Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
I'm at my wit's end with how bad the email tracking for Hubspot CRM is - not that it is unreliable, but that it seems there is no way to simply sync my inbox and have things sync with the contact or deal they were sent to.
For reference, we were previously using Pipedrive and when you integrate your inbox, it will sync your whole inbox and connect conversations from relevant email addresses to the right contact and deal.
In Hubspot it appears I have 2 bad options:
Bad Option #1
Use the gmail extension to track emails
Why it's bad: First is that I need to use the native gmail desktop interface for it to work. My company uses Gsuite but I prefer a different email app - but I can't use that if I want emails to track. I also can't respond back to things on the go from my phone if I want them to track. I'm forced into responding from my desktop in an email UI I don't like to track my emails in Hubspot
Bad Option #2
Use the BCC to get it to sync in Hubspot
Why it's bad: Need to remember to manually add it to BCC everytime if I want it to sync or go back and forward it later if I forgot
Why the system is bad as a whole: I can't even respond back to an email before first creating a deal out of it and connecting it to the contact. Even I use the gmail sales extension which I hate, I have to go create a deal, add the contact and then respond back. It has made using my inbox cumbersome and slowed down my entire workflow just so I can have the email conversations tracking in Hubspot for other team members to view.
Is there another way I can do this more easily? I'm truly dumbfounded that a product this advanced is simply this bad at one of their core functions. It's almost like they insist in this requiring manual intervention to work properly on the customer's end, rather than just working seamlessly in the background.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
Hmm - Im on day 1 with my company using Hubspot. We use Outlook for mail and have a paid subscription. Im amazed at the ease. You need to make sure you downloaded to Chrome extensions and once everthing is synced, the tracking is automatic whether I send from outlook or send from HS.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
Hmm - Im on day 1 with my company using Hubspot. We use Outlook for mail and have a paid subscription. Im amazed at the ease. You need to make sure you downloaded to Chrome extensions and once everthing is synced, the tracking is automatic whether I send from outlook or send from HS.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
I couldn't agree more! Hubspot BADLY needs to have an inbox that replicates everything in g-mail, including the sidebar folders. They have this whole Inbox feature under conversations but its only for internal e-mails??? Whose bright idea was that? I'm shook. This alone is making me realize I may need to switch platforms
I apologize for the frustrations, data issues, and business impact this has caused. I would highly recommend you to please post this idea at our ideas forum (here).
Our product team, who monitors the forum regularly, can read your specific use case and understand why this would be a useful functionality or change. It also helps other customers facing the same issue to advocate for its implementation on your behalf by upvoting on the thread as well.
Aug 7, 202311:33 AM - edited Aug 7, 202311:35 AM
Member
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
I will say this: you are not wrong. everything about the email functionality as a whole is really bad with hubspot, which is the main thing that prevents me form ever moving to a paid plan. I keep setting hubspot up at different organizations that I work with, and the problem of inconsistent emails is very consistent lol. Sometimes the outlook plugin works and the email attaches to the deal you tell it to, and sometimes it doesn't. And en for whatever reason it decides it doesn't want to work, there is literally nothing that can be done shot of copying and pasting the email in the notes of a deal. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for why it will or won't work, it is completely random. If thes eproducts just worked 100% of the time correctly instead of 50% of the time I wouldn't need to pay for trello and use the free version of hubspot for pipeline, I would just pay for hubspot. But the countless hours of googling an frrustration without ever figuring out an actual solution as pretty much permanently turned me off of hubspot.
May 25, 202311:11 AM - last edited on May 26, 202311:46 AM by kvlschaefer
Member
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
Email tracking can indeed have limitations and may not always provide accurate or comprehensive information. However, there are alternative methods you can explore for tracking email interactions or achieving similar goals:
Read receipts: Instead of relying solely on email tracking, you can request read receipts from recipients. Read receipts are notifications sent by the recipient's email client when they open your email. This method provides more reliable confirmation of email opens, although it still depends on the recipient's email client settings.
Link tracking: Rather than relying on email opens, you can use link tracking to gauge recipient engagement. Create unique, trackable links within your emails that lead to specific landing pages or online content. By analyzing the click-through rates, you can gain insights into recipient engagement to invalid.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
Sorry, I used the wrong word in the title - I didn't mean tracking but I meant syncing the email activities to deals and contacts so other team members are in the loop.
My post was more clear in terms of what I meant, but tracking was not the right word for the title. My problem lies in how ensuring these emails get connected to the deal/contact within the CRM requires a manual step every single time.
Read receipts and link tracking are not the issue here.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
What made you leave Pipedrive to begin with? They have a direct integration to Hubspot ( https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/apps/sales/crm/pipedrive ). I work with lots of companies who don't use Hubspot for a Sales system, but do use it for other things like Marketing efforts which is an area they strongly excel in.
As far as connecting your inbox, can you explain what you have setup with Gmail? What are you using to check your mail? Can you confirm what the settings are and whether it uses IMAP? My thought is that you connect your inbox using the IMAP settings for Hubspot similar to how your non-gmail client app is configured. That should allow that app to then record your emails. https://support.google.com/a/answer/12103?hl=en . Have you tried going down that route?
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
At this point I don't fully remember why we left Pipedrive (it was over a year ago), though we are mostly using Hubspot for the CRM function and not using the Marketing features.
We have our company domain through Gsuite/Google for Work. I use Superhuman for my inbox, just a different UI that I 'm able to connect by logging into my Google account through it. I don't believe it's as complicated as what you're mentioning - the issue is it doesn't support the Hubspot Sales Extension.
From talking with Hubspot support, they seemed to say I could only track emails within Hubspot if I was using either the gmail extension or the BCC.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
I would reach out to Superhuman and see if there is a way to save the BCC for Hubspot in the email sending template that way you don't have to remember. That could be a possible option for you. Then you wouldn't have to type it in everytime. Or see if the Superhuman team has a workaround they might be able to suggest.
Dumbfounded at how bad email tracking is - is there a better way?
SOLVE
I don't ALWAYS use superhuman though, sometimes I respond back from my phone with the default Apple Mail app, sometimes I have people managing my inbox.
I think my main point and worry has been proven though, simple syncing of emails to the CRM is not something that is possible with Hubspot. It requires a manual step or workaround every single time.
Really disappointing and am considering moving my whole company away from Hubspot.