Understanding HubSpot Integration Tools
Video: Applying an Integration Strategy
HubSpot positions itself as a platform, not an all-in-one solution, so integrations are an
expected part of the sales and implementation process. A rep may uncover this need in
the initial discovery call. Or the client may disclose this need as a contingency to signing
at the end of the sales process. Prescribing the right integration strategy is crucial
regardless of when the conversation starts. Some clients might not know if integration is
necessary, or they may have limited knowledge of the topic. But asking, "What tools do
you need to integrate?" isn't going to get you very far. To be prepared, it helps to have a
repeatable process for collecting information and deciding which path to choose.
ur HubSpot technical consulting process looks like this: discover, plan, educate, execute,
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and wrap up. We'll focus on the first two stages in this video.
et's start with the discovery stage. Instead of focusing on tools first, frame your
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questions through a data lens and ask, "What is the business use case?" You'll ask
different questions depending on the client's business needs.
If the client is pursuing Marketing Hub, you could ask questions like, "What does your
marketing-to-sales handoff process look like today?" Another question could be, "Is it
important to have revenue data in HubSpot to help report on marketing attribution? If so,
where does that revenue data live?" You'll modify your approach if the client is interested
in Sales Hub. You may ask, "What data do your reps need to sell leads or support
customers, and where does that data live today?" Or, "Where does your company report
on revenue?" Discovery for Service Hub requires its own specific questions. You could ask,
"How do you collect and act on customer feedback data?"
et clear on what the client is trying to do. Which HubSpot tools need to access data from
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the other system? Maybe instead of moving data back and forth, the client is trying to
embed an experience. For example, it's possible to extend the functionality of HubSpot to
perform an action, like creating a PandaDoc invoice within HubSpot. You're able to embed
the PandaDoc functionality in CRM cards, so you can pull HubSpot data from the contact
record into the invoice.
efore recommending solutions, make sure you're clear on the client's existing data, jobs,
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and processes.
As you sketch out how the client needs to perform this job in HubSpot, you also need to
consider the technical requirements. Which data needs to move into HubSpot, and which
HubSpot data needs to be pulled into the other system? How much data needs to move?
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You may be working with a small data set or thousands of records. Where will the data
live? Maybe the data fits a standard HubSpot object, or perhaps it needs a custom object.
In what direction will the data move? Some integrations move in one direction, while
others move data back and forth between systems. How often will the data sync? It's
possible to create real-time data syncs or regularly scheduled batch updates. Large
amounts of data coupled with real-time data syncs can cause clients to exceed their API
call limit, so consider all the requirements as you evaluate solutions.
et curious about the tools the client currently uses to perform jobs. Conducting a tech
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stack audit can be a great way to understand the client's existing systems. You can use
the Tech Stack Audit spreadsheet linked in the resources section as a guide. In the audit
process, you map out the client's tools and what jobs they need to complete. Asking the
client for a reverse demo may also be helpful so you can see their tools and processes in
action. Auditing can be a quick way to add value as you discover duplicate systems and
subscriptions that can be consolidated.
hen in doubt, map it out! You can map out the client's overall tech stack, dig into the
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data, and draw an entity relationship diagram of their data flow. Visualizing the details
can expose redundancies and missing pieces in a plan.
inally, ask about resource allocation. Does this project have dedicated developer hours or
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an earmarked budget? Integrations that move large volumes of data are more complex
and require more resources, so set client expectations accordingly.
Don’t forget that time is also a resource, so ask some questions to clarify the timeline. If
they go down the custom path, what's the timeframe to get this integration to a minimum
viable product? If the project has multiple aspects, which facets must be completed first?
nce you complete discovery, it's time to enter the plan phase. Before you design a
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solution, analyze what you've learned about the client. A good course of action is to ask
three questions: Can we integrate? Should we integrate? And how will we integrate?
First, ask, "Can we integrate?" Just because two systems can talk to each other doesn't
mean the integration will solve the client's problem.
A poorly implemented integration causes more problems than it solves. Moving dirty data
or syncing without maintaining a record's relationship with other records might overwrite
data or create conflicting records. And if some other app updates the same data, a hasty
integration may not be designed to notify the user about misalignment. Dumping data
from one system to another without a thoughtful plan can create a huge mess.
Even well-built integrations can create issues if they don't solve the client's use case. It's
easy to find an integration in the App Marketplace and say, "We can integrate." But to
select an effective integration, you need to evaluate your options to see which ones can
solve the business needs.
