SpotDev is one of the world's first HubSpot Custom Integration partners

At SpotDev, we specialise in HubSpot migrations, integrations and automations. That's why we're delighted to announce that we have been recognised for our integrations expertise by becoming one of the world's first HubSpot Solution Partners to hold Custom Integration Accreditation status. 

HubSpot's accreditation programme is the far more demanding sibling of their HubSpot Academy certifications. While an individual achieves certifications, only organisations can gain an accreditation. While certifications are based on multiple choice exams and some practical elements, accreditations are based on a rigorous selection process that combines certifications, case studies, presentations and in-depth exploration of projects. 

The Custom Integration Accreditation recognises SpotDev's expertise in connecting HubSpot to other technology solutions using custom-coded API connections. In HubSpot's words, this accrediation...

...validates the skills and strategic experience required to scope, develop, and deploy complex, CRM-adjacent custom integrations to solve for unique client needs and requirements in the HubSpot CRM platform.

In addition to product-specific knowledge, the skills and experience required to earn this accreditation include elements of data modeling, customer relationship management, and needs-assessment-powered solutioning.

To apply for this accreditation, our team had to demonstrate: 

• That we were a Platinum-tier HubSpot Solutions Partner
• That we have designed and deployed multi-object and/or bidirectional Hubspot integrations within the last 12 months, built using custom development 
• Have completed this work with full-time employees of our business rather than freelancers or sub-contractors. 

What was involved in the accreditation approval process?

Pre-requisite certifications

We then had to ensure our employees held sufficient HubSpot certifications to meet the eligibility requirements. To demonstrate our expertise, HubSpot requires that all of these certifications are held across no more than five of our employees. This ensures that accredited partners can't simply spread the necessary knowledge across large team members. Instead, we had to show that our employees have a detailed knowledge of the systems: 

• 3x Marketing Hub Implementation certification
• 3x Sales Hub Implementation certification
• 3x Marketing Hub Software certification
• 3x Sales Hub Software certification
• 3x Service Hub Software certification
• 3x Platform Consulting certification
• 3x Data Integrations certification
• 3x Salesforce Integration certification
• 3x Objectives-Based Onboarding certification
• 3x HubSpot Reporting certification
• 2x CMS for Developers. 

Round One

Round One of the accreditation process involved: 

• a detailed case study of an integration we'd built and deployed in the last 12 months
• submitting two client references. 

The case study included a detailed overview of our Diagnostic Engagement process where we explored the client's needs and identified the right integration solution for them. 

It also involved showing detailed flowcharts explaining how data would migrate between the two systems (in this case, Microsoft Azure DevOps and HubSpot Service Hub). This showed the relationship between objects in each software platform and the necessary data processing to ensure each system would be able to work together. 

Our case study then included a detailed overview of the API endpoints we used in both HubSpot and Microsoft Azure DevOps and how they allowed us to achieve the client's goals. 

Round Two

Once we passed the first round of the accreditation process, we had to demonstrate our depth of understanding by presenting our case study to HubSpot in video format. This was to ensure that we genuinely understood the materials and that we are capable of presenting complex information to clients in an easily understood format. 

This included an overview of the use cases, user stories and acceptance criteria of the project, alongside a detailed review of the entire codebase of the integration. 

What does this accreditation mean for our clients? 

While everyone at SpotDev is delighted to be recognised for our HubSpot integration expertise, it's more important to acknowledge the positive impact on our clients. 

Our work has always proven our capabilities but, with the HubSpot Custom Integration Accreditation, new clients can be assured that our team has the certifications, depth of knowledge, technical capabilities, presentation skills and analytical capabilities to deliver world-class API and middleware integrations. We look forward to delighting many more HubSpot customers with solutions that allow them to make the most of every tool in their tech stack.