Struggling to keep track of all your customer conversations, or wish your team sounded more consistent across the board? It’s a common challenge in today’s business world, but thankfully, HubSpot has some awesome solutions. When we talk about “voice” in HubSpot, we’re actually hitting on two really important, yet distinct, concepts. First, it refers to HubSpot’s robust direct communication features—things like making and receiving calls, managing voicemails, and automating outreach. Second, and increasingly crucial, it also points to your brand’s consistent messaging, powered by HubSpot’s AI tools.
Understanding and leveraging both aspects of “voice” within HubSpot can totally change how your business operates. We’re talking about a leap in efficiency, a much smoother customer experience, and getting those juicy data-driven insights that help you make smarter decisions. By the time we’re done here, you’ll have a clear roadmap to effectively use HubSpot’s voice capabilities to boost your sales and service efforts, making every interaction count.
What Does ‘Voice’ Truly Mean in HubSpot?
So, what are we really getting at when we say “voice refers to HubSpot”? It boils down to two core areas that, when used together, create a powerful communication strategy.
Voice as Direct Communication: Connecting with Your Customers
At its heart, “voice” in HubSpot often refers to its integrated calling features. This is HubSpot’s way of making phone conversations with your prospects and customers seamlessly part of your CRM Customer Relationship Management process. Think about it: you can make and receive calls, log all the details, record important conversations with proper consent, of course!, and even manage voicemails—all without ever leaving the HubSpot platform. It’s designed to keep all your communication history in one centralized place, giving your team a full 360-degree view of every customer interaction.
This isn’t just about making phone calls. it’s about making those calls smarter. HubSpot’s calling tools track your inbound and outbound calls, helping you understand how often you’re connecting, the duration of calls, and even the outcomes. This data is gold for improving your sales and service strategies.
Voice as Brand Identity: Speaking with One Voice
But “voice” in HubSpot isn’t just about literal talking. With the rise of AI, HubSpot has introduced features that help you maintain a consistent brand voice across all your written content. This means ensuring that whether it’s a blog post, an email, or a social media update, your company’s tone, personality, and style are always on-point and recognizable.
HubSpot’s AI-powered Brand Voice tool acts like a smart editor, helping your team generate or refine content so it always sounds like your brand. This is a must for marketing and content teams, especially as businesses scale and multiple people contribute to content creation. HubSpot’s URL Builder: Master Your Marketing Tracking (And See What’s *Really* Working!)
So, whether you’re picking up the phone to talk to a client or crafting an email, HubSpot’s “voice” features are there to make sure your communication is effective, efficient, and unmistakably you.
HubSpot Calling: Your Direct Line to Customers
Let’s zoom in on one of the most powerful “voice” features: HubSpot Calling. This isn’t just some basic phone function. it’s a full-blown communication suite built right into your CRM.
How Does HubSpot Calling Work?
Imagine being able to call a lead, take notes, and log that activity all from the same screen where you manage their contact information. That’s exactly what HubSpot Calling offers.
- Browser-Based Convenience: You can make and receive calls directly through your web browser, often with crystal-clear call quality thanks to VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol technology. No need for clunky external software or switching between applications.
- CRM Integration & Click-to-Call: This is where the magic really happens. HubSpot’s calling feature is deeply integrated with your CRM. Any phone number associated with a contact, company, or deal in HubSpot becomes clickable. Just one click, and you’re dialing! This saves a ton of time and helps avoid misdials.
- HubSpot-Provided Numbers vs. Third-Party Power: You have options here. You can configure HubSpot-provided phone numbers, which are powered by Twilio, to make and receive calls right in your browser or even forward them to your personal device or the mobile app. If you’ve already got a favorite calling provider, like Aircall, RingCentral, Kixie, or even FreJun, HubSpot plays nicely with them too. You can integrate these third-party services, allowing their advanced features to work seamlessly within your HubSpot environment.
- Inbound and Outbound Mastery: HubSpot Calling handles both sides of the coin. You can initiate outgoing calls to your prospects and customers, and also manage incoming calls, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks. This comprehensive approach means all your phone communication is centralized.
