5 Signs You Need Help from a HubSpot Expert

HubSpot is one of the most capable CRMs on the market. But buying it is the easy part. Many organisations invest in HubSpot and end up using only a fraction of what they pay for.

When HubSpot isn't delivering, the platform is rarely the problem. More often, it comes down to how it was set up, how well the team has adopted it, or whether your processes were ever built into it properly.

The good news is that these problems are common, and fixable. If any of the five signs below sound familiar, it may be time to bring in a HubSpot expert.

1. Your team isn't really using HubSpot

A CRM is only as good as the information people put into it. If your team still tracks deals in spreadsheets, keeps notes in their inboxes, or only logs in when someone asks for a report, HubSpot isn't doing its job.

Low adoption usually has a few causes:

• Rushed onboarding, where the portal was switched on but never set up around how your team works
• Too much clutter, with pipelines, properties and views that don't reflect your process
• No training, so people don't see how HubSpot makes their job easier

When HubSpot feels like extra admin, people work around it, and your data suffers.

A HubSpot consultant will look at how each role uses the CRM day to day. From there, they simplify pipelines and views, deliver role-based HubSpot training, and set up dashboards so you can track adoption over time.

When we worked with GO Homes, the result was full HubSpot adoption across marketing, sales and management, with everyone working towards a shared goal. Read the GO Homes case study.

If you're still early in your HubSpot journey, our guide to what HubSpot onboarding involves explains how to get adoption right from the start. You can also learn more about our HubSpot training and support.

2. You don't trust your data, and reporting takes hours

Duplicate contacts, inconsistent properties and half-filled records are more than an annoyance. They undermine your segmentation, break your automation and make every report questionable.

A common symptom is reporting that's done by hand. Someone pulls numbers from the CRM, the accounting system and their inbox, chases colleagues for updates, and stitches it all together. By the time the report reaches leadership, it's already out of date.

A HubSpot expert will start with a data audit to find duplicates, gaps and properties that no longer serve a purpose. From there, they clean up the data, set rules so it stays clean, and build dashboards around the questions your leadership team actually asks.

Tier16 was spending a full day building reports manually. After we audited and migrated their data into HubSpot, they now have more than 70 reports and five dashboards on demand. This saves around 4–6 hours of admin a week, and their office manager now spends her time analysing data rather than collating it. Read the Tier16 case study.

3. You're juggling disconnected tools and manual workarounds

Many organisations build their tech stack one problem at a time: an email tool here, a membership app there, a spreadsheet to fill the gaps. Over time, you end up paying for several systems that don't talk to each other.

The signs are easy to spot:

• Customer or member information is spread across multiple apps
• Your team re-keys the same data into different systems
• No one has a single, reliable view of each contact
• Your software costs keep creeping up

A HubSpot expert will audit your current tools and processes, then make HubSpot CRM your single source of truth. That means migrating and cleaning your data, setting up integrations and automated syncs where other systems need to stay, and automating the repetitive tasks that eat up your team's time.

North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club was relying on Mailchimp, TidyHQ and other disconnected apps to manage members. We consolidated their data into HubSpot, retired the tools they no longer needed and automated processes such as renewals and onboarding. The club cut its tech spend by 20% and replaced manual Board reporting with a real-time dashboard. Read the North Cottesloe SLSC case study.

Learn more about our sales and marketing automation services.

4. Leads are slipping through the cracks

Generating leads is only half the job. If enquiries sit untouched for days, follow-up depends on who remembers, or marketing and sales can't agree on what a qualified lead looks like, you're losing business you've already paid to attract.

Another warning sign is when sales knowledge lives in one person's head. If they're away, or leave, the pipeline stalls.

A HubSpot expert will turn your sales and marketing process into a clear, automated system. This typically includes:

• Lifecycle stages that define where every contact sits in the buyer journey
• Lead scoring and routing so the right person follows up at the right time
• Nurture workflows that keep prospects engaged until they're ready to buy
• Task alerts so nothing gets forgotten

Bestwest Building had no shortage of leads, but no clear process to nurture them, and some qualified leads were going to competitors. We built sales and service pipelines in HubSpot, automated their nurture emails from quote through to post-service feedback, and set up task alerts for their admin team. Bestwest saw an 88% year-on-year revenue increase in September 2021 and a 20% reduction in manual admin. Read the Bestwest Building case study.

Learn more about our lead management services.

5. You've outgrown your setup, or never finished it

The HubSpot setup that worked when you started may not suit you today. Your team has grown, your processes have changed, or you've upgraded to a Professional or Enterprise subscription without making use of the new features.

In other cases, the original implementation was never completed. It started with good intentions, then stalled once day-to-day work took over. Many organisations are left with a half-built portal that nobody owns.

Common signs include:

• Paid features such as sequences, custom reporting or advanced automation sitting unused
• A need for custom properties, pipelines or integrations your team can't build in-house
• Workarounds that have become “the way we do things”

A HubSpot expert will review what you have, compare it with where your business is heading, and build a HubSpot implementation roadmap to close the gap. Rather than a set-and-forget approach, the work is phased, so your team gets value sooner, and it's backed by ongoing optimisation as your needs change.

What to look for in a HubSpot expert

Not every HubSpot partner is the same. Before you bring someone in, look for:

• Proven credentials. HubSpot's partner tiers reflect a partner's experience and track record. ALYKA is a HubSpot Platinum Partner, with a certified team across the HubSpot CRM. We also hold HubSpot's Onboarding Accreditation, which recognises partners with a proven track record of successfully onboarding customers.
• A business-first approach. The right partner starts by understanding your goals and processes, not by switching on features.
• Relevant experience. Look for a partner who has worked with organisations like yours. We support businesses, not-for-profits, local government and the public sector, and we hold HubSpot's construction expert badge.
• Support after go-live. HubSpot works best when it evolves with your business. Ask what ongoing training and optimisation looks like.

For a more detailed checklist, read our guide on how to choose the right HubSpot partner.

Not sure where your HubSpot setup stands?

Low adoption, untrusted data, disconnected tools, lost leads and an unfinished setup are all signs that HubSpot could be doing more for you. Each one is fixable with the right expertise.

Not sure which applies to you? Take our complimentary HubSpot Performance Diagnostic. This short questionnaire helps you see how well HubSpot is working for your organisation and where the biggest opportunities are.

Prefer to talk it through? Talk to our HubSpot team in Perth.