How do I optimize my data structure to integrate with CPQ/Subscription Management tools?

[eduardogn13]

Hey there! 🙂

Any SaaS business using Hubspot integrated with a CPQ/Subscription Management tool like DealHub or Chargebee?

If so, how do you keep Hubspot up to date on subscription variations to make it easier for Account Managers?

We are currently trying to figure out what the best option is. These are some questions that we stumbled upon:

What happens to a customer who adds 2 new users (or any other unit that makes sense for your business model):

- Is the information automatically updated in Hubspot based on the subscription management tool, via the integration?

- Do you keep the variation information in the original Deal / Company, just changing its fields?

- Or do you focus the changes on the Line Items associated with them?

- Maybe you create new deals at each iteration?

- Do you use any custom object to separate "Subscriptions" from "Deals"?

- How do you handle renewals? Do you “kill” the original deal and create a new one?

Thanks in advance! 🙂

[timo1]

If you haven't already got a solution - look into Subskribe: https://www.subskribe.com/

We just finished our implementation with them (6 months) and it has solved all our problems. Hands down the best CPQ on the market. 

[CAnderson87]

@eduardogn13 great post! I came to community in search of the same answer.  

In another CRM in a past life, the CPQ pulled in all the items from a subscription module for each new deal.  

1. CPQ Tool used Quote, Products, and Line Items objects in the CRM
2. DEAL for New Business (type/pipeline) was used to create the quote
3. Closed Won deal (aka signed quote) created Subscription for recurring line items, Inventory for one-time items and ProService hours
4. DEAL for MACD (Moves, Adds, Changes, Deletions) pulled in all subscription and inventory items to the CPQ Quote and changes could be made to the subscription via the quote
5. CPQ tool approval process would be required for negative amounts, downsells, etc. 
6. Closed Won MACD DEALs would modify the subscription
7. ProServices hours inventory and one-time items could be consumed using Tickets
8. Every new DEAL pulled in quote and available inventory

I'm not sure how to do it in HubSpot, but I really need a solution to manage quotes against a subscription. Any suggestions @franksteiner79  

[Justin_Graci]

@MandyDROS --- wonder if you might have any thoughts on this. You're pretty advanced when it comes to these scenarios/use cases. 

[jforte]

@MiaSrebrnjak @sharonlicari @kvlschaefer any idea of someone that can help my colleague Eduardo in this topic?

Thanks 🙂

[kvlschaefer]

Hi @jforte,

Thank you for adding us to the conversation 🙂 

I would like to invite our community experts to this conversation to see if they have any insight for your colleague.

Hi @jolle, @MariSuper, @MandyDROS, @franksteiner79 - Do you have any tips for @eduardogn13?

Thank you!

Best,

Kristen

[franksteiner79 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for tagging me @kvlschaefer!

@eduardogn13 sadly I know too little about either of the two tools not subscription management to give a coherent answer. Having said that, from my time at HubSpot I've seen the following things which made sense:

• depending on the complexity and variables of your subscription, this should probably be managed outside HubSpot
• Any change = a new deal (upsell pipeline or additional services pipeline) which adds onto the main subscription (which is managed outside HubSpot)
• Renewals are new deals in a new pipeline, which are based off original + all changes, i.e. I start with Marketing Hub Pro, add Sales Hub Pro, then add 5 more seats, my renewal is Marketing Hub Pro, Sales Hub Pro with 10 seats.
• Either you write/update key subscription information into a custom object or you pull it into the CRM (a custom card ?) from you subscription tool

Hope that's somewhat useful.

Frank