Making and Managing Calls: Staying Organized and Informed
Once you’re set up, making and managing calls within HubSpot is a breeze. Unlocking HubSpot’s Full Potential: A Human-Friendly Guide to Permissions
- Initiating Calls with Ease: Whether you’re in a contact’s record, a company page, or even the conversations inbox, you’ll see a handy call icon. Click it, select your desired outbound number, and you’re good to go. It’s incredibly efficient.
- Real-Time Notes and Recording: During a call, a pop-up window gives you space to jot down notes in real-time. This means you capture crucial details as they happen, so you don’t have to rely on memory later. And for those conversations you need to review, HubSpot allows you to record calls with appropriate legal consent, of course!, making it invaluable for training or reference.
- Automatic Call Logging and Association: This is a huge time-saver. Every call you make or receive through HubSpot is automatically logged to the associated contact’s timeline, along with the duration, outcome, and any notes you took. This means everyone on your team has up-to-the-minute context on past interactions, preventing those awkward “have we spoken before?” moments.
Call Analytics and Reporting: Turning Conversations into Insights
Beyond just handling calls, HubSpot helps you understand them.
- Performance Insights: HubSpot provides a range of analytics and reporting tools that give you valuable insights into your team’s call performance. You can track metrics like the total number of calls, average call duration, call outcomes e.g., connected, busy, left voicemail, converted, and even see which reps are performing best. This information is super helpful for identifying areas for improvement and coaching opportunities.
- Conversation Intelligence CI: For Sales Hub and Service Hub Professional or Enterprise users, Conversation Intelligence is a must. This feature automatically transcribes and analyzes your calls. Imagine having a searchable transcript of every conversation! CI can even identify key terms, sentiment, and help you understand customer interactions on a deeper level. This kind of insight is invaluable for refining sales pitches and improving customer service.
Mastering Voicemail and Voicemail Drop in HubSpot
Voicemail can often feel like a time sink, but HubSpot’s features, especially voicemail drop, are designed to make it much more efficient and strategic.
HubSpot Voicemail Basics
Setting up your voicemail in HubSpot is pretty straightforward. You can customize your voicemail greetings, ensuring a professional and consistent message for incoming callers when you’re unavailable. You can either record a message directly or use a text-to-speech option. This is especially useful for managing inbound calls that come in outside of your set working hours. they can automatically go to a specific voicemail or another team member. Remember, voicemails are typically available for inbound browser calls, not forwarded calls.
What is HubSpot Voicemail Drop?
Here’s where it gets really smart. HubSpot Voicemail Drop is a feature that lets you leave pre-recorded voicemail messages for your contacts without actually having to say the message live during each call. Think about how much time sales reps spend leaving the same message over and over again! Mastering HubSpot User Permissions: Your Ultimate Guide
- How it Works: Typically, voicemail drop is facilitated through integrations with third-party tools like Kixie, VoiceDrop, or Drop Cowboy. When you make an outbound call through HubSpot using one of these integrations, and the call goes to voicemail, you can simply “drop” a pre-recorded message with a click. The system detects the beep and delivers your message, and then the call automatically ends.
- Key Benefits:
- Efficiency in Outreach: This is a massive time-saver for sales and marketing teams. Instead of repeating the same message dozens of times a day, you record it once and drop it whenever needed.
- Personalized Communication at Scale: You can create multiple pre-recorded messages tailored to different buyer personas, specific scenarios, or different stages of the sales funnel. This allows for a personalized touch even when reaching out to a large number of contacts.
- Streamlined Workflows: Voicemail drop activities are automatically logged in the contact’s record within HubSpot, keeping your CRM updated without manual entry. You can even trigger follow-up emails, SMS messages, or additional calls through HubSpot workflows after a voicemail is dropped, creating a seamless multi-channel strategy.
Voicemail drop helps you cut through the digital noise with engaging messages that reach voicemails directly, without the disruption of a traditional ring. It’s a smart way to maximize productivity and ensure consistency in your outreach.
Beyond the Call: Understanding Voice Dynamics for Sales Success
While HubSpot’s tools handle the technical side of communication, how you actually sound on the phone is equally critical. This is where voice dynamics come into play. It’s not a HubSpot feature you click on, but rather a vital skill that empowers you to make the most of those HubSpot-powered calls.
What are Voice Dynamics?
Voice dynamics refer to the various elements of your speech that influence how your message is received. These include:
- Pitch: How high or low your voice sounds. A monotonous pitch can be disengaging, while varying your pitch can express confidence or ask rhetorical questions that provoke thought.
