Bonfire Rating: 4.6/5
HubSpot Operations is your all-in-one tool for data management and integrations.
HubSpot Operations Hub
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Workflow Automation Capabilities
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Tons of Free Tools Available
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Tools for Data Syncing and Integration
Managing your data is crucial to the success of your business.
Choosing the wrong platform to keep it all organized can result in hours of wasted time trying to figure out where everything is and how it all fits together.
That’s where I come in. I’m AJ, and I have my fair share of experience with digital marketing. After all, I started and built up a successful digital agency over the span of 4 years to a multi-million dollar exit.
Now I’m looking to help small business owners and entrepreneurs like myself by testing all sorts of digital marketing tools alongside my team at Small Business Bonfire.
That brings me to this review. We put HubSpot’s Operations Hub through its paces in terms of features, pricing, ease of use, and who should use the service.
There’s a lot more to talk about, so let’s get into it!
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Since 2009 Small Business Bonfire has been testing and rating thousands of business software to help you (our small business owners) start & scale your organizations. If you want to know more about how we test, please read this article here.
What is HubSpot Operations Hub?
HubSpot’s Operations Hub is essentially a platform that allows you to sync contacts and other data, integrate all your apps, and automate your business processes using workflow triggers.
Operations Hub is part of the overall HubSpot CRM platform, and it offers detailed analytics and data-driven insights into your customer base in conjunction with the other Hubs.
The software is designed to help you streamline processes across different departments so that your team can always be on the same page.
Here’s an overview of the features they provide:
- Tons of supported apps
- Data cleaning
- Data sync
- Robust data quality tools
- Programmable automation
- Workflow extensions
We utilize a lot of HubSpot’s tools at the agency, but for this review, we set up Small Business Bonfire on their Operation’s Hub Professional plan ($800/month) in order to fully test it out.
Pros and Cons of HubSpot Operations Hub
HubSpot users can definitely benefit from using Operations, however it’s important to examine the downsides as well. Here are some pros and cons of the platform.
HubSpot Operations Hub Pros
- Fast data cleaning process
- Data syncing is efficient
- Workflow integration with other tools is seamless
- Data management all in one place
- Programmable automation helps with all aspects of HubSpot
HubSpot Operations Hub Cons
- It's significantly more expensive than other options out there.
- It can be difficult to get a grasp of the interface, especially if you're unfamiliar with HubSpot.
- The data analysis features are not as comprehensive as they could be.
Who Is HubSpot Operations Hub Best Suited For?
If you’re looking for a powerful tool to crank up your business operations, HubSpot Operations Hub won’t disappoint.
It’s a perfect fit for companies who need to sync data from various sources, automate processes, and want to do so all within one platform.
Operations Hub is perfect for:
- Companies looking to clean their data quickly and easily with automated processes
- Enterprises that have a lot of clients and managing the information is paramount
Who Is HubSpot Operations Hub Not Suited For?
Let’s face it, HubSpot’s Operations Hub is expensive.
As such, their paid plans might not be a great fit for smaller businesses or startups that don’t have the budget to invest in it just yet.
They provide a lot of robust features to their operations teams, but if your workload isn’t very intensive, you might not need to automate your workflow or sync data in real-time.
We always advise small businesses to take advantage of free trials before committing to a purchase. Luckily, HubSpot offers a 14-day trial on their Operations Hub Enterprise and Professional plans.
HubSpot Operations Hub Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?
HubSpot Operations Hub offers 3 pricing plans. They also offer free tools and a 14-day free trial to try out the service (before buying anything).
- Operations Hub Starter – $20/Month
- Operations Hub Professional – $800/Month
- Operations Hub Enterprise – $2,000/Month
Checkout our full guide on HubSpot’s pricing plans.
How Does HubSpot Operations Hub's Pricing Compare?
