Capturing user feedback is one of those things that sounds easy until you try to do it well. If you’re using HubSpot as your CRM and marketing platform, and you want actionable feedback from your users, integrating it with Refiner can be a game-changer—if you do it right.
But let’s be real: most integrations are more annoying than they should be. Zapier chains break, webhooks get ignored, and before you know it, you’re chasing data that never lands in HubSpot. This guide is for anyone who wants to skip the hand-waving and set up a feedback loop that actually works.
Why bother integrating Refiner with HubSpot?
If you’re already using HubSpot, you know it’s where your customer data lives. Refiner is built for collecting micro-surveys, NPS, and other feedback in-app or via email. When you connect the two:
- You get feedback right alongside your leads and contacts, not lost in a spreadsheet.
- You can trigger automations—follow-ups, nurture emails, even support tickets—based on what users say.
- Sales and success teams can see real feedback in context, not just “gut feelings.”
Of course, you could export CSVs and upload them every week, but if you’re reading this, you want something that doesn’t break the minute you turn your back.
Step 1: Get clear on what feedback actually matters
Before you even start wiring tools together, decide what you want to collect—and why. A lot of teams get excited about “more data” and end up drowning in noise.
Ask yourself: - Do we care about NPS, feature requests, bug reports, or something else? - Who needs to see this feedback in HubSpot—sales, support, product? - What will we do with the answers? (If the answer is “not sure,” hit pause.)
Pro tip: Start narrow. Focus on one or two types of feedback first. You can always expand later.
Step 2: Set up your Refiner surveys
Design your Refiner surveys with HubSpot in mind. Think about what you want to sync over—not every question needs to land in your CRM.
Best practices: - Keep surveys short. One to three questions usually gets the best response rates. - Use clear labels. Name your surveys and questions so you’ll recognize them later. “Q1: How satisfied are you?” beats “Question 1.” - Use user identifiers. Make sure Refiner is collecting a unique user ID or email that matches what’s in HubSpot. This is non-negotiable—otherwise, you’ll end up with orphaned data.
What to skip: Don’t bother collecting freeform feedback unless you have a plan to actually read it. Open-text fields are great in theory but tend to rot in practice.
Step 3: Connect Refiner to HubSpot
Now for the actual integration. There are a few ways to do this. The best option is using Refiner’s native HubSpot integration, which is straightforward and reliable. If you go the Zapier or webhook route, you’re on your own for maintenance.
Setting up the native integration:
- In Refiner:
- Go to your project settings.
- Look for the “Integrations” tab and find HubSpot.
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Click “Connect” and follow the steps to authenticate with your HubSpot account.
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Choose what syncs:
- Decide if you want to push survey responses as new contacts, update existing ones, or just add properties.
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Map each Refiner field to a HubSpot property. If you need custom fields in HubSpot, create them first.
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Test with fake data:
- Fill out a test survey as a sample user.
- Make sure the data lands in HubSpot—right contact, right properties, no weird field names.
What works:
- Native integrations are usually reliable and get support from both vendors.
- Field mapping is flexible, so you can keep HubSpot clean.
What doesn’t:
- Don’t rely on Zapier unless you love debugging. Webhooks are powerful but only if you have technical folks to maintain them.
- Syncing feedback as “notes” in HubSpot sounds clever, but it’s easy for them to get ignored. Use properties or timeline events instead.
Step 4: Map feedback to HubSpot in a way that’s actually useful
Just dumping survey answers into HubSpot isn’t enough. You want to make sure feedback is visible, actionable, and doesn’t clutter up your CRM.
Recommended mapping: - Quantitative feedback (NPS scores, satisfaction ratings): Map these to custom properties on the contact or company object. - Key qualitative tags (e.g., “requested feature X”): Use dropdowns or multi-select fields. Don’t try to sync every open-text answer. - Important comments: If you must, sync high-priority comments as timeline events tied to the contact.
Avoid: - Creating a new property for every survey question. Consolidate where you can. - Overloading your contact records with one-off properties that nobody ever uses.
Pro tip: Review your mapping every quarter. If a field never gets used, cut it.
Step 5: Use feedback to trigger workflows (and avoid automation hell)
The real value comes from acting on feedback, not just collecting it. HubSpot’s workflows can help—if you keep things simple.
Good workflow ideas: - Trigger a follow-up email when someone leaves a low NPS score (“Sorry to hear that, can we help?”). - Notify the account manager when a key account requests a new feature. - Add high promoters to advocacy or referral campaigns.
What to avoid: - Over-automating. Not every feedback needs an auto-response. - Sending generic “Thanks for your feedback!” emails—they feel robotic and don’t build loyalty. - Creating dozens of tiny workflows you’ll forget about. Stick to a handful of high-impact automations.
Honest take: Most teams overestimate what they’ll actually do with feedback. Start with one or two key workflows and build from there.
Step 6: Make feedback visible to the right people
If feedback just sits in HubSpot, it’s wasted. Make sure the right folks actually see it.
Tips: - Build contact/company list views or reports based on feedback properties (e.g., “All detractors” or “All users requesting Feature A”). - Use HubSpot dashboards to surface trends over time. - Train sales and support teams to check for recent feedback before reaching out.
What to ignore: Don’t try to send every single comment to Slack or email. It gets noisy fast. Use summary reports or digest emails instead.
Step 7: Review, clean up, and iterate
No integration is ever “done.” Data goes stale, fields get messy, and priorities change.
Maintenance checklist: - Check your survey response rates and tweak questions if people are ignoring them. - Review HubSpot properties—merge, rename, or delete as needed. - Audit your automations. Kill anything that’s not helpful.
Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder every three months to review your setup. Future you will thank you.
Final thoughts
Integrating Refiner with HubSpot isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thought. Focus on collecting feedback you’ll actually use, keep your setup as simple as possible, and plan to revisit things as your needs evolve. Most importantly, don’t let perfect be the enemy of useful—start small, get feedback flowing, and iterate from there.