Once you’ve decided to purchase HubSpot as your CRM, the next decision you have to make is how you will approach onboarding. With all of Hubspot’s professional and enterprise tools, onboarding is required, and it is a paid service. You’ll have the opportunity to choose to onboard with HubSpot staff or with a partner agency. So what is the difference, and which is the best choice for your company?

The Onboarding Process

Onboarding is the process of getting started with a new software application or platform, and most professional software solutions offer and/or require onboarding for more complex tools like a CRM. The onboarding process can vary from one software vendor to another, but generally involves setting up the software, importing data, and training users on how to use the software. HubSpot provides an onboarding process to help customers get started with the software and relies heavily on their partner ecosystem to deliver onboarding services to HubSpot customers. 

Why Is Onboarding Required by HubSpot?

HubSpot doesn’t require onboarding for its free and starter products because the products feature simpler tools and features, so most people can learn independently. Once your business grows and you need professional or enterprise tools, however, the software becomes far more complex. Onboarding ensures that customers get the full value out of their investment in HubSpot and reduces the friction and frustration of adopting the platform. When companies set up and understand their CRM properly, it is better utilized and integrated within their business. Onboarding allows businesses to hit the ground running and get the most out of their investment.

What is Onboarding?

HubSpot’s onboarding service is designed to be primarily a training program. HubSpot will show you how to use your tools, but it will not do any of the onboarding tasks for you. If you wish to have parts of the process done for you, that work is typically beyond the scope of onboarding and is billed separately from the onboarding fee. Paid services can include technical consulting, implementation services, template setup, and migration services.

When analyzing reviews of HubSpot onboarding performed by HubSpot staff or solutions partners, the most common complaint is that they didn’t get the services they expected, and this frustration is avoidable. HubSpot partners have more flexibility in structuring their onboarding engagements and may or may not include services beyond training in their onboarding packages. It’s essential to inquire about what is included in the package when hiring a partner or selecting HubSpot’s onboarding to avoid any confusion or frustration later on.

Another misconception is that it is fairly common for customers to confuse onboarding with implementation. While onboarding is primarily about training and adoption of the platform, implementation occurs when the platform is configured or customized for you as a service. Both HubSpot and solutions partners offer implementation services, but given the custom nature of that work, implementation is always quoted based on the anticipated labor and is a scope of work beyond what is included in an onboarding.

Here is what is included in a typical HubSpot-led onboarding process, as well as most partner-led onboarding:

• Access to a customer onboarding specialist or equivalent HubSpot expert(s) to assist with the setup and/or implementation of your HubSpot subscription.

• Onboarding is typically delivered remotely via Zoom or other video conferencing applications.

• Support is provided via phone, email, and video conference

• Depending on the HubSpot hub and plan purchased, the delivery period is typically 60-90 days.

This is a sample HubSpot training plan:

1. Welcome Email or Kickoff Call: The onboarding process begins with a welcome email or kickoff call, where a HubSpot employee or partner agency employee will discuss the customer’s goals and objectives for using the software.

2. Account Setup: HubSpot will set up the customer’s account, which includes configuring basic settings such as timezone, currency, and language.

3. Empty States and Data Import: HubSpot will be empty upon account setup. If the customer is migrating from another CRM, the onboarding specialist can advise and help with the data migration process using a native integration or spreadsheet import. It’s important to note that not all migrations are the same. Some more complex migrations may require paid services beyond typical onboarding. It’s always important to discuss your current CRM and tech stack during the sales process to ensure there are no surprises during onboarding.

4. Feature Callouts and Training: Feature callouts help guide the setup by explaining the different aspects of the software. HubSpot offers several training resources to help customers learn how to use the software, and the onboarding specialist will recommend which trainings will be helpful to your team. This includes live training sessions, on-demand video tutorials, and written documentation. The training resources cover all aspects of the software, including marketing, sales, and customer service.

5. Customization: The onboarding specialist can help customers customize the software to fit their unique needs. This includes configuring dashboards, creating custom fields, and setting up workflows.

6. Launch: Once the account is set up, data is imported, and the customer is trained and has customized the software, the account is ready to launch. HubSpot will provide support during the launch process to ensure a smooth transition.

7. Check-Ins: Post-launch of the HubSpot CRM, a HubSpot employee or partner should periodically check in on the customer to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

What Does Partner-Led HubSpot Onboarding Look Like?