HubSpot Operations Hub – $20/Month
- Free plan
- Tons of great integrations
- Data quality automation & sync
Zapier – $29.99/Month
- Free plan
- Tons of great integrations
- Powerful automation
Integrately – $29.99/Month
- Free plan
- Some great integrations
- Powerful automation
Salesforce – $25/Month
- No free plan
- Tons of great integrations
- Powerful automation
There’s no denying that HubSpot Operations Hub is one of the pricier options out there at up to $2,000/month.
Zapier’s most expensive plan (Company) only costs $799/month and provides a lot of the same features as Operations.
However, HubSpot operations offers a ton of utility, an intuitive interface, and a great free plan. For that reason, we declare HubSpot the winner here.
HubSpot Operations Hub Pricing Tips
HubSpot Operations Hub Core Features
Operations Hub with HubSpot offers the ability to sync data as one of their free tools. You can sync your data with HubSpot to all your other apps and keep it up to date in real-time without any manual work involved.
This feature is fantastic for new users and small businesses because as we said it's completely free! Simply click on their app marketplace, download your preferred apps, connect to HubSpot, and then start the data sync.
From there, you can do the following:
- Configure data sync direction
- Review field mappings
- Set up data sync rules
- Resync deleted data
Data sync can be a game changer for businesses whose teams rely heavily on specific apps. An example could be a social media startup that uses guerilla-style marketing to reach its clients.
Having this information readily available in one place on HubSpot will help them stay organized and on top of their campaigns.
Data quality automation is a great feature for making sure all of your data is accurate and up to date.
HubSpot's Operations Hub scans your account (screenshot shown below) in order to detect any discrepancies and quickly fix them.
Once the scan is complete, the data quality command center gives you an overview of all your content within the central CRM platform.
This is a fantastic feature for ensuring your data is accurate and up to date, especially for larger organizations with a ton of data to manage in all of HubSpot's other Hubs.
You can also use HubSpot workflows (which we will get into below) to ensure your data is correct in terms of grammar and spelling. This is a great way to make sure your data is clean and ready for analysis.
Programmable automation with Operations Hub allows operations teams to build custom HubSpot workflows to keep their data organized and up-to-date.
Some examples of programmable automation that the service offers include:
- Webhooks
- Workflow triggers
- Extension configuration
The Small Business Bonfire team and I especially like their workflows feature for workflow automation that affects all of CRM data.
With this feature, users can add workflow automation that accomplishes tasks such as:
- Automating A/B testing
- Triggering a webhook
- Data formatting across the entire CRM system
Creating a workflow is as easy as selecting a template (shown below), customing the features you would like, and hitting publish. You can add notes or comments that your team can see, making it easy to collaborate with many people at the same time.
We created a template that capitalizes the first letter of first and last names for contacts. This simple automation can make it much easier for your sales team to input and change customer information.
Here's an example of what ours looked like.
We created a custom workflow to test the capabilities of the software.
We were able to set it up so that any of our clients that have opted into our marketing information would get a marketing email that we created (pictured below).
You can also utilize bots with HubSpot's Chatflows feature to create actions using code. This enables users to essentially code custom automation actions.
An example would be when the chat reaches a certain point in the conversation, a specific message is delivered.
This allows you to automate chat features such as booking and subscription billing.
Operations Hub allows users to integrate their workflow with apps like Mailchimp, Gmail, and Slack just to name a few.
By integrating all your third-party systems, you can maintain real-time access to customer data and insights.
The ability to integrate everything all in one place is one of the many reasons we love HubSpot. HubSpot users can use the Apps Marketplace (pictured below) to find new integrations that they may not have thought of before.
This is great for beginners or startup businesses that are on the lookout for new ways to streamline their workflow and maximize efficiency.
You can even sort by Free Apps which include a ton of essential apps like the following:
- Google Contacts
LinkedIn
Google Sheets
Having a connected CRM platform helps to streamline business processes, protect customer data, and ensure your entire team is on the same page.
The Operations Hub allows businesses to manage every aspect of customer payments by utilizing workflow automation along with data collection and syncing.
The following payment uses are available with this feature:
- Subscriptions
- Paid Content
- Donations
- Projects
- Professional services
We were able to get the process going by answering a few questions and filling in some fields with company information.
