How to Connect Channels to the Hubspot Help Desk

The Hubspot help desk gives service teams a single workspace to manage support conversations from email, forms, chat, and other channels. Connecting channels correctly ensures every customer request is captured, organized, and tracked with tickets.

This step-by-step guide walks you through how to connect inboxes and other tools to the help desk so your agents can respond faster and keep conversations in context.

Understanding the Hubspot Help Desk Workspace

Before you connect channels, it helps to understand how the help desk is structured inside Hubspot. The help desk is a shared workspace where users can:

• View and reply to incoming conversations
• Create, update, and assign tickets
• See contact and company records alongside each thread
• Use productivity tools like templates, snippets, and meeting links

The help desk is powered by channels connected to the conversations inbox. When you connect a channel to an inbox and associate that inbox with the help desk, conversations automatically appear for your team.

Prerequisites for Using the Hubspot Help Desk

To connect channels, you must have:

• A Hubspot account with access to Service tools
• Permissions to edit channels and inbox settings
• Any required login details for external email or chat tools you plan to connect

It is also recommended to define your team structure, ownership rules, and ticket pipelines before adding new channels.

Step 1: Open the Help Desk in Hubspot

To start working with channels in the help desk:

1. Log in to your Hubspot account.
2. In the main navigation, go to the Service section.
3. Select the help desk workspace from the service tools menu.

From this area you can see existing conversations, tickets, and channel options. The connected channels determine which conversations appear in this space.

Step 2: Access Conversations and Inbox Settings

Channels are managed via the conversations inbox. To configure channels:

1. In Hubspot, navigate to Conversations > Inbox.
2. Select the inbox that will power your help desk workspace.
3. Open the settings for that inbox to view channel options.

Each inbox can have multiple channels, such as shared email addresses, forms, and live chat. Linking the correct inbox to the help desk ensures all relevant messages are visible to your agents.

Step 3: Connect an Email Channel to the Hubspot Help Desk

Email is often the primary support channel. To connect a team email address:

1. In the inbox settings, choose Channels and select Email.
2. Click the option to connect a shared or team email.
3. Follow the prompts to authenticate your email provider and grant access.
4. Choose routing rules for new email threads, such as assigning owners or teams.
5. Confirm whether incoming messages should automatically create tickets in the help desk.

Once connected, messages sent to your shared email will appear as conversations. When ticket creation is enabled, each new thread can become a tracked ticket for easier reporting and follow-up.

Step 4: Connect Form Channels to the Hubspot Help Desk

Support request forms are another key way customers ask for help. To route form submissions into the help desk:

1. Go to the inbox Channels section and select Forms.
2. Choose an existing form or create a new one for support.
3. Connect the form to your chosen inbox.
4. Configure whether each submission creates a new ticket in the help desk.

With this connection in place, form submissions will automatically create conversations and tickets associated with contact records. Agents can then work these tickets from the Hubspot help desk interface.

Step 5: Connect Live Chat and Bots in Hubspot

If you use live chat or chatbots, you can connect them to your help desk inbox:

1. In the inbox channels settings, select Chat.
2. Choose an existing chatflow or create a new one.
3. Assign the chatflow to the same inbox that feeds the help desk.
4. Decide when a chat should create a ticket, such as on conversation close or when specific criteria are met.

Chat conversations will then appear in your shared workspace. This gives agents visibility into real-time customer questions and any tickets created from those chats.

Step 6: Map Channels to Tickets in the Hubspot Help Desk

To keep your support organized, configure how each connected channel creates and updates tickets. Typical options include:

• Automatically creating new tickets for each incoming conversation
• Linking replies to existing tickets based on email threads
• Defining default ticket pipelines and stages per channel
• Setting ticket priority rules based on form fields or chat attributes

Aligning channels with ticket rules lets your team manage high volume without losing track of individual customer issues.

Managing Conversations After Channels Connect

Once channels are connected to the Hubspot help desk, your team can manage conversations in a consistent way:

• Filter views by channel, owner, status, or SLA
• Assign or reassign conversations to team members
• Log calls, notes, and internal comments alongside each thread
• Use saved replies and templates to speed responses
• Measure response time and resolution metrics using reports

Because everything flows through the same workspace, agents no longer need to jump between tools to handle email, forms, and chat.

Best Practices for Hubspot Help Desk Channel Setup

To maximize the value of the help desk:

• Limit the number of inboxes; keep channels consolidated where possible.
• Use routing rules to send conversations to the right team automatically.
• Standardize ticket properties across channels for clear reporting.
• Test each channel after connection to confirm tickets create as expected.
• Train agents on the differences between each Hubspot channel and how tickets behave.

Revisit your configuration regularly as your support volume and channels evolve.

Where to Learn More About Hubspot Help Desk Channels

You can review the original product documentation for connecting channels to the help desk directly from Hubspot here: official help desk channel guide.

For broader guidance on optimizing your CRM, support operations, and website, you can also explore resources from Consultevo, a consultancy focused on digital and CRM strategy.

By carefully configuring channels in the Hubspot help desk and aligning them with your ticketing and routing rules, your team can deliver faster, more consistent support across every customer touchpoint.

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