Customer Success Story:
Wrike’s embedded Unito Integration Helped Boost Sales and Retain Customers
Integrations have become a basic function that users of work management tools don’t just expect - they need and demand. According to Profitwell¹, products with at least one integration have 10-15% higher retention, a figure that can make a huge difference in revenue, but more so for apps or tools with millions of regular users. This is great news for tools that already offer embedded integration, but for those that don’t, the question then becomes whether and how much to invest in developing an in-house integration solution, no easy feat.
26,000
Wrike Sync Users
1,800
Wrike Accounts
+35%
Net Retention
Getting on the Wrike Track
When it comes to embedded integrations, there are a host of options depending on desired core functionality, budget, features, preferences, ease of use and so on. While the Wrike team began with the launch of an iPaaS, they also recognized the need to support customers who wanted point solutions that they could roll out on their own. In particular, there was high demand for integrations with software development tools such as GitHub, GitLab, or Jira.
The Wrike team began exploring options for bidirectional syncing between their product and other tools, but it didn’t make sense to build it themselves. The time and costs involved would outweigh the potential gains, particularly when there were already established solutions on the market, such as Unito. And so a partnership began in 2016 with the launch of an embedded version of Unito’s platform called: Wrike Sync.
And unlike other embedded integration systems, Unito’s offering doesn’t require years of planning or time to ramp up, hefty platform fees, and does far more than provide simple one-way triggers.
"Rather than divide the time of Wrike engineers between building integrations and other projects, the partnership with Unito enabled us to focus entirely on our core product offering. We were able to decide which integrations we wanted from Unito's portfolio, allowing us to curate our platform to the needs of Wrike users."
- Alexey Zhezherov, Director of Product Management, Wrike
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50+ Integrations |
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Real-Time 2-Way Sync |
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Simplified Pricing Structure* * No license fees, professional services, etc. |
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Enter: An Extensible Embedded Integration
As an inherently collaborative platform, Wrike was drawn to Unito by its promise to deliver users an even smoother, seamless collaboration between different tools with real-time 2-way syncing. With the launch of Wrike Sync, users could sync tasks with work items in other popular apps and tools in real-time without ever leaving the Wrike interface.
The initial launch covered core use cases for Jira, GitHub, and GitLab, then as demand grew the catalog expanded. This embedded integration solution eventually enabled customers to sync Wrike tasks with work in a host of other tools from Unito’s portfolio, including: Bitbucket, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Airtable, and Azure DevOps. Since the Unito platform is easily extensible, Wrike decided to add even more apps and tools in 2022, including: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, and Miro.
Why 2-Way Sync?
When it comes to delivering projects on-time (and budget) it helps to find the most efficient processes available. There are far better ways for project managers, tech leads, or engineers to spend their day than having to manually review tasks in Wrike and another tool, or copy paste updates between them. When teams find themselves in such a position, they often end up weighing the value of one tool versus another, preferring to keep everyone in a single interface to avoid building a tool silo.
But in compromising on tool selection, teams can suffer a loss of productivity. Software development teams for example, appreciate operating in tools that are close to their code, rather than work management software. But stakeholders aren’t always familiar with the ins and outs of GitHub, GitLab, or Jira. Wrike Sync saved everyone the hassle of switching tools through live 2-way syncing between tasks and other work items. It was then customized according to Wrike's strategic needs, including:
A Diverse Portfolio
Wrike was able to pick and choose which tools from Unito’s portfolio to include with Wrike Sync.
Integration Customization
Each integration was packaged for users according to Wrike’s preferences.
Single, Simplified Billing
Users only received a single invoice from Wrike for a simplified billing process.
In-Depth Training
Unito trained Wrike support staff to help users ramp up faster and more efficiently.
“Enabling customers to benefit from accessible integrations meant they stayed in the product longer, saved time that would otherwise be spent jumping in and out of other tools, and generally made better use of the time spent in Wrike, thanks to Unito.”
- Alexey Zhezherov, Director of Product Management, Wrike
An immediate impact on retention
Over time more and more Wrike users discovered the power of 2-way syncing between tasks and other work items. The number of users taking advantage of Wrike Sync grew from 6,000 at the end of 2020 to nearly 26,000 licenses in January 2023. Over time, the Wrike team was able to determine that Unito's embedded integration led directly to a +35% increase in net retention.
Establishing an ideal support structure
Unito went beyond supplying Wrike with an embedded integration; they also trained sales reps in the platform, including best practices and use cases to share with users. Both teams were in constant communication to answer user questions and specify issues, while the Wrike team got up to speed. Together they developed an optimal support process if and when questions arose as the number of onboarding Wrike Sync users grew exponentially. Teams from all departments benefitted from greater efficiency, alignment, collaboration and visibility.
“Having this new integration available for the reps enabled the Wrike team to upsell and close larger deals with plans that could do more for the average user. The average deal size for sales reps went up and they gained the potential to cross-sell existing customers.”
- Nicholas Marr, Regional Vice President, Enterprise Sales
1 P. Campbell, ‘Integration Benchmarks’, Profitwell, https://www.profitwell.com/integration-benchmarks (accessed 15 February, 2023)