Does HubSpot sync contacts with Outlook?

I am using the free version of HubSpot CRM. We recently upgraded our accounts from an old Microsoft Office based system, but unfortunately when we import data from my previous employer's HRIS software (Zoho) there is some overlap in employees' names. HubSpot uses its own internal database for employee information which has no relation to Zoho at all. The problem is how can we tell whether this name duplication occurs because of duplicates within HubSpot or if there are actually two different people who happen to share the same first and last name?

The only way I know how to check is by comparing what was imported from Zoho against the list on HubSpot itself - but that involves manually checking each entry one-by-one. It would be much faster just to see what happens if you could somehow sync these lists together. Does anyone out here have experience with integrating HubSpot directly into Outlook? If so, please help! Thanks in advance.

We've tried importing both as Contacts and Contact Groups. When they're imported as Contacts, the duplicate entries show up fine, but when they're imported as Contact groups, none of them appear even though they definitely exist in HubSpot. Could it be that HubSpot doesn't support creating contact group records? Is there another workaround? Please advise.

If your company relies heavily upon custom fields then you will want to make sure those are also included during the export process via File"Export Custom Fields & Formulas..." This should give you plenty of options to choose from including Excel spreadsheets. You may need to install the.CSV file extension onto your computer before you open it however.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Now, let me try again...

Here are more details about what happened after adding my HubSpot account as a connector in Outlook 2010.

1.) After clicking "Connect", a pop-up window appeared saying "Checking Connector Settings". Then it took quite awhile for anything to happen.

2.) Finally, I saw the following message displayed under "Import Messages":  Message Import Error: No connectors found matching [my_hubspot_account].

3.) So far, nothing worked. Even when I checked other messages and clicked "Next" several times, I still couldn't proceed.

4.) On top of everything else, when I go back to connect HubSpot again, I get the error message above again.

5.) I went through similar steps with Google Calendar too. Unfortunately, the results were exactly the same.

6.) By now, I'm beginning to think maybe Outlook isn't compatible with HubSpot. Would that explain why things didn't work right away? And does that mean I'll have to uninstall/reinstall Outlook altogether?

7.) One final thing worth mentioning is that we don't receive email alerts anymore. I did test sending myself emails via Gmail and Yahoo mail separately. They arrived without any problems or delays. But I never got any notification regarding incoming mails arriving in my HubSpot inbox. What gives? Did someone say something about setting up email notifications?

Well, it looks like we aren't getting anywhere with this issue. In fact, the opposite seems true. As many readers pointed out, HubSpot's integration feature works perfectly well with Thunderbird, Chrome, Firefox etc., yet it fails miserably with Outlook. At least from what I can gather, it appears that the issue lies somewhere between the connection settings and the actual functionality of the program itself.

So far, I haven't been able to find a solution either. I've reached out to HubSpot Support about the matter, but their response wasn't very helpful. There is absolutely NO documentation available for connecting HubSpot to Outlook. All instructions come straight from HubSpot themselves. I guess that explains why I kept running into errors.

Hi, I had the exact same problem. I used various methods to set up connections to Outlook with HubSpot, and none of them worked. Eventually, I gave up and uninstalled Outlook entirely. Since then, I've noticed that HubSpot started working better with Thunderbird than with Windows Live Mail and Hotmail. However, sometimes it stops responding to certain commands. For example, if I click on View More Items in My Dashboard, nothing shows up. Other times, it won't accept changes to existing items in my dashboard. Occasionally, it tells me that there are new updates available, but I never notice any new updates until hours later. Sometimes it says there are pending drafts, but I can't view them in Outlook. Also, occasionally I receive notices telling me that my login credentials changed. These issues seem to occur more often since removing Outlook. Any ideas?

It sounds like you removed Outlook completely. That certainly wouldn't cause such serious performance issues. Have you contacted Hub Spot tech support about this? Are you sure you deleted everything pertaining to HubSpot? Do you still see the icon in the task bar? Try reinstalling Outlook alone and see if that helps resolve the issue. Otherwise, you might consider contacting Hub Spot tech support.

