--- title: "Partner Lead Reception API Platform (alias PSR)" description: "Centralized API platform routing real estate leads from dozens of external partners to the commercial CRM." locale: "en" canonical: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/achievements/plateforme-api-reception-leads-partenaires" source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/achievements/plateforme-api-reception-leads-partenaires.md" html_source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/achievements/plateforme-api-reception-leads-partenaires" author: "José DA COSTA" date: "2021" type: "achievement" slug: "plateforme-api-reception-leads-partenaires" tags: ["REST API", "Microsoft API Manager", "Adobe Campaign v7", "Dynamics 365", "AWS EKS", "Kubernetes", "Docker", "GitLab CI", "SOFT Monitor", "Jira"] generated_at: "2026-06-02T15:37:46.323Z" --- # Partner Lead Reception API Platform (alias PSR) Centralized API platform routing real estate leads from dozens of external partners to the commercial CRM. **Date:** February 2021 - 2024 **Duration:** ~3 years **Role:** Project Manager / Product Owner - API Platform Owner **Technologies:** REST API, Microsoft API Manager, Adobe Campaign v7, Dynamics 365, AWS EKS, Kubernetes, Docker, GitLab CI, SOFT Monitor, Jira ### Key Metrics - Partner APIs: **-** - Integrated and maintained - Lead Volume: **-** - ~1 lead every 2 seconds peak - Lead Loss Rate: **-** - Zero major loss incidents - Onboarding Time: **-** - Reduced from weeks to days - Dozens: **-** ## Presentation _Project definition and scope_ ### The project in a nutshell ### What the platform is Centralized REST API platform for multi-partner lead reception, normalization, and CRM routing ### Real Estate / PropTech - Lead Management (B2B internal + B2B external partners) ### Key Architecture Decisions - Managed API Gateway - OAuth, throttling and per-partner analytics out of the box, instead of rebuilding it in-house. - Routing via a marketing enrichment layer - Enrichment and deduplication before CRM injection, to preserve the commercial workflow. - One dedicated endpoint per partner - Isolated normalization logic, easier debugging, no complex runtime configuration. ### Functional Scope - Standardized REST APIs per partner. - Lead data normalized regardless of partner format. - Routing to the commercial CRM. - Anomaly detection: blocked leads, duplicates, format errors. - Centralized credentials and access via APIM. - Real-time lead quality monitoring with alerts. The **PSR** is the **centralized API platform** for partner lead reception that I led. Every partner connects via a **dedicated API endpoint**, which normalizes the data and transmits it to the commercial CRM through the marketing routing layer and the **Microsoft API Manager (APIM)**. As **Technical Lead and API Platform Owner**, I supervised the **integration of each new partner API** and the platform's functional evolutions, coordinating with the marketing teams and external technical service providers. The PSR is a **business-critical system**: every lead lost or incorrectly routed translates directly into a missed sales opportunity in a highly competitive real estate market. Business domain ## Objectives, Context, Stakes & Risks _Strategic vision and constraints_ ### Goals and success criteria - Onboard dozens of external partners without per-partner CRM-side development. - Keep major lead loss incidents at zero during and after each onboarding. - Cut new partner onboarding time from weeks to days. - Enforce auditable credential and access governance across all partners. - Detect processing anomalies within minutes instead of days. ### Why this project came to life The project was initiated within the **SI Marketing team** at Groupe Pichet, where the growing number of external lead sources (real estate portals, advertising partners, marketing platforms) created the need for a **single entry point** to centralize and normalize incoming leads before routing them to the commercial CRM. The existing landscape was fragmented: each partner had its own data format, authentication method, and delivery protocol. Without the PSR, integrating a new partner required custom development on the CRM side - an unsustainable approach as the partner ecosystem grew. The PSR was designed to **absorb this heterogeneity** and provide a clean, standardized interface to the downstream systems. ### Business and strategic stakes Leads are the **lifeblood of commercial activity** in real estate. Each lead represents a potential buyer, and the market is fiercely competitive: losing a lead to a routing error or a delayed integration means giving that prospect to a competitor. With dozens of partners generating leads simultaneously, the PSR became the **single most critical data pipeline** feeding the commercial teams' daily pipeline. The commercial impact was direct and measurable: a partner API down for a single day could mean **dozens of lost prospects** - each worth potentially hundreds of thousands of euros in property sales. ### Security & RGPD Compliance - Per-partner credential isolation via APIM: unique API keys, scoped permissions. - Systematic API key rotation via APIM lifecycle management. - GDPR compliance: HTTPS only, no persistent storage in intermediate layers, CRM as sole data repository. - Formal security audit during the project → hardened access controls and updated firewall rules. - Gateway-level input validation: format checks, payload size limits, malformed request