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We hope that with this post we won't have to convince anyone else to use CRM software. If we do have to, a short paragraph will follow. However, this is much more about the CRM system Hubspot, which is an option for many companies, especially SMEs, due to its modular structure and competitive pricing model. If the Hubspot integration is then also pushed forward, the CRM can create real added value in a variety of processes and support other applications and tools. But let's start from the beginning.
As already mentioned, we will briefly explain the advantages of a CRM. We will then introduce Hubspot. Although Hubspot covers four main functions, Marketing, CRM & Sales, Customer Service and CMS, we will focus particularly on CRM here. Using concrete examples, we will then demonstrate the possibilities of Hubspot integration. In doing so, we want to make clear that such automations can be beneficial for every company, regardless of size, industry or other applications.
The entire administration of customers, suppliers and almost all conceivable stakeholders in a CRM creates an overview and structure. An incredible amount of information can be collected: Notes, last communication, orders, statistics... Everything in one place and all designed to successfully shape relationships with important companies and people.
CRM software not only helps to maintain existing customers, but also to address new target groups, to carry out quality management or to proactively shape successful relationships. We observe all too often that the use of a CRM is not exclusive to the sales team. Most of the time, a CRM is also valuable, at least in part, in other departments and is used at least for data retrieval.
Reporting, visualised data for an optimal overview, service and support, simplified collaboration and unique customer journeys can be realised with a CRM. But precisely because a CRM is usually at the heart of many processes, integration with other applications plays a significant role.
In short: Hubspot is modular and that's exactly what we love. But what exactly does that mean? We don't mean the well-known different price packages of the software that can be booked depending on the scope and functions. Hubspot's basic function is the CRM platform. This is available in a free version and, of course, also in various paid packages. Based on this CRM, there are also other "hubs" (as Hubspot calls the functionalities): Customer Service, CMS, Marketing and Sales. These can be individually booked on top of the CRM. This way, companies can adapt their CRM to their own needs and only pay for the functions they actually use.
A nice side effect of this is that the CRM is enormously scalable due to the flexible addition and removal of functions. If your company grows, your CRM simply grows with it. Hubspot is also cloud-based. This means there is no need for local installation or regular updates - everything happens in the browser. This makes Hubspot an ideal software for cloud automation. We show examples of how Hubspot integration succeeds and creates added value.
Hubspot is not only cloud-based, but also supported by Make. Make is an integration platform that allows us to connect hundreds of tools and apps. It provides different functions that allow tools to talk to each other and automatically exchange data. This works because the tools used are cloud-based and provide an API interface (What is an API?).
We have summarised in detail how Make in this blog post. You can also get started with Make today.
Your CRM in general, and Hubspot in particular, probably don't stand alone. We bet you use at least one more email and accounting tool. Maybe also a newsletter marketing tool and a calendar for important appointments. With the help of examples, we show possibilities that are suitable for very different companies and processes.
In almost every project, we automate emails in some form. After all, nothing is more of a waste of time than sending the same email texts at the same times.
Probably the most pleasant automation at the beginning: You can easily integrate new contacts from your emails into Hubspot. This means you no longer have to manually transfer all the data into your CRM.
If you use a tool like Asana or ClickUp internally for your task and project management, you can easily connect Hubspot to it. For example, new tasks or projects can be created automatically as soon as a new contact is created in Hubspot.
The data of contacts can also be enriched with data through a Hubspot integration with social networks. For example, by connecting with Linkedin, information about contacts can be added to a company in Hubspot.
Maybe you use a tool like Calendly or Harmonizely for your online appointments. If someone books an appointment with you via this tool, the contact details can be easily integrated into the Hubspot CRM. That way, no more leads are lost.
Depending on the customer's status, it is also possible for contacts from Hubspot and their information to be automatically transferred to your newsletter tool, such as ActiveCampaign. In this way, completely individual mailing lists can be created that adapt to the phase of the lead.
