What are Webhooks?

We’re enhancing webhooks capabilities within Jadu Connect. Using webhooks along with the service API means that you have the tools to build light touch real-time, two-way integration between Connect and your other third party tools, without the need to wait for Jadu to build a 'core' integration. 

This post explains a little more about what webhooks are and why it’s beneficial to use them when using Connect.

What are webhooks? 

Webhooks enable your system to ‘talk’ to other systems. Using a webhook is a way to provide third-party systems with real-time data at the point they happen within the application. 

Webhook frameworks enable you to receive and transfer data when it’s available through the specific requests you create. 

Webhooks allow non-technical users to manage integrations and help automate systems, there’s no need to write any code!

What’s the difference between webhooks and APIs?

In a nutshell, they perform requests differently. When using typical APIs, you usually need to request or poll for data frequently to perform ‘near’ real-time requests. Whereas webhooks will make a HTTP request (typically POST), and the receiving system will need to interpret the received data. It should be noted though, sometimes there are complexities when setting up webhooks initially. 

When to use webhooks?

Webhooks enable you to connect easily and quickly to third-party systems, and updates can be sent back to Connect. Think Zapier or Azure Logic Apps, they do exactly that. So, you end up with a light-touch 2-way integration, without having to fully integrate with the other systems. 

There are several circumstances you might want to use webhooks including when; no API exists in a system, the API is poor, or, you want real-time updates quickly, but don’t have enough members of staff to perform tasks! Webhooks enable you to in many cases, automate services. 

But doesn’t Jadu Connect already use webhooks?

Yes, using Jadu Connect you can execute webhooks for two events; when a user is created, or updated within Connect. However, we’re expanding the capabilities to satisfy your internal reporting needs further. 

The idea being that a Connect account can be configured to push out data to an external system when particular event(s) occur (e.g. when a case is created).

In simpler terms, you’ll be able to push Connect data in real-time to any system that can receive a web request, this opens up the possibility for developers and non-technical users to build integrations into third-party systems. This will provide you with much more flexibility when building reports to your requirements via third party tools i.e. Power BI. It also means you don’t need Jadu to build integrations for you, you have the option to drive and manage this yourself! We’re also introducing versioning so things don’t break when other things change.

So, give me some examples of how webhooks could work for me?

There are many possibilities for integration, for example:

• Automated real-time reporting
• Creating a service request in a third party system when a case is created in Connect
• Updating a service request in a third party system when a customer contacts you or an event happens in Connect
• Sending an SMS to an end customer
• Pushing user data or preferences into your marketing tool
• Triggering a survey email to a customer when a Connect case is closed
• Triggering a push notifications for your mobile app

Great, now how to use them? 

There will be a small task of configuring how the data sent from Connect in a webhook is handled by your middleware service, but thereafter these tools allow users to configure logic for how data is pushed without writing code. We’ve provided guidance in the Connect help manual.