Customizing "log activity" in HubSpot CRM

[grayson]

Hi HubSpot Development Team, 

I recommend revisiting the idea to customize log activity in HubSpot Sales. I would like my team to track "Direct Mail," and I've seen others asking about logging texts and in-app messaging. 

Thanks for considering!

Grayson 

[grayson]

Hi all a couple of years ago, we released 7 new logged activity options based on what we saw in this post. Could you please submit this short form if you still have a logged activity type that isn't being supported? Thank you!

[grayson]

Hi everyone, I'm going to update this idea as 'Idea Submitted'. To be fully transparent, the mistake was mine in interpreting these discussions as the need to customize Call & Meeting types - this feature was in beta and is now live (details below).

However, I understand that the need here is to identify, track and report on custom activities. I have made a note of this change and demand and will be taking this to Product, I know this is something they are aware of and reviewing but I do not have any further update at this time. To set expectations the next report I bring to the Product team will be early January. 

I apologize for the miscommunication here and will endeavor to get you an update on this idea. 

______________________________________________________________________

How to set custom call and meeting types:

How it works

• Navigate to Settings > Sales > Call & Meeting Types.

• Click “Enable Call and Meeting Types.”

• Add your types.

• Then, when you’re logging an activity from a record in your CRM, simply click “Select Call Type,” and choose your desired type.

What about reporting?

With the update, call/meeting type is now represented in two pre-built reports within the report library, and can also be used to build custom reports.

 

The two pre-built reports look like this, and live under "Prospecting:"

• Call and meeting totals (by type). Holistically, are there trends in the types of calls/meetings your team is having?

• Call and meeting leaderboard (by type). This report shows you the total number of meetings and calls each of your reps are having, by type. Did one rep have more pre-qualification calls, while another had more demo calls? Use this report to find out.

 

In addition to the pre-baked reports, Reporting Add-on or Sales Professional users can create custom reports using the Call/Meeting Type data.

[RC]

Thanks for the update, @roisinkirby. That's great news!

[rentpingmike]

I 100% agree. I have a lot of prosects and clients that I text with. Right now I copy/paste the messages and then log them as emails, which is obviously not accurate. Being able to add custom activity types would be great, but at the very least you should add texting/messaging as well as mailing so we can also log when we mail something out.

[JasonC]

Yes, Please revisit this!

We love the new call and meeting type, but I feel that they didn't fully understand what the community was looking for.

Currently, for activities, we can only choose from Log Call, Log Email, Log Meeting.

On Log Call we can select predefined Outcomes, and then we can select custom call types.

On Log Meeting we can select custom meeting types, but they are the same custom fields as the Log Call

On Log Email, there are no custom fields.

What we really wanted more than these features were Custom Activity Types.

Examples: Log Call, Log Meeting, Log Email, Log Social Network, Log Snail Mail, Log Stop In, Log [Inset Custome Field] Etc.

Then on each of the new custom activity types, we could possibly have custom types or outcomes.

Examples: Log Social Network + Linkedin + Connection

                    Log Social Network + Linkedin + Message

                    Log Social Network + Facebook + Friend Request

                    Log Social Network + Facebook + Private Message

                    Log Social Network + Facebook + New Post

                    Log Snail Mail + Introductory Letter

                    Log Snail Mail + Follow Up Letter

                    Log Stop In + Dropped Off Marketing Docs

                    Log Stop In + Meet & Greet

                    Log Biding Site + Thumbtack + Bid Submitted

                    Log Biding Site + Thumbtack + Message

                    Log Biding Site + Thumbtack + Meeting Booked

                    Log Biding Site + iSqFt + Bid Submitted

                    Log Biding Site + iSqFt + Message

I hope this helps see the direction I believe people were looking for.

Don't get me wrong the custom call types and meeting types were a great feature but I believe people wanted to track other types of activities more than just customise the 3 types already given.

[akishaitas]

About the call types, yes you can customize them AND also add more call types if you want..... HOWEVER, this is not what we were lookng for

We want to be able to customize CALL OUTCOME...   That's were the juice is my friends at Hubspot

Right now the options are

No answer

busy

wrong number

Left live message

Left voice mail

Connected

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO CUSTOMIZE THE LIST ABOVE.  AT MINIMUM rename them... that should be easy enough

Lets get this done boys and girls

[JasonC]

@akishaitas

Exactly, See my post above yours!

