Integrating: Growth of 650% and the emergence of the consumer champion

Six & Flow is HubSpot's biggest fan - no exaggeration. We're orange all the way through. However, we'll also be the first to admit that the right software integrations can provide another layer of innovation and efficiency to a client campaign.

Six & Flow started working with VeriLet, the UK's first tenant eligibility service, in early 2017. We initially partnered with the young startup to aid them with inbound marketing and marketing automation.

When we first met, VeriLet had a bespoke membership portal and a confused array of bootstrapped tools powering both marketing and sale processes. There was a need to streamline services, combine marketing and sales activity and prepare for large scale growth.

Our intention was to remove points of friction in the user experience, and offer real value to both lettings agents and would be tenants.

Sales enablement is a strategic, cross-functional discipline designed to increase sales results and productivity by providing integrated content, training and coaching services for salespeople along the entire customer’s buying journey. If you want to find out how it can transform your business, read our blog "Will sales and marketing harmony be the death of the sales qualified lead?"  

The market

For years, the UK property rental market has had a less than desirable reputation. The process is weighted heavily against would-be renters, both practically and financially. Deposits, references, months of rent in advance… and all of that only if you’re lucky enough to find a suitable property in the first place.

At the same time, the costs of referencing for lettings agents have spiralled too. This, coupled with changing regulations in the sector, meant there was a real and urgent need to find an alternative solution. The market is broken and ripe for disruption.

The problem

VeriLet's operations were originally based on a combination of Wordpress, Gravity Forms, Zapier and the free HubSpot CRM. While this was already providing some value and real potential, it also presented core issues such as multiple points of potential failure and limited scalability.

Once operational, the VeriLet platform is expected to deal with five referencing queries every second. As a product new to market, downtime would not be tolerated by users, especially as the overall marketing strategy strongly relied on the product 'going viral.' Given the potentially disruptive nature of the platform, business and consumer confidence in this system is paramount if Verilet is to achieve success.

The system has to do something new, never done before, changing the market. It also has to do this without fail, and provide a scalable platform for large-scale rapid growth. All this, while always providing a coherent platform to manage both sales and marketing activity.

The solution

Working with VeriLet to explore areas of strength, weakness and growth, Six & Flow suggested moving away from the collective bootstrapped toolset, and towards the coherency of HubSpot Marketing Pro.

Now, with the API access between the systems, this has made for an excellent platform of market innovation. HubSpot is now centric to the entire system, integrating neatly with the bespoke client registration and portal system, and bringing together the sales and marketing teams. This has been a "game changer" for MD, Gavin Prince.

My names @GavinPrince2 and I'm addicted to @HubSpot thanks to @richtwood @SVaughanInbound #HubSpotAnonymous

— Gavin Prince (@GavinPrince2) July 18, 2017

Additionally, the use of HubSpot's API several other integrations has made it possible to open up the platform.

The main integration, and the partnership of most social impact, is between HubSpot and CallCredit, the credit referencing and data agency.

After exploring how the end customer is likely to use the system, the needs of the lettings agents and commercial viability, it became clear that financial eligibility checks through the platform were necessary.

In what we believe is a UK first, consumers are now able to provide credit references, end to end, through HubSpot.

Through the use of WebHooks, VeriLet allows users to register for the platform using HubSpot forms, receiving new account login details directly from HubSpot. Essentially, HubSpot now automatically creates new accounts in a standalone system, further tying up loose ends.

As a tenant, the integrated platform allows you the ability to avoid costs up to £400 for references that may or may not secure you accommodation. Instead, a micro-subscription model means that tenants can now provide lettings agents with what is essentially pre-approval.

As a lettings agent, we've looked ahead to deal with impending regulatory changes which will prevent them from able to charge tenants. Now, they are able to deliver adequate checks at no cost, saving on average £5,000 per annum.

To complete the integration puzzle, and add further value to clients on both sides of the coin, subsequent integrations have been put in place through Zapier:

• SMS Factor - for automated SMS communications in the nurturing process
• HLR Checks - to live line validate the phone numbers of inbound leads
• Facebook Lead Gen Cards - to drive new lead volume
• Slack - for internal notifications
• Promoter.io - for monthly NPS scores

The results

So, what have we seen from the activity, what's the real end value of the integration process?

As of writing this article, average daily lead volume has increased by over 650%, with over 1,000 lettings agents already utilising the system. The uniqueness of the product provided through the integration of CallCredit and HubSpot has already pushed VeriLet over the 'tipping point', proving commercial viability and market fit.

For the renters, the new platform has allowed costs to be reduced from a possible £400 to £10, while also removing the potential for unsuccessful applications.

Lettings agents already signed up have improved the customer experience and reduced costs, saving an average of £5,000 per year and moving to a compliant model well ahead of the scheduled timeframe.

Peripherally, the local socio-economic ramifications of VeriLet's market impact has seen a forecasted creation of 100 local jobs.

All of this because of the ability to integrate through a class-leading HubSpot API, innovative processes, the support of Six & Flow and a need to help both an industry and the end consumer, championing both David and Goliath, simultaneously.

Gavin Prince, MD of VeriLet had this to say:

The support and technical insight we've received from both Six & Flow and HubSpot has been incredible. While we have development knowledge internally, having the additional external insight and expertise has allowed us to grow far more rapidly than we expected while also laying solid foundations for the future of our business.We believe the impact we'll have on the market will be substantial. The integration between HubSpot and CallCredit is globally unique and allows us to help both renters and lettings agents ahead of changing regulations.Through strategic technical integrations through both the HubSpot API and Zapier, we have been able to offer a more complete service to our clients and the consumers they are in turn helping.

Gavin has also subsequntly been named on the Insider's list of 2017 Property Disruptors.

What’s next?

Moving forward, further integrations have been planned. VeriLet plans to launch its own affiliate programme before the end of Q4 this year. Again, the company will use the HubSpot API to deliver end-point accessibility to our partnered affiliates.

This solution will allow affiliates to pass and retrieve data directly through HubSpot using endpoints as appose to embedded code from HubSpot forms. This method will provide the flexibility needed for affiliates to integrate the VeriLet model within their systems without disrupting their current solution.

Rich Wood, MD of Six & Flow, stated:

We're extremely proud to be part of the journey VeriLet is going through. As a case study, their growth and trajectory is phenomenal, as a business with their localised social impact, I have never come across a business that cares in the same way. It's an incredible thing to see and something we love being part of.

Sales enablement is a strategic, cross-functional discipline designed to increase sales results and productivity by providing integrated content, training and coaching services for salespeople along the entire customer’s buying journey. If you want to find out how it can transform your business, read our blog "Will sales and marketing harmony be the death of the sales qualified lead?"