HubSpot and Microsoft 365 Dynamics integration fix eliminates duplicates and aligns marketing and sales

The Challenge

In mid-2024, Gunnebo’s Safe Storage division was struggling with their newly adopted HubSpot CRM, especially its integration with legacy Dynamics 365 (D365) systems shared across business units. Incoming leads in HubSpot were syncing into D365 incorrectly, resulting in data being duplicated and misrouted between Gunnebo's Safe Storage and Entrance Control divisions. 

The security controls giant needed a fix to prevent cross-division duplication and ensure leads only synced when and where intended, for example, only passing sales qualified leads through to D365.

They also suspected their workflow configurations were contributing to the sync issues. Rather than replacing the integration entirely, Gunnebo brought in SpotDev to fix and improve what was already in place, and better align their marketing and sales processes .

The Solution

Immediate integration fix:

SpotDev’s HubSpot experts first tackled the D365 sync problem. It was determined that only certain lifecycle stages (like Sales Qualified Leads) should sync to D365. Rather than building an entirely new integration, SpotDev identified that HubSpot's native Dynamics 365 data sync, enhanced with custom field mappings, could enforce the lifecycle stage rule.  

Using HubSpot's Operations Hub, SpotDev configured the integration with filters that controlled exactly which contacts synced across to Dynamics 365. Only contacts meeting specific criteria, like reaching the Sales Qualified Lead stage, were passed through. After internal approvals, SpotDev switched the integration on and confirmed everything was working as expected.

This put an end to the duplication problem. Contacts now only sync when they meet the right criteria, landing in the correct D365 records every time.

HubSpot CRM audit & cleanup:

Next, SpotDev performed a comprehensive audit of Gunnebo’s HubSpot portal. This included reviewing active workflows, forms, lead assignment rules, and data properties. They identified several workflow misconfigurations (the likely culprits for prior sync anomalies). In February 2025, SpotDev delivered a “Workflow & Forms Audit” report detailing errors and recommended fixes. The audit document highlighted where workflows were failing or could be optimised. This proactive analysis gave Gunnebo a clear roadmap to improve their HubSpot setup.

Workflow reengineering & automation:

SpotDev then proceeded to tackle Gunnebo's workflows. Originally, Gunnebo had two general workflows handling all global sales leads, which was cumbersome. SpotDev cloned and segmented these into five regional workflows (Europe, Middle East & Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, etc.). SpotDev reordered the logic so each workflow catches inquiries for its region in sequence, and within each, listed countries alphabetically for easy management. This change streamlined lead routing, ensuring each inquiry goes to the appropriate regional team without manual sorting.

Custom integration planning:

In parallel to the work that had already been underway, SpotDev recognised Gunnebo’s long-term need for a more robust integration than the quick fix. SpotDev’s solutions architect worked with Gunnebo to draft detailed user stories & acceptance criteria for a custom bi-directional HubSpot–D365 integration tailored to Gunnebo’s needs. For instance, one user story defined that when a contact’s lifecycle stage in HubSpot becomes an SQL, it should appear in D365 within an hour, and another outlined a two-way sync to keep data consistent between systems. 

Marketing & email support:

As part of an extended engagement, Gunnebo’s marketing team received support with HubSpot campaign execution. This included hands-on help with email marketing. This included building out marketing emails and templates using Gunnebo’s existing HubSpot modules and creating segmented contact lists for targeted communications. Additionally, they helped design and embed customer feedback forms and landing pages as needed, leveraging HubSpot’s CMS.

Ongoing consultation & training:

Throughout the engagement SpotDev scheduled regular check-ins and ad-hoc meetings with Gunnebo stakeholders, effectively beconing an extension of Gunnebo’s team. Importantly, SpotDev helped bridge the gap between Gunnebo’s marketing and sales operations. Sales teams in D365 now received only qualified, de-duplicated leads, and marketing had confidence that their HubSpot data was clean and sync’d properly, fostering better cross-team trust and efficiency.

The Results

Over the 12-month collaboration, SpotDev delivered transformative results for Gunnebo’s Safe Storage unit:

• Seamless HubSpot–D365 integration: Hours of manual data cleanup was saved and eliminated data duplication. The integrated systems now provide a “single source of truth” for sales and marketing.
• Optimised workflows & data management: Leads are automatically routed by region and business unit, meaning faster response times from the correct regional sales team and no confusion over ownership.
• Enhanced marketing initiatives: improved email templates and segmentation strategies implemented (e.g. creating dynamic lists and workflows for nurturing).
• Sales & marketing alignment: By integrating systems and cleaning data, SpotDev helped align Gunnebo’s sales and marketing efforts. The sales team in Dynamics now receives higher quality, vetted leads with proper context from HubSpot, improving their effectiveness. Marketing also benefitted in that there is now clarity on how leads progress, thanks to two-way visibility established through the integration.

Conclusion

Gunnebo’s experience shows that with the right expert support, even complex multi-system environments (like HubSpot + legacy Dynamics) can be streamlined to drive marketing and sales success.