Starting a HubSpot Project?
Congratulations on embarking on a HubSpot development project! As more businesses adopt and expand their use of HubSpot, the need for specialised expertise is on the rise. Whether it's integrating HubSpot with systems like ERPs, e-commerce platforms, or analytics tools, the opportunities are vast. The right expertise can position you as a leading resource for these complex needs.
Choosing the Right Development Partner:
When it comes to selecting the right development partner, the decision between hiring a freelancer or an agency goes beyond just cost. Each option has its own set of advantages, and it's essential to choose the one that best aligns with your specific needs.
Key Responsibilities of HubSpot Developers
- Custom Development: Build and customise modules, templates, and themes tailored to businesses' needs.
- API Integrations: Integrate HubSpot with other platforms like CRM, ERP, and e-commerce systems, develop custom APIs to ensure seamless data flow.
- Data Migration: Handle data migration from legacy systems to HubSpot, ensure accuracy and integrity, manage large-scale data imports and exports.
- CRM Customisation: Tailor HubSpot CRM to fit your business workflows, set up custom properties, pipelines, and reports to optimise lead management and sales processes.
- Technical Support: Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues, provide ongoing maintenance and updates and support new feature rollouts.
- Automation and Workflows: Design and implement automated workflows for marketing, sales, and customer service, streamline processes for enhanced efficiency.
- Quality Assurance: Ensure all custom developments and integrations are compatible across devices and browsers, conduct performance optimisation and security checks.
- Documentation: Provide detailed documentation for custom developments and train teams on new features, maintain records for future reference.
- Collaboration: Work closely with marketing, sales, and IT teams to understand project requirements and collaborate with other developers on complex projects.
HubSpot Development Agency
A HubSpot development agency is a specialised company offering comprehensive HubSpot services, typically comprising a structured team of developers, designers, project managers, and strategists. Agencies provide end-to-end solutions, from custom development and API integrations to CRM customisation and automation.
Expertise and Experience:
Agencies often have extensive specialist knowledge, gained from completing numerous projects across various industries. This experience provides them with a keen understanding of what works and what doesn’t, ensuring a well-rounded solution. Agency teams collaborate, sharing knowledge and skills to enhance the overall expertise available to your project.
Scalability and Flexibility:
Agencies are well-equipped to handle multi-stage, cross-role projects that require a coordinated team effort. They have the capacity to scale up quickly, accommodating last-minute requests and managing fluctuating workloads with ease. Their diverse teams can offer a wide range of services.
Project Management and Communication:
Hiring an agency means you won’t need to manage the project yourself. The agency assigns the right professionals to your project, managed in-house, freeing you from the responsibility. A dedicated project manager keeps you informed and resolves any issues as they arise.
Reliability and Accountability:
Agencies are generally more stable and reliable than freelancers. Established processes, workflows, and project management tools ensure deadlines are met, and tasks are tracked. With formal contracts and SLAs in place, agencies are more accountable and motivated to maintain their reputation by rectifying any issues promptly.
Availability:
Agencies typically have larger teams, allowing them to work across different time zones and manage workloads effectively. Their size also means they can cover holidays, illnesses, and other absences, ensuring your project stays on track.
Cost Considerations:
While agencies tend to be more expensive than freelancers due to higher overheads, the cost is often justified by the comprehensive service they provide. Projects are completed on time, to specification, and to a high standard, with minimal stress on your part.
Compliance:
Agencies are well-versed in industry-specific regulations, with formalised processes and documentation to ensure compliance. This reduces your exposure to tax or compliance risks.
Freelance HubSpot Developer
A freelance HubSpot developer is an independent professional specialising in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and HubSpot’s CMS and CRM. Working on a project basis, freelancers offer flexibility and personalised attention, often handling everything from coding to client communication themselves.
Expertise and Experience:
Freelancers may be highly skilled in a specific area, but their expertise is limited to their individual experience. While they might excel in their niche, they may not have the broad range of skills required for more complex projects, potentially needing to outsource certain tasks.
Scalability and Flexibility:
Freelancers are typically suited to specific tasks or projects. However, if significant changes arise, a freelancer may struggle to accommodate them, unlike an agency that can draw on a larger team.
Project Management and Communication:
Working with a freelancer often means direct communication with the person handling your project, leading to a more personalised experience. However, you’ll need to manage the project yourself, including setting deadlines and ensuring progress is on track.
Reliability and Accountability:
Freelancers, while often professional and committed, are more vulnerable to personal emergencies that could disrupt your project. With no team to step in, a freelancer’s availability issues can lead to missed deadlines.
Availability:
Freelancers manage their own time and may work beyond standard hours to meet your needs. However, their availability depends on their current workload, and they may prioritise other clients if they offer higher rates or more urgent projects.
Cost Considerations:
Freelancers usually cost less than agencies, as they have lower overheads and often work on an hourly or project basis. Their productivity can be higher since they manage their own schedules.
Compliance:
While some freelancers understand compliance, they may lack the resources to stay fully updated on regulations, posing a risk to your business. They may not have the same level of formal documentation as agencies, making it harder to demonstrate compliance. You’ll need an effective KYC process to minimize exposure to liability, tax, worker classification, and IP risks.
Comparison table of freelancers vs agencies
| HubSpot Development Agency | Freelance HubSpot Developer | |
| Expertise and Experience | Offer a broad range of skills and perspectives, thanks to their diverse teams and handling numerous projects. | Highly specialised but may lack the broad knowledge of an agency. |
| Scalability and Flexibility | Can manage complex, multi-stage projects and adapt to last-minute requests with ease. They have the resources to scale and handle large workloads effectively. | Typically less flexible with last-minute changes and may struggle with larger projects or urgent requests. |
| Project Management and Communication | You’ll benefit from a dedicated project manager who keeps you informed and ensures everything runs smoothly. | Direct communication with a freelancer can provide a personalised touch, but it also means managing the project yourself. |
| Reliability and Accountability | Have established processes and formal agreements, making them a stable choice. They’re committed to delivering on time and addressing issues promptly. | Personal emergencies can affect freelancers’ availability, and their single-person operation might impact project deadlines. |
| Availability | With larger teams, agencies can manage tasks across different time zones and handle interruptions like holidays or sickness more effectively. | Freelancers can work flexible hours but may not always be available to handle unexpected workload spikes. |
| Cost Considerations | Agencies usually come with a higher price tag, but this often translates to timely, high-quality work with fewer hassles. | Freelancers often cost less due to lower overheads, but this might come with trade-offs in terms of project complexity and scope. |
| Compliance | Agencies are well-versed in industry regulations and have formal processes to ensure compliance and data security. | Freelancers may not have the same resources or formal processes for handling compliance, which could pose risks. |
When to Choose Each Option
Freelancer when:
- You know exactly what you need and can manage the project yourself.
- You need a specific service from an expert.
- You prefer direct control over the project.
- You’re working with a limited budget.
Agency when:
- Your project involves multiple overlapping elements.
- You need strategic guidance and a holistic approach.
- You want to explore several options with a team of experts.
- You require adherence to industry best practices.
- You need the stability of a larger team.
- You have a more substantial budget.
About Turbosoft Limited
Are you looking to elevate your digital marketing and development strategies? Do you want to transform your web and app projects into powerful tools that drive growth and engagement? If so, you’re in the right place.
Turbosoft Limited is a specialist in HubSpot development, Headless CMS, and bespoke web and app development. We bring unparalleled expertise and innovation to every project we undertake.
To learn more about our services or to book a consultation, ring us at +44 203 650 4300.