- Tone: The emotion or attitude conveyed by your voice. It can be serious, enthusiastic, friendly, or authoritative. A persuasive salesperson knows how to modulate their tone to match their message, emphasizing key points.
- Pace: How quickly or slowly you speak. A measured pace allows listeners to absorb complex information, while a quicker pace can convey enthusiasm or urgency, especially for limited-time offers.
- Volume: How loudly or quietly you speak. It’s about being audible without shouting, and dynamically adjusting it to create intimacy or highlight important information.
- Energy: The overall dynamism and enthusiasm in your voice. High vocal energy is contagious and can convey passion, confidence, and engagement.
- Inflection and Emphasis: Strategically placing emphasis on certain words or phrases to highlight key points and guide the listener’s attention.
- Strategic Pauses: Using silence effectively. Pauses give listeners time to reflect, create anticipation, or add dramatic effect.
Why They Matter for Effective Communication
Your voice is a powerful tool. It’s the vehicle through which you build rapport, establish trust, and ultimately close deals, especially in phone-based interactions. Understanding HubSpot: Your All-in-One Guide to Business Growth
- Building Rapport: A warm, engaging tone can instantly make a prospect feel more comfortable and receptive.
- Conveying Confidence: A clear, well-modulated voice can make you sound more assured and knowledgeable, increasing your credibility.
- Persuasion and Influence: Mastering these vocal techniques allows you to highlight benefits, create urgency, and guide the conversation effectively. Research suggests that a significant percentage of salespeople neglect enhancing their voice, which means it’s a huge untapped opportunity for you to stand out.
By understanding and consciously practicing these voice dynamics, you can significantly enhance the impact of your calls, making every interaction through HubSpot’s calling tools more effective.
The AI-Powered ‘Brand Voice’ Model in HubSpot
Shifting gears from talking to customers, let’s talk about talking as your brand. HubSpot’s new AI-powered Brand Voice tool is a fantastic addition to the platform, ensuring your marketing messages consistently reflect your company’s unique personality. This isn’t just about generating content. it’s about making sure that content sounds like you.
What is it?
HubSpot’s Brand Voice tool is an AI assistant that acts more like a content editor than a content generator. Its main job is to help you maintain a consistent writing style and tone across all your various content pieces. If you’ve got multiple team members creating blogs, emails, or social posts, this tool is designed to keep everyone on the same page, ensuring your brand identity shines through every word.
It addresses a common problem with generative AI: the output can sometimes feel a bit generic. HubSpot’s Brand Voice feature aims to solve this by training the AI to write in your specific voice. Unlocking HubSpot: Your Go-To Guide to Udemy Courses and Beyond
How to Set it Up: Building Your Unique Voice Profile
Getting your brand voice set up in HubSpot is a straightforward process, but it requires a bit of upfront input from you.
- Provide a Writing Sample: The tool needs something to learn from. You’ll upload a piece of content at least 500 words is recommended that perfectly embodies your ideal brand voice. This could be a blog post, a case study, a newsletter, or even website copy.
- Define Your Audience: You’ll describe the target audience for that sample content. This context helps the AI understand not just what you’re saying, but how and to whom.
- Review and Refine Personality & Tone: HubSpot’s AI will analyze your sample and suggest personality traits like “innovative,” “trustworthy,” “friendly” and overall tones e.g., “informative,” “optimistic,” “authoritative”. You get to review and adjust these to perfectly match your brand.
- Add Advanced Guidance Optional but Recommended: You can further strengthen the tool by providing your company’s mission statement and listing any “terms to avoid” in your content. There are even inclusivity settings you can apply.
This initial setup is crucial. The more context and accurate samples you provide, the better the AI will become at mirroring your brand’s characteristics.
Where it Applies: Consistent Messaging Across Channels
Once your Brand Voice is configured, your team can apply it across various content types within HubSpot:
- Blog Posts: Ensure every article maintains your brand’s tone.
- Marketing Emails: Keep email communication consistent with your brand identity.
- Social Media Posts: Maintain a unified voice across all your social channels.
- SMS Messages: Even short text messages can reflect your brand’s tone if you have the Marketing SMS Add-On.
