Day in the Life: Using HubSpot with a Custom ERP Integration

Are disconnected systems holding your team back?

Does manual data entry take up valuable time and lead to errors?

For many organizations, the disconnect between HubSpot and their ERP system creates operational silos that reduce productivity, introduce inefficiencies, and make it challenging for teams to get a complete picture of customer interactions. 

Sales, marketing, and operations teams often switch between systems and manually transfer data, and they need help keeping both platforms consistent.

Manual data entry is more than just time-consuming. It’s also prone to errors that can lead to inconsistencies, affecting decision-making and customer satisfaction. When systems don't communicate in real-time, your teams could be working with outdated information, hindering their efficiency in day-to-day activities.

This blog post will explore how integrating HubSpot with your ERP system can simplify operations, improve team collaboration, and provide a unified workflow that transforms your organization's daily processes.

Daily tasks by team

A successful HubSpot-ERP integration offers immense value by consolidating operations and simplifying workflows. Each team member should be able to work within a system specifically tailored to their daily responsibilities without the frustration of jumping between platforms.

Sales teams can leverage HubSpot's comprehensive features to manage leads, communicate effectively, and track deals—all within one place. The integration allows them to:

• Utilize prospecting dashboards for efficient lead management.
• Communicate seamlessly with built-in calling and emailing.
• Schedule meetings easily with integrated tools.
• Automate follow-ups through sequence enrollment for leads and opportunities.
• Use the HubSpot mobile app for practical sales activities on the go.

By using HubSpot to generate leads, nurture prospects, automate campaigns, and track marketing performance, marketing teams can benefit significantly. Their daily activities might involve:

• Creating targeted email lists using sales team data for effective marketing automation.
• Qualifying leads are captured through web forms using lead scoring.
• Developing and executing email campaigns for prospects and customers.
• Analyzing campaign performance and making data-driven adjustments to improve outcomes.

Operations teams can focus on the ERP system to handle the core functions essential for business processes. With sales and marketing activities handled through HubSpot, operations can work on the following:

• Order processing and fulfillment.
• Event scheduling and management.
• Inventory control and management.
• Accounting and financial management.
• Supply chain optimization.

Complementary roles and overlaps

While HubSpot and ERP systems handle customer data, they have distinct roles that complement each other. HubSpot specializes in marketing and sales automation and excels at lead generation, nurturing, and conversion. Meanwhile, ERP systems are designed to manage core operational tasks like finance, inventory, and fulfillment.

Although data overlaps are inevitable, integration ensures that information is consistent across both platforms without redundancy. Syncing critical data points between HubSpot and your ERP allows your team to work from a unified, reliable source of truth.

Related: Step-by-Step Guide to HubSpot Custom Integration for an ERP

Handling a new lead: from HubSpot to order fulfillment

An integrated workflow helps you seamlessly handle leads, from initial contact to order fulfillment. Here’s a step-by-step example of how HubSpot and ERP integration can simplify handling a new lead:

1. Lead Capture: A potential customer fills out a form on your website connected to HubSpot.
2. Contact Creation: HubSpot automatically creates a contact record using the provided information.
3. Lead Scoring: HubSpot evaluates the lead to determine sales readiness.
4. Lead Assignment: If qualified, HubSpot assigns the lead to a sales rep according to predefined rules, such as territory or product interest.
5. Sales Engagement: The sales rep uses HubSpot to engage with the lead, schedule meetings, and nurture the relationship.
6. Deal Creation: The rep creates a deal in HubSpot to track progress once the lead is qualified.
7. ERP Handoff: When the deal reaches a particular stage (e.g., quote approval), the information is transferred to the ERP for processing and fulfillment.
8. Order Data to HubSpot: Order data flows back to HubSpot, allowing sales and marketing teams to understand customer buying patterns and tailor future follow-up campaigns.

Both systems have dashboards and notifications to provide real-time visibility and ensure seamless handoffs between teams, reducing the chances of missing opportunities.