Yes, custom outcomes would be great but we really want custom activity types!

[virginiam]

Yes, this is necessary. In my team, we want the "text message" and "linkedin message" options. Customizable activities / activity types would be great!!

[steveholley]

I would take it a step further and allow the Activity Types and Outcomes to be customizable.  

[yuvalactionbar]

I'd like to be able to set a default task type. Currently, it's always set to 'To-do'.

Specifically:

1. On a contact page (let's say John Smith), I navigate over to the "Create task" tab

2. I see a dropdown for task type that has the values: Call, Email, To-do.

3. I observe that To-do is selected by default

I want to be able to set the default task type to Email, so that I would see this instead:

1. On a contact page (let's say John Smith), I navigate over to the "Create task" tab

2. I see a dropdown for task type that has the values: Call, Email, To-do.

3. I observe that Email is selected by default

---

Additionally, I'd like the same setting to apply to the general Tasks tab when creating a follow-up.

Specifically:

1. I click on the Tasks tab from the top hubspot menu

2. I see a list of all of my tasks

3. The first task on the list is of type Email (I see a purple email icon next to the name)

4. I click on the checkmark next to the first task

5. A popup appears that suggests I create a follow-up task

6. I click on "Add task"

7. The new task that get created is set to the Type "To-do"

I'd like to be able to set the default task type so that:

1. I click on the Tasks tab from the top hubspot menu

2. I see a list of all of my tasks

3. The first task on the list is of type Email (I see a purple email icon next to the name)

4. I click on the checkmark next to the first task

5. A popup appears that suggests I create a follow-up task

6. I click on "Add task"

7. The new task that get created is set to the Type "Email"

(an alternative to Step 7 is that the new task is set to the the type of the task I just completed).

[KaneB]

Hi @roisinkirby

How do we participate in beta products/beta reviews?? Would love this feature now 🙂 

Thanks,

Kane 

[ndwilliams3]

You can apply here. https://ux.hubspot.com/beta

[ndwilliams3]

Looks like they closed applications for new users as of Oct 2017.

[mitchellkp]

 We do this in SFDC and would like to do the same.

Allows us to customize to our marketing and sales process. Which includes text, direct mail, trade show meetings, on-site meetings, etc.

Says "in beta". As of when? When does it roll out?

[Stanczak]

Hi all, pretty sure this is the relevant product release announcement. Seems like a sales-pro only feature: https://www.hubspot.com/product-updates/custom-meeting-call-types-in-sales-professional

[rentpingmike]

That's sort of what people are looking for. About halfway, I guess.

I'm looking for a way to log things like texts, snail mail items, etc. This feature will let me categorize calling activity and also add meeting types but it still doesn't allow different activity types. It doesn't quite make sense for me to log something as a call and then to change the Type to "Text Message" or to log mailing something to a prospect as a "Meeting."

[SarahN]

Same - I'm right there with you Rentpingmike. I feel like this update is ALMOST what we wanted, but not quite. They brought us Pepsi when we ordered Coke.

[rentpingmike]

More like we ordered Coke and they brought us a water balloon. It's cool to have and kind of similar, but it does something completely different.

[oswaldyeo]

Yes please. This will greatly expand the useful ness of hubspot. We are a team of headhunters using hubspot and this will allow us to track our sales activities (sending CVs, arranging candidate interviews for clients) much more effectively because our sales activites are not just limited to calls and emails. This is such a critical function that right we are actively looking for alternatives to move to. Sales force seems to have this customizability 

[PhilOPSCOM]

I am an Insightly user looking to switch over to Hubspot.  One of the items I like to be able to report on are some of the other tasks related to sales such a "Demo" or "RFP".  

I drop down menu or customizable task list would be awesome in order to better define some of the "other" sales tasks that we would like to be able to monitor and analyze.

[CWand]

Hi, 

It would be great if there would be an option to custimize the task types. By customizing the tasks we can be more specific in the communication towards other users.

Having a similar set up like the call / meeting types would add a lot value in standardising / understanding which type of tasks are effectice in the way we communicate.

Thanks!

[trudy]

I absolutely agree with this too. I want to be able to track certain tasks that I do in users accounts, and would like to name and customize the types of activities so we can create more detailed reports.