Infusionsoft Software API Overall Grade: B-

API means Application Programming Interface. Essentially it’s a “language” that lets two computers talk to each other.

Let’s say you have some custom system that you use to run your business. If your system could talk to Infusionsoft, but systems could work together to help your business run more efficiently.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, here is a list of ways you can use the Infusionsoft API (from Joe Manna of Infusionsoft). If you have questions about what you might do, please leave a comment below.

For now, I’m going to give you my review of the API. Here are the good things about it:

• It lets you solve a lot of problems that otherwise couldn’t be solved.
• It’s reliable. Once coded and setup, it works well.
• It give you a decent set of functions to query the available database tables and retrieve and update information.

But there are also some things that are incomplete or don’t work as well:

• It uses XMLRPC which is an older web services protocol. It works, but can be harder to use.
• There is a lot of data which you would like to get that isn’t accessible via the API.
  • For example, email statistics are available via the reporting interface, but not the API.
  • Infusionsoft is understandably protective of some data — Double Optins for example. If users could double optin via the API, that’s asking for abuse.
  • Still, for the most part, I think users should be able to retrieve their data.
• The API does not always seem to be a priority for Infusionsoft.  Additional functionality is promised, but then never happens. There are clear gaps in functionality that need to be addressed.
• Support for the API has declined lately. I think there has been some turnover and some key API knowledge left the company.

There is a PHP SDK that can help get a PHP programmer started. And, there are several websites that at least offer some documentation.

Overall, the API has a lot of possibility, but spotty implementation. I’m glad it’s there, but it could also be so much better!

Clarke Bishop Infusionsoft API, Infusionsoft, Review

John recently left me a question asking:

What is API? I just signed up with InfusionSoft and I’m pretty annoyed at their support. I put a ticket in on Wednesday – to fix a ticket they did not fix earlier in the week – and 48 hours have passed and I have not heard a thing. I am not at all happy with them.

API stands for Application Programing Interface. That helped a lot didn’t it!

An API is a way for two different computer programs to communicate with each other. Sometimes you want to do this to integrate two systems and have them work together. Or, you might use an API to extend a system and add new capabilities.

If you want some examples,  Joe Manna posted his ideas on ways to use the Infusionsoft API on the Infusionsoft blog.

Clarke Bishop Infusionsoft API, Infusionsoft