Data synchronization

Real-time data flow between HubSpot and ERP systems is crucial for integration success. Key data points synchronized between the two systems include:

• Contacts: Customer and vendor information, such as names, emails, and assigned users.
• Companies: Details like company name, address, and company codes.
• Deals: Information about sales opportunities, including amounts, attachments, and assigned reps.

APIs and middleware ensure this data flows smoothly and accurately between the two platforms. HubSpot’s robust API allows for secure data exchange, while middleware bridges the systems, translating data formats and facilitating communication.

Data accuracy is vital for integration success, and validation rules help prevent inconsistencies. For instance, duplicate records can be avoided by ensuring unique identifiers (like email addresses) across both platforms.

Addressing common challenges

Integrating HubSpot and an ERP system can solve several common challenges that arise when these platforms operate independently:

• Lack of Visibility: With integration, sales activities and customer data might be visible within the ERP system. By integrating, HubSpot provides real-time sales insights, improving management oversight.
• Data Silos: Operating two unconnected systems often results in fragmented data. Integration breaks down these silos, giving teams access to a complete picture of customer interactions and enabling efficient decision-making.
• Manual Data Entry: Transferring data between systems is time-consuming and prone to errors. Automated synchronization between HubSpot and your ERP eliminates manual input, improving data accuracy and freeing up team members for higher-value tasks.

Overcoming implementation and adoption challenges

Successfully implementing an integration between HubSpot and your ERP system requires careful planning and understanding of potential adoption challenges.

Practical training is essential. HubSpot provides valuable resources through its HubSpot Academy, but ERP-specific onboarding might require additional internal training or external consultants to ensure your team is well-prepared.

Another key element is adapting to new workflows. Integration often requires rethinking and redefining established processes, and having clear documentation will make this transition smoother. Open communication also plays a crucial role, helping everyone understand how the new setup fits into the larger picture and making it easier for teams to embrace new workflows.

Change management involves recognizing that a new system may require significant shifts in daily routines. Strong leadership and consistent support help teams understand and appreciate the benefits of the new setup, ultimately driving successful adoption.

Related: Common Pitfalls in HubSpot-ERP Integration (and How to Avoid Them)

Reporting and automation

Integrating HubSpot and ERP offers robust reporting capabilities that help teams make informed decisions:

• Marketing Teams can use HubSpot dashboards to analyze campaign performance, track key metrics, and refine strategies.
• Sales Teams gain valuable insights into activities, deal stage durations, conversion rates, and projected revenue, which can be used to manage pipelines.
• Operations Teams benefit from ERP-specific reporting, but the integrated data provides an overarching view of the organization for better strategic decisions.

Automation opportunities also arise, such as automating data transfers, enriching contact data, and notifying team members at critical points—reducing manual workload and streamlining workflows.

Monitoring and maintaining your integration

Ensuring the ongoing success of your integration requires proactive monitoring and maintenance, which involves several best practices. 

Setting up notifications is essential to alert you of any integration issues or data discrepancies that may arise. Regular log monitoring should also be conducted to identify and address errors or performance issues before they escalate. 

Conducting periodic tests is essential to verify that data flows correctly between systems, ensuring everything functions as expected. Lastly, proactive maintenance—including implementing regular updates and security patches—helps keep your systems running smoothly and effectively over the long term.

Final thoughts 

A successful HubSpot-ERP integration hinges on three key factors: collaboration, process understanding, and documentation.

Collaboration means open communication between internal teams and integration providers to keep the project on track. Understanding existing processes ensures alignment with business goals, minimizing disruptions. Lastly, documentation—clear records of roles, workflows, and data mapping—keeps everyone informed and aids in troubleshooting.

Integrating HubSpot with your ERP can transform daily operations for your team by eliminating data silos, reducing manual tasks, and providing real-time visibility. With a well-executed integration, your sales, marketing, and operations teams can focus on what truly matters—building relationships, closing deals, and delivering exceptional service.

With HubSpot managing customer engagement and your ERP overseeing operational processes, every department can work towards a shared goal: driving growth and efficiency. 

Ready to take the next step? We are here to help.

Please feel free to reach out if you have questions about ways to evaluate your current systems, identify your needs, and plan how HubSpot-ERP integration can work for your business.