Yes, I sent a ticket to HubSpot Tech Support asking them about resolving these issues. Their reply basically said that I shouldn't expect any improvements unless I paid to upgrade to Premium status. Of course, paying money isn't going to fix the technical glitches. I asked them specifically about the lack of email alert features, and whether or not they plan to implement this anytime soon. Here's what they told me:

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us with questions about your HubSpot installation. Below are answers to your specific inquiries :

As far as Email Alerts goes, we currently offer a basic level of support for email alerts. Our team strives daily to improve our product offering; therefore, we continue to evaluate ways to provide additional value to users. While email alerts are considered part of our Basic level of service, it is important to note that email alerts require premium services.

For instance, we offer email alerts for sales leads, customers, and opportunities, as well as customized lead scoring reports. To access these features, you must purchase premium plans.

Please reach out to our Sales Team directly if you'd like further assistance or clarification. Thank you for choosing HubSpot!

Sincerely,

Customer Service

They clearly stated that email alerts require Premium Services. How rude! They really blew it off. Not only are these bugs annoying, but they severely hamper productivity. Instead of being alerted whenever a particular type of event takes place, you end up missing out on crucial business transactions simply because the program failed to notify you properly.

One last question: Will HubSpot ever release a standalone desktop application instead of trying to force people to run web apps?

There are 2 types of applications: Web Application and Desktop Applications. A web app runs inside your browser while a desktop app requires installing the application locally on your PC. HubSpot offers both. Currently, most companies prefer cloud solutions over local applications due to security concerns and ease of maintenance. However, we understand that having a dedicated client may appeal to certain industries or organizations. Therefore, we always keep customer feedback in mind as we develop future releases.

In summary, I ended up giving up on HubSpot. Why pay $19 per month for limited features when you can get real full featured programs for free online? Unless HubSpot decides to change their policies regarding user privileges and permissions, I won't bother wasting time with their products anymore.

On second thought, HubSpot might not be bad considering they are pretty good at providing excellent customer support. Just wish they weren't so stubborn.

What kind of features do you miss that you cannot obtain with HubSpot? Maybe you should take a look at http://www.zoho.com/. It integrates great with MS office and allows easy import /export of contacts.

This is indeed a good alternative. Yes, Zoho provides seamless synchronization with Zoho Contacts. Although Zoho claims to have 5 million businesses relying on their platform, I wonder how many of them actually rely on the advanced features offered by Zoho. HubSpot certainly has a bigger pool of active users compared to Zoho. Plus, I personally believe that HubSpot is significantly more reliable and stable than Zoho.

You mentioned that you wanted to avoid paying monthly fees in order to maintain your current budget. Well, given the choice, I recommend sticking with HubSpot. Most likely, you'll save hundreds of dollars in the long term. Personally speaking, I switched from Zoho to HubSpot 4 months ago. Before switching, I spent approximately $800 per year on Zoho. Afterward, I spent around $300 on HubSpot. Considering that HubSpot has been around longer than Zoho, and it's easier to learn and navigate around, plus it's more popular among large enterprises, it makes sense to stick with HubSpot rather than jumping ship to Zoho.

If you decide to switch anyway, then you can easily migrate your data from HubSpot to Zoho. Basically, you'll have to download an OXT file (.OXT), edit it with VBA code, convert the XML files to CSV format, upload the converted CSV files to Zoho, and delete the downloaded OXT file. Migrating data from HubSpot to Zoho is relatively straightforward, although it does involve a bit of coding.

I'm considering using HubSpot for my business, but the one thing holding me back is its lack of integration with Microsoft's email service.  HubSpot does not currently support Exchange accounts, which means you can't use their CRM software to manage your emails (or other apps). This might be an issue if you're already heavily invested in Microsoft products like Office 365 or Outlook 2010. Do they offer any sort of workaround or work-around? Are there any alternatives that integrate better with MSFT services?

Thanks!