rejection. ### Risks identified upfront - Lead Loss - Any API failure or routing error directly translates into lost commercial prospects - unrecoverable in a competitive real estate market. - Format Heterogeneity - Each partner sends data in its own format with different required fields, validation rules, and encoding - making generic processing impossible. - Credential Sprawl - Managing API keys, tokens, and access for dozens of partners across APIM requires rigorous credential lifecycle management. - Marketing Routing Layer Dependency - The v6 to v7 migration of the marketing routing layer required URL changes across all partner configurations - a single misconfiguration could silently drop leads. ## The Steps - What I Did _Chronological progression of the project_ - Phase 1 - Platform Foundation & First Partner - Feb 2021 - I integrated the first partner API: VotreAppartementNeuf - I laid down the PSR platform architecture: reception, normalization and routing - On the security side, I configured the Microsoft API Manager credentials for the commercial CRM - To supervise the platform, I set up SOFT Monitor and the email alert notifications - Phase 2 - Rapid Partner Onboarding - Jun - Dec 2022 - I integrated the SeLoger API, a major real estate portal - On the marketing side, I integrated the Myopla API - I wired up Cooper Advertising and deployed the integration in pre-production - In parallel, I integrated Akrivia Leads and Visibilitie - In December 2022, I integrated the Clovis API - To enrich the leads, I added the "Commentaire" and "Apport" fields in the API - Phase 3 - Stabilization & Evolutions - Jan - Feb 2023 - I integrated the Fine Media API, the final documented partner - On the quality side, I resolved routing anomalies and handled blocked leads - I migrated all URLs from the marketing routing layer v6 to v7 - On a complex incident, I diagnosed and resolved a cross-system lead-routing anomaly - To secure the platform, I conducted a formal security review of the infrastructure - Phase 4 - Architecture Refactoring - 2024 - I led the major PSR refactoring around a new SeLoger API architecture - On the marketing routing layer, I redesigned the API integration - To gain robustness, I improved error handling, retry logic and observability - To secure team continuity, I documented the full partner onboarding playbook ## The Actors - Interactions _Who I interacted with directly and how I orchestrated the collaboration_ ### How I coordinated marketing, IT and external partners ### Technical Leadership & Knowledge Transfer - I documented the full partner integration playbook on Confluence. - I maintained the API documentation across 5 versions (v1 to v5). - On the external partners side, I trained the teams on API specs, authentication and test procedures. - Franck C. - Manager - With him, I validated integrations and prioritized the partner onboarding backlog. - Cyril M. - SI Marketing - With him, I coordinated technical specs and business requirements with partners. - Emilie D. - Prestataire externe - With her, I maintained the PSR Confluence documentation and knowledge base. - External partners - SeLoger, Myopla, Cooper... - With them, I gathered API specs and test credentials, and I validated each integration before go-live. I led the PSR project at the intersection of **marketing, IT and external partners**. For each new partner integration, I coordinated the partner's technical team (for API specifications), the SI Marketing team (for business validation) and the CRM team (for lead routing confirmation). I served as the **single technical point of contact** for all partner integrations. ## The Results _Impact for me and for the company_ ### For Me - Skills Acquired & Reinforced Through This Project - I built enterprise-scale expertise in API integration patterns (auth, normalization, routing, error handling). - On the posture side, I learned to orchestrate a multi-stakeholder ecosystem across marketing, IT and external partners. - I took ownership of a business-critical platform where every failure hit commercial results. - This project changed the way I work: I now think in terms of 'single point of accountability' and I invest in monitoring tooling from day one on any critical platform. ### Value delivered for Groupe Pichet - Dozens of partner APIs integrated, diversifying lead acquisition channels. - Single entry point, removing the need for CRM-side custom dev per partner. - Real-time monitoring, cutting silent lead loss from days to minutes. - New partner onboarding reduced from weeks to days via the PSR playbook. ### Monitoring & Observability Strategy - SOFT Monitor dashboard with real-time KPI gauges tracking lead flow health across all dozens of partners simultaneously - Automated email alerts triggered on lead processing anomalies: blocked leads, format validation failures, partner API timeouts, and routing errors - Per-partner flux tracking: each partner API has individual monitoring with transaction logs, success/failure rates, and volume trends - Proactive anomaly detection: format changes from partners (field additions, encoding shifts) caught at validation layer before impacting downstream systems - Production incident response: monitoring enabled sub-minute detection of partner outages, reducing silent lead loss from days to minutes ### Skills Demonstrated ### Technical Skills - API Design & Integration Patterns - System Architecture (Gateway, Mediation, Routing) - API Security (APIM, OAuth, credential