If you are using forms on your WordPress website or Typeform to survey prospects and potential customers, the responses and entries can be integrated with Hubspot. This way you know how to adapt the customer journey to the individual needs of your leads.
The above examples are very simple. Almost all of them require only a two-step process in Make. At this level, the Hubspot integration saves many small clicks a day that simply consist of pushing the same data from A to B. This is an important task to ensure that the entire team is always up to date and that customer data is not lost. Nevertheless, copying and pasting is a tedious and repetitive task. This is precisely why automating it is so profitable:
Instead of spending many minutes a day moving data around, you and your team have more time for truly value-adding tasks.
Of course, much more complex Hubspot integrations are also conceivable and possible. Most of the time, an ecosystem consists of numerous applications into which Hubspot integrates. For example, comprehensive reporting can be issued at defined times and designed in a visually appealing way to inform the team about the current status of the projects. But comprehensive customer onboarding, from the initial contact to the project order, can also be automated.
The possibilities here are really numerous and help to ensure that working time is used for things that bring added value. This can look very different from company to company. We would be happy to find out together whether your processes and tools can also be integrated. We are happy to support you in the analysis and subsequent automation of business processes, explain the possibilities and individually address the company processes.
Cloud Integration, iPaaS, SaaS, BPA… Ough, hard to keep track of all these terms. They are currently used frequently (and increasingly) in the context of automation, and it is sometimes difficult to make a clear distinction and distinction. We have already written blog posts on the terms iPaaS, SaaS and BPA, but we’ll take them up again here to make the difference.
But let’s start with cloud integration, because that’s the central umbrella term in which we embed all the other technologies in this blog post.
Arrange a free cloud integration consultation now
Arrange a free cloud integration consultation now
To illustrate these advantages, an example is suitable that we know well from our everyday work as an automation agency:
The central data to be used here is the data of a major customer. This can be the simplest information, such as the address. This address is required in numerous but completely different processes in the company: on the one hand, for correct invoicing in accounting. On the other hand, in the CRM system, where all the data of the large customer is also stored. But the address is also important in sales, for example, when employees go to the sales meeting on site.
Now the customer announces that the address of the company has changed after a move. This information will reach you by e-mail. There are now two options:
01. The e-mail is forwarded to all affected departments, accounting, sales, customer service, marketing… All persons open their corresponding program, CRM, accounting software, marketing tools (such as newsletter marketing) and change the data already stored there of the customer. This means that in multiple applications, different people do exactly the same thing: change one address.
02. But there is also an alternative: By connecting your applications, thus by integrizing them, the customer’s e-mail, or rather the information it contains about the address change, is automatically passed on to all affected applications: CRM, accounting, marketing, ERP. This does not require any clicks, because the cloud integration detects a trigger, i.e. address change, and thus automatically starts the process.
What sounds unimpressive in a single process becomes more effective when such a process occurs several times a day or weekly. Because there is a lot of data that is available in different applications and should always be correct. If these applications are cloud applications they are suitable for cloud integration.
But cloud integration doesn’t just happen. There are now a variety of applications that enable and implement this. Such tools usually allow us to link the relevant cloud applications on a central platform and define clear rules on when, how, where, how much data should be passed on and what happens to them.
To realize cloud integration, there are various applications and technologies that are sometimes used interchangeably.
We have made a first distinction between iPaaS and BPA here.
We explain the term SaaS in more detail here.
Cloud integration is rather an umbrella term that includes numerous technologies, such as SaaS, iPaaS and BPA, and this is also absolutely necessary. Cloud integration is a concept that is made possible by appropriate technologies.
However, all terms share the commonality that they are cloud-based and thus offer enormous potential for growth and scaling. In addition, they are often cheaper to implement and maintain because changed requirements are easy to implement.
As an independent automation agency, we implement cloud integration according to your requirements. We use a variety of SaaS tools and iPaas (strictly speaking BPA) software. Together we find individual solutions that are flexible and scalable.