We certainly can’t speak for all partners, but since we’ve been part of the HubSpot ecosystem since 2014, we know many HubSpot partners quite well. We, along with some of our colleagues at other HubSpot partner agencies, offer a more customized onboarding experience because we aren’t a $ 30 billion corporation that has to standardize services to fit the broadest possible range of business applications. Also, with HubSpot’s rapid growth, many agency partners (like Graziani Multimedia) have more years of experience with HubSpot than most of the current HubSpot employees. That’s why HubSpot leans so heavily on partners for onboarding clients whenever possible. It’s good for their customers, and it’s where the partners often shine. 

Of course, what we know best is how we do onboarding at Graziani Multimedia, so I’ll use our approach to illustrate this further. When we onboard clients on HubSpot, we start with the client’s SMART goals for their business, and then we clarify who internal to their team will be responsible for those results. We then do a tech stack audit so we can be sure to understand what technology and tools they are already using and incorporate those tools, and if possible, their integrations, into the onboarding plan. We co-create an onboarding plan with our client that ensures their business goals are met and that each person working in the CRM is comfortable working with HubSpot by the end of our onboarding engagement. 

Most CRM implementations that fail don’t fail as a result of poor onboarding or implementation, but rather, the failure is a result of poor adoption. Our onboarding is designed to help your team get the most value out of HubSpot as soon as possible. We focus on how HubSpot can help your team be more productive, and we focus on training that makes adoption easy.

Sample Graziani Multimedia HubSpot Onboarding Plan:

1. Kickoff call: We lead with listening and will discuss your business goals, what you hope to gain from implementing HubSpot, and who on your team will be participating in the onboarding process.

2. Customizing the onboarding process: We’ll plan the account setup as well as training for your team. This will ensure that HubSpot is customized to your unique needs, AND that your team is properly trained along the way.

3. Customizing your HubSpot portal: While HubSpot works great “out of the box,” most industries and companies have unique needs, and HubSpot can be customized to meet those needs. We even have some pre-made industry-specific portal packs that we can install to set up your portal more efficiently.

4. Import or migration: Many of the most popular CRM tools like Salesforce have native integrations with HubSpot, and we can help you set up that integration. If your data is in a non-supported tool or format, we’ll guide you through the process of importing your data via spreadsheets.

5. Individual account setup: We’ll provide you with one-on-one support to onboard individual employees on HubSpot and connect their email & calendar accounts.

6. Training: We’ll host role-specific trainings with key members of your team to ensure they are trained well on the tools they’ll use most.

7. Launch: Once the account is set up and the data is migrated or imported, the account is ready to launch.

8. Throughout onboarding: We provide unlimited one-on-one tech support with a support specialist at no additional charge.
   

What Does HubSpot Onboarding Cost?

Onboarding fees are billed per hub unless you purchase the entire customer platform (all the hubs), and the fees vary depending on whether you purchase professional or enterprise plans. The cost of onboarding through HubSpot directly can range from $1500 to $24,000. Most HubSpot solutions partners charge similar fees to HubSpot, although their onboarding packages vary widely. Sometimes you get more services through a partner and a higher level of customization to your training. Partners are free to set their own pricing, so partner fees can be more or less than HubSpot’s. 

Is it possible to get discounted HubSpot Onboarding?

While neither HubSpot nor its partners advertise it, yes, it is possible to occasionally get discounted HubSpot onboarding services. You should manage your expectations, though. It’s more common to get discounted onboarding packages as a part of another promotion, and lately, most of HubSpot’s promotions are reserved for customers who purchase multiple hubs. HubSpot partners are more often motivated to discount if the customer is also contracting them for services beyond HubSpot onboarding.

HubSpot Onboarding vs. Partner-Led Onboarding

So which should you choose? There are good reasons to choose HubSpot onboarding or partner-led onboarding, so it’s probably best to know why you’d choose one over the other.

HubSpot

HubSpot Onboarding Pros

HubSpot has a clearly defined, scalable process that can be used for any business that purchases its platform. Their onboarding is product-focused and has been designed to build fluency with using their product and its features. HubSpot knows that customers only remain customers if they fully utilize their CRM. HubSpot offers:

• Standardized Approach: A clear, repeatable process that ensures everyone who completes the onboarding has been familiarized with all the tools they purchased.

• Product-First Training: The focus of HubSpot onboarding is on building skills using the tools and understanding what the features are and what they do.

