Your company certainly uses numerous software applications and apps for various processes and tasks. Emails, of course, certainly also an ERP system or similar, perhaps an internal messenger service like Teams or Slack, an accounting tool... There are countless applications that support companies in their daily business. However, this can not only lead to an unmanageable web, but also mean a lot of effort if the same information or data has to be recorded in several tools.

One keyword that comes into play when organizing and optimizing such processes is automation:

Optimize processes, thus saving time and increasing productivity, outsource tedious tasks, perfect customer journeys or let business processes run independently: Automation can do all this - Make in particular. Integro... what?

Make is a so-called iPaaS application that enables applications, apps and process steps to be linked with each other and thus run seamlessly and in the background. This still young technology saves valuable hours every week that can instead be used for value creation. We explain how it works.

What Is Make?

Make is a Czech company that creates efficient data flows to simplify, optimize and integrate business processes. And all this without code. What can you imagine by that? The easiest way to understand it is with an example:

E-mails are received from customers containing important information and file attachments about the current project. Instead of manually opening the email, reading it, downloading the attachments, opening the CRM system and uploading both the content of the email and the files, Make does it all automatically: we link the email program to the CRM system, select a trigger, for example when the word project appears, and the information is automatically exchanged between the applications and uploaded to the right place.

What sounds like a small step has a big impact: Numerous such smaller but also larger and more complex processes take place more and more every day and cost time - even if only a few seconds or minutes. With their automation, such activities are completely eliminated. This means: more time for value-creating tasks, customer communication, sales, project management, development... whatever seems more important.

All this is possible with Make as the platform. Make supports hundreds of cloud applications, such as ActiveCampaign, Outlook, GSuite, Asana, Plutio, Wordpress, Dropbox, Facebook or LinkedIn.

How Does Make Work?

Make is an iPaaS application, short for Integration Platform as a Service. It offers a platform with a visual interface on which integrations of different applications can be mapped easily and without code.

The whole thing works by means of APIs. What are APIs, i.e. programming interfaces? We explain this in detail in this blog post. In simple terms, APIs allow different software and tools to communicate with each other and exchange data and information. But don't worry, Make has simplified these APIs and mapped them in the simple interface via "modules", small icons that stand for different applications and process steps. The process that is then "built" in Make usually looks like this:  

A trigger is set, also called a trigger. In the previous example: an email, for example in Outlook, with the keyword "project". Make scans the corresponding Outlook application at recurring time intervals for exactly this trigger. If this is recognized, the process starts: the email is read and split into customer data, email content and file attachments. Then the CRM system, for example HubSpot, is tapped. This is searched for the relevant customers and the email content plus attachments are stored.

This represents a very simple and short process. Of course, such workflows are also possible for much more complex and multi-step processes. This process, which Make calls "Scenario", runs around the clock once it is switched on and starts as soon as the trigger is detected.

What Terms Do I Need to Know?

Make uses a few terms that come up again and again and can cause confusion at first. But don't worry, there is nothing complicated behind them.

Scenario: As stated above, this is the term for an entire process that is mapped in Make.

Trigger: The trigger of this process, which is predefined.

Modules: A step, an app, devices or services in the process (scenario) that send and receive data and information.

Router: A router separates the process into different paths. With an upstream filter, the process then runs through different paths, depending on the requirements.

Iterator: An iterator module breaks down a group of elements into smaller parts. For example, a table with many columns is divided into the individual columns by this module and these can be used for further processing.

iPaaS: Integration Platform as a Service

How Much Does Make Cost?

Make's pricing is also based on requirements:  

The free version already has a lot to offer and is ideal for getting started. 1000 "operations", i.e. individual process steps, are included and there is no limit to the number of applications. Translated, this means: you can go a long way with it. Your complex process of 15 steps can be automated and thus optimized.  

No matter which package you choose, if you reach your limit, you can add another 10,000 process steps at any time for $9. This is extremely flexible and cost-effective.  

What Are The Advantages of Make?

Technically speaking, these are the advantages of Make:

• Modularity - Make's interface is characterized by a drag-and-drop process that is intuitively assembled. Changing processes at a later date is therefore no problem.
• DSGVO - GDPR Make- European company that attaches great importance to security and data protection. Why this is so important, you can read here.
• Possibilities - you have countless technical possibilities to format data and map complex business processes.
• Data Storage - you can store and reuse results and data for further processes.

But surely you are more interested in your benefit from it:

• The large number of supported apps makes Make attractive for almost all companies of any industry and size. Of course, we support our customers should they wish to switch to another application.
• Time saving: As mentioned in the small example above, the iPaaS application takes over small time wasters in all areas. Administration, sales, marketing, accounting... a few minutes can be saved everywhere. And that adds up to quite a lot.
• Increased productivity: This time saving also results in fewer interruptions to one's own work and more time for tasks that create value. In this way, productivity can be increased across the entire company.  
• Security: As a Czech company, Make is subject to the European Data Protection Regulation and is therefore data protection compliant. We attach particular importance to this, even if this point often receives little attention.

Examples for Make Scenarios

Processes in Make can vary in complexity and scope. A simple, 2-step process can look something like this:

Here, data from our website is generated via a webhook and then sent by e-mail. Simple and still very understandable. But a process can also quickly look like this:

In short, in this example, automated emails are sent according to predefined conditions and times. The router (in 3rd place) splits the process into four branches with an upstream filter. Depending on which criteria the incoming data fulfills, the correct path is selected.

Make Performs Best with Programming Knowledge

Make is perfectly suited to optimize processes and workflows and to increase productivity in general. Although Make has an easy-to-use interface and promises to work without coding skills, we believe that complex and multi-step workflows can only be implemented with experience and programming knowledge. That's why we support you in finding out whether Make is suitable for you and how we can get more out of the processes in your company. We are happy to support you in uncovering potentials, illuminating possibilities and implementing automation.