StopWatch for HubSpot

Usage Guide 📝



This guide aims to help you get up and running with StopWatch for HubSpot, an intuitive time tracking app designed to exist entirely within HubSpot. If reading this guide doesn't help to solve a particular issue you're experiencing, please submit a support request.



1. Installing StopWatch for HubSpot

Before you can start using StopWatch for HubSpot, you must successfully install our app within your HubSpot account. To use StopWatch for HubSpot, your HubSpot account must have access to Custom Objects ↗️. Installation will fail if you do not have access to HubSpot Custom Objects. You can initiate the installation process by clicking on the button immediately below (which is also accessible via the homepage).

After the installation process is complete, hopefully you will see an installation success message. If you see an error message, please wait a couple of minutes before trying again. If you see an error message again, please submit a support request.

NOTE: As part of the installation process, HubSpot will ask you to confirm within which account/portal you'd like to install the StopWatch for HubSpot app. You'll then be prompted to allow StopWatch for HubSpot access to certain information and permissions relating to the selected HubSpot account. We only request access and permissions necessary to deliver our services. If you'd like to discuss why we need certain access or permissions, please get in touch via email: zach@threadintegrations.com.au

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2. StopWatch Subscriptions & Nominating Users

Once you've successfully installed StopWatch for HubSpot within your HubSpot account, you'll need to choose and confirm your StopWatch for HubSpot subscription plan, and then nominate your users.

You can compare all available subscription plans on the homepage. Except for the "Unlimited 💫 " plan, all subscription plans are limited to a certain number of unique users (identified by exactly the same email address they use to access their HubSpot account).

Once you choose a subscription plan, you'll need to confirm with payment via our third-party payment provider, Stripe (links for each plan are available on the homepage, multiple currency options available).

If you've chosen the "Free 🤗 " plan, all you'll need to do to confirm your subscription is nominate your users. To successfully allow access for your StopWatch for HubSpot users, you must nominate exactly the same email address(es) your nominee(s) use to access their HubSpot accounts (visible within the "Users & Teams" section of your HubSpot settings).

Please note, there will be no chance to change or rotate users at a later date. If you need other members of your team to use the app after having already nominated your users, you'll need to upgrade to a paid subscription plan.

The "Unlimited 💫 " plan includes an unlimited number of users. As such, there's no need to do anything else after you've confirmed payment.

NOTE: If you fail to nominate your users after having successfully installed the app, the StopWatch feature will not be made available within your HubSpot account.

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3. Using the StopWatch ⏱️

The StopWatch for HubSpot experience, and the quality of the data made available by the app, relies heavily on your interaction with the "StopWatch".

IMPORTANT: We recommend tracking time via the StopWatch only. We do not recommend creating "Time Log" records manually or by any means other than interacting with the StopWatch for HubSpot App.

The StopWatch is a CRM custom card (powered by HubSpot's "CRM Extension" feature) visible on individual record views, made available by StopWatch for HubSpot for the following CRM object types:

CONTACT, COMPANY, DEAL, TICKET.

NOTE: You may need to scroll to the bottom of the right sidebar to find the "StopWatch" element. If preferable, you can rearrange these sidebar elements to have the StopWatch be automatically displayed higher up the list (per object type, per HubSpot user).


To track time against the record you are viewing, use the "Start Timer" / "Stop Timer" button visible within the StopWatch element.

NOTE: You may need to refresh the page for this button to update as your interact with the StopWatch. If you try to start the timer when it's already active (or stop it when it's already inactive), you should see an error message prompting you to refresh the page before trying to interact with the StopWatch again.

The StopWatch element displays information relevant to the record you are viewing. Please note, you may need to refresh the page for this information to update as your interact with the StopWatch. This information may include:

Label Type Explanation
Time Log Exists? Boolean
[TRUE or FALSE]
Whether or not you have previously tracked time against the record, based on the existence of an associated "Time Log" record.
StopWatch Active? Boolean
[TRUE or FALSE]
Whether or not the StopWatch is currently "active" / "running".
Total Tracked Time (Hours) Number Total number of hours (summed) already tracked against the given record.
Total Number of Sessions Number How many time tracking sessions have been recorded for this record. A session is counted each time you "stop" the StopWatch.
Auto Start Enabled? Boolean
[TRUE or FALSE]
Whether or not the "Auto Start Timer" app setting is enabled for the given user. This is a user-specific app setting that can be managed by HubSpot users with "App Marketplace Access" permissions. See the "App Settings" section of this page for more information.
Confirm Timer Start/Stop? Boolean
[TRUE or FALSE]
Whether or not the "Confirm Timer Start/Stop" app setting is enabled for the given user. This is a user-specific app setting that can be managed by HubSpot users with "App Marketplace Access" permissions. See the "App Settings" section of this page for more information.

