In this article
Scenario
You’d like to expand the benefits of using Coconut and fine-tune it to meet your organization’s needs.
Suggestion
Leverage Coconut’s APIs and/or webhooks to extend and customize your organization’s use of the Coconut platform.
Read on for a quick intro to APIs and webhooks, suggestions for when to use which, and use cases from our customers.
Where to begin?
What’s an API?
An API - or application programming interface - is an intermediary between two or more pieces of software. It enables them to talk to one another through requests and responses.
To use a real-world analogy, an API is like placing your order with a server at a restaurant. The server then takes your order from you to the kitchen and you wait at your table until they return with some [hopefully!] yummy food.
What’s a webhook?
A webhook is a method you can use to send automated info from one application to another. This info is sent when a defined event occurs.
To use a real-world analogy, a webhook is similar to receiving a phone call from the veterinarian when your pet’s medicine is available for pick-up. No waiting around needed - you’ll be notified when it’s ready!
When do I use which?
Webhooks are helpful tools if you want to complete an action without having to open an app or you want to send notifications when a specific event takes place. For example, notifying a customer that their order has been shipped when the order status is set to Filled.
APIs are helpful for when you want to work with data that regularly changes because they maintain communication flow between applications. APIs can also perform tasks that webhooks cannot, so are preferable when consistent requests for data and more robust actions are needed. For example, if you wanted to include traffic data on a map, an API would be the way to go.
Get inspired! Use cases from our customers
Check out the following examples of how our customers use webhooks and APIs with Coconut.
Webhooks
Client data pairing
Whenever a new client is created in Coconut, the customer has set up a webhook to receive a notification, look up the customer record in their in-house internal system, and update the client with the matching client external ID.
Check out the example Client payload here.
Efficient business intelligence
Some Coconut customers want their Coconut data to copy over to their internal BI system. In this case, they leverage engagement webhooks for pre-booked and walk-in appointments to create corresponding records in their BI tooling, which they then leverage for outcomes reporting.
Check out the example Appointment payload here.
Check out the example Queue Appointment payload here.
Outcome-based automated workflows
Some customers leverage webhooks to automate next steps after an appointment, based on the outcome of that appointment. For example, sending additional information about a line of services after an initial consultation is completed.
APIs
Automated appointment availability
Customers who use Coconut Quickstream functionality also use our API to create Quickstream blocks across their locations. This provides a centralized way to set up and maintain availability.
Hot Tip! If adopting this strategy, don’t forget to build holiday logic in, as holiday availability varies geographically.
Integrated internal tools
Some of our customers who use internal tools that have no out-of-the-box integration with Coconut use our API to connect these tools with Coconut. For example, one customer uses our API to integrate with an internal staff management tool to create and update staff records between the two solutions.
Check out an overview of the users object here.
A shortcut for shortcuts
If your organization has requirements where clients/members can only book at specific locations and only with specific staff members associated with their account, you can use our API to create a booking shortcut personalized for each client/member so that they can access the online booking flow and be directed right to the location and staff member they need to meet with.
Check out an overview of the booking shortcuts object here.
Additional Resources
Please refer to our API documentation to get started leveraging Coconut’s APIs.
For information on using webhooks with Coconut, please refer to the Configure Settings article in the help center and the webhooks section of our API documentation.