Keeping a clean CRM is essential for running a seamless operation, and depending on the size of your portal and company, you may need a robust plan in order to tackle all of what HubSpot can provide. In this blog, we’re going to go over when, why and how to do an audit of your HubSpot account so you can keep your CRM clean, organized and efficient.

Why Audit Your HubSpot Portal?

If you’re consistently using HubSpot to generate leads, then you automatically qualify for a HubSpot audit. Why? CRMs can get cluttered over time and accumulate unnecessary data that can affect your bottom line. Some problems that can arise if you have a messy portal include:

• Not being able to locate things in HubSpot
• Repeating tasks not knowing that it was already created
• Wasted time and resources working on projects that aren’t getting results

Where to Begin

If you’re experiencing clutter in your CRM, it’s likely you could benefit from an audit. When it comes to starting your audit, you’re going to want to look at the following areas:

• Lists
• Workflows
• Sequences
• Forms
• Landing pages
• Properties

This list is a suggestion, as you can obviously include any other items you consider relevant. It’s important to note that auditing a CRM can be complex and time-consuming depending on the size of your portal, so make sure you’re ready to commit to the work before you start. 

Lists

Lists are one of those tools that easily pile up in HubSpot. To start cleaning, you’re going to want to navigate to your lists and sort by the “Used in” column on the right. Any lists that say 0 are not being used and can be deleted if you don’t think there is any use for them. It’s important to note that deleting a list doesn’t delete contacts, so you don’t have to worry about losing them. Once you’ve gone through the unused lists, you can go through and see if there are any in use that can also be deleted. If a list is connected to a scheduled email, you can delete it after the email is sent in order to reduce list build up. 

Workflows

Workflows can cause some damage in your database if automatic actions are happening and you’re not sure why. If you have a lot of workflows (50 is a lot for reference), then you’ll want to do a full audit then continue to check on them every month. 

To start cleaning your workflows, navigate to Workflows in your portal, then click Export on the top right. This will provide you with a spreadsheet with all the workflows’ names, dates, who created and last updated it, and more. From there, you’re going to want to create a new column on the far right of the spreadsheet for comments. Click on every workflow and note in the comments what each does and why (if you’re unsure, ask who created it if they know). You should also look for any errors, an example of this would be if a workflow task is set for a user that doesn’t work at the company anymore. 

Once you go through your workflows, you can sort them in a way that’s most efficient for you. Sorting them usually helps to turn off a big portion of workflows as well as identify any inconsistencies on your data. 

Sequences

The best way to audit sequences is by the owner. Since they are more personalized (each team member has their own) you can create a spreadsheet that includes the names and owners. You can then share the spreadsheet and have the team comment with notes about what can be archived and why. 

Forms

Forms can build up after a while. If this is your case, navigate to forms and click export on the top right. From there, you’ll receive a spreadsheet with the names of all forms and their information. Depending on what you are looking to audit, it can be beneficial to add a column to your spreadsheet that notes how many pages each form is connected to. 

Forms with no submissions that aren’t connected to any pages can usually be deleted, including forms that were created for testing. After you go through those forms, you can go through any that are connected to pages and determine whether they can be archived. 

Landing Pages

Landing pages usually include forms and are created for temporary registrations or events. If the event has passed, you can un-publish and archive the landing page. An audit of forms and landing pages can cross over so make sure to tackle both accordingly. Any other landing pages that contain content that is no longer relevant can be archived, just make sure to redirect the link to a live page to avoid error. 

Managing Duplicates

Duplicate contacts and companies are common for growing databases. To avoid bad data, create a routine of checking for duplicates monthly. You can manage duplicates by navigating to Contacts, clicking on Actions at the top right, then Manage Duplicates in the dropdown. You’ll be presented with a screen that will show you any possible pairs of contacts or companies that you can either merge or dismiss. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, you can conduct a HubSpot portal Audit however you see fit. These suggestions are a good place to start as well as the most common areas for clutter. Keeping your CRM organized is vital for efficient workflow, so if you have any of the issues listed above, it might be time to do an audit.