Integration is very important, but is often left to the end when choosing new technology for a company, which can cause problems. With HubSpot, there are many ways to easily "connect" and share information. In this article, we'll take a look at how HubSpot can be integrated with other systems and platforms, and what makes each option unique.
Whenever a company has a bunch of different technologies, the question arises: can we connect them to HubSpot?
HubSpot is the hub where all of our customer information is concentrated and where a lot of your team's operations take place throughout the day. So you think about everything: email, calendar, meeting tools and all that. But companies also have other systems with billing information, manufacturing data, ERP and even their own products if they are SaaS companies.
Connecting all of these things to HubSpot isn't just possible; it's essential. Sometimes it can be a one-time, fairly automatic connection. HubSpot has a bunch of them available in the Marketplace for all the operational tools I just mentioned.
There are integrations that make sure that data is always up to date between two systems, like HubSpot and an ERP. This is super important because then your customer information is always up to date in both places at the same time.
Imagine you have a customer who changes their address or phone number; with these integrations, those changes are automatically reflected in both systems, without you having to do anything extra.
Imagine having the ERP billing information in HubSpot: knowing who has outstanding debts, who has increased their credit limit, or what products are available in inventory to sell.
It's like having your systems talking to each other so that everything is in order and you don't miss anything.
So yes, everything can be connected to HubSpot in different ways depending on what you want to do, what the business needs, and how you want to use that information. I'll tell you about those options below.
First, consider native integrations. These are usually the least complex. Native integrations allow direct connections between applications because HubSpot supports them directly.
Often, they can be configured without programming. It is only necessary to connect the applications using credentials such as usernames, passwords and permissions. Configuration is usually simple and guided. However, transferring data between systems is never really straightforward and problems can occur. That's why we always do a lot of testing beforehand.
The downside is that they do not cover all use cases. They address the most common market demands, but may not be adapted to the specific needs of each company. Still, it's best to start with native integrations. If they meet your needs, native integrations made by HubSpot are reliable and effective. They are the best choice if they solve your use case.
These integrations are usually limited to standard HubSpot objects and properties or require Operations Hub to extend customization options, although this is not always necessary. Any super admin can handle them without programming skills. Configurations are generally done within HubSpot, which greatly simplifies things.
In general, native integrations feel organic and natural. It's worth clarifying that once the integration is done, the data is kept saved and updated in the CRM.
This type of application is also known as a connector, i.e. it is in the middle of 2 applications. The best known is usually Zapier.
This type of application supports in several cases the possibility of mapping properties and customized objects, although it requires a medium technical knowledge for its configuration. The information that is synchronized is also permanently stored in HubSpot.
In addition, the price of this type of application is usually based on the number of transactions or synchronizations, which can become extremely expensive with large volumes of information.
When should you consider using middleware for integrations? Well, when you cannot find a suitable integration in the application market, as I mentioned before, or if the available applications do not fully respond to your use case. It is also crucial that the volume of data to be exchanged is low and the frequency, preferably, of execution low.
In addition, it is vital that IT security allows it. Introducing middleware means inserting software that sits between two or more business-critical applications. Basically, a new point of interaction is created where critical information is exchanged. IT security often doesn't like this added complexity very much.
Among the custom integrations, we include developments with the HubSpot API and with the other application we wish to connect. This allows data exchange, information mapping and precise control over what we synchronize, when and how. Frequency, original data and last updated data are meticulously defined. These data mapping rules and methods for copying information between systems are tailored specifically to the needs of each company. The new information is created and stored in the CRM.
We often recommend Operations Hub for active data synchronization. This approach is often more cost-effective than tools such as Zapier, whose costs increase rapidly with transaction volume. In addition, the IT Security team looks favorably on Operations Hub because all of the code, logic and data used in the integration process resides within HubSpot. This means we are not introducing a new point of failure or security breach into the enterprise technology stack. One less headache, therefore.
For custom integrations of this nature, i.e. unique projects tailored to your company, the first step is usually the development of the technical scope of the project. This technical project assesses feasibility, performs proof-of-concepts and defines all the requirements of both parties.
These integrations are often complex and require technical and programming expertise, even for maintenance. Therefore, you should only go this route if it really makes sense for your specific needs and a native integration is not sufficient. As already mentioned, this option is advisable when the volume of transactions or data communication is not small, which means that middleware costs tend to be quite high.
Custom cards allow you to access information from an external system within HubSpot without necessarily registering it in the CRM. Although it is an option, it is not mandatory. These cards function as a window into another system, which can be particularly useful when it comes to expanding what we see in a customer record.
Imagine you're looking at a company and you want to access the latest payment information stored in the ERP directly from the company record. It's wonderful: you don't need to store this data in HubSpot. Instead, you have it right where you need it, without having to go into ERP. It appears directly in the company record, which is the most appropriate and useful place to see it.
These types of custom cards are developed for any company and can be added to any object view. As in the example above, a card can be placed in a company record, but it can also be in a contact, a business or any custom object such as "properties" in the real estate sector and "accounts" in the software/SaaS sector.
Not the least of which is that these cards are viewed completely natively, just like everything else in HubSpot. The user will not realize that they are accessing information from another system. In addition, the cards allow you to offer great interactivity, with search functions, refreshing information, recording, taking action, allowing for powerful CRM personalization.
Similar to the personalized cards that are displayed in the records, we can visualize external information from a report in a dashboard. This is just a visualization without recording information in the CRM, but it is useful for those who want to integrate all the information to report in one place, in order to facilitate the evaluation, make comparisons and make decisions.
The first step before performing an integration is the technical feasibility study or Technical Project Scoping as we call it. It evaluates the need, the tools to be integrated, the data and even proofs of concept can be performed. The result of this process is the plan or proposal on the correct or possible options to perform the integration.
So, if you are thinking of integrating any application or system with HubSpot, schedule your technical scoping now here.