By Artem Korsakov ·
In short: The cost of an integration depends on the direction of exchange, the set of data and error handling. Sending a lead to a CRM, updating the catalog from the accounting system and two-way order handling differ noticeably in scope. The article contains an illustrative hourly calculation and a list of what to prepare for a concrete estimate.
The cost of integrating a website with a CRM depends on the direction of exchange, the set of data and error handling. Whether a ready-made connector exists affects it less than it seems. One and the same wording can mean sending a lead, updating products or reconciling several versions of an order. That is why a price without a description of the direction of exchange is hard to use for comparison.
A market figure cannot be mechanically applied to your project. First the boundaries need to be established. trike_dev’s current offer should be checked in the solution packages: the numbers below serve only as an illustrative calculation and are neither a rate nor an estimate.
Three tasks with different scopes
Passing an inquiry from the website to a CRM is often limited to creating a record with agreed fields. Which fields to pass is covered in the article “Website leads in a CRM”. Updating the catalog from the accounting system adds product matching, price changes and handling of deleted items. Two-way order handling requires defining where the contents can be changed and who is responsible for the final state. When changes require decisions by several people, the article on approving requests will be useful.
In a hypothetical shop, stock levels come to the website from the accounting system, and orders are sent back. The question “can this product be bought” depends on the update frequency and reservations. If these rules are not agreed, a technically successful transmission does not protect the business from accepting an order for a product that is not available. An example for a flower shop is covered in a separate article.
What a completed illustrative calculation looks like
Suppose a contractor uses an estimated rate of 2,000 ₽ (Russian rubles) per hour:
- analysis of one process: 6 hours;
- setting up a ready-made exchange: 12 hours;
- testing exceptions: 8 hours;
- launch and documenting the work: 4 hours.
That gives 30 hours and 60,000 ₽. This is a made-up example of how a calculation is structured; it does not estimate any specific system.
If you then add two-way order changes for a hypothetical 20 hours and cleaning up the source data for 10, at the same rate that comes to another 60,000 ₽. The comparison shows why the same word “integration” does not mean the same scope. Actual timelines, rate and scope are determined after studying your systems.
A ready-made connector has limits too
Clarify which versions and plans the connector supports, who pays for the license and which fields it passes. A ready-made solution can significantly reduce the work if its model matches the process. Building a workaround is sometimes harder than revisiting the requirement itself.
Having an API, that is, a provided way of exchanging data, does not yet prove that every operation is available. The contractor needs current documentation, test data and the ability to test. An estimate based on the name of a popular CRM without studying the product being connected leaves too many assumptions.
Where additional work arises
Matching reference lists often requires the business’s involvement. The same item may have different names and units of measure. The developer should not guess on their own whether a new row refers to an existing product. Disputed records need a responsible person and a correction rule.
Old data and historical documents create separate work. Passing new requests and migrating several years of history differ in preparation and testing. If old records are not needed for the current process, their migration can be estimated separately and decided on independently.
To compare proposals, ask for the same demonstration of the result:
- a new item appeared;
- a price changed;
- an order arrived;
- a retry did not multiply records.
If one contractor estimates only normal transmission and another includes error control, their figures relate to different results. Clarifying these differences is more useful than haggling over a general line item without testable conditions.
Estimate the work after launch
Systems change, licenses expire, access is revoked. You need to understand who will notice that the exchange has stopped and how quickly they will restore it. Recurring costs may include subscriptions, hosting and support. They cannot automatically be considered included in one-off development.
Ask to be shown how an error is handled on a test record. If retransmission is needed, check that there are no duplicates. Before agreeing on the budget, it helps to prepare one normal example, one retry and one conflicting record. With such a set, an integration can be discussed concretely, separating the mandatory process from extensions.
Частые вопросы ### Can an integration be estimated by the name of the CRM?
No. The contractor needs current documentation, test data and the ability to test. Having an API does not yet prove that every required operation is available.