A leader in electric vehicle (EV) technology development faced operational inefficiencies when booking service for vehicles, filing warranty claims, entering VIN numbers, and more. This client is a leader in the vocational truck industry, providing work-ready diesel, clean natural gas (CNG), and now EV chassis designed and manufactured in North America for the refuse and recycling markets, meaning every vehicle is built to custom specifications depending on municipality, locality, etc.
Their durable, dependable trucks are built to excel in many applications that now include middle- and last-mile delivery.
In 2021, they acquired a commercial vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), adding more complexity to their multiple systems.
Case Study Highlights
- 45% reduction in sales cycle length
- 60%-70% fewer internal emails
- 70% reduction in incorrect orders
The Pre-HubSpot Challenges
When this client came to Unlimited Tech Solutions, they were looking for an ERP integration and to migrate away from Salesforce. Digging deeper into their systems, we found four main challenges.
- Multiple Systems: The client worked out of several spreadsheets, and all departments were overly reliant on email or communication.
- Disengaged and reluctant sales staff: After years of a bad experience using Salesforce, getting buy-in was going to be tough.
- Inefficient reporting: The client lacked reporting on where trucks were in the process and with the after-sale service aspects of the business.
- Complex Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) system: Their existing system was highly customized.
After a discovery phase, Unlimited informed the client that all existing challenges could be solved using HubSpot solutions.
How Unlimited Tech Solutions Helped
We devised three innovative solutions to meet this client’s needs.
Integrated Systems Solution
We created a custom integration with their ERP and worked JavaScript into the service portal, which would identify who the logged-in user was, restrict the VINs that they had available to select from and allow them to search. HubSpot Service Hub’s customer portal does not allow users to add these features, so we had to think outside the box to implement that.
We also connected the process with the client’s custom CPQ. Unlimited served as the point of contact between the client’s CPQ and HubSpot to ensure they got the most functionality out of both products. This integration service is built into their product, which allows them to bring external information into the HubSpot CRM. This means the client can use data that isn't even in HubSpot or their CPQ through an API connection. They can retrieve that information and use it in the configuration of a quote, having it drive the rules of what products are available, what the pricing should be, and what the contract term should be.
The result? ~45% reduction in sales cycle time.
- Before: There was limited visibility into vehicle production, which caused delays in customer communication and deal closure. The sales cycle length was roughly three to four weeks.
- After: ERP integration provided real-time production tracking, reducing delays and improving sales efficiency. This improved the sales cycle length to two weeks and under.
Key Impact: With real-time ERP integration, the sales team gained full visibility into vehicle production, reducing delays and shortening the sales cycle by 45%.
Complex Data Structure with Dealerships & Service Centers
Unlimited developed an intricate data structure that allows the company to sell directly to end-users and through a dealership network.
Unlimited also consolidated and migrated data from multiple sources, eliminating disparate systems.
The result? CRM adoption and user satisfaction.
- Before: The client experienced low CRM adoption (~40%), with teams overly reliant on email and manual tracking.
- After: HubSpot workflows, automated updates, and a structured sales admin inbox significantly improved adoption and internal efficiency to 88%.
The client also experienced a reduction in email dependency: ~60-70% fewer internal emails
Key Impact: By eliminating manual follow-ups and streamlining internal processes, CRM adoption increased from 40% to 88%, improving team efficiency and engagement.
Custom Service Center Portal with Service Hub
Unlimited created a way for individual service centers to log tickets, record to the appropriate truck VIN, and log commonly replaced parts. To do this, we built an autocomplete function for a more straightforward lookup querying HubSpot in real time.
The result? Faster and more accurate VIN-based service requests.
- Before: Service teams struggled with tracking VIN-related issues, leading to delayed repairs and incorrect part orders. Service resolution was between three and four days.
- After: HubSpot Service Hub enabled VIN-based ticketing, real-time part tracking, and improved reporting on high-failure components. Now, service request resolution time is between one and two days.
The client also experienced a roughly 70% decrease in incorrect orders.
Key Impact: Automated VIN-based service requests reduced follow-up time by 50%, improved accuracy in parts tracking, and enhanced reporting on high-failure components, leading to faster service resolutions.
Operating with HubSpot
One of the most significant achievements has been the successful transition of all teams from Salesforce to HubSpot. We did this by:
- Focusing on user adoption with customized training, data consolidation, and enhanced sales processes.
- Establishing a cleaner data architecture with custom objects.
- Transitioning to Ops Hub to overcome service ticket limitations with a custom-developed portal
This electric vehicle technology developer now enjoys using their systems under the HubSpot umbrella. Using custom objects and custom integrations, Unlimited Tech Solutions improved workflow, efficiency, and reporting.
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