Automation Revolution at STAFFED INC with HubSpot & MAKE.com Integrations

Overview

STAFFED Inc. specializes in connecting world-leading brands with diverse talent for experiential, hospitality, and catering events. Since 2016, they have rapidly gained expertise and worked with respected brands, transforming events into memorable experiences. Their core values emphasize a people-first approach, transparent communication, personal fulfilment, continuous learning, a problem-solving mindset, and inclusivity for all individuals.

Project Details

Client Location
New York, USA

Services Provided
HubSpot Onboarding, HubSpot Integrations, API Support, Strategic Planning, HubSpot Sales Hub, HubSpot Marketing Hub

Related Sector
Manufacturing, Business Services

Languages Supported
English

The Challenge

Staffed Inc., faced a major challenge with outdated, manual systems, particularly in syncing financial and client data between QuickBooks and their other software platforms. In total, Staffed Inc. was using 21 different platforms, very few of which were integrated with their previous CRM, ZOHO.

Without an integrated and easy-to-use CRM as a single point of truth, inefficient processes lead to errors, delayed reporting, and slow deal closures, affecting account management, sales performance, and financial reporting integrity. Manual data entry burdened employees, reducing job satisfaction and diverting focus from strategic tasks. The company's commitment to customer experience also meant that these internal inefficiencies impacted responsiveness, which is crucial in the staffing industry.

For project management, Staffed Inc. was using Monday.com, but with no automatic task creation and defined templates, the portal had become messy and was often seen as a step that could be skipped if the team were rushing.

To maintain its industry position and foster growth, Staffed Inc. needed a modern solution. Oxygen was tasked with replacing the old system with an automated one, bridging QuickBooks with existing tools and onboarding the business onto HubSpot.

No Centralised CRM

Data, conversations and contact record information were spread out over many different platforms, meaning the team had to frequently communicate to find information.

Slow & Manual Sales Process

With no automation between platforms, the Staffed Inc. team spent many hours each day creating invoices and updating quotes. Important deadlines and reminders were also sometimes forgotten, as the team were living in their email and Slack reminders and not in the CRM.

Project Management Issues

With hundreds of events each month, Staffedinc needed a solution that could automatically create tasks for the events team when each salesperson closed a deal;

The Solution

Migrating Staffed Inc. from ZOHO to HubSpot was a major task due to the thousands of deals and contacts in ZOHO, regularly updated each day by multiple teams. Once HubSpot's basic processes were established, data migrated (more than once!), and Staffed Inc.'s team had been trained, we started integrating various platforms with HubSpot to improve automation and communication between their main platforms.

The workflow below was created by the Oxygen team after many meetings with Staffed Inc. to streamline and optimize the operational processes. By mapping out each step in HubSpot, the workflow clarifies roles, responsibilities, and the sequence of actions, ensuring efficiency and consistency. It serves as a blueprint for integrating disparate platforms, highlighting points of data transfer and user interaction, which can identify bottlenecks and areas for automation, ultimately enhancing productivity and the user experience.

Below: Lucidchart detailing a part of the integration planning for HubSpot, Quickbooks, Clickup and other platforms.

Staffedinc 2

We developed an automated system for Staffed Inc. to enhance data synchronization between QuickBooks and HubSpot CRM. Utilizing MAKE.com’s platform, automated job number entries and ensured that accurate deal amounts in HubSpot aligned with QuickBooks records.

The solution had several modules. The first retrieved job numbers from the CRM, creating new sequential numbers for incoming deals. Another module checked billing details against QuickBooks, pausing for discrepancies. Once job numbers and billing were confirmed, the system linked deals with company IDs in HubSpot, organizing records for easy access.

The solution interacted directly with QuickBooks, extracting financial data to update deal amounts in HubSpot and ensuring real-time accuracy. This looping process continuously verifies and updates data, eliminating manual input.

Below: Update HubSpot deal amount based on QuickBooks payments + balance.

Staffedinc 4

Next, we added automation rules in both HubSpot and MAKE.com to automate task creation in ClickUp to improve the handoff process from sales to the events team.