When creating or editing content, you simply highlight the text, click the AI assistant icon, and select “Apply brand identity.” HubSpot will then provide a revised version based on your established brand voice.
The Benefits: Why a Consistent Brand Voice Matters
- Fewer Rewrites: With tone and phrasing already aligned to your standards, AI-generated content will require much less manual editing, saving your team valuable time.
- Stronger Consistency: No matter who writes the content or which channel it’s for, your reader will recognize your brand’s voice, fostering trust and familiarity.
- Faster Team Adoption: New team members or those less experienced with content creation will have clear guidance, making it easier for them to produce on-brand material from day one.
This Brand Voice tool is a valuable asset for any marketing team looking to streamline content creation and ensure every piece of communication truly resonates with their audience. Using HubSpot for Event Registration: Your Ultimate Guide
Setting Up Your Voice Tools in HubSpot: A Quick Checklist
Ready to get these powerful voice features humming in your HubSpot portal? Here’s a quick run-through of the essential setup steps. You’ll typically find these under the ‘Settings’ menu in your HubSpot account.
Connecting Your Phone Numbers
This is the foundation of using HubSpot for direct voice communication.
- HubSpot-Provided Phone Numbers: You can generate new phone numbers directly within HubSpot. These numbers, powered by Twilio, allow you to make and receive calls in your browser, or even forward them to your mobile app. Super Admins can acquire, assign, and reassign these as needed.
- Registering an Outbound Phone Number: If you prefer to use an existing phone number as your caller ID for outgoing calls, you can register it with HubSpot. This ensures your contacts recognize your number.
- Integrating Third-Party Providers: Already using a VoIP system like Aircall, RingCentral, or Kixie? You can integrate these through the HubSpot App Marketplace, bringing their features directly into your HubSpot workflow.
To do this, you’ll usually navigate to Settings > Calling > Call Setup or Phone Numbers in your HubSpot account.
Configuring Outbound Numbers and Working Hours
- Outbound Number Configuration: Ensure your desired outbound numbers are accurately set up with correct area and country codes. You can also set preferences for call routing.
- Setting Working Hours: This is super important for managing inbound calls. You can define specific days and times when your team is available to take calls. Any calls outside these hours can be routed to voicemail or another available team member. This prevents missed calls during off-hours and sets clear expectations.
You can typically find this under the ‘Calling’ tab within your general settings. How to Export Tasks and Other Crucial Data from HubSpot (and Why You Should!)
Customizing Voicemail and Recording Consent Messages
- Personalized Voicemails: Set up custom voicemail greetings for when you or your team can’t answer. You can record an audio message or use HubSpot’s text-to-speech option. Remember, these are usually for inbound browser calls.
- Recording Consent Messages: If you’re recording calls, you might need to play a consent message to inbound callers before they’re connected to your reps, depending on local legal requirements. You can customize this message within HubSpot.
Look for these options within your ‘Calling’ settings, often under ‘Call Queues’ or specific phone number settings.
Turning on Call Recording and Conversation Intelligence
- Enable Call Recording: If your subscription allows, you can turn on call recording for your account. This is essential for coaching, compliance, and reviewing conversations.
- Activate Conversation Intelligence CI: For Sales Hub or Service Hub Professional/Enterprise users, activate CI. This powerful feature provides automatic recording, transcription, and analysis of your HubSpot calls, associating them directly with contact records for deep insights.
These settings are usually found in the ‘Calling > Call Setup’ area of your HubSpot account.
By systematically going through these setup steps, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing HubSpot’s voice capabilities, whether it’s for direct customer conversations or ensuring your brand’s written content speaks with a unified voice.
Best Practices for Maximizing HubSpot Voice Features
Having these powerful voice tools in HubSpot is one thing. using them effectively to genuinely boost your business is another. Here are some best practices to help you get the most out of HubSpot’s calling, voicemail, and brand voice features. Mastering Task Assignment in HubSpot: Your Ultimate Guide to Organization
- Plan Your Calls Strategically: Before you even click that “call” button, know your objective. What do you want to achieve with this conversation? Having a clear goal and perhaps a few talking points which you can store right in the contact record! makes your calls more productive. Remember, HubSpot’s tools simplify the act of calling, but the strategy is still yours.
