I think we need this object. Who’s with me?
The Deliverable Object: Bridging a Gap in HubSpot’s Customer Platform
Executive Summary
The Deliverable object represents a crucial evolution in HubSpot’s journey toward becoming a complete customer platform, particularly for B2B and manufacturing use cases. It bridges the gap between sales promises and post-sale delivery, enabling true end-to-end customer experience management within HubSpot.
The Problem
B2B companies, especially manufacturers, face several challenges with current CRM systems:
- Disconnected pre-sale and post-sale experiences
- Limited visibility into order status and delivery progress
- Complex multi-shipment and multi-delivery scenarios
- Difficulty managing warranties, documentation, and zero-dollar items
- Need for customer self-service without building complex custom solutions
The Deliverable Object Solution
Core Concept
The Deliverable object follows a natural progression in HubSpot’s data model:
- Product (in Product Library) = Strategic, pre-planned version of what you want to sell
- Line Item = Ultra-customizable version that helps close the sale
- Deliverable = What was promised at close AND any supporting deliverables needed
Key Characteristics
- Leverages HubSpot’s powerful pipeline functionality
- Can be associated with multiple objects (Orders, Deals, Tickets, etc.)
- Supports different types through pipelines rather than new objects
- Enables customer self-service through portal integration
- Maintains clean data structure while allowing flexibility
Use Cases
Manufacturing
- Managing shipments and partial deliveries
- Tracking installation status
- Warranty management
- Field service coordination
- Training and certification tracking
- Quality management documentation
B2B Services
- Project milestone tracking
- Document delivery
- Service level agreement monitoring
- Training program management
- Contract deliverables tracking
General B2B
- Order status tracking
- Multi-location delivery management
- Customer onboarding progress
- Support documentation access
- Asset management
Integration with HubSpot Objects
Native Object Relationships
Analytics Event
└─> Contact Record
└─> Company Record
└─> Lead Record
└─> Deal Record
└─> Quote Record
└─> Order Record
└─> Deliverable Record
Key Integrations
- Orders: Tracks the commercial transaction
- Invoices: Manages billing and payment documentation
- Tickets: Handles support and service requests
- Quotes: Captures initial promises and commitments
- Payments: Processes financial transactions
Benefits for HubSpot Teams
Product Teams
- Reduces pressure to create specialized objects for every use case
- Provides consistent pattern for managing post-sale activities
- Enables better integration between commerce tools
- Supports evolution toward complete customer platform
Sales Teams
- Clearer visibility into delivery status
- Better alignment between promises and fulfillment
- Improved context for upsell/cross-sell opportunities
- Reduced time spent on status updates
Customer Success Teams
- Comprehensive view of customer commitments
- Better tracking of onboarding and implementation
- Proactive management of customer satisfaction
- Simplified support and service delivery
Integration Teams
- Standardized approach to external system integration
- Cleaner data model for synchronization
- Flexible pipeline structure for different scenarios
- Reduced custom development needs
Vision for the Future
Near-Term Opportunities
- Native object status in HubSpot
- Standard manufacturing template in Object Library
- Enhanced portal capabilities for delivery tracking
- Better integration between Orders and Invoices
- Improved shipping and logistics support
Long-Term Impact
- Enables true customer platform capabilities
- Supports complex B2B use cases natively
- Reduces reliance on external systems
- Improves customer experience through self-service
- Standardizes post-sale management across industries
Example: Manufacturing Order Flow
1. Pre-Sale
- Product in library with specifications
- Line items customized for quote
- Deal closed with specific commitments
2. Order Creation
- Order record created
- Deliverables generated from line items
- Additional support deliverables added (warranty, documentation)
3. Fulfillment
- Deliverables tracked through pipeline stages
- Multiple shipments managed separately
- Installation and training coordinated
- Documentation and certifications delivered
4. Ongoing Support
- Warranty status tracked
- Maintenance schedules managed
- Training completion monitored
- Asset lifecycle maintained
Conclusion
The Deliverable object represents a strategic opportunity for HubSpot to better serve B2B and manufacturing customers while maintaining its clean, user-friendly approach to CRM. By leveraging existing pipeline functionality and integrating seamlessly with native objects, it provides a scalable solution for post-sale management without creating unnecessary complexity.
The Deliverable Object - Bridging the Gap in HubSpot’s Customer Platform (Google Doc for commenting)
