Hubspot Qualitative Research Methods Guide

Hubspot style qualitative research methods help service and support teams uncover the stories, motivations, and emotions behind customer behavior so you can design better experiences and build long-term loyalty.

This guide adapts the qualitative research framework from the official Hubspot blog and shows you how to turn it into a practical, repeatable process for your own organization.

What Is Qualitative Research in a Hubspot Context?

Qualitative research focuses on the why and how behind customer actions, not just the numbers. In a Hubspot-inspired customer experience program, it complements your quantitative data from tickets, forms, and dashboards.

Instead of asking “How many people churned?”, qualitative methods ask:

• Why did customers decide to leave?
• What were they feeling during key moments?
• How do they describe your product or service in their own words?

These insights come from small but rich data sources such as interviews, observations, and open-ended responses collected through your CRM and support channels.

Core Hubspot-Style Qualitative Methods

The original Hubspot qualitative research article highlights a variety of methods teams can mix and match. Below are the main techniques and how to use them in a customer service environment.

1. In-Depth Customer Interviews with Hubspot Data

Customer interviews are structured or semi-structured conversations where you dig into experiences, needs, and expectations.

To run them efficiently:

1. Use your CRM to identify target segments, such as new customers, power users, or recent churn risks.
2. Prepare a discussion guide focused on recent interactions, pain points, and decision moments.
3. Record sessions (with permission) and store notes alongside contact records.

Interviews give you language customers actually use, which can feed into messaging, product positioning, and help center content.

2. Focus Groups Using Hubspot Customer Segments

Focus groups bring a small set of customers together to discuss their perspectives on products, services, or new ideas.

Best practices include:

• Invite 6–10 participants from the same lifecycle stage or segment.
• Have a facilitator guide discussion while a note-taker captures quotes and themes.
• Use visual prompts like prototypes, mockups, or journey maps.

Because group dynamics can influence opinions, use focus groups to explore possibilities, then validate with other methods.

3. Observation and Usability Testing in Hubspot-Inspired Flows

Observation involves watching customers use your product, portal, or support channels in real time.

You can:

• Host remote usability tests of your knowledge base or ticket form.
• Observe onboarding calls and note where confusion appears.
• Map behaviors to funnel stages stored in your CRM.

Observation reveals friction users don’t always articulate in surveys.

4. Diary Studies for Ongoing Customer Insight

Diary studies ask participants to log experiences over days or weeks. In a Hubspot-style approach, these logs can be connected to contact timelines.

Steps to run a diary study:

1. Define the period you want to observe, such as the first 30 days of using your product.
2. Ask participants to record moments of delight, frustration, and confusion.
3. Send prompts via email or in-app messages to maintain engagement.

Diary entries reveal how experiences unfold over time, not just at a single touchpoint.

5. Open-Ended Surveys with Hubspot Workflows

Short surveys with open-ended questions are a scalable way to collect qualitative data.

Examples of useful prompts include:

• “What almost stopped you from signing up?”
• “Describe a recent experience with our support team.”
• “If you could change one thing about our product, what would it be and why?”

Pair these responses with automated workflows so important feedback triggers follow-up actions, like outreach from a success manager.

How to Run a Hubspot-Style Qualitative Research Project

To apply these methods effectively, you need a structured process. Below is a step-by-step framework compatible with any CRM-driven service team.

1. Define Your Customer Research Objective

Start with a clear question, such as:

• Why are customers abandoning onboarding?
• What distinguishes our most successful users?
• How do customers perceive the quality of our support?

Align this objective with your support, product, or revenue goals so findings lead directly to action.

2. Choose the Right Qualitative Methods

Select one or two methods based on your question, time, and resources.

For example:

• Use interviews and open-ended surveys to understand churn reasons.
• Use usability tests and observation to improve knowledge base navigation.
• Use diary studies to explore long-term onboarding experience.

Combining methods helps you cross-check insights and reduce bias.

3. Recruit Participants from Your CRM

Leverage your contact database to recruit the right mix of customers.

Consider:

• Lifecycle stage and tenure.
• Product usage and feature adoption.
• Support interaction history, such as frequent tickets or high satisfaction scores.

Offer incentives like gift cards or service credits to increase participation.

4. Collect and Organize Qualitative Data

As you conduct interviews, focus groups, and tests, store your findings in a consistent format.

Useful practices include:

• Tagging notes with themes like “onboarding,” “support speed,” or “pricing.”
• Saving transcripts or call recordings where your team can easily access them.
• Highlighting quotes that vividly express customer emotions or needs.

This structure makes the next step—analysis—much easier.

5. Analyze Themes and Patterns

Qualitative analysis means turning messy, rich data into clear insights.

To do this:

1. Read through all notes and highlight recurring ideas.
2. Group similar points into themes and subthemes.
3. Note where different segments disagree or converge.

A small sample can uncover high-impact issues, such as confusing onboarding emails or unclear pricing explanations.

6. Translate Insights into Action

Insights matter only when they change your customer experience.

Turn findings into initiatives like:

• Rewriting key onboarding emails using words customers use.
• Creating new knowledge base articles for common confusion points.
• Adjusting support workflows to reduce handoffs or repeat explanations.

Share a concise summary with stakeholders, including problem statements, evidence, and recommended actions.

Hubspot-Inspired Best Practices for Reliable Results

To keep your qualitative research credible and actionable, follow these guidelines:

• Avoid leading questions: Ask neutral prompts such as “Tell me about…” rather than “Don’t you like…?”
• Record context: Capture device, channel, and stage of the journey.
• Include diverse perspectives: Talk to both happy and unhappy customers.
• Pair with quantitative data: Use analytics and dashboards to validate scale and frequency.

Where to Go Next with Hubspot-Style Research

Qualitative research is not a one-off project; it is an ongoing habit. Teams that continually listen to customers create better experiences, prioritize confidently, and differentiate their brand.

For deeper strategy support, you can explore consulting partners such as Consultevo, which specialize in data-driven optimization and customer experience programs.

By combining qualitative insights with your CRM, support tools, and analytics, you can build a research engine modeled on the principles highlighted in the official Hubspot qualitative research resources and keep your organization aligned with real customer needs.

Need Help With Hubspot?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.

Scale Hubspot

“`