Connecting customer data will change your business. Start using integrated data with HubSpot integration

Why should you integrate your data with HubSpot?

Seamless integration of HubSpot with various tools not only prevents data loss both internally and externally, but also improves operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

As your business grows, the number of tools you use, such as marketing automation, accounting systems, and e-commerce platforms, will increase. Managing data in each tool can easily lead to duplication, delayed updates, and input errors, making it difficult to accurately understand your customers. By data integration with HubSpot as the core, you can centralize customer information and transaction history, creating an environment where you can conduct timely analysis.

Furthermore, the linked information can be used to measure the effectiveness of marketing initiatives and improve the efficiency of sales activities. Using a unified data base across the company prevents unnecessary dependency on individuals and makes it easier to achieve accurate communication and decision-making across departments.

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1. Centralized management of customer data

HubSpot is ideal for aggregating customer lists and transaction status in real time and keeping them in a format that is easy for companies to refer to. It also makes it easier to consolidate data that was previously managed separately by sales and marketing personnel, minimizing duplication and inaccuracies between data in each tool. This type of centralized management allows for a bird's-eye view of the entire customer journey, making it easier to implement measures that will improve customer satisfaction.

2. Strengthening collaboration between marketing, sales, and support

When different departments use different tools, customer approaches tend to be fragmented. However, by utilizing HubSpot's integration features, departments can view the same customer data and share the results of their initiatives. This allows you to provide a consistent customer experience, from lead generation through marketing initiatives to sales follow-up and support, and improves satisfaction with your products and services.

3. Data-driven policy planning becomes possible

Accurate data updated in real time allows for more objective planning. For example, you can centrally manage email campaign open rates and sales negotiation success rates, and use them for immediate analysis. Regular monitoring of KPIs also makes it easier to implement a swift PDCA cycle, helping to maximize overall business results.

Recommended linked tools and apps

The integration picture becomes clearer when we look specifically at the tools and apps that many HubSpot users use.

There is a wide range of options for partners, from marketing-related services to sales support, customer support, and even platforms for large-scale data analysis. By incorporating the right tools to suit your objectives and internal resources, you can aim to improve overall business efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Using these tools in combination and holistically utilizing data will lead to deeper customer insights and a quicker understanding of apparent needs. It is important not just to pass on information, but to combine each function to maximize synergy.

Recommended for marketing: WordPress, Zoom, LINE, etc.

For companies focusing on customer acquisition and brand awareness, integrating HubSpot with CMSs such as WordPress is a standard practice. Smoothly importing blog post data and web form inquiry information can lead to enhanced lead nurturing. Furthermore, by utilizing integrations with Zoom and LINE, you can aggregate and comprehensively analyze customer information from webinar and online seminar application data and chatbot interactions.

Recommended for sales: Salesforce, Slack, CTI tools, etc.

Even if your sales team uses Salesforce, you can seamlessly integrate it with HubSpot. Two-way synchronization automatically prevents duplicate data and missed updates, ensuring you always have the most up-to-date customer information. If you also use Slack for internal communication, you can easily create a system to speed up lead response by automatically notifying Slack of deal progress and customer inquiries on HubSpot. By integrating with a CTI tool, you can manage call history, recording data, and call results in HubSpot and share them with the entire team.

Customer support: Zendesk, Intercom, SurveyMonkey, etc.

When support staff receive customer inquiries, they can easily refer to the response history using Zendesk or Intercom, which are integrated with HubSpot. Linking the information in the support ticket with the customer profile in HubSpot helps improve support quality and identify areas for improvement. In addition, by integrating survey results obtained with SurveyMonkey, customer satisfaction data can also be accumulated in HubSpot, allowing for quick improvements to be reflected in measures.

Data warehouse integration: BigQuery, Snowflake, etc.

If you are accumulating large amounts of customer data and web logs and want to perform advanced analysis, we recommend considering integration with BigQuery or Snowflake. By linking HubSpot information to these data warehouses, you can gain deeper insights through machine learning and BI tools. For organizations that handle large amounts of data, this integration method is extremely useful for advanced decision-making, such as marketing initiatives and customer segmentation.

Main methods for data integration HubSpot

There are several ways to actually integrate data with HubSpot, including native integrations, apps, and APIs.

Each integration method has differences in ease of implementation, scope of functions, etc. In order to select the optimal integration method, it is important to understand what tools your company uses and how advanced the data synchronization needs to be.

For example, some tools can be easily implemented through HubSpot's app marketplace, while others require complex field mapping using Operations Hub. Choosing the method that best suits your requirements and considering maintenance after implementation is the shortcut to success.