• Consistency and Accountability: All HubSpot onboarding engagements are structured in the same way to ensure that none of HubSpot’s learning objectives are missed.

• Focus: Their only priority is the HubSpot CRM, and the training is built to support its usage

• Staffing: HubSpot has a stringent hiring and training process for all its employees, which ensures a high level of customer service

HubSpot Onboarding Cons

• Standardized Approach: Standardization isn’t ideal for all customers, and it lacks nuance and adaptability for businesses that don’t fit a typical use-case as defined by HubSpot.

• Less Value: while HubSpot onboarding costs don’t vary significantly between HubSpot and most partners, HubSpot’s approach is lean and limited. Most HubSpot Solutions Partners provide more services for a comparable cost.

• Limited Personalization: It’s impossible for HubSpot to scale expertise across all possible verticals and areas of specialization, so for good reason, they don’t attempt to do that. When it’s clear that a new customer needs industry-specific expertise, HubSpot typically recommends a partner to provide the onboarding.

• Less Flexibility: A company as large as HubSpot needs to provide a consistent and repeatable experience for all its customers, and with that comes less flexibility. They can’t realistically change how they deliver onboarding for individual companies and maintain the level of consistency that is required.

• Staffing: HubSpot has grown rapidly over the last few years, and this is evidence that they have a great product that people love. It also means a large percentage of their workforce is new to HubSpot and may not have the necessary skills or experience to excel at onboarding.

Partner-Led

Partner-Led Onboarding Pros

• Industry-Specific Expertise: Most established HubSpot partners have deep experience in specific verticals. They’ve built out and customized HubSpot in specific ways that are unique to those industries.

• Flexible and Scalable Services: Since solutions partners typically offer services beyond onboarding, they can often provide ongoing services that help to get the most out of your investment in HubSpot after your onboarding is complete.

• Value-Added Services: Most partners offer more services in their onboarding packages than are included in HubSpot’s standard onboarding package, and typically, that results in a higher level of adoption and satisfaction for their clients.

• Creative and Innovative Approaches: HubSpot partners often uncover the most creative and innovative ways to leverage HubSpot for their clients’ growth because they work within the platform every day to help clients grow their businesses with HubSpot. Their focus is not on simply learning the software, but on using the software to grow.

• Growth-Focused Training: While all HubSpot partners love the tool, they fundamentally understand that HubSpot is just that, a tool. The focus of their training isn’t the product; rather, it’s what you DO with HubSpot that matters to a solutions partner.

Partner-Led Onboarding Cons

• Expertise Varies Widely: HubSpot’s partner tiering system is heavily weighted towards agencies that sell a lot of HubSpot, and the partner tiers in no way indicate anything about the quality of service one can expect from a firm. It’s difficult to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of any given firm by simply looking at its tier.

• Possible Misalignment with HubSpot Updates: As HubSpot products have grown and evolved, the platform has become increasingly sophisticated, and not all HubSpot partners have kept pace with the technology.

• Industry-Specific Expertise: While deep knowledge of a vertical can be an asset, it’s also a liability if the partner doesn’t know your industry well enough to build out the best possible onboarding plan for your company.

• Less Direct Accountability: HubSpot solutions partners are independent entities, and while that makes them more nimble and flexible, it also means they don’t really answer to anyone but themselves.

When Should Companies Choose HubSpot Onboarding?

Hubspot’s onboarding works especially well when:

• The staff and leadership already have deep and recent experience using the HubSpot hubs they are purchasing

• The organization is small, and its use case for HubSpot requires very little customization

• They are not migrating from another platform to HubSpot

When Should Companies Choose Partner-Led Onboarding?

• When industry expertise is important

• When your company needs a highly customized and personalized onboarding plan

• When you have a more complex use case for HubSpot

• When you are migrating from another platform that is already highly customized

• When you want growth consulting incorporated into your onboarding strategy

How to Get the Most Out of Your HubSpot Onboarding

Whether you work with HubSpot directly or choose partner-led onboarding, you’ll get the most out of your investment in HubSpot if you invest the right amount of time and effort into your HubSpot onboarding. HubSpot is a fantastic platform with many great tools, but it does have a learning curve that requires being an active participant to master.

Software vendors are companies that sell software products or services. They provide customers with the necessary tools and resources to get started with software, but relying solely on software vendors for onboarding can be problematic. Below are five common problems that arise during onboarding with software vendors.