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Start by considering HubSpot-built integrations. These integrations are built, supported,
and maintained by HubSpot. Out of the box, we integrate with Salesforce, G Suite,
GoToWebinar, Eventbrite, and more. These solutions take little time to implement, and
costs vary according to the subscription level required from each system. On the other
hand, because of the investment it takes to develop them, HubSpot-built integrations
represent a small percentage of the number of existing integrations and are designed for
a broad audience. Narrow use cases probably don't warrant the design of a HubSpot-built
integration.
If no HubSpot-built integration exists, look at third-party integrations. Other companies
develop these integrations. Costs for these integrations vary according to the subscription
level required from each system. It's essential to confirm clients understand that they'll
need to contact the original developer for support if an issue arises.
Check the App Marketplace first for a variety of HubSpot-built and third-party
integrations. Visit the integration's page to learn about its features and how it moves
data.
nce you've exhausted third-party integrations, try iPaaS custom integrations. iPaaS
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stands for Integration Platform as a Service, and these solutions allow you to connect
many tools, often using pre-defined integrations. You'll sometimes hear the terms "low
code" or "no code" to describe this category of tools.
You'll probably be most familiar with iPaaS in the form of Zapier, which has been
developed as a more consumer-grade platform. However, you may find solutions on
Fivetran, Scribe, and Workato.
There are differences between these platforms, but they all provide some low-code way to
connect two applications. Typically, the more "enterprise-grade" platforms give you
flexibility in defining your integration logic, like when to query and custom looping logic.
But they're also more complex to develop and have higher costs to access.
Also, be aware of size limitations. If you're moving a lot of data, it may overwhelm the
integration, causing it to transfer data slowly or fail.
Finally, if no other options exist, consider custom-coded integrations. These integrations
stand at the opposite end of the spectrum from HubSpot-built integrations. They use
existing API endpoints from the systems involved but require custom development and
maintenance to define and build the architecture and logic.
Chapter: What Are HubSpot’s Primary Colors?
Understanding HubSpot's tools is an essential part of the integration process. You're not
just moving data; you're moving data to do a job in HubSpot. While each of our hubs
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contains specific feature sets to perform critical tasks for our target market, the
underlying structure of each hub is the same. We can categorize these core structural
components into five areas, which we call our "primary colors."
ata: All CRM data.
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Content:Any content creation our customers use to share information with their
customers (blogposts, knowledge base articles, landing pages, etc.)
Messaging:Communicating with customers 1:1 or 1:many (email, live chat, bots, etc.)
Automation: Take the above three primary colors, and automate their activity.
Reporting:Get insights across all the primary colors.
The primary colors benefit clients in four main ways.
1. T
hey make for easy adoption of new products. Since each of HubSpot's hubs is
built on the same foundation, when clients learn to use one hub, they know how to
use all hubs.
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2. T
hey lead to continuous improvement across the platform. Every hub improves
when we improve one primary color, resulting in a better customer experience
across the entire platform with every update.
3. T
hey deliver a unified experience. The five primary colors knit together the entire
HubSpot CRM platform. This allows all teams at a company to work out of the
same system and gain a complete view of the customer. With the primary colors
working in tandem, you can run an entire business on a single platform.
4. T
hey pull data from the same source, so you only need to add it once. Adding data
to a contact record can help you market, sell, and service your customer better.
Today, there are more than 30 tools available in HubSpot, depending on your subscription.
It can be tough to know where to start! The primary colors include our most frequently
used tools for each hub and can help you prioritize integrations that could solve a client's
business use case.
heck out how some of the most common HubSpot-built and third-party integrations
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align with the primary colors.
For a complete breakdown of the tools available with each edition of HubSpot, check out
the P
roduct and Services Catalog.
sing primary colors helps to highlight and understand the most valuable pieces of each
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product and how integrations can support them. Primary colors also gives customers
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more than one tool to leverage in tandem to meet their goals. Let's review a couple of
examples.
If a customer says … Then this signals the following Primary
Color is likely a good fit:
“We need a way to communicate more Messaging
effectively 1:1 with our prospects and Tools you could suggest include meetings,
customers.” calls, or conversations.
“We’re already using workflows. What else Automation
can we do to automate our processes in Tools you could suggest include
HubSpot?” custom-coded workflow actions.
You don't need to memorize all HubSpot's tools, or understand the granular details of how
they function. But keep this table handy on discovery calls to help translate a client's
business needs to HubSpot functionality.
Chapter: Common App Marketplace Integrations
While HubSpot–built and third-party integrations may not always be the solution, it helps
to know the basics of the most common integration types. Review the App Marketplace
pages for these popular apps to become more familiar with their functions.
