How to Get Started with HubSpot's CRM System

In this blog, we’ll explore how you can get up and running (quickly) in HubSpot’s CRM System.

To use HubSpot’s CRM System, you must use a supported web browser. Use the latest version, unless otherwise indicated:

Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Internet Explorer 11+

You can also access HubSpot from your phone with the HubSpot mobile app. Please note that HubSpot does not work on jailbroken iOS devices or rooted Android phones.

The CRM is only as good as the data inside of it, so now we’re going to take a look at different ways you can hook in other platforms and get organized.

Email Integration

Email integration is a great way to keep track of your communications with contacts. Connecting your inbox to HubSpot will allow you to access helpful sales tools and:

Use sequences
Log email replies automatically (no manual input needed!)
Send email directly from CRM
Schedule emails to be sent at a later time

With Google or Office 365, you just need account credentials. For any other platform, use IMAP.

You can also integrate your calendar GSuite, Gmail, or Office 365. This will allow you to schedule meetings directly from the CRM.

Setting Up Your Team

Once you’re set up in HubSpot, you’ll want to get your team set up as well.

Add and delete users by clicking on Settings > Users & Teams. To add a new team member, click Create User. The easiest way to add them is to use their email address, but you can also import them via Salesforce integration, if applicable. It’s as simple as clicking the Salesforce Records options and selecting members for import.

Then you’ll be prompted to set permissions for your team. And please note that if you imported contacts, the permissions you set will be for all users. See more on permissions below.

At this point you can also add the contact(s) to teams, if you’ve created them. Just click the No Team Assigned dropdown bar below their email.

If you would like to create a team, again navigate to Settings > Users & Teams > Teams > Create Team. In the subsequent field, you’ll be prompted to add users to the team.

Setting Permissions

Setting up permissions is an important step for big teams. It will allow you to determine who can access/make changes to what. If you don’t set permissions upon setting up a user, you can do it later.

CRM Permissions

By default, all users can access contacts, but you can set further permissions on the Contacts tab.

There are three dropdowns that control what a user can do with contacts, companies, and tasks: View, Communicate, and Edit.

For View, you can select:

Everything. This will allow total visibility of contacts or companies, even to those not assigned to the user.
Team Only. This will allow users to see contacts/companies assigned to their team.
Owned Only. This will limit users to seeing only their own assigned contacts.

For Communicate, you can select:

Everything. This will allow a user communication with any contacts or companies, even those not assigned to them.
Team Only. This will allow users to communicate with contacts/companies assigned to their team.
Owned Only. This will limit users to communicating only their own assigned contacts.
None. This will prevent users from communicating with contacts.

For Edit, you can select:

Everything. This will allow a user to edit any contacts or companies, even those not assigned to them.
Team Only. This will allow users to edit contacts/companies assigned to their team.
Owned Only. This will limit users to editing only their own assigned contacts.
None. This will prevent users from editing contacts.

You can also edit a user’s ability to edit the CRM by toggling:

Import. Allows the user to import into the CRM.
Export. Allows the user to export from the CRM.
Bulk delete. Allows the user to bulk delete contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and tasks.
Workflows. Allows the user access to workflows tool.

Marketing Permissions

You can edit their access to Marketing tools on the respective tab. Granting a user access to Marketing will allow you to get more granular.

For most of the granular options, you’ll have the option to set a user’s permissions to Publish, Write, or Read. If you want a user to have the ability to use the CTA tool at any point, they need Write or Publish permissions for any of the below.

Sub-options under Marketing access include:

Ads
Blogs
Emails
Landing Pages
Website Pages
URL Redirects
Social Publishing
Lists
Forms
Reporting
Edit Code Templates & Modules
Content Staging
Website Settings (ability to edit)
Asset Marketplace

Sales & Service Permissions

On the Sales tab, you can grant access to users, and then get more granular with Deals Access and Sales Access.

Granting a user access to deals will allow them to view/and or edit. Again, the options are Everything, Team Only, Owned Only, or None.

Toggling Sales Access will allow you to get more granular on:

Quotes
Playbooks

On Services, you can manage permissions for:

Tickets
Service Hub Access
Customer Surveys
Knowledgebase Articles
Knowledge Base Settings

Import Contacts

Once you and your team are set up, it’s time to import contacts to HubSpot’s CRM system. Again, your CRM will only be as powerful as the data it holds, so it’s important that you pull in any information you have.

You can do this by uploading a spreadsheet with only one object type (i.e., contacts). The file must:

Be a .csv, .xlsx, or .xls file
Be less than 150 MB
Only have headers/columns that correlate with properties; for example:
- First name
- Last name
- Email
- Owner (use their email address)

Then navigate to Contacts > Import > Start Import and select the spreadsheet from your device. Then select:

One File
One Object
Object Type (file type)

You’ll be prompted to map columns in the file to contact properties. These will auto-match, but if something is misaligned, select the dropdown menu and either select an existing property or create a new property. You can also skip importing that column, if you prefer.

When the columns are correctly aligned, click Next and fill out the Import Name. A details screen will come up, at which point you designate the file using either the Date Format (if the file includes a date property) or Create a List of Contacts from this Import.

Then click Finish Import.

Conclusion

The CRM is the beating heart of all your marketing, sales, and service efforts.

Are you ready to get started with HubSpot CRM? Great!

Set up your free account.
Read our 'Getting Started' post that guides you through the beginning steps.

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Set up can be intimidating, but we can help you get the job done well and quickly. Book a complimentary 30min chat now.