lifecycle) - Monitoring & Observability (SOFT Monitor, alerting) - Data Normalization & Quality Management - Migration Planning (marketing routing layer v6 to v7) - CI/CD & Deployment (GitLab CI, AWS EKS, Kubernetes) ### Leadership & Soft Skills - Multi-stakeholder Coordination (marketing, IT, external partners) - Technical Communication with non-technical teams - Platform Ownership (single point of accountability) - Knowledge Transfer & Documentation (playbooks, API docs v1-v5) - Decision-making under Business Pressure - Internal Technical Meetups & Team Training ## The Aftermath _What happened after delivery_ ### Where the project stands today After the initial wave (2021-2023), the PSR entered a **stabilization phase** and kept processing leads daily. The **2024 refactoring** modernized the SeLoger integration and the marketing routing layer. Today, the PSR remains **the single entry point for all external lead acquisition** at Groupe Pichet. The onboarding playbook I documented lets the team integrate new partners autonomously. ## My Critical Reflection _How I judge this project with hindsight_ ### What worked and why - I held an incremental partner-by-partner approach: each integration validated before the next, zero major lead loss. - With APIM as the gateway, I isolated credentials, handled throttling and kept partners away from direct access to internal systems. - On real-time monitoring, the setup I put in place surfaces issues in minutes instead of days. - I built a normalization layer that unifies dozens of heterogeneous formats into a single clean CRM-compatible schema. ### What could have been better - On the v6 to v7 migration, I had to do manual URL updates across every partner configuration - I could have tooled it further. - On deduplication, I stayed basic and edge cases required manual reviews that I could have automated. - On end-to-end integration tests, I did not automate enough - the process remained manual and time-consuming. - I often produced documentation after the fact rather than during development - I would have gained from writing it continuously. ### Trade-offs & Technical Arbitrages - Accepted technical debt on deduplication in Phase 2 - I intentionally shipped a basic dedup to hit the 6-partner deadline and planned a proper rework for 2024. - Refused to bypass the marketing routing layer - I kept traceability and the commercial workflow intact rather than shaving 200 ms off the path. - Dedicated endpoints per partner - I accepted more code to keep each integration isolated and easy to debug. - No async retry queue in Phase 1 - I started synchronous for easier monitoring, then I added the retry in Phase 4. ### The lasting lessons this project brought me - I learned that in lead management, speed matters as much as accuracy - leads go cold fast. - I saw that an API gateway layer (like APIM) is essential when dealing with multiple external partners. - I measured that partner-by-partner validation with the business teams is non-negotiable, even for technically identical integrations. - I observed that a well-documented onboarding playbook outlives its author - the best long-term investment for team autonomy. ### Additional context - Partner Integration Timeline - Jira Ticket Distribution - Lead Flow Stages (% retention) - Partner Integrations Per Year - Technical Effort Distribution - Partner Status Breakdown - System Architecture - Lead Lifecycle Pipeline - End-to-end lead lifecycle from partner source to CRM - Integrated Partner APIs - Partner Onboarding Process ## Skills applied _Technical and soft skills applied_ - **[Project Piloting & Agile Methodologies](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/project-piloting-agile.md)** - Single technical point of contact for dozens of external partners and internal teams - Project Manager / Product Owner of the platform from 2021 to 2023 - **[Problem Solving & Adaptability](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/problem-solving-adaptability.md)** - Diagnosed cross-system lead flow anomalies and complex partner-config migrations - Mastered Microsoft APIM and the real-estate lead management domain from scratch - **[Pedagogy & Communication & Collaboration](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/pedagogy-communication-collaboration.md)** - End-to-end API integration lifecycle with external partners: specs, testing, validation, go-live - **[Software & System Architecture](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/system-architecture-design.md)** - End-to-end architecture: API gateway, normalization, enrichment layer, CRM routing - Partner-facing REST endpoints, data contracts and 5 API versions - **[DevOps, Cloud & Production Industrialization](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/devops-cloud-production.md)** - SOFT Monitor dashboards, real-time email alerts, per-partner flow observability - **[Application Security & Compliance](https://portfolio.josedacosta.net/en/skills/application-security-compliance.md)** - APIM credential isolation, GDPR compliance and 2023 security audit ## Related journey _Professional experience linked to this achievement_ - **Technical Lead · Flows and Products: content and enterprise integration** ## Image gallery _Project screenshots and visuals_ ## Need a partner API designed? I delivered the PSR Partner API: authentication, versioning, OpenAPI documentation and usage monitoring for B2B third-party opening. Let's talk about your context. **Contact me**