In this instance, every time a deal is moved to Closed Won in HubSpot, tasks are automatically created within ClickUp in a certain folder using pre-existing templates. The hierarchy, customer properties, layout, and templates of ClickUp were architected and built by the Oxygen team. After implementation, the team at Staffed Inc. were trained on how best to use the tool.

Below left: HubSpot workflows concerning ClickUp automation.
Below right: MAKE.com workflows to connect HubSpot to ClickUp.

Staffedinc 5

Last, we identified bottlenecks and pain points in the existing pipeline process and connected HubSpot to Staffed Inc's Slack account to provide timely and actionable insights to their team. This greatly improved team awareness of important updates or forgotten reminders, as they were accustomed to living in Slack and following those notifications.

Below: Two examples of different workflows connecting HubSpot to Slack.

The Results

The deployment of Oxygen's MAKE.com integration has been transformative for Staffed Inc, and has been marked by staggering improvements in efficiency and data accuracy. The impact of the solution was multifaceted, touching upon various aspects of the business operations and contributing to a significant shift in the company's internal dynamics.

75% Reduction in Manual Data Entry: Dramatic decrease in time spent on manual updates with over 200 hours saved.
50% Faster Deal Closures: Time to close deals reduced from over 20 hours to less than 10 hours. Allowing the existing team to deal with around 2x more business.
Negligible Data Errors: Significant decline in data discrepancies, enhancing accuracy.
Digital Transformation: Shift towards a technology-forward business model.
Increased Employee Focus: Shift from administrative tasks to strategic activities.
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction.
Faster and more reliable client services.

Key Metics

75%
Reduction in data entry

50%
Faster deal closures

😊
Enhanced customer satisfaction

🚀
Faster replies from sales

200 Hours
Saved with automation

2x
Business processing capability

Impact:

Drastic Reduction in Manual Data Entry Time:

One of the most immediate and tangible outcomes was a 75% reduction in manual data entry efforts. The previously time-consuming task of updating job numbers, billing details, and deal amounts was now seamlessly automated. This shift not only freed up countless hours for staff but also eliminated the monotony of repetitive data entry tasks. Employees could now redirect their focus toward more strategic and value-adding activities, such as client engagement and business development.

Significant Decrease in Data Errors:

With automation, the error rate in data management plummeted. The precise, machine-driven accuracy of the MAKE.com integration meant that data discrepancies became a rarity. This reliability in data integrity enhanced the company's financial reporting, ensured accurate billing processes, and fostered trust among clients and stakeholders. It also reduced the time previously spent on correcting errors, thereby streamlining the entire data management cycle.

Improved Deal Closure Speed:

The automation led to a notable increase in the efficiency of Staffed Inc.'s sales cycle. The time to close deals was halved, enabling the company to process transactions and finalize staffing placements at an unprecedented pace. This acceleration in deal closure not only improved the bottom line, doubling the business' capacity to close new deals but also enhanced customer satisfaction, as clients benefited from quicker staffing solutions.

Elevated Operational Efficiency and Customer Experience:

The comprehensive automation solution elevated Staffed Inc.'s operational efficiency. The streamlined processes and reduced manual intervention resulted in a more agile and responsive business model. This agility was not lost on the clients, who experienced improved interactions and faster service delivery. As a result, Staffed Inc. reinforced its reputation as a customer-centric and technologically advanced player in the staffing industry.

Better Experience for Employees:

While employees preferred HubSpot over ZOHO, it was clear many of them didn't love having a new portal to check for notifications in. With most of the team living on Slack and email, we were able to solve for the customer by syncing notifications to Slack from important events within HubSpot. Now employees don't have to leave their app of choice and rarely miss important updates and reminders.

Catalyst for Digital Transformation:

Beyond the immediate operational benefits, the integration acted as a catalyst for broader digital transformation within Staffed Inc. The project's success served as a testament to the potential of digital solutions in optimizing business processes. It spurred the company to explore further technological advancements, positioning them at the forefront of digital innovation in the staffing sector. Staffed Inc. plans on continuing with its HubSpot journey and embracing the new AI tools in 2024.

Some Of The Work We’ve Done

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Automation Revolution at STAFFED INC with HubSpot & MAKE.com Integrations from Oxygen