The Situation
Empire Wanted JIRA and HubSpot to Talk to Each Other
Client Empire Group kicked off their agency partnership with some basic content and CRM needs. The team hit the ground running with HubSpot Sales, and quickly became proficient using the platform’s capabilities (such as lead-gen, email sends, and so on) to the fullest extent.
As time went on, additional CRM needs began to surface. The team found they needed features beyond what was included with the HubSpot Sales version — namely, the ability to “talk to” Empire Group’s existing project management system, JIRA.
They discovered significant inefficiencies working in disparate systems, as team members had to manually enter customer data into two different places. The process was time-consuming, cumbersome, and prone to manual error. They needed a solution that would streamline operations and make for a more visible sales process.
“Having product managers as well as sales having to make changes in both systems made mistakes and inaccuracies unavoidable. It also didn't make the best use of their time.”
- Lori D., Empire Group
The Solution
A Hands-On HubSpot Approach
In discussing the issue with Conveyor Marketing Group, it was clear that the Empire Group team needed two things:
- an upgrade from HubSpot Sales Starter to HubSpot Sales Professional
- a HubSpot-JIRA integration to support their business sales/operations, which required HubSpot Service Ticketing capabilities
Conveyor worked with Empire Group to understand the wish list of capabilities that they would need from an integration. As they worked toward a proof of concept, the team took the time to research and “get to know” JIRA inside and out in order to conceptualize a solution and identify how/where adjustments could be made.
Next, it was time to call in a HubSpot expert to help with the specifics, including pricing and a plan on how to move forward with a HubSpot Service Trial. That’s when Conveyor connected with HubSpot Senior Account Executive Forest Muller.
Forest was instrumental in helping get a trial in place, working with Conveyor to extend it as the solution was being developed. Additional HubSpot resources were also pulled in to help escalate any and all troubleshooting issues that came up.
"Since Susan had already spoken to Empire Group about what a successful roll-out would look like, we were able to open up a trial with clear expectations. Although we ran into some hiccups in getting things developed, Susan was always available to talk about which roadblock we were running into, how to fix it, and how I could help. We were consistently on the same page and this led to a very easy evaluation, and eventually another happy HubSpot customer!”
– Forest M., HubSpot
The Results
A Collaborative Agency Partnership, Business Growth for Clients
With a little trial and error – and a lot of ongoing collaboration with Forest and others at HubSpot – Conveyor was able to present a HubSpot trial version to Empire Group; a trial that ultimately became an efficient working solution for the manufacturing company.
Now when a deal originates, which often happens in the form of a quote request, a HubSpot ticket is created; in turn generating and connecting to a ticket (called an “issue”) in JIRA. With the two systems finally talking to each other, the Empire Group team has been able to streamline operations and create a reliable and visible single source of truth.
Best of all, sales reps had more time to focus on business priorities: more productive conversations with prospects and growing and expanding deals with customers.
PROJECT TAKEAWAYS:
Clients don’t always recognize the benefits of working with a HubSpot Diamond partner. At the time, this partnership allowed our agency to:
- Work cooperatively with HubSpot experts
- Start with a client’s tech stack, expand based on business needs
- Help sales reps sell more accounts, grow existing ones
- Improve operational inefficiencies
- Create system integrations (like JIRA)
