Today we are finishing our little series of articles about Magento 2 migration. In the last part, we’ll talk about integrations we make to our Magento 2 website and the services we use to improve store performance and provide you, our clients, with a better shopping experience.
Migrating to Magento 2? We are ready to help →
Read previous articles of this series:
- Part 1: Top 8 Problems You Can Face When Migrating to Magento 2 →
- Part 2: Amasty Magento 2 Migration Story: Theme and Extensions →
Note: Please note that our Magento 2 website is still in development.
Zoho integrations
Let’s start with the largest integration project we have. We have 3 integrations with Zoho services: CRM, Desk, SalesIQ. Each of them helps us provide better customer service, manage orders, and answer your questions.
Zoho CRM
Thanks to this integration, we synchronize the changes made in Magento 2 with the information in Zoho CRM. We track the following Magento entities:
- products
- customers
- customer companies
- orders.
For example, if you have placed an order on our website, Magento will recognize these changes and pass this information to Zoho.
To integrate this CRM without affecting our website performance, we’ve developed a microservice using the Symfony framework. This service works as a bridge between Magento 2 and Zoho entities. It communicates with both systems via REST API and additionally manages several routine tasks like:
- data validation
- fields changes
- correct entries in Zoho, etc.
So, here is how this integration works:
- Magento 2 tracks changes in the target entities. If the changes appear (for example, you have placed an order) it passes the data to the microservice.
- Microservice processes this info and validates it. If everything is fine, it passes data further to Zoho CRM.
- Zoho accepts the data and makes the corresponding changes in the CRM.
As a result, this microservice reduces the load on Magento 2 by taking away the routine part of the process and improves the performance of our website.
Zoho Desk
Next, we want to say a few words about integration with Zoho Desk. We use it more for our internal needs, specifically for our support team. For example, our support managers can check what licenses you have via this integration. Also, if you use our support subscription, the managers can check how many days of support period are available for you.
Zoho SalesIQ
The integration with the SalesIQ is visible for users. In simple words, it is our chatbot Amy that you can see visiting our website. It is available in hours when our support managers are offline. Amy can answer the most common questions, help you choose the extension on our website, book a live demo, and so on.
GitLab
Another big and important integration we have is the integration with GitLab. The integration with this service deserves a separate article, so now we’ll cover this topic without digging into details. We use GitLab to generate a module package so you can install it to your Magento via Amasty Composer.
Our composer repository is an analog of Magento composer and is a microservice that helps to integrate Magento 2 instances and package generators. So here is how it works.
Say, you have got our extension, and you want to install it. For this, you need to install the Amasty Composer first and run the command. Composer recognizes this request, checks if you have access to this extension, and, if everything is correct, connects with the package generator.
The package generator in its turn checks what data you have requested and compiles all the necessary code that is stored in GitLab. The generator can not only work with code but also create packages with manuals, licensees, and other info about modules.
When the package is ready, the composer passes it to you, and you can install the module.
Check out the Amasty Composer user guide →
Magento Marketplace
As a Magento vendor, we can not miss the integration with Magento Marketplace. If you add any of our products to the order on Magento Marketplace, we’ll receive the data about extensions you ordered via this integration. We synchronize the information about bought products, so you get access to our composer repository and customer account on our website. As a result, you can get all the services we offer no matter where you made a purchase.
Need a custom integration with a 3rd-party solution? Let us know how we can help you →
Minor integrations
In the end, we want to mention several minor integrations that you can see on our website.
FastSpring
- As one of the payment methods, we offer the FastSpring gateway. This integration may work as the full CMS, but, for our store, we use only checkout features. We also synchronize our products with FastSpring, to avoid issues during the checkout process.
VAT validation
For users from the EU, we’ve implemented VAT validation. With this service, you can enter your Vat ID in the corresponding field in your customer account or on the checkout page, and the program will automatically validate it. If you made a typo, you see the error message. Thus, you will be protected from tax issues.
Learn more about VAT on our website:
- I forgot to fill my VAT ID, and an additional tax was charged. How can I return it?
- How can I pay for an extension without entering my VAT ID?
- What should I do if I get an invalid VAT ID error?
Mailchimp
Finally, we also use Mailchimp in our work. Most of the emails you get from us are sent via this integration. Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss any important news and secret sales. :)
And that’s it. We hope that now you are more familiar with the migration process and have fewer doubts, and if you need a hand, our specialists will be happy to help you out. The first consultation is free!
Stay tuned not to miss new posts!
P.S. Special thanks to Artem Shklyarik for the help with this post.