How to Manage Users and Teams in HubSpot the Right Way

If your HubSpot portal is growing, chances are your user list is too. Managing who has access to what, and how they’re organized into teams, is one of the most overlooked (yet critical) aspects of CRM administration. Done right, user and team management keep your data clean, your workflows efficient, and your people focused on what matters.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to manage users and teams in HubSpot, plus share best practices to make your setup scalable and secure.

Adding Users to HubSpot

Start with the basics. Head to Settings → Account Setup → Users & Teams to add a new user. You can invite them manually or upload a list via CSV.

From there, you’ll assign each user a seat type:

• View-only seats (free, for basic access)

• Core seats (broad CRM access but limited advanced tools)

• Sales or Service Pro seats (full access to productivity tools like sequences and playbooks)

Setting Permissions and Access Levels

Once a user is added, permissions determine what they can see and do. You can apply prebuilt templates (like “Marketing Manager” or “Sales Rep”) or customize access from scratch.

Common permission best practices:

• Sales reps: View all contacts, but edit only those they own or their team owns.

• Marketing and service teams: View all records to support collaboration.

• Admins: Reserve “super admin” access for trusted users only.

Using Teams to Organize Your People

Grouping users into teams lets you structure ownership, workflow routing, and reporting.

Each user can belong to:

• One main team (their primary group)

• Multiple extra teams (for collaboration or cross-functional projects)

Teams are essential for features like:

• Rotating assignments in workflows

• Sending internal notifications

• Reporting by department or region

Customizing Notification Profiles

A clean CRM experience depends on how users receive alerts. With notification profiles, you can control how (and how often) users are notified about record changes, task assignments, and mentions.

For example, sales reps might not need an email every time a lead is assigned—especially if workflows already handle that communication. Customize notification types by email, bell, browser, or pop-up.

Pro Tip:
Even if you’re not using team-based workflows yet, it's a good idea to build your team structure now. It’ll save hours when you’re ready to automate ownership or trigger role-based notifications later.

Final Thoughts

Managing users and teams in HubSpot isn’t flashy—but it’s foundational. The right structure prevents friction, safeguards your data, and ensures your team can focus on doing their best work.

Start small: define permissions manually, save your settings as templates, and keep your team structure current. The payoff? A cleaner, more efficient HubSpot environment that scales with your business.

Ready to Put HubSpot to Work for You?

At The Gist Inbound, we help businesses set up HubSpot the right way, from automation like this to complete CRM builds and inbound marketing strategies. If you want to scale your growth without adding more to your plate, let’s talk.

Work with us.