The introduction of the Object Library opens up a huge opportunity to become more plug-and-play for non-SaaS industries like Manufacturing.
One problem I hope to alleviate with this idea thread is the fact that so many of us serving manufacturing are building and solutioning in silos right now.
Without a community-led effort to support a Manufacturing Data Template in HubSpot, it will be very difficult for HubSpot to provide a template free of the need for custom objects.
In my opinion, no need for custom objects is one of the biggest benefits of the new Object Library. I think we can get there.
Here's how.
Here are the native CRM objects that can be leveraged by most all manufacturing companies:
Contact
Company
Product
Marketing Events
Lead
Deal
Line Item
Quote
Cart
Payment Link
Order
Invoice
Payment
Subscription
Ticket
Appointment
Course
Service
While Appointments, Courses, Services were not meant for manufacturing, it is not hard to adapt them to use cases like Field Services, Product and Application training, and Repairs and Preventative Maintenance contracts.
But where does leave us for use cases like inventory, logistics, and quality management.
Without templated objects like Assets, Installs, Shipments, Warranties, etc. we will still need access to custom objects to complete the customer-centric manufacturing data model.
Now, I am not suggesting that we are trying to replace inventory management systems, accounting systems, and ERPs. They all have their place and have functionality that, IMO, we should not try to replicate in HubSpot.
What we do need is a place in HubSpot for all of the data our customer-facing teams need to serve great customer experiences.
Instead of creating object "creep" and a lack of standardization for the manufacturing industry, I think we can solve for all of these different post-sales use cases with one object.
I call it the "Deliverable".
Just like the Product object is designed in a general way to serve any product/service/experience a HubSpot customer might provide, the Deliverable object can be thought of in the same way.
I think of it like this...
The Product Library is the strategic, pre-planned version of what you want to sell.
Line items are the ultra-customizable version that help close the sale based on specific customer need. Not to be changed post-sale.
Deliverables are what was promised to the customer at the close AND any other deliverables needed to support that promise. (Ex. Warranty)
Put simply: Product <> Line Item > Deliverable
I have been working with Deliverables as a custom object and the magic is in leveraging Pipeline functionality.
So, instead of easily coming up with 5-10 more CRM objects, I believe we can serve known use cases with Pipelines instead.
This also allows for customized configuration for each business via new pipelines instead of new objects.
The "stage-and-gate" nature of pipelines not only unlock the rest of the HubSpot Customer Platform, they also create the perfect place for data coming from other systems that manage inventory, production, purchasing, and accouting processes.
Think of Product, Item, Expense, and Order pipelines that are found in other systems.
Let this post not be seen as the final solution, but simply a means to support the HubSpot team trying to give us a sustainable one.
I'll be sharing more links and diagrams in support of this discussion and I hope the community will feel safe and motivated to do the same. Let's Build!
Weitere Ideen mit folgender Beschriftung anzeigen:
Let me be the first to second this proposal. We have been working with the custom object "Deliverable" for several months now (thanks to Chris Carolan's work) and it has truly revolutionized the way that we are able to manage everything in the post-sale process, even with the limitations that come with Custom Objects in the HubSpot platform.
Having this as a native object that can fully leverage all aspects of the platform would be a game changer - it would provide for easier reporting, better visibility, simpler automation, and even easier manipulation (ex. updating stages from an associated record instead of having to click into the custom object record itself).
As our company works to prepare for and implement NetSuite as an ERP to house all of our non-human data and activity in the next 6-8 months, having this Deliverable custom object is providing us a clear framework to assist NetSuite in mapping across the two platforms as they work with a 3rd party implementation team. Again, having this natively in HubSpot just makes sense and opens SO MUCH possibility for all users (not just those who can afford to pay for an enterprise tier solution).
I will advocate for this time and time again and would love to talk through what this can/should/already does look like for anyone who would like!
We implemented a Deliverables like module last month as a critical, mid-course correction for key functionality. We're only scratching the surface and this model has infinite upside!
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