Software is increasingly easy to create. And with the advent of AI, it'll only get easier to take a software concept from a far-off idea to a fully functioning product in no time at all.

This isn't a bad thing by any means, but with so many tools to choose from, it can leave the way we work pretty fragmented. Using one tool for one task, one tool for another—then working with another team that uses another for their specific workflows—can turn into a project management nightmare.

Enter Akiflow, an app that consolidates all your tasks that pile up across different tools and adds time blocks to your calendar for each one. That way, you can make time for your most important tasks without losing track of them.

To create such a powerful, cross-platform productivity tool, Akiflow relies on their Zapier integration to allow their customers to connect to the thousands of tools.

Leveraging Zapier to stand out in a competitive marketplace

For Akiflow to work, users need to connect it to the tools they already use. Akiflow could've built up their own direct integration library, but that's slow, expensive, and time-consuming.

The alternative? Akiflow leaned on Zapier to give their customers direct, reliable access to over 6,000 integrations—virtually guaranteeing they can connect Akiflow to all their tools.

One integration with 6,000+ possibilities

There are a lot of productivity tools out there, and in that crowded market, it's hard to stand out. Akiflow differentiated their platform with the ability to connect all your tools to one universal hub. To do that, Akiflow needed to give their users access to as many integrations as possible. 

By prioritizing a Zapier integration early on, they delivered on that promise of a centralized inbox to boost productivity so users could connect tools and route their tasks all into one place.

"The Zapier integration was one of our pioneer integrations, setting a solid foundation for Akiflow in a highly competitive market," says Bernardelli.

Creating templates to help users with discovery

One of the trickiest things about getting started with automation is figuring out exactly what to automate. This is an important step in the process since the Akiflow team saw a direct correlation between the number of integrations a customer had and the likelihood they'd retain that customer.

To get customers over the hump and discover their first use case, the Akiflow team built out a long list Zap templates for workflows they knew were popular with their users. That way, their customers could learn by example and get their Akiflow integrations up and running right away.

Reaping the rewards of their hard work

The Akiflow team experienced some pretty obvious benefits from partnering with Zapier. A more powerful user experience, a more flexible product, and plenty of new customers, to name a few. But they've also experienced some of the perks of being a Zapier integration partner as they've continued to grow.

By maintaining a healthy Zapier integration and promoting it to their customers, Akiflow takes advantage of every aspect of being a Zapier partner—providing added value for their users, and benefitting from co-marketing efforts that get their tool in front of more people.

Differentiate your product with Zapier

By opening up Zapier's library of integrations to their users, Akiflow delivered on their promise of creating a universal inbox. Akiflow has given their customers added value by integrating with Zapier, while also enjoying some of the growth benefits themselves.

"We wouldn't exist without the Zapier integration," says Bernardelli.