Salesforce
Netsuite
Quickbooks
Shopify
Gotowebinar
Zoom
Data Sync
Video: Developing Solutions With Ops Hub
You may have noticed that there's one hub we haven't discussed yet. Operations Hub, Ops
Hub for short, is the newest hub to join the HubSpot platform. Launched in 2021, Ops Hub
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expands the core benefits of the HubSpot CRM platform. Ops Hub tools contain
functionality that used to only exist in iPaaS solutions.
ringing Ops Hub into the sales conversation can make it easier to connect apps, sync
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data, automate processes, and curate data for reporting. Depending on the client's
edition, you'll have different tools at your disposal. Let's look at the tools available in each
HubSpot edition and when they could be applicable.
If your client currently uses HubSpot, they can already access the basics of data sync. If
you want to go beyond the foundational information – to sync custom properties and
change field mappings – Operations Hub Starter unlocks those features.
Data sync makes connecting and aligning systems easier with a host of new
HubSpot-built integrations. You can search for data sync connectors in the App
Marketplace and view how they move data. Data sync operates bidirectionally, passing
information to and from any system. It passes both future and historical data between
systems, ensuring you have a clear picture of that data's past, present, and future. Data
sync operates in real time instead of waiting for a trigger, keeping both systems
synchronized. And if you need to customize the sync, data sync accommodates those
changes. You can limit which information passes back and forth between apps and
update your choices at any time.
The best part? Data sync doesn't require a single line of code. You choose the app, pick
which information to include, and save the sync. HubSpot talks directly to the other app to
keep things syncing for you.
Clients with Professional editions of Hubspot can access more tools, like data quality
automation and custom-coded actions.
Data quality automation formats property values like capitalizing letters, fixing data
properties, and updating phone numbers. Keeping data clean and up to date makes it rich
and useable in other tools.
Custom-coded actions allow users to use this high-quality data effectively. These actions
are a component of an integration triggered via a workflow. Here are a few use cases
addressed by custom-coded action.
Ops Hub lets you write business logic to improve operational alignment, ultimately
creating a more competitive buying experience. Repeatable tasks, like data entry,
creating renewal deals, or custom lead routing, can be automated, so the CSM no longer
needs to complete them.
Ops Hub can integrate HubSpot with an external application without using third-party
middleware. For example, while many clients can run most of their business processes
within HubSpot, they may rely on external tools for point of sale, billing, finance, and
customer success. With Ops Hub, you use APIs to connect the HubSpot CRM platform and
your third-party tool.
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ps Hub can also enrich HubSpot records with external data using pull integrations. Often
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customers use tools like ZoomInfo or Clearbit to enhance their records and get context,
but some of those tools don't natively connect to HubSpot. While they may have publicly
available APIs, the cost and complexity of building a custom integration are high. Ops
Hub tools make it easy to extract this data.
When moving data to HubSpot, Ops Hub can automate data transformation and
migration. When customers implement a new system or migrate a business process, the
source system usually has a flat file of the relational database structure that needs to be
converted into multiple HubSpot records. Ops Hub accomplishes this task with ease.
any HubSpot customers use third-party tools or plugins to build referral programs within
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HubSpot. Now, you can achieve this functionality with Ops Hub.
Want more examples of Ops Hub in action? Explore the Programmable Automation Use
Cases library linked in the resources section. You can see solutions created by other
partners and add your own to the repository.
Clients with Enterprise editions of HubSpot can utilize the most powerful data tools, like
data sets and Snowflake Data Share.
As businesses scale, they generate more data: more objects, properties, and metrics. With
so much data to sift through, it becomes more challenging to build meaningful reports.
With data sets, you can curate data into clean and reusable tables that downstream
teammates can use to create reports. Data sets also let you request information from
dynamic properties and calculated fields, so you can manipulate data as you would in a
relational database.
Snowflake Data Share makes it easy to uncover insights at scale. Snowflake is an
industry-leading data platform and can be combined with an enterprise reporting tool like
Looker to create a best-in-class business intelligence stack. While many customers do all
their front-office reporting in HubSpot, some of HubSpot's advanced users prefer to unite
their data in Snowflake. Snowflake Data Share gives clients easy and secure access to
their HubSpot data in their Snowflake instance.
One limitation to note: Snowflake Data Share is available only if the region of the
Snowflake account matches the region of the HubSpot account. For more technical
information, check out the "Query HubSpot data in Snowflake" knowledge base article
linked in the resources section.
As you consider all your options, remember, the simplest solution might already live inside
HubSpot. Ops Hub makes it easier than ever to connect and access data in HubSpot
seamlessly.
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