When you use the StopWatch to track time against a HubSpot record, the StopWatch for HubSpot app creates/updates a "Time Log" record (custom object type) and associates it with the record you are tracking time against (i.e. an individual Contact, Company, Deal or Ticket). You can view and navigate to your Time Log records using the right sidebar (see image below).

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4. Time Logs

As part of the installation process, the StopWatch for HubSpot app creates a custom object type within your HubSpot account, called "Time Logs".

When time is tracked against a HubSpot record (using the StopWatch), information about this tracked time is stored on an associated "Time Log" record. If you use only the StopWatch for creating and managing Time Log records (as recommended), there should exist in your HubSpot account 1 Time Log record per unique combination of the following variables:

[ Object Type | Object/Record ID | HubSpot User ID ]

These variables are used to construct Time Log record titles, e.g. "CONTACT_51_123456789" (where "CONTACT" is the object type of the record that time is being tracked against, "51" is the relevant Contact record ID and "123456789" is the HubSpot user ID of the person tracking the time).

Each Time Log record contains aggregated data (within HubSpot "properties"), reflecting a summary of all time tracking sessions relevant to itself. This data is visible in the left sidebar on the Time Log record view (see image below). The display of these properties can be customised within your HubSpot account settings.

Information relating to each individual "session" of time tracked (using the StopWatch) can be viewed as "Notes" within the activity timeline of the relevant "Time Log" record (see image below).

NOTE: For reference, these "Notes" are standard HubSpot Engagement records, of "Note" type. They are automatically generated by StopWatch for HubSpot based on interaction with the StopWatch.

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5. Suppressing Time Log Ownership Notifications

Each "Time Log" record created via interaction with the StopWatch is automatically assigned a HubSpot "Owner", reflecting the HubSpot user who is tracking the time.

The inclusion of this feature within StopWatch for HubSpot is designed to allow for more powerful reporting and automation when working with Time Log records (among other benefits, record ownership of Time Logs allows for [1] dynamic filtering within reports, and [2] subsequent record ownership assignment within workflows).

By default, if a record of any object type (including custom objects) is assigned an Owner, the relevant HubSpot user is sent an email notification, alerting them to their ownership of the record.

This email notification (which is enabled by default) can be managed by users within HubSpot's settings:

Settings > Notifications > Email > Custom Objects > "Custom object assigned to you"

Unfortunately, this notification can only be managed collectively across all custom objects within a HubSpot account (i.e. it's not possible to manage this notification granularly, per custom object type). Rather than turning them off in HubSpot, alternatively you could consider configuring your email inbox filters / settings to more selectively "hide" or "delete" these notification emails.

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6. Reporting & Automation

Once you have collected some time tracking data in your HubSpot account (in the format of "Time Log" records), you're likely going to want to extract some value from it.

You can use your Time Logs as you would any other custom object type within your HubSpot account. With your Time Logs as the centrepiece, we recommend creating or updating your existing HubSpot reports/dashboards to better understand how your team is collectively spending their time across Deals, Contact, Companies and/or Tickets. We also see loads of opportunity to apply the power of HubSpot Workflows to your Time Logs.

To learn how to use your Time Logs in HubSpot's reporting and automation tools, please review HubSpot's official custom object documentation.


Custom Workflow Actions

StopWatch for HubSpot "Unlimited" subscribers have access to 2 custom workflow actions (see below). Please note, this feature is not available to those using a StopWatch for HubSpot "Free" subscription level.

Both custom workflow actions come with settings that offer far greater time tracking flexibility, in comparison to using the "StopWatch" feature alone. For example, it's possible to configure workflows that track the time an individual record spends within a given object stage (e.g. Deal Stage, Contact Lifecycle Stage, Ticket Status).


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7. App Settings

StopWatch for HubSpot comes with user-specific settings which can be configured within HubSpot by any user with "App Marketplace Access" permissions. To access StopWatch for HubSpot settings, navigate to HubSpot Settings > Account Setup > Connected Apps > Click 'Actions' within the 'StopWatch for HubSpot' card > Click 'Go to settings'. Back to top of page



StopWatch for HubSpot is created and managed by Thread Integrations ↗️ , a small Australian business providing expert system integration, software development & analytics services.

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