Within a couple of days, we were approved and able to get started using their powerful payment features.
Here's what the first part of the onboarding process looks like.
What are the Limitations of HubSpot Operations Hub?
As with all of HubSpot’s Hubs, the biggest limitation our team found is that Operations Hub is best utilized as part of an all-in-one central CRM platform.
Since its primary function is to streamline workflow, integrate systems, and sync data, it typically requires you to invest in HubSpot to get a lot of mileage out of it.
If you’re not planning on using HubSpot long-term, it might be worth it to check out a standalone service like Trello or Zapier to automate your processes. It also has a pretty high price tag which is a barrier to entry for businesses that are just starting out.
How Does Operations Hub Integrate with HubSpot Marketing Campaigns?
HubSpot Operations Hub might just be what your business needs to streamline your operations and take your campaigns to the next level.
It’s best suited for marketers who are looking to optimize their campaigns by doing the following:
- Understanding customer behavior
- Organizing data
- Automating workflow
As we’ve discussed, with Operations Hub, you can implement features like automation, data management, integrations, and insights that allow you to work smarter, more efficiently, and make data-driven decisions.
Operations Hub can help you do the following:
- Identify bottlenecks
- Eliminate redundancies
- Improve your overall campaign performance
So, if you’re tired of wasting hours on manual processes, struggling to keep your data organized, or failing to make sense of your customer data, HubSpot Operations Hub could be your solution.
What Sets HubSpot Operations Hub Apart from the Competition?
What really sets HubSpot Operations Hub apart from the competition, in our opinion, is being able to manage everything all in one place.
Whether it’s perfecting the grammar in your marketing emails with programmable automation, integrating data from your favorite apps (there are tons), or streamlining the customer experience with custom-coded chatbots, Operations Hub has you covered.
If you’ve got the budget for it, we recommend utilizing Operations Hub in conjunction with the entire HubSpot CRM platform.
Getting Started with HubSpot Operations Hub
The onboarding process for Operations Hub was straightforward (as we’ve come to expect with HubSpot).
We simply input our information, including the following:
- Occupation
- Job title
- Company name
- Size of your team
After that, we got started by using their trial guide.
The guide suggested checking out some common use cases for programmable automation. There was a ton of useful information that helped us to really get going with Operations.
How Do You Use HubSpot Operations Hub?
HubSpot Operations Hub is best utilized by businesses that have a lot of data across multiple apps. The ability to integrate workflow automation and sync data makes it super easy to keep track of all the moving pieces.
Operations Hub could be especially helpful for large enterprises looking to change up how they manage their data.
It would also be great for a quickly growing business. If you have a lot of orders coming in from multiple sources such as social media, your eCommerce website, or email, having all the data instantly appear in one place seems like a dream come true.
This helps ensure that information such as customer data doesn’t fall through the cracks. You can even resync data that was lost or deleted by mistake.
HubSpot Operations Hub Customer Service & Support Review
As with all of HubSpot’s Hubs, Operations provides 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support.
As of writing this review, the only issue we’ve had with HubSpot’s support is that the live chat wasn’t available at that particular moment. However, it quickly reconnected and we were able to talk to someone.
For Operations Hub, we specifically asked their support team a question about workflow automation.
Within just one minute, we were connected with someone. They were super helpful with their response. Not only did they answer our question, but they also provided some helpful screenshots of exactly what they were talking about. This was some of the best customer service we have experienced with HubSpot in our months of testing.
Other HubSpot Hubs
Let’s examine some of HubSpot’s other Hubs that work seamlessly with Operations.
HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot Marketing Hub is a powerful platform for creating and managing effective digital marketing campaigns.
They offer the following features:
- Ad campaign management
- Email marketing
- Social media integration
- Marketing campaigns
- Lead Capture
During our testing, we set up a quick marketing campaign. Here’s what the first step of the creation process looks like.