- Leverage Call Recording for Coaching and Review: Don’t just record calls and forget about them. Use them as a valuable training tool. Listen back to your own calls to identify areas for improvement in your voice dynamics pitch, tone, pace or objection handling. Sales managers, this is invaluable for coaching your team and ensuring consistent quality. Make sure you’re always complying with recording consent laws!
- Use Voicemail Drops Intelligently: Voicemail drops are fantastic for saving time, but they shouldn’t sound generic. Create several pre-recorded messages for different scenarios e.g., first outreach, follow-up after a demo, specific promotion. This keeps the message relevant and personalized, even though it’s pre-recorded. Use them strategically as part of a multi-channel sequence, perhaps triggering an email or SMS right after a drop.
- Analyze Call Data for Continuous Improvement: Dive into those call analytics and Conversation Intelligence reports. Look at call duration, outcomes, and common keywords. Are certain call outcomes consistently low? Are reps spending too much time on unqualified leads? These insights can help you refine your sales process, improve scripts, and allocate resources more effectively.
- Ensure Compliance with Recording Consent: This is non-negotiable. Always be aware of and comply with local and international laws regarding call recording. HubSpot provides features to help you with recording consent messages, but your legal team is your best resource for specific advice.
- Train Your Team on Voice Dynamics: While HubSpot provides the platform, human connection still drives results. Invest in training your sales and service teams on effective voice dynamics – things like modulating their pitch, maintaining an energetic tone, and controlling their pace. A well-trained voice can significantly improve conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
- Regularly Update Your Brand Voice Profile: For HubSpot’s AI Brand Voice tool, remember that your brand evolves. As your messaging, audience, or company mission changes, revisit and update your Brand Voice profile within HubSpot. This ensures the AI continues to generate content that’s perfectly aligned with your current brand identity.
- Integrate and Automate Thoughtfully: HubSpot excels at integration and automation. Think about how your calling, voicemail, and even brand voice tools can work together within workflows. For instance, can a missed call automatically trigger a voicemail drop and then an email sequence? Can AI-generated content automatically be checked against your brand voice before publishing?
By implementing these best practices, you’ll transform HubSpot’s voice features from mere tools into strategic assets that drive efficiency, enhance customer relationships, and ultimately help your business grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Conversation Intelligence in HubSpot?
Conversation Intelligence CI in HubSpot is an advanced feature, typically for Sales Hub and Service Hub Professional or Enterprise users, that automatically records, transcribes, and analyzes your sales and service calls. It provides deep insights by identifying keywords, sentiments, and speaker tracks, helping you review conversations, coach team members, and understand customer interactions more thoroughly.
Can I use my existing phone number with HubSpot calling?
Yes, you can! HubSpot allows you to either generate a new HubSpot-provided phone number or register an existing outbound phone number to use as your caller ID. Additionally, you can integrate many third-party calling providers like Aircall, RingCentral, or Kixie with HubSpot to use their services directly within the CRM. Mastering HubSpot Tracking in React: A Comprehensive Guide
Is call recording automatic in HubSpot?
Call recording can be set to be automatic in HubSpot, particularly for HubSpot-provided phone numbers, once a Super Admin turns on the feature for a user. However, it’s crucial to be aware of and comply with all legal requirements for recording consent, and HubSpot provides options to customize consent messages for inbound callers.
How does HubSpot voicemail drop save time?
HubSpot voicemail drop saves a significant amount of time by allowing you to leave pre-recorded messages for contacts when a call goes to voicemail, without you having to speak the message live each time. This ensures consistency in messaging, saves sales reps from repetitive tasks, and allows for personalized outreach at scale, often facilitated through third-party integrations.
What’s the difference between HubSpot Calling and Brand Voice?
HubSpot Calling refers to the platform’s integrated tools for making and receiving phone calls, logging interactions, and managing voicemails directly within the CRM. Brand Voice, on the other hand, is an AI-powered tool found in Content Hub designed to maintain consistent messaging, tone, and personality across your written content like blogs, emails, and social media posts. One is for verbal communication, the other for textual.
Can HubSpot track inbound calls?
Yes, HubSpot can track inbound calls. When you set up HubSpot-provided phone numbers or integrate third-party calling providers, inbound calls can ring in your HubSpot browser or be forwarded to a personal device. These calls are automatically logged into the CRM, and if a number is associated with a contact, their information will often appear, making it easy to manage and track all incoming interactions.
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