What resources are needed for a HubSpot CRM project?

Is there a CRM system deployment or change to a new system waiting around the corner but you have no clue how to prepare yourself and your organisation for the process? Just like any project that has an impact on the organisation's procedures and processes, a CRM deployment project calls for preparations and resources. Without the needed resources or preliminary actions the project’s end result rarely is as good as expected. So, what are the things you and your organisation should be prepared for? In this very blog post we go through step by step, what are the things you should take into consideration before starting a HubSpot CRM project.

A HubSpot CRM deployment project resources can roughly be divided into financial, schedule and communication related and human resources. Obviously the demand and number of resources vary depending on the size of the organisation and the nature of the project but this is a formula we have found functional, oh so many times!

Financial resources

Before deploying the CRM system of your choice, it’s good to estimate how much money you and your organisation are willing to invest in the process and in the system. When it comes to choosing of the licenses, are financial resources playing an important role. The reserved resources also define whether to run the project alone or with a partner. HubSpot offers licenses for its Marketing, Sales, Service, CMS and Operations Hubs. In addition, there are license packets aka Suites available that include all  the platform's functionalities with a cheaper total price. There are three license types available for each Hub: Starter, Professional and Enterprise.

In addition to the license costs, it’s important to estimate how many contacts there will be to handle in your organisation. All the Marketing Hub licenses contain the same basic amount of contacts that can be targeted with marketing and communications, without any additional costs. In case the amount of contacts exceeds the limit, there will be additional costs and the extra contacts are sold in 500 or 1000 pcs batches. There is also only a certain number of users with a wider selection of tools in use in the Sales Hub license. The additional user accounts can also be purchased if needed. 

Deployment process runs smoothly with a suitable partner. Often the budget is customized keeping only the deployment phase in mind even though support is most likely needed also after the deployment when the system and processes are being launched for the whole organisation to use. It’s important to take this into account already before the process when planning on the resources.

Schedule and communications related resources

Even though the project was run utilizing the agile process model, the deployment takes time. Take care of organizing the schedule related resources and functional in-house communication. The project team should at all times be aware of what’s happening and when, and also communicate the information to the rest of the organisation if possible. Plan ahead in which channels and in which ways the communication will be maintained and who is the person responsible for it. Are there regular meetings or question hours? Is one person enough to keep up the communication or should there be two people responsible for communications in your organisation?

Human resources

Naturally a CRM deployment process also calls for employees. The size of the project team can vary depending on the organisation. However, every project needs certain roles to function in the best way possible - whether it was a small or a large organisation. The following people and roles are, in our opinion, essential to a successful deployment process:

• Project manager. Every functional project needs a project manager. To ensure that the project runs smoothly there needs to be a person in the project team who is responsible for communicating with the partner and coordinating the in-house working.
• Sales director and 1-2 sales persons. Along with a sales director the project also needs 1-2 sales persons capable of providing practical experience and vision of every day sales work to the processes. 
• Committed project team. In its entirety the project calls for at least 4-6 people who are willing to commit to the deployment process and take care of implementing the rest of the organisation to the new system and processes, too.

In general it’s good to prepare oneself that the CRM deployment process takes time and resources. Well functioning project calls for both the organisation’s lead and people from, for example, sales and marketing teams with hands-on experience. Although the project team consists of just a few people from your organisation it’s important to keep the whole organisation committed to the project. Everyone must be aware of what’s happening and with what kind of schedule the changes will take place. We also recommend deepening the in-house CRM system knowledge. Even if the project was executed with a partner it’s good to have people acquainted with CRM systems inside the organisation as well. It ensures that everything runs smoothly during the project but also after the project is finished.

Do you want to learn more about HubSpot CRM system deployment or CRM projects in general? Explore our brand new guide, that goes through the steps to a successful CRM deployment i detail. 

Download the guide here!