The Problems With HubSpot Onboarding

Problem 1: One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Many software vendors take a one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding, offering the same process and resources to all customers, regardless of their unique needs. This approach may not work for every customer and can lead to frustration and a lack of adoption. It can cause confusion since the customer may not know which resources are relevant to their specific needs, and may not work in situations where the customer has unique requirements. For example, a customer in a highly regulated industry may have specific compliance requirements. These would require particular attention, safeguards, verbiage, and processes not likely to be found in a one-size-fits-all onboarding process.

Problem 2: Lack of Customization

Software vendors may offer limited customization options during the onboarding process, which can lead to several disadvantages. Customization may be necessary for a variety of reasons, from importing data to creating specific workflows. For example, a customer may need to configure the software to integrate with their existing systems or to meet specific reporting requirements. Limited customization options can cause customers to feel that the software doesn’t meet their needs and choose to look for a different platform.

Problem 3: Integration Issues

Using software vendors during the onboarding process can lead to integration issues, which can cause delays and uncertainty. The customer may need to wait for the vendors to resolve the issues before they can proceed. The customer may not know if it is their responsibility to resolve an issue or if it’s the software vendor’s responsibility, which can lead to miscommunication, frustration, and a bad experience.

Integration issues can cause a plethora of problems. For example, if a customer’s email provider isn’t properly integrated with HubSpot, emails sent from the CRM may not be delivered or tracked correctly. This can lead to missed opportunities and miscommunication with customers.  Another scenario could be that if a customer is using other software systems alongside HubSpot, such as an e-commerce, billing, or project management tool, improper integration can result in data inconsistencies, duplication, or even sales and data loss.

Problem 4: Incomplete or Inaccurate Data

During the onboarding process with HubSpot, incomplete or inaccurate data can be a major problem. Data is the backbone of any CRM, and inaccurate or incomplete data can cause major issues down the line. When a customer’s data is not accurate or complete during the onboarding process, it can cause problems with the initial setup and configuration of the software. 

The impact of data problems can be significant. It can lead to incorrect assumptions about a customer’s business and sales processes, which can result in a poorly configured CRM that doesn’t meet the customer’s needs. It can also cause problems with automation, which can result in lost opportunities and revenue, as well as cause issues with reporting and analytics, which can hinder the customer’s ability to make informed business decisions.

For example, if a customer’s sales pipeline is not accurately reflected in the CRM during the onboarding process, it can lead to inaccurate reporting and analytics. Similarly, if a customer’s product catalog is not imported correctly, it can result in issues with pricing and inventory management.

Problem 5: Lack of Ongoing Support

Software vendors may not offer ongoing support after the onboarding process is complete. The lack of ongoing support can cause several disadvantages to the onboarding process. Customers may feel overwhelmed since they may not have access to the resources they need to continue using the software effectively, and may not feel confident using the software on their own.

Ongoing support may be necessary for situations where the customer is using the software to manage complex processes or workflows. For example, if the customer is using the software to manage a sales team, ongoing support may be necessary to ensure that the team is using the software effectively and consistently.

How to Address These Problems

It is important to discuss what is included with onboarding when talking with a software vendor. Understanding what they offer can help you decide if they are a vendor that you would like to work with, or if you should meet with other vendors to find the best fit for your needs. Businesses should also consider customized onboarding services when looking for a software vendor. Customized onboarding services offer a personalized onboarding experience that is tailored to specific needs. This approach can help ensure that businesses receive the resources, tools, systems, and support needed to successfully onboard with the software.

How Graziani Multimedia is Different

At Graziani Multimedia, we offer customized onboarding services to help businesses successfully onboard with HubSpot CRM. Our approach involves working closely with our customers to understand their individual needs. We then develop a personalized onboarding plan that includes customized resources and ongoing support to help businesses successfully onboard with the software.

By offering a personalized onboarding experience, we can ensure every customer receives the resources and support they need to successfully onboard with HubSpot. Additionally, we offer ongoing support to help ensure that users feel confident using the software over time. We want every customer to reach their full potential.

Successfully onboarding with HubSpot is essential for businesses that want to effectively manage their customer relationships. By utilizing the personalized customer support offered by Graziani Multimedia, businesses can ensure a successful onboarding experience and maximize the value of their investment in HubSpot CRM.