Headn: how did we build a Hubspot CRM system that manages over 31k contacts and the acquisition of +2.5k leads/month?

Headn is a hybrid and innovative group of schools, dedicated to the training of new generations.** Their objective? Offer meaningful educational paths, adapted to both students and adults, regardless of their professional profile.

Students benefit from flexible options, between integrated courses at Headn schools and work-study contracts, to immerse themselves in jobs of the future.

For adults — retirees, employees, self-employed, or looking for a job — Headn is a gateway to professional retraining, re-skilling, returning to work or even additional income.

With an offer of face-to-face or digital training, and varied formats ranging from intensive courses to extended programs, this new education player is committed to meeting the diverse needs of their learners.

For Headn, CRM had the double challenge of:

• bring together on a single platform, the various stakeholders to whom the company addresses.

👉 B2C: the learners;

👉 B2B: the companies in which they place apprentices but also the partners of projects to boost the labor market, such as the “1000 young people plan” organized with companies in the industrial sector, as well as the territories.

• create a simple and intuitive tool for internal teams (campus managers) to work on their incoming leads and maximize their conversion (i.e.: validate the learner's enrollment/placement in a company for the established start dates).

The objectives of the support

Macro objectives of our support

Focused on two key elements:

👉 The creation of a collaborative platform : this platform was designed to effectively manage all contacts, from the acquisition stage to the transformation stage. Structurally, in education, the challenge of transformation has a very particular place, given a high volume of monthly lead gen. In this sense, we had to facilitate the sharing of information between teams: SDR, Customer Care, Campus Managers, Business Relations Managers.

👉 The structuring of their commercial activity : this approach took into account the diversity of stakeholders, divided into several components:

• Education sector;
• B2B relationships;
• B2C market, targeting both adults and young people;
• Diversity of territories and audiences.

These efforts made it possible to lay the solid foundations necessary for their future development.

Micro goals of support

👉 Structuring the acquisition and the sales process;

👉 Harmonization of processes within teams;

👉 Collaboration between internal and external actors (call center);

👉 Reliable reporting for business management;

👉 Reliable and usable database;

👉 Customization of user interfaces, according to their objectives;

👉 Organization of face-to-face and online events.

These objectives were developed in close collaboration with all actors involved in the acquisition process, including partners, media agencies and the web development agency, to ensure a smooth integration of these elements into the CRM system.

Background and start of support

We started the creation/structuring of the Hubspot CRM, at the same time as the creation of the company (January). Paid acquisition efforts began at the same time, to quickly recruit students for training or work-study programs in preparation for the following school year (September).

We therefore had to very quickly manage both the processing of the first incoming leads, as well as the structuring of the process for processing future leads, with a long-term vision, to ensure a lasting solution.

The actions put in place

The implementation of a CRM for our client started in January 2023, and we are still working with them to this day. This project consisted of several key phases:

A. 6-month build period

This phase was essential and involved a double challenge for us:

👉 Understand in depth the needs, the challenges, the business orientations, the organization of current teams, as well as their difficulties.

👉 Challenge and refine their vision to offer a target CRM structure in line with their business and their ambitious growth goals, such as the opening of the first education session for the start of the 2023 school year.

We have particularly worked on the structuring of their business, in particular on the “pre-sales” part (before the student's admission). This included:

• The creation and customization of acquisition funnels (7 in total);
• Transformation (a real challenge in higher education, which is often good at acquisition and whose challenge is rather the transformation of leads);
• The integration of multiple partners/external service providers;
• The need for automations.

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The Hubspot account now aggregates +175 active workflows. Here is an illustration of the structuring of the workflows created, by folder, by type. - NB: Workflows are automated scenarios for creating tasks, updating properties, SMS/email marketing reminders, etc..

The organization of this Build phase consisted of several meetings per month (min. 1 time per week), in the form of videoconference or face-to-face workshops. Throughout the project, we provided visibility to monitor the progress made each week and prioritize projects awaiting validation.

B. Onboarding internal and external teams

Once the CRM structure was in place, we moved on to team onboarding, to make it easier for Headn teams to get started and develop their skills.

We adapted our training courses according to the needs of each team (and their level of knowledge), ranging from the macro business level for managers, to more operational aspects. The courses covered both the marketing and sales hubs, from Hubspot.

We continue to train newcomers and existing teams when the need arises.

C. “Run”/maintenance period

We are now in a “run” phase: the CRM is structured and organized, and today we are mainly dealing with optimizations. To do this, we have:

👉 Set up a shared Notion between GR and Headn, for project management. The tool is used by Headn teams to report specific problems/needs. For our part, it allows us to give visibility on the progress/processing of incoming requests, and to prioritize the projects to be carried out.

👉 Set a weekly point to prioritize requests incoming and make an inventory of the projects carried out. This meeting is an opportunity for Headn teams to understand what is being done, and to brief us on new projects, if necessary.

These steps were crucial in ensuring the successful integration of CRM into our client's ecosystem, closely aligning the technology with their needs and strategic vision.

The performances obtained

The CRM implemented is now structured and completely tailor-made, to meet Headn's business needs and challenges.

👉 We manage over 31,000 contacts in Headn CRM, a figure that testifies to the breadth and richness of our network.

👉 Our system includes 7 distinct pipelines, each designed to optimize and monitor different aspects of our commercial and customer relationship management process.

👉 Over 175 active workflows are in place, ensuring effective automation and smooth management of daily operations.

👉 To monitor and analyze our performance, more than 15 dashboards are used. These dashboards give us valuable insights and clear visibility into various aspects of our business.

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Today, our relationship with the customer is excellent and is based on solid trust. They particularly understand and appreciate our expertise.

Every week, since the start of the support, we have collaborated effectively with a dozen interlocutors. Our well-established support organization allows us not only to meet their needs, but also to support their new development projects.

Since September, we have been helping them in a new area: the acquisition of businesses to place learners there, thus moving from a B2C CRM to a B2B CRM. Challenges met: B2C and B2B teams work in harmony, and the different elements of HubSpot integrate perfectly, making it easy for all teams to work.

Headn's testimony

‍“Collaborating with Growth Room to deploy and optimize our HubSpot CRM was a great experience. Starting from scratch, their team guided us with remarkable precision and dedication, allowing us to build a solid foundation for our digital strategy. Thanks to their support, we have not only implemented a powerful tool but also adapted our processes to better understand and activate our customer base.‍Thanks to Blanche and Mathilde for their personalized approach and commitment. Growth Room is more than a service provider: a true growth partner. We highly recommend their services to anyone looking to unlock the full potential of HubSpot.”

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