By pairing HubSpot’s Marketing Hub with Operations, users can implement marketing automation to do the following:
- Automatically create payment requests
- Help manage marketing data
- Integrate third-party systems such as Mailchimp
- Track campaigns as they evolve with data sync
- HubSpot Sales Hub
HubSpot Sales Hub is an all-in-one sales CRM tool for the following features:
- Sales automation
- Lead nurturing
- Task tracking
- Deal pipeline management
- Customer relationship management
Here’s an example of their Deals feature.
We were able to easily create, customize, and share deals between teammates in real-time.
You can also utilize Operations Hub’s programmable automation in conjunction with the Sales CRM. This allows you to provide a friction-free customer experience by streamlining customer data and making sure all your teams stay aligned.
If you want to dive in deeper, check out our HubSpot Sales Hub review.
HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub brings all of your customer service needs to one place.
Service Hub has the following core features:
- Live chat support
- Help desk ticketing systems
- Customer feedback surveys
- Knowledge base customization with multiple languages available
- Reporting, analytics, and insights into customer service performance
We created a basic knowledge base to test the feature. Here is an example of some of the available customization.
We especially like how you can integrate the live chatbot feature with your knowledge base using HubSpot’s Professional plan.
Check out our HubSpot Service Hub review to learn more.
HubSpot CMS Hub
HubSpot CMS Hub is the answer to all your content management problems.
With its user-friendly interface and seamless integrations, you can easily create the following:
- Custom landing pages
- Blog posts
- Entire websites
Creating a website is as easy as inputting your information, selecting a theme, selecting the content, homepage layout, and site header/footer.
The whole process took about 30 minutes for us to set up a basic website with all of our contact information.
The CMS Hub has a lot more information. That’s why we created this HubSpot CMS Hub review.
HubSpot Operations Hub Alternative Comparison
Is HubSpot Operations Hub Worth it for Small Business Owners?
We absolutely recommend Operations Hub to SMBs across the board.
If you’re a small business owner who is specifically looking to ramp up your workflow, integrate new apps, and roll out new marketing campaigns, check out HubSpot’s Operations Hub.
After all, it’s free to try—no harm, no foul.
Frequently Asked Questions About HubSpot Operations Hub
HubSpot Operations Hub is an all-in-one operations platform that helps streamline and automate your business processes. It’s designed to help you save time, reduce costs, and ensure accuracy of your data with its powerful automation capabilities. With Operations Hub, you can sync data across multiple sources, create automated workflows, and manage payments and invoicing.
Some of the key benefits of using HubSpot Operations Hub include improved efficiency and productivity, increased data accuracy and quality, streamlined processes and workflows, better data analysis and reporting capabilities, enhanced collaboration between teams and departments, and a reduction in operational costs.
HubSpot Operations Hub integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot tools, such as HubSpot CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub. This allows for a complete end-to-end view of the customer journey, from initial contact through to retention and customer service.
Yes, HubSpot Operations Hub can be customized to meet the specific needs of different businesses and industries. It offers a range of customization options and functionalities, allowing users to tailor their operations processes and workflows to suit their unique requirements.
HubSpot Operations Hub is designed with user experience in mind, and as such, is intuitive and easy to use. The platform offers a range of user-friendly features and functionalities, such as drag-and-drop workflows and customizable dashboards.
HubSpot prioritizes the security and privacy of its users’ data, and as such, has implemented robust security measures to protect user information. It is ISO 27001 certified, which means it has met and exceeded strict international security standards.
Yes, HubSpot Operations Hub offers a range of integrations with third-party tools, such as Salesforce, Zendesk, and Shopify. This allows for even greater flexibility in terms of operations management and workflow automation. They have an easy-to-navigate App Marketplace that features search functionality.
HubSpot offers a range of resources and support for its users, including online documentation, training courses, and a dedicated support team. Users also have access to a community forum, where they can ask questions and share best practices with other HubSpot users.
HubSpot Operations Hub pricing is based on a per-user, per-month basis, and varies according to the level of functionality required. Users can choose from a range of pricing tiers, depending on their organization’s specific needs and budget. HubSpot also offers a free trial period for new users to try the platform before committing to a subscription.