Hey John,

The only way to connect HubSpot & Outlook would be through something called "AppDataSync". It allows you to synchronize data between applications so when changes occur on one application, those same changes will automatically appear on another. For example, let's say you changed some contact information within Outlook. If AppDataSync detects this change, then it'll send a request to HubSpot requesting that all relevant records should be updated accordingly. The synchronization process may take anywhere from seconds to minutes depending upon how many records exist within each system.

If you want to learn more about what AppDataSync actually does, check out our previous post here - http://www.hubspotblog.com/2011/03/17/appdatasync-what-does-it-do/. You could also look at the following video where Simon demonstrates exactly how AppDataSync works -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG5Nl0YwCj4&feature=plcp

Also keep in mind that since HubSpot was acquired by LinkedIn last year, they've been working hard to improve the product itself and make sure everything runs smoothly without having to worry about losing customers due to poor performance issues. They've also released numerous updates over the past few months that provide bug fixes and improvements that should help ensure smooth usage. So while there isn't anything specific regarding integrating with Outlook yet, hopefully these recent releases speak volumes as far as stability goes.

As for finding alternative solutions, well...there aren't really too many options right now. However, there has recently been a company named K2 Technologies who offers such functionality along with several additional features. Their pricing model is based off per user rather than a monthly fee, however their price point is still higher compared to most competitors' offerings. As far as whether they offer true cross platform compatibility, unfortunately they don't. What this essentially means is that if you were looking for an option that offered both platforms, K2 wouldn't be able to satisfy.

Let us know if you decide to give them a shot though - feel free to reach out via the link below. We'd love to hear feedback and thoughts on the matter.

Regards,

Kurtis Jellison

Founder / CEO

[at] k2tech.net

Hi Kurtis, thanks for taking the time to answer my question. That explains why I haven't heard much buzz about this particular solution lately. Based on what you said, it sounds very interesting. And because it seems to be a relatively newer enterprise offering, it makes sense that no one else had found success implementing this kind of technology until now.

However, before signing up, I wanted to ask a couple questions. 1) How long did it take HubSpot to get around to adding this feature into their own programs? 2) Was the feature exclusive to certain users or was everyone included regardless? 3) Is there a limit on how much data we can expect to sync? 4) Does anyone need special security clearance to signup? 5) Will the cost increase after a specified period of time? 6) What happens if someone leaves the organization? 7) What happens if the person leaving moves to another country? 8) What happens if the program gets shut down? 9) Would it be possible to export the data? 10) Could you please explain how AppDataSync works a bit further so I understand how it functions.

Thank you for your response. Just yesterday I spoke with a customer whose situation falls under item number eight above. He moved countries a month ago and his old IT people got rid of him. They didn't tell him he needed to delete his account nor did they transfer his license to him in his new location. Now he cannot access his data even though he signed up online years ago. I told him I would see what I could do to fix the problem but I'm pretty skeptical that he will ever regain access. I think he will just end up paying more money for a less reliable service. Thanks again for replying to my question.

Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, we weren't able to resolve your concerns directly. Since you mentioned that you're interested in HubSpot mainly because of its relationship with Microsoft products, it's important to note that HubSpot doesn't control any of the policies surrounding the availability of these licenses. In addition, we're unable to disclose details concerning the terms used to determine eligibility for various versions of these licenses. All I can share is that once licensed, users must adhere to whatever restrictions apply.

So basically, unless you happen to have direct access to someone inside Microsoft, you won't be able to find out what licensing requirements, limitations, etc., go into obtaining a copy of Microsoft's Office 365 Enterprise E3 package. But overall, I hope this answers your initial concern. Also, if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out via the form located at the bottom of this article - https://support.microsoftoffice365.com/en-us/kb/299787.

Hello, yes, we do have the ability to edit existing fields within the HubSpot interface. You simply click on Edit Field and enter the name of the field you wish to modify. Once done, save the record and voila! Your changes will reflect immediately.

We also have the ability to create new entries. Simply select New Record and fill in the necessary info. When finished, hit Save. Repeat this step for each entry you wish to create. Again, once saved, it will show up instantly within your HubSpot interface.

