Exploring Overlooked Aspects of Building Integrations & Partnerships: Considerations for Use Cases and Scalability

In this episode of Between Product and Partnerships, Swetha Kolli, Head of Integrations Engineering and Technical Services at Bolt, shares her insights on building and scaling technology partnerships and integrations in the SaaS ecosystem. Swetha discusses key challenges, best practices, and emerging trends in the integration landscape.

Key Highlights:

Challenges in Technology Partnerships

• The importance of understanding use case discovery to align integrations with customer needs.
• Common issues such as legacy systems, inflexible architectures, and complex data mapping that can hinder successful integrations.

Best Practices for Partnership Success

• Clearly defining long-term goals for partnerships while aligning them with market dynamics.
• Leveraging cross-functional teams (e.g., sales, customer success) to gather valuable insights into customer pain points and trends.
• Assigning dedicated resources for managing both partner relationships and technical integration efforts.
• Simplifying the partner onboarding process to enhance engagement and developer experience.

Emerging Technology in Partnerships

• The rise of partner ecosystem management platforms like Crossbeam and Pronto, which streamline workflows, improve account mapping, and enhance go-to-market strategies.
• The growing need for tools that centralize contract tracking, integration progress, technical documentation, and marketing assets.

Vetting Partners for Integrations

• Weighing factors like speed-to-market and whether a feature is core to the business when deciding between building in-house or partnering externally.
• Red flags include outdated systems, high maintenance costs, or difficulty in aligning data models.

Making a Case for Integrations

• Swetha advises focusing on scalability—how integration work can be reused across multiple partners—and presenting clear use cases with revenue forecasts to gain buy-in from technical teams.

Swetha also reflects on how post-pandemic market dynamics have increased the demand for seamless integrations and faster go-to-market solutions. Her practical advice provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of technology partnerships while driving scalability and efficiency.

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This podcast is hosted by Pandium, the only embedded integration platform that facilitates faster code-first development of integrations, allowing B2B SaaS companies to launch integrations at scale without sacrificing customization and control.

Learn more about Pandium here: https://www.pandium.com/

To access more resources and content on technology partnerships, integrations, and APIs, check out our blog and resources page below.

Blog: https://www.pandium.com/blog

Resources on Technology Partnerships, Integrations, and APIs: https://www.pandium.com/ebooks