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1. Native integration (app marketplace)

HubSpot's official app marketplace offers a wide range of tools, including email newsletters, accounting software, and ad management software. These can be installed with just one click, making it easy to start data integration even without programming knowledge. Depending on the app you use, initial and incremental synchronizations may be performed automatically, making it easy to aggregate the latest data into HubSpot.

2. Data synchronization using Operations Hub

HubSpot's Operations Hub (paid version) allows for more advanced data integration. For example, it offers a variety of features, such as two-way synchronization, detailed mapping of custom fields, and automated error detection. This allows for flexible data management that aligns with existing business processes, which is a great benefit even for large organizations.

3. Integration with pre-configured apps such as Shopify and Salesforce

Apps optimized for major services such as the e-commerce platform Shopify and the widely used Salesforce are available. There is little need for detailed development or configuration at the time of implementation, and one-way and two-way data synchronization can be set up with intuitive operations. With the extensive support that only a dedicated app can provide, it is easy to quickly and reliably proceed with integration.

4. Custom Integrations Using the HubSpot API

If your company has its own backend system or special requirements, you can flexibly exchange data by directly utilizing the API provided by HubSpot. The advantage of API integration is that it allows you to precisely control the timing of the initial synchronization and field mapping, making it easy to optimize for your company's unique operational flow. However, this requires development costs and maintenance and updates, so it is important to plan and define your requirements in advance.

5. Data Sync with iPaaS (Zapier, Make)

iPaaS, which connects tools with no-code/low-code, is a convenient option for achieving automation across multiple apps. Zapier and Make allow you to build data synchronization flows by combining triggers and actions, making it easy to create workflows that include HubSpot. The advantage is that there are plenty of existing templates, making flexible data integration easy even for non-engineers.

In addition, HULFT Square, which we provide, can also be used to build data integration processes that include connections with HubSpot.

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⇒ iPaaS | Glossary

It securely connects data such as customer information with other services and on-premise environments, and can also implement detailed flows such as conditional branching and error handling, as well as data cleansing such as Japanese language processing, automating data integration. HULFT Square offers many applications for data integration with SaaS. Integration with HubSpot can also be connected based on templates, significantly reducing development time and enabling smooth operation.

Data synchronization setup procedure and key points

When actually linking tools together, it is essential to correctly configure settings such as synchronization direction and duplicate detection.

Data synchronization often consists of two stages: an initial full synchronization and subsequent incremental synchronizations. The initial synchronization generally indexes all existing records, and then synchronizes specific records only when they are updated. Understanding this mechanism will help you maintain accurate information while avoiding redundant data transfers.

Additionally, when handling large amounts of data, you must also consider the possibility of synchronization errors. By setting rules for how to recover from errors and which data to prioritize when synchronizing, you can prevent operational problems before they occur.

Sync direction and duplicate detection settings

When integrating, it's important to decide in advance whether the integration will be one-way or two-way. While it may be sufficient to send data one way from HubSpot to another tool, if edits are made in both tools, two-way synchronization is required. Careful configuration is also required for handling duplicate records, as data quality can be compromised, so clear rules are essential.

Field Mapping and Property Management

Even if you store similar information in HubSpot and another system, field names and data types may differ. It's essential to carefully map fields in advance to avoid blank spaces or incorrect data when integrating. It's also important to utilize HubSpot's proprietary property management to ensure consistency in managing detailed customer information that couldn't be fully integrated.

Deletion/update rules and error countermeasures

Decide how you will update the linked system if a record is deleted or significantly updated. The operational flow will vary depending on whether you completely erase the deleted record or archive it. Furthermore, by clarifying the system log check and re-synchronization procedures as a countermeasure against errors during synchronization, you will be able to respond quickly to any problems that may arise.

summary

Finally, we'll summarize the key points you need to keep in mind to make the most of HubSpot's data integration.

The most important thing is to first select an integration method that suits your company's needs and solidify data synchronization rules that are appropriate for actual operations. Next, you can expect smooth operation by finalizing basic settings such as field mapping and duplicate detection, and clarifying how to deal with errors when they occur. Furthermore, by regularly checking the synchronization status even after implementation and reviewing the settings as your organization grows and tools change, you can expect a high ROI in the long term.

The person who wrote the article

Affiliation: Marketing Department

Yoko Tsushima

After joining Appresso (now Saison Technology), he worked as a technical sales representative, in charge of technical sales, training, and technical events. After leaving the company to return to his hometown, he rejoined the company in April 2023 under the remote work system. After gaining experience in the product planning department, he is currently in charge of creating digital content in the marketing department.
(Affiliations are as of the time of publication)

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