HubSpot Email Integration Options for Sales Enablement

HubSpot email integration options for sales enablement

Imagine if your sales reps kept track of prospect and customer communications by filling out a daily activity log. Or, best-case scenario, adding updates to your existing CRM. Manually.

This is an extreme example. But still, many companies aren’t getting their money’s worth when it comes to CRM functionality. One of the most valuable aspects of your HubSpot CRM is removing the repetitive manual work that sales reps would do by using spreadsheets and other methods.

Steps like creating templates, updating records, and sending proposals are just a small portion of the time your sales team could save by using the HubSpot email integration with Outlook or Gmail.

Why use HubSpot’s Gmail and Outlook integrations

HubSpot’s email integration makes it a breeze to connect your email accounts to the CRM and get the ease of use of your current email platform (ie, the Gmail inbox) or directly access emails through the HubSpot CRM — whatever your sales rep prefers. 

Both the Outlook and Gmail integration give the user access to email templates and every email’s insights are tracked and linked to your contacts so you know how a prospect is interacting with your emails and what needs improvement. This way, all the information your sales reps need to move forward with a deal can be easily found in a single location.

Now, if you’re a Salesforce user, you may be wondering why it’s worth using HubSpot integration if you’re already using Salesforce. And there’s a lot to be said about why we recommend this approach. But when it comes to email integration, there are really two main reasons why HubSpot is the way to go: Greater functionality and ease of use.

Both Salesforce and HubSpot allow you to integrate and manage sales emails through the CRM. However, with Salesforce, you’ll need to use a combination of your desktop, the Salesforce Inbox integration, and an app on your smartphone to access the full range of functions. For example, you’ll only be able to get follow-up reminders through the smartphone app.

On the flip side, the email integration with HubSpot is managed directly from your CRM or your inbox. This way, your contacts are automatically updated with the latest information so your sales reps know exactly where each prospect is on the buyer’s journey at all times.

Another common issue if your HubSpot Salesforce integration isn’t done correctly is that Salesforce will overwrite anything that’s done in HubSpot. This can mean the loss of a contact’s valuable data if they’ve done something that’s recorded in HubSpot and you update a record through Salesforce.

Benefits of integrating Gmail or Outlook with HubSpot

One of the core benefits of using the HubSpot email integration is that your CRM becomes a single source of truth for all your sales emails. In practice, if your sales reps are using the Salesforce integration or regular emails, data will be scattered. There’s also a risk of Salesforce overwriting anything you do in HubSpot if your integration’s settings aren’t configured correctly, which could cost you valuable contact data and risk losing prospects over missed communications.

Related to point #1, since all of your data (ie, emails, calls, and other exchanges) is in one place, you’ll be able to pick up with customers where your sales rep or account manager left off if they leave the organization.

Next, HubSpot’s sales email analytics are more comprehensive than Salesforce — with the former reporting a detailed overview of when an email has been opened, by whom, and even how long they spent viewing proposals and links. Plus, you can easily log an email to a specific contact, company, or deal directly in the HubSpot CRM. If the lead is not yet in your system, simply select “log” when replying to an email to create the contact.

Another thing we love is that the HubSpot email integration allows users to access HubSpot templates and sequences directly from Gmail or Outlook. No need to type the same email over and over again or log into HubSpot or Salesforce to use email automation.

And finally, collect intel on all email activity to optimize your process and track sales productivity thanks to HubSpot’s in-depth reports including emails sent, sales activities logged, lead visits, document views, and more.

How to roll out the HubSpot Gmail or Outlook Integration at your organization

If you’re hesitant to get started with HubSpot’s email integration, you’ll be surprised by how simple the process can be:

First, configure the settings in HubSpot. 

You’ll want to exclude any organizations you work with that aren’t leads or customers. To do this, add their domains to the 'never log' list. Domains to include: your payroll provider, your legal team, your internal email domain, any external teams you work with that are not customers/leads (agencies, compliance organizations, and other service providers).

Host a workshop with your sales and account management team. 

During the workshop, share your screen and set up the plugin/integration together. Remember, you’ll need the Chrome extension, the Office 365 add-in, or the Outlook desktop add-in.

Before your team jumps in, turn off auto log & track. 

Auto log and track features have several cons: On one hand, personal emails will be logged including sensitive or private information. On the other, the influx of personal emails will oversaturate the system with constant, unnecessary notifications. Furthermore, non-customer-facing roles should always have this feature off since their communication is rarely directed to leads or customers. In short, unless the account is strictly used for sales, we’d argue that most users should have auto log & track off at all times. Also, if you’re using the HubSpot Salesforce integration, the auto log setting could create duplicate companies in your HubSpot account if you’re not careful. So, if you do have auto log & track on, just keep it on for contacts.

Are you getting the most out of your HubSpot Salesforce integration?

Using the HubSpot ecosystem is a significant time investment. Let alone integrating it with your Salesforce CRM.

We compiled this 5-step guide so you can easily set up your HubSpot Salesforce integration and get the most out of your marketing & sales software without the hassle of relying on a third party to get it working.

Download Now: Five Steps to Integrating HubSpot and Salesforce