Finally, if you ever run across a problem where you believe a client's email address has become corrupt within your database, we do have the ability to import/export databases. To do this, navigate to Help > Troubleshooting guide. Under Export Database, choose either CSV file (.csv),.XML file (.xml), or HTML table (.html). From there, follow the instructions provided. Each tab contains detailed descriptions of each format type. Please refer to this page for full instructions:

https://help.exacttarget.com/HTTPMap_WebHelp/index.htm#top

Hope this helps,

Danielle A Jones

Director of Customer Success

ExactTarget | Minneapolis MN

Dear Danielle, thank you so much for responding to my query. I appreciate the quick reply and thorough explanation. I am glad to report that my colleague was able to retrieve her lost license keys and she now has full access to her previously locked files. She has also been able to recover her entire data base. Thank you for your assistance!

We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Unfortunately, we are unsure as to the cause of this error. Our first suggestion would be to log into your current subscription settings at https://accounts.google.com/, locate the section labeled Subscriptions, and remove any reference to Google Apps for Work. Then, try logging in again. Should this fail to solve the problem, then contact your reseller for further troubleshooting steps.

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I was using the free version of HubSpot, but now I want to switch over to their paid plans. The problem is, when I change my email address in HubSpot, they don't automatically update my gmail account for me. Is there an option to make this happen?

Sincerely,

Baffled By Bespoke

Dear BFF,

HubSpot's contact management platform does not currently provide automatic updates between your HubSpot Contacts database and your Microsoft® Exchange Server mail accounts (Outlook). However, if you use HubSpot's apps integration feature, you can easily synchronize all changes from those platforms into your HubSpot Contact Database without having to manually edit each record. This will allow you to keep track of everything within one unified system, which also means less time spent on trying to figure out where people left off conversations. You'll be able to view and sort through them as well as search for specific individuals by name, phone number or email address.

Let’s look at how you can set up apps synchronization in more detail below.

Does HubSpot sync with Gmail?

No, HubSpot doesn't yet offer direct access to your Gmail. But luckily, hubsync allows you to integrate HubSpot Contacts with other services such as Google Calendar™, MailChimp®, FeedBurner®, Twitter™ and Facebook™ Pages. When used together, these applications enable users to manage multiple social media profiles simultaneously while keeping track of important details like birthdays, anniversaries and event reminders. When adding or editing contacts via these websites, the application simply creates a link inside HubSpot that enables you to create a new entry directly in your HubSpot Contact Manager instead of sending an email message or making additional calls.

Here's what you need to do to get started:

Go to http://www.hubspot.com/account/apps/. Click "Add More" under Apps Integration and then choose Email & Web Forms. Check the box next to HubSpot Contacts. Then click Add App and follow the prompts. Your app has been successfully installed!

Now go back to your HubSpot dashboard. Sign in to your account and select Applications -& Manage All Current Integrations. Once again check the box next to HubSpot Contacts. If you see an error message saying "This Application Has Not Been Added To Your Account", please refer to step 1 above.

Once your device(s) are synchronized, you should receive emails whenever someone sends you a new invitation to connect via LinkedIn, Hi5 or Xing, etc., or submits a web form that contains information about themselves. For instance, let’s say you signed up for an online dating site and received an invite from another member. Instead of replying individually with your email address, you could open your HubSpot dashboard and find your user profile. From here, you would see an Invite button next to the person’s name. Simply click “Invite” and enter the recipient’s email address. Now both you and the sender will know who the other party is and whether you wish to proceed with connecting further.

If you ever experience problems setting up your integration, just visit this page once again and click "Need Help?" If you still encounter errors after doing all the steps above, speak with our tech support team at [insert country code].

What is Apps data Synchronization?

Apps Data Synchronization (ADS), similar to HubSync, lets you import data from popular third-party applications including Salesforce CRM, Zoho CRM, NetSuite BI Suite, Airtime Mobile, SocialSpark, InMail by Groupe ADP and many others. Users can even opt to upload existing spreadsheets or databases containing company information. It offers a convenient way to consolidate critical business data across different systems, giving employees greater control over their workflow.

