes clear.
Your team stops wasting time.
And your business starts feeling lighter.
The payoff
These connections do not just save time.
They change how you operate.
Instead of reacting, you can see problems early.
Instead of rebuilding reports, you can trust what you are looking at.
Instead of spending money on more tools, you can get more value from what you already use.
How Fossys helps
Fossys builds these connections using open source integration tools.
We start by connecting what you already have so your business runs on one version of reality.
Then, if it makes sense, we help you migrate away from expensive tools and into open source alternatives on your timeline.
If you want to stop guessing and start knowing, let's talk.