Introducing CRM Extensions, A New Way to Use the HubSpot CRM

In April, we released a new tool for developers called CRM Extensions. It’s a new way for software companies and developers to integrate their tools into the HubSpot CRM, and it’s going to change how you think about the CRM.

What it means for you is that you can now use any third-party software tool inside of the HubSpot CRM, provided they have an integration. Let’s say you use another tool in your sales process to send contracts, get insights on prospects, or know when it's the right time to email someone. CRM Extensions embeds that information into the CRM, and you can launch and use the external software in the same browser window as HubSpot.

Example: PandaDoc 

Our launch partner, PandaDoc, is sales enablement software that automates contracts, proposals, and quotes. PandaDoc helps CRM users close deals, completing the final step in an inbound customer journey. They’ve rebuilt their integration as a CRM Extension—here’s how it works. 

Once you've connected HubSpot inside of PandaDoc, you'll start seeing PandaDoc information inside of the CRM, along with the ability to launch a modal window. 

In this example, if you just closed a new deal with a customer, you can quickly create and send a contract from the HubSpot CRM via PandaDoc, without having to log in or access the PandaDoc website. The integration makes it feel as if PandaDoc is just another part of the HubSpot CRM. 

All CRM Extensions that you install come with two parts. The first is a card on the left-hand side of contacts, companies, or deal records. For PandaDoc, if there is an existing document for that record, it will automatically be loaded into the card. The second part is the modal window. With PandaDoc, if there isn't an existing document, you can simply launch PandaDoc from inside the CRM with the modal and create one. 

What CRM Extension Integrations are live? 

There are only a few CRM Extension-powered apps you can start using today, but many more are on the way. You can browse through all our CRM-connected integrators here.

HubSpot Connect partner, Seventh Sense, is another early adopter of this new integration. Their technology uses AI to optimize email send time. They have rebuilt their integration with CRM Extension and now salespeople can see a card in the CRM with email send time recommendations for a contact. The tight integration helps save time and close deals faster. Here's what one customer had to say.

"Timing is crucial when it comes to closing deals. That's why I'm really excited about Seventh Sense's card in HubSpot. Now our sales team has easily accessible and actionable insights for the best time to connect with each individual, based on every interaction they've ever had with us." - Brad Hess, Director of Demand Generation, Ceros (Seventh Sense and HubSpot Customer)

The Future of CRM Integrations

There are a lot of issues associated with using too many technology tools. Too many tools can slow you down and gum up your process. But the heart of the problem isn’t the number of tools; it’s that none of them work together. We think that you should be able to use all of the tools you love together—that they should all work with each other, share data, and you shouldn’t have to log in and out to see their value. That’s the guiding light behind CRM Extensions and right now, we are working on getting more of the tools you love integrated into the HubSpot CRM interface. Please tell us what integrations you want to see, and ask your other software providers to build on top of the HubSpot CRM.