Cleverly following on from Low Code/No Code? Part 1, in this second post I’ll give an overview of just some of the features and benefits that Vtiger CRM’s VTAP has to offer.
VTAP (short for Vtiger Application Platform) provides tools and runtime capabilities for developers and/or reasonably technical users1 to extend their CRM functionality for requirements such as business system integration, complex business logic for automation, or UI customisation.
Business Integration:
Most businesses require some level of integration between disparate applications within their infrastructure. Fortunately today most business applications offer some kind of API that permits connectivity, usually machine-to-machine, and bi-directional data transfer.
VTAP has a tool in its armoury called API Designer and, just as it says, this lets the CRM user design and develop custom APIs to communicate with third-party systems that support a RESTful API. It also allows development of incoming webhook endpoints so that a third-party system can communicate with Vtiger when an important event occurs on that system.
Complex or Custom Business Logic for Automation:
No two businesses are the same and many companies we have had experience with have unique and sometimes, what seemed to us, rather odd requirements. Every CRM on the market that is worth using has some kind of Workflow system for automating routine tasks like sending emails when a Quote is accepted by the customer, or alerting senior staff when a SLA is likely to be breached without intervention. This is all well and good and usually works just fine when the requirements are sort of normal… But sometimes the requirement isn’t normal and just can’t really be modelled or processed by a relatively simple set of triggers, condition checks and actions.
With VTAP and Process Designer, users can create complex, multi-decision, multi-path and multi-action processes triggered by some event occurring in the CRM. Process Designer offers a graphical flowchart type interface that requires no coding knowledge to use.
Even more complex or “bespoke” customisations can be achieved using the VTAP Module Designer. using HTML, CSS and Javascript, runtime customisations and complex business logic decision making can be added to the CRM.
Another tool in VTAP is called Server Scripts and Jobs. Even more customised actions and automated decision making can be achieved by writing a Server Script or a Server Job. As the name implies, there are “server-side” tools that enable a developer to perform complex tasks either triggered by a Workflow or Process Designer configuration (a Server Script), or as a background task on a schedule such as once per week for example (a Server Job).
UI Customisation:
Every CRM has a standard set of pages and screens that display information in a fairly rigid structure that can only be altered in fairly simple ways. With VTAP however, the Layout Designer lets CRM administrators create completely custom layouts to display the data required in the way it is needed for the users with no coding required.
Further UI customisations such as adding custom buttons or displaying data from third-party systems (but not necessarily copied into the CRM) in a popup window can be achieved with some coding knowledge using the App and Module Designer tools.
Summary:
Hopefully this post has given the reader an insight into some of the features and benefits that Vtiger’s VTAP can bring to your CRM. In the final part of this series, cunningly called Part 3, I will give some examples of real solutions we have built using VTAP.
- Anyone who can read the comprehensive documentation and has a little knowledge can develop complex enhancements to their CRM using VTAP given time and inclination. Alternatively contact a partner like Libertus for assistance in achieving your business goals. Some of the features of VTAP however, need no real coding experience or knowledge at all. ↩︎