In order to setup ADS, first log in to your HubSpot dashboard and select My Dashboard –& Admin Tools –& Setup ADS. Next, sign in to your preferred third-party service provider. After typing in your credentials, you’ll see a screen listing all available companies within that particular software. Select the desired entity and click Continue. The process may take some time depending upon the size of your file. Once finished, click Submit and return to your HubSpot dashboard.

A pop-up window will appear asking you to verify your identity. Hit Send Verification Code and complete the verification procedure. Finally, click Verify Identity and continue onto the final step.

Click Save Changes and close the Adsync Settings menu. Log in to your chosen third-party application and export its data. Choose File –& Open –& Upload Spreadsheet / CSV Files. Browse to your saved.csv file and click OK. Depending upon the type of exported data, the uploading process may take several minutes. Upon completion, you will receive a confirmation email stating the progress.

Afterwards, login to your HubSpot admin center and select My Dashboards –& Administration Tools –& Run Ads. On the following screen, click Activate to activate the newly imported data. Return to your third-party application and review the results. At last, feel free to delete your old spreadsheet or database files.

For detailed instructions regarding ADS configuration, please consult the documentation supplied by the respective providers.

You can learn more about HubSpot's partnership program by visiting https://www.hubspot.com/partnership_program.html#advertisers.

How do I sync HubSpot contacts with Gmail?

There are two ways you can set up synchronization between your HubSpot Contact Management System and your Gmail account. One involves creating a custom domain name based on your email address. The second method utilizes your current email address to identify your account. Let’s start with creating a custom domain.

First, head over to www.hubspot.com/domains. Under Domains section, click Create Domain. Enter a Name for your domain and hit Continue. Type in the full URL of the website you plan to host on your own server. Make sure to include the ".com" part before the www prefix. For example, if you wanted to point yourdomainname@yourserver.com to a WordPress blog, your URL should read something along the lines of http://yourserver.com/wordpress/.

Next, scroll down to Step 4 and click Register New Subscription. Fill in necessary fields such as Hosted Plan Details, Billing Method, Payment Information, etc. Click Subscribe Now and confirm your subscription. Wait until the payment gets processed and completed. Within 24 hours, you will receive an activation email with instructions on how to finish activating your account. Note that you’re required to install SSL certificates during the activation phase. Failure to do so might result in suspension of your hosting privileges.

Once activated, your domain registration must be renewed annually for $199 per year. Please note that renewal fees cannot be refunded.

To avoid confusion, try to remember only one username and password combination for all sites. Since most domains expire after three years, you won’t be able to renew yours unless you upgrade to Pro Status ($299 per month). Upgrading also gives you increased storage space, priority technical support and special deals exclusively offered to members.

Alternatively, you can skip the entire domain creation process altogether and register your custom e-mail address instead. Just head over to the same HubSpot settings mentioned earlier and choose Customized E-mail Address. Here, you're allowed to input your personal unique email address and create a corresponding password. We recommend choosing a memorable password because you’ll probably forget it otherwise. Also, customize your preferences by selecting either Use Username or Use Password.

How do you add HubSpot to Gmail?

Adding HubSpot to your Gmail takes slightly longer than the previous methods described above. First, head over to https://www.google.com/settings/gmail/credentials. Scroll down to Personal Document Folder field and click Edit. Copy the resulting HTML code located beneath Labels:, Primary alias:, User ID:, OAuth Client ID and Secret, and Signature field.

Then, go to https://appcenter.hubspot.com/account/signin. Paste the copied text right after the Authentication Code: line, replacing your authentication token with the actual code generated by Google. Confirm your request by clicking Authorize Access.

Finally, download the latest Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store by looking for HubSpot Contact Manager. Install and launch the browser extension. Head over to https://appcenter.hubspot.com/login, paste your authorization key, and log in. Remember to save your cookies, since logging in requires active sessions.