CHALLENGES
- Siloed data across spreadsheets, databases, and SFTP
- Time spent linking large datasets for predictive modeling
- Reliance on IT for every new integration
SOLUTION
- A real-time, unified view of all parcel, revenue, finance and ERP data
- Flexible data transformations with quick onboarding
- Replaced SFTP and manual Excel processes with end-to-end pipelines
RESULTS
- Empowered Salesforce team to self-serve their own data pipelines
- Turned a weekly half-million-row transfer into a fully automated job
Integrations Used
Share This Story
Unlocking Efficiency: How DPD UK Automated Salesforce Data Integration
Salesforce teams encounter immense challenges when managing data integration between business systems and Salesforce. They face constant pressure to connect more systems, move faster, and give decision-makers instant access to trusted, real-time data. I’ve experienced how difficult that can be and what it takes to overcome.
I’m Head of Central Platforms at DPD UK, and I lead a team of Salesforce Admins and Developers responsible for the third-party platforms that power our business. We keep those platforms running while building new, scalable solutions on top of them. DPD is proud to be the UK’s leading parcel delivery company.
A fractured, Manual Data Landscape Offered Limited Insights
Technology is critical in helping us deliver exceptional service, and data sits at the heart of that mission. For a long time, however, our internal data landscape lagged behind our vision. Information was fragmented, stored across spreadsheets, scattered across databases, and moved between systems via SFTP and other manual processes. Trying to get a real-time, unified view of the business was painful.
Because combining data sets took great effort, team members spent much of their week manually extracting data, manipulating it in Excel, and loading it into other systems. It wasn’t an efficient use of anyone’s time.
One of our biggest issues was linking parcel data with revenue data to identify early signs that a customer might reduce their parcel volume or spend. We needed to combine these data sets to build predictive models, but the volume was too much to handle manually.
A Fresh Platform that Unifies Data Sets
When we found the data pipeline platform Integrate.io, it was an easy decision to implement. It’s a great product with several benefits:
-
Simple and intuitive interface
-
Robust, out-of-the-box connections
-
Ability to load data into Salesforce
-
Flexible data transformations
-
Quick and easy onboarding
-
Ongoing, top-quality support
The goal was to unify our data flows and automate the manual processes holding us back. Integrate.io automates data pipelines between the platforms, enabling workflows, automations, and, most importantly, a real-time single source of truth for all our data.
We now use Integrate.io to connect key platforms like Salesforce, finance systems, and our ERP. It empowers our Salesforce team to move data into Salesforce and offers the flexibility to handle new use cases as they emerge, all without having to wait or rely on our colleagues in IT. Instead of juggling disconnected data sets, we operate from one unified view, leading to quick and better-informed management decisions.
The Impact of Automation
The addition of smooth, fast data transfers has dramatically impacted our team’s workflow. Before Integrate.io, we often received requests to move large volumes of data, which quickly became a complex, time-consuming job. Now, those same requests are quick and painless. Our answer is always, “Yes, tell us what you need, and we’ll make it happen.”
The ability to easily merge data from multiple platforms is a big deal, so the integrations with Salesforce and Google BigQuery have been especially powerful. Everything’s drag and drop, so we can build a connection and get data flowing between systems in minutes.
We used to manually move half a million rows from our finance systems into Salesforce every week. Now it’s fully automated. Zero spreadsheets, zero wasted time. Our Salesforce team can now fully automate Salesforce data integration by building pipelines to prep and load data themselves. They don’t need IT anymore, and they love it.
“Our Salesforce team can now fully automate Salesforce data integration by building pipelines to prep and load data themselves. They don’t need IT anymore, and they love it."
The benefits of using Integrate.io were clear from the start. I’m no longer losing team members to repetitive manual tasks, so they have more time for strategic efforts that add value to the business. When they arrive in the morning, the data they need is already there. It's clean, current, and ready to go.
Robust Data Flows Support AI Initiatives
Apart from being intuitive and saving us time, Integrate.io is reliable. We have complete faith in the platform’s ability to deliver data where we need it, when we need it. Their support team is easy to work with, and they give us exactly the kind of vendor partnership you want when your business depends on data.
“Apart from being intuitive and saving us time, Integrate.io is reliable. We have complete faith in the platform’s ability to deliver data where we need it, when we need it.”
The present (and the future) is all about data, and Integrate.io is an important part of that journey. As AI becomes increasingly central to our business, we need a reliable, automated way to share large volumes of data between platforms. Integrate.io gives us the confidence that our pipelines can scale to support that shift. It has helped us lay the groundwork so we can explore ways to use AI for smarter logistics, route optimization, and more personalized customer communication. We're now a more data-driven company, and are ready to take advantage of the AI revolution as it marches ahead.
“The future, for us, is all about data, and Integrate.io is an important part of that journey.”
If you are looking for data pipelines for Ops & Analysts, get a demo of our true low-code platform that offers fixed-fee pricing with unlimited usage.