The challenge
A B2B video marketing and creative production agency came to us with a straightforward problem. Their HubSpot subscription was costing more than the value it was delivering, and inbound leads from their website required manual handling before they reached the CRM.
Every web form submission needed someone to copy it across, check for duplicates, and assign follow-up. It was slow, inconsistent, and created gaps in the pipeline. The brief was to find a more cost-effective setup that automated the admin without losing years of relationship history built up in HubSpot.
What SME Software Help delivered
A structured CRM and marketing foundation designed to reduce cost, preserve data, and remove manual administration from lead capture and follow-up.
- Migration of historic HubSpot contacts and activity data into Capsule CRM, preserving relationship context.
- CRM customisation using tags and custom fields to segment by service interest, campaign, and engagement.
- Automated lead capture from website forms, creating contacts and applying an entry tag on submission.
- Transpond email campaigns and automations for nurture sequences and consistent follow-up at scale.
The core problem: cost and manual handling
The client had two clear problems. First, ongoing CRM costs were not aligned to the value received. Second, there was no streamlined process for capturing and managing inbound leads. Web form submissions required manual intervention, which increased the risk of delays, duplication, and inconsistent follow-up.
The starting point and the end state were quite different.
Where they started vs where they ended up
Our approach
The migration followed a structured sequence. Data integrity came first, automation second.
How we approached the migration
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Data audit and export
Reviewed the existing HubSpot data for quality and completeness. Exported contacts, notes, activity history, and custom field values, then cleaned and mapped the data ready for import.
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Capsule CRM configuration
Set up the CRM with a data model matching the agency's lead categorisation and pipeline stages. Created tags for high-level classification such as Client and Prospect, and for service interests such as Product Video and Social Video.
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Data migration
Imported the cleaned HubSpot data into Capsule, preserving relationships, notes, and field values. Validated the import to confirm no records were lost or duplicated.
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Web form automation
Embedded a web form on the agency's website connected directly to Capsule. New enquiries now automatically create a contact record and apply a Web Form Lead tag, removing manual data entry entirely.
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Transpond setup and nurture
Connected Transpond to Capsule to automate marketing workflows. New leads were enrolled into nurture sequences, and existing contacts received targeted campaigns based on segmentation tags.
Segmentation in practice
With tags and custom fields configured, the team could segment their contact base in ways that were not practical before. Contacts tagged Social Video, for example, received campaigns showcasing the agency’s social media production work rather than generic product video content.
Results and impact
- CRM subscription cost reduced by around 60% while retaining historic data and core functionality.
- Lead capture automated, reducing manual data entry and avoiding duplicated effort.
- Custom fields and tagging improved segmentation accuracy and campaign relevance.
- Transpond automations enabled consistent, scalable follow-up without increasing workload.
Key takeaways for similar businesses
Organisations facing high CRM costs and manual lead management typically benefit from a structured approach that prioritises data integrity and automation readiness.
- Migrate to a platform with strong data import capabilities to preserve relationship history and activity context.
- Use structured tags and custom fields to segment and qualify contacts consistently, then maintain that discipline.
- Automate contact creation from web forms to remove manual administration and speed up response times.
- Integrate marketing automation to nurture leads consistently, using segmentation to keep messaging relevant.
Paying too much for your CRM?
If you need centralised data, clearer pipelines, and automated lead capture without unnecessary complexity, we can implement and tailor a system that fits your business.
Achieving similar results on other platforms
The outcomes in this case study are not limited to a single toolset. With the right data model and processes, similar results can be delivered using other CRM and marketing automation platforms.
Zoho Bigin
A lightweight CRM suited to small businesses that need structured pipeline management, contact automation, and integrations without additional complexity. (Zoho Bigin)
Mailchimp
Primarily an email marketing platform with basic CRM-style audience management. Best for businesses focused on campaigns and segmentation rather than end-to-end sales pipeline management. (Mailchimp)
ActiveCampaign
Combines CRM functionality with advanced automation, supporting conditional workflows and behaviour-based targeting. Suitable for teams that want deeper automation without enterprise pricing. (ActiveCampaign)
Note: platform features vary by plan. The most reliable route is to define your segmentation and follow-up process first, then choose the toolset that supports it cleanly.