Managing and Reporting on HubSpot Inbound Sequences

[Shane-Poyar]

Summary & Context

As a GTM Ops Manager, I’ve built out a robust set of automated workflows in HubSpot to manage inbound activities—covering net new signups, high-activity free users, lead gen follow-ups, and more. In total, I’m running about 15 different workflows, each designed to account for ownership, user journey stage, and message frequency. These automations are set up to send messages on behalf of our reps, aiming to streamline engagement and follow-up.

 

My Critiques & Open Questions

1. Sequence Automation Functionality Feels Too Limited

• The “easy to use” automation options attached to sequences are, in my experience, far too lightweight. Automation triggers are mostly limited to lead forms and page views, which doesn’t cover the complexity of most real-world use cases. As a result, I’m forced to build out more complex workflows to fill the gaps.

2. Enrollment Restrictions

• When enrolling contacts into sequences, I can only send on my own behalf. There’s no option to enroll contacts on behalf of other reps, which is a major limitation for anyone managing automation at scale.

The Problems I’m Facing

• Reporting & Dashboards:
  The performance overview at the sequence level is fantastic. However, I haven’t found a way to recreate this view in an aggregated dashboard. Is there a reason we can’t just have a button to add this report directly to a dashboard for broader visibility?

• Workflow & Sequence Disconnect:
  Since workflow logic isn’t directly attached to sequences, it’s difficult to see which contacts have been enrolled, why some didn’t enroll, and to make quick fixes. This disconnect makes troubleshooting and optimization much harder than it should be.

 

Questions for the Community

• Has anyone found workarounds or best practices for these limitations?

• How are others handling reporting and troubleshooting at scale with complex automation setups?

Would love to hear how others are navigating these challenges or if there are any plans from HubSpot to address these pain points!

[danmoyle · Accepted solution]

Hey there @Shane-Poyar and welcome to the Community. You're experiencing HubSpot the way it was designed. Sequences, as a sales tool, are built to be a 1:1 experience for a sales person managing their own leads/contacts/opportunities at the 'bottom of the funnel,' while Workflows were built for marketing automation, or 1:Many, more at the top or middle of the funnel. 

Since Sequences are available in HubSpot Sales Hub, you must be a paid seat and can only send emails as that user. I don't persomnally see that changing any time soon, the way they built the platform. However, you can add the request to the Ideas forum here. 

With Marketing + Sales Hub, there are some automations between the tools, but it's still based on sales users, FYI. That's my experience, anyway. 

[BérangèreL]

Hi @Shane-Poyar and welcome, we are delighted to see you here! 🤗

Great question, that's exactly why the HubSpot Community is here for!

There is, indeed, a similar idea already present in our Ideas Forum: Start a sequence on behalf of another HS user. To contribute, you can upvote the existing idea and share more details about your specific use case in the comments. I have added my upvote!

And here are some resources on the topic:

- Enroll contacts in a sequence
- Enroll and unenroll contacts in sequences using workflows

I have found for you the solution from @MMolina5 on this post "How to set who a sequence comes from?" that might help you!

Also, I'd love to put you in touch with our Top Experts: Hi @danmoyle, @eburnaman and @Phil_Vallender do you have any insights to share with @Shane-Poyar, please?

Have a great day and thanks so much in advance for your valuable contributions! ⭐
Bérangère