We want to be able to have our subscription types sync to Salesforce without creating multiple workflows to do so. Being able to keep track of our subscriptions would be useful for reporting and a variety of other reasons.
Currently you can map the opt-outs, but not the opt-ins.
Over the last 12 years, I have been actively involved in the evolution of HubSpot, contributing to its transformation from a simple contact management tool into a robust platform for inbound marketing, sales, and support. Despite facing several challenges and not receiving recognition, I remain committed to sharing insights and solutions publicly as others also solve my day-to-day challenges.
Please let me adjust my previous comment and come back to Hubspot <> Salesforce integration:
Issue Identification with HubSpot's Product
The primary issue seems to stem from a design oversight in HubSpot's product management. This becomes evident when examining the handling of Email Subscription Types.
HubSpot's Email Subscription Management
Creation of Subscription Types: In HubSpot settings, each subscription type created generates a corresponding property as a Single Checkbox, labeled "Opted out of email: [TYPE CREATED]".HubSpot's use of Single Checkbox implies a boolean parameter, which inherently represents two states (0 or 1, with various labels like Yes/No, True/False). However, this simplistic binary model doesn't align with the actual user interface, which presents three options: Subscribe, Unsubscribe, and Not Specified. This discrepancy indicates that the underlying data structure is more complex than a mere boolean.
Administrative Challenges:If an administrator accidentally subscribes a user to a type, the platform doesn’t allow reverting to 'Not Specified' through standard means. Workarounds exist, such as using API codes or Workflows, but these approaches interact with the underlying data structure, which seems to be more akin to a dropdown than a boolean.
Integration Challenges with Salesforce (and other CRMs)
Mapping Difficulties: The use of Single Checkbox properties in HubSpot necessitates similar property types in Salesforce for integration.However, this becomes problematic as the checkbox naming convention in HubSpot (e.g., "Opted out of email: Blog Newsletter") means a selected checkbox indicates an opt-out status in Salesforce, making it unclear whether an unselected checkbox represents a 'Not Specified' or 'Subscribed' status.
Global Unsubscribe Feature: Both platforms have a universal opt-out checkbox that functions consistently, indicating a possible area for improved integration strategies.
Proposed Solution to HubSpot, not customers
I propose redefining each subscription type as a dropdown with four options: Express Consent, Implied Consent, Unsubscribe (opted out), and Not Specified. This would allow a clearer representation of user preferences and streamline the integration process with CRM systems like Salesforce, where corresponding picklists can be mapped more effectively. Although HubSpot offers the same structure in the Contact level, I recommend bringing it to the Subscription Type level.
Implementation and Use Case Examples
Explicit Consent: When a user provides explicit consent via a website, it should apply to all email types, with the option to adjust preferences individually.
Global Unsubscribe: A universal unsubscribe action should affect all subscription types uniformly, both existing and future ones.
Please share your feedback
I am curious to learn how others are navigating these challenges with HubSpot and third-party CRM integrations. Have you encountered similar issues, and how have you addressed them? Your insights and experiences would be greatly valued in this discussion.
I'm having the exact same problem described above. It's impossible to map the email subscription types to pure true/false fields in Salesforce, because the subscription types actually have 3 options. I think something that would help is if HubSpot either allows workflows to change an email subscription type to "Not Opted," rather than just "Subscribed" or "Unsubscribed" OR allowing workflows to opt people back in. It's confusing that the subscription types have 3 options but only 2 are reflected in workflows. The lack of these options and the lack of clarity around permissions for these things in HubSpot creates a lot of issues when onboarding and has caused a lot of extra unncessary work that would be solved by either of the solutions I proposed. Thanks!
