Strategic Essays on Operations and Technology | OTOT

HubSpot Data Models for Cross-Team Alignment

Written by Ian Hammond | Nov 26, 2024 11:18:49 PM

Want your teams to work better together? HubSpot data models can help. They centralise customer and business data, making it easier for sales, marketing, and service teams to collaborate effectively. Here's how:

  • Shared Data Hub: Keep all customer info in one place for easy access.
  • Custom Dashboards: Track metrics that matter most to your team.
  • Automation: Streamline lead handoffs and sales processes.
  • Integrations: Connect HubSpot with other tools for seamless data flow.

Why it matters: Misaligned teams waste resources and miss opportunities. With HubSpot, you can eliminate silos, improve communication, and ensure everyone stays on the same page. Ready to get started? Focus on clean data, regular reviews, and updating your setup as your business grows.

Steps to Build Effective HubSpot Data Models

Want to build a HubSpot data model that actually works? Let's cut through the complexity and focus on what matters.

Defining Key Data Points

Your data model needs to track what your teams use daily - from that first "hello" email to closing deals and keeping customers happy. Think about it like creating a map of your customer's journey, showing every important stop along the way.

Here's what top-performing teams track in HubSpot:

Data Category What to Track Why It Matters
Customer Interactions Emails, calls, meetings Shows who talked to who and when
Sales Pipeline Deal stages, probability scores Helps you spot hot leads and predict sales
Marketing Impact Campaign engagement, conversion rates Shows which marketing efforts pay off

The key? Don't track everything - track what matters. Focus on data points that help your team make better decisions.

Creating Custom Data Models in HubSpot

Your business isn't like everyone else's, so why should your data model be? HubSpot's custom objects let you build exactly what you need. Want to track specific product setups or complex projects? You can link it all together in one place.

Here's the thing: when departments can't see each other's data, everyone loses. Build your model to knock down those walls between teams. When sales can see marketing data and support can see sales history, magic happens.

Connecting HubSpot with Other Tools

Think of HubSpot as the heart of your system - but it needs to pump data to and from your other tools to keep everything healthy.

Got a support desk? Connect it to HubSpot so customer records update automatically. Using email marketing tools? Link them up to see campaign results right in HubSpot. This gives everyone on your team the full picture of what's happening with each customer.

OT:OT helps companies build these connected systems. They make sure your HubSpot setup matches how your team actually works, while keeping your data clean across all your tools.

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Using Automation to Improve Team Handoffs

Want to make your team handoffs run like clockwork? Here's how to do it with HubSpot's automation tools.

Automating Lead Management

HubSpot's Marketing Hub lets you score leads automatically based on their actions. This helps your teams focus on the hottest prospects first.

Here's what a smart lead scoring system looks like:

Action Score Change Handoff Trigger
Views pricing page +10 points None
Downloads whitepaper +15 points Notify sales
Attends webinar +20 points Auto-assign to rep
Inactive for 30 days -10 points Return to nurture

After scoring and handing off leads, you'll want to keep them moving smoothly through your sales pipeline.

Streamlining Sales Processes

Let HubSpot handle the day-to-day tasks so your sales team can spend more time closing deals.

Your HubSpot workflows can do the heavy lifting by:

  • Moving deals forward when key tasks are done (like sending proposals or making follow-up calls)
  • Sending the right alerts to team members when deals need attention

Tracking Progress with Shared Dashboards

Automation's great, but you need to keep everyone in the loop. Real-time dashboards give your teams instant visibility into what's working (and what's not).

Set up your dashboard to track:

  • MQLs passed to the sales team
  • Time it takes to turn leads into customers
  • Success rates between pipeline stages
  • What customers think about your service

These numbers tell you exactly where deals might get stuck, so you can fix issues fast. When teams share the same metrics, they spot and solve problems quickly.

Need help? OT:OT knows how to build automated workflows that keep your teams working together smoothly while keeping your data clean and accurate.

Keeping Data Accurate and Teams Aligned

Your HubSpot data model works best when your data is clean and current. Here's how to keep everything running smoothly and your teams in sync.

Performing Regular Data Reviews

Don't wait for problems to pop up - stay ahead with regular data checks. Pick team members to own different parts of your data. This way, someone's always watching for issues.

Here's what a solid quarterly check-up looks like:

Audit Area Key Checks Action Items
Contact Records Look for doubles, gaps in info Combine copies, fill in blanks
Deal Pipeline Old deals, wrong stages Clean up or archive, fix stages
Custom Properties Extra fields, old lists Cut what you don't need, update choices
Integration Data Sync problems, gaps Fix connections, check data flow

Once your data's in good shape, you'll want to keep your teams working together smoothly.

Improving Communication Between Teams

Stop data from getting stuck in team bubbles. HubSpot's shared inbox helps everyone stay up to speed. For instance, when marketing spots a hot lead, they can drop notes right in the contact file before passing it to sales.

"The average person spends 60% of their time on work that's about work, rather than on strategic work", reports Asana.

Sometimes, even with great team talk, you'll need to tweak how you handle data to match what your teams need.

Updating Data Models as Needs Change

Your HubSpot setup should grow with your business. If teams start making workarounds or keeping separate spreadsheets, it's time for an update.

Keep an eye out for warning signs: Are teams stuffing important info into notes fields? Having trouble sorting contacts? Can't track customer problems properly? These are red flags.

Check your dashboards - they'll show you where teams struggle with your current setup. Here's a wake-up call: 79% of marketing leads don't convert because of poor nurturing, often because teams can't work with the data they have. Regular updates help your teams work better together as your business grows.

Conclusion: Maximising HubSpot for Team Collaboration

Think of your HubSpot data model as a shared language between teams. Just like how a common language helps people understand each other, a well-built data model helps your teams work better together.

When teams share the same platform, magic happens. They can deliver better customer experiences and get more done - all while cutting down on manual work. Here's what makes it work:

Data in One Place: Put all your customer info in HubSpot. No more searching through different systems or getting confused about what's current.

Smart Automation: Let HubSpot handle the handoffs between teams. When sales closes a deal, marketing gets notified. When support helps a customer, the account manager knows right away.

Clear Progress Updates: Use HubSpot's dashboards to see how well teams work together. Spot problems early and fix them fast.

What to Focus On Why It Matters What to Do
Central Data Hub Everyone sees the same info Move all customer data to HubSpot
Team Handoffs Less manual work Set up automatic team notifications
Performance Tracking See what's working Check team dashboards regularly

How OT:OT Can Help with HubSpot Data Models

Need help getting the most out of HubSpot? That's where OT:OT comes in. They're experts at making HubSpot work exactly how your business needs it to. OT:OT helps set up your data model to match how your teams actually work, so everyone can do their jobs better and faster.