Imagine you run a company that repairs equipment for other businesses. A customer calls and asks, “What’s happening with our new cold-storage room?”
Your team already has the answers in HubSpot. The project, the support request and the equipment details are there—but they sit in different records.
HubSpot plan note. WoodsPortal's nested relationships between HubSpot objects use GraphQL. GraphQL is available with HubSpot Sales Hub Enterprise, Service Hub Enterprise, or Content Hub Professional or higher. Many other portal use cases can use WoodsPortal's REST API implementation on HubSpot plans including Free; supported features depend on the configuration.
With WoodsPortal, you can give that customer one clear place to follow the work.
A simple example
Meet Maya, who works at Northstar Foods. Her company is setting up a new cold-storage room. A cooling unit has stopped working, and she wants an update.
Instead of searching through emails or asking your team, Maya opens her customer portal.
CUSTOMER
Northstar Foods
PROJECT
Cold-storage upgrade
REQUEST
Cooling unit not working
EQUIPMENT
Cooler C-14
Maya can follow the records that relate to her project.
She starts with the project, opens the related support request and sees which piece of equipment is affected. The example is fictional, but the idea is simple: everything is connected to the job she cares about.
Why this is better than a long list
ALL MY REQUESTS
Everything Maya can access
THIS PROJECT
Only requests about the cold-storage upgrade
Both views are useful. One answers “What needs my attention?” The other answers “What’s happening on this job?”
How the information gets there
1. Your team connects the records in HubSpot. For example, it links the cold-storage project to its support request and the affected cooler.
2. You set up the portal in WoodsPortal. Choose the information customers should see, how they move between records and which actions they may take.
3. Maya signs in and follows the links. The portal shows her the records her account is allowed to access.
Your team continues to manage the records in HubSpot. WoodsPortal brings the approved information together in the customer portal.
Keep each customer's information separate
MAYA · NORTHSTAR
Northstar's approved work
PRIYA · HARBOR
Harbor's approved work
Even when two companies use the same portal, they should not see each other's records. Linking two items in HubSpot does not, by itself, give a customer permission to view both.
Before inviting customers, test the portal with accounts from two different companies. Check that the correct project opens and that a copied link to the other company's records does not.
What to decide before you build
Start with one question your customer frequently asks. Pick the records needed to answer it. Then decide which people can see each record, and whether they can simply view it or also update it.
Projects and equipment need to exist as record types supported by your HubSpot account and WoodsPortal setup. Some record types or relationship features depend on your HubSpot subscription. If your customers only need to see and reply to support tickets, HubSpot's own support portal may already meet that need.
Frequently asked questions
Does WoodsPortal replace HubSpot?
No. Your team continues to manage the records in HubSpot. WoodsPortal presents the supported information in a customer-facing experience.
Will my customers see every record in HubSpot?
No. You decide which supported records, fields and actions are available to each customer. Test the permissions before launch.
Can customers see all their tickets as well as project-specific tickets?
Yes, when you configure both views and the customer has access to those tickets.
Do we need a custom HubSpot object?
Not always. It depends on what you are tracking and which supported HubSpot objects you already use. Some custom-object setups require HubSpot Enterprise.
Does linking two records automatically let customers see both?
No. The records must be connected, and the customer must separately have permission to access each one.
Can customers upload files or update a request?
Those actions can be included where supported and enabled for the customer's role. Viewing a record does not automatically allow editing it.
How do we know the setup is correct?
Use two test customer accounts. Check project lists, support requests, linked records and copied links. Make sure each account sees only its own approved information.
Give customers the complete picture
Start with one common customer question and a simple path through the records that answer it. Explore the WoodsPortal customer portal and the Association Builder guide to plan the right experience.