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Article 8: How to Install and Use the HubSpot Email Plugin for Outlook or Gmail

Purpose:  This article explains how ChainIT Pay Account Executives should connect their email to HubSpot using the HubSpot Sales email tools for Outlook, Office 365, Gmail, or Chrome. The goal is to make sure sales emails, replies, follow-ups, and prospect communication are properly connected to HubSpot whenever appropriate.

This helps AEs:

  • Log sales emails to the right Contact or Company
  • Track prospect engagement when appropriate
  • Use HubSpot sales tools from their email inbox
  • Keep communication visible to the team
  • Reduce manual CRM updates
  • Improve follow-up discipline
  • Protect pipeline visibility
1. Why Connecting Your Email Matters

Email is one of the main ways AEs communicate with prospects, customers, referral partners, and internal stakeholders.

If sales emails are not connected to HubSpot, important communication may only live in your inbox.

That creates problems because leadership and team members may not be able to see:

  • Who was contacted
  • When outreach happened
  • Whether the prospect replied
  • What questions were asked
  • Whether pricing was discussed
  • Whether a Deal should be created
  • Whether a next step is needed

The HubSpot email plugin helps connect email activity back to HubSpot records.

2. What the HubSpot Email Plugin Helps You Do

Depending on your email system and permissions, the HubSpot email plugin may allow you to:

  • Log emails to HubSpot
  • Track email opens or engagement when available
  • Use HubSpot email templates
  • Insert meeting links
  • Access contact details from your inbox
  • Associate emails with Contacts, Companies, Deals, or other records
  • Reduce manual activity logging
  • Keep prospect history visible in HubSpot

The purpose is not just convenience.

The purpose is better sales visibility.

3. Who Should Install It?

Every ChainIT Pay AE who sends sales emails should install or connect the correct HubSpot email tool.

This includes AEs who use:

  • Outlook
  • Office 365
  • Gmail
  • Chrome with Gmail
  • Another approved email client connected to HubSpot

If you are unsure which tool applies to you, ask Sales Ops or support before installing multiple tools.

4. Outlook / Office 365 Setup

If you use Outlook with Microsoft 365, you should use the HubSpot Sales Office 365 add-in.

Steps
  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Go to the Microsoft add-ins area.
  3. Search for HubSpot Sales.
  4. Select the HubSpot Sales add-in.
  5. Install the add-in.
  6. Log in using your HubSpot credentials.
  7. Open a new email.
  8. Confirm the HubSpot panel or sidebar appears.
  9. Pin the HubSpot panel if available.
  10. Send or log a test email to confirm the integration is working.
What to Confirm

After installation, confirm:

  • You are logged into the correct HubSpot account.
  • The HubSpot panel appears when composing emails.
  • You can choose whether to log an email.
  • You can choose whether to track an email, if available.
  • The email can associate with the correct Contact.
  • The logged email appears on the HubSpot record.
5. Gmail / Chrome Setup

If you use Gmail, you may use the HubSpot Sales Chrome extension.

Steps
  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Go to the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Search for HubSpot Sales.
  4. Install the HubSpot Sales Chrome extension.
  5. Log in using your HubSpot credentials.
  6. Open Gmail.
  7. Start a new email.
  8. Confirm HubSpot tools appear in the email window.
  9. Send or log a test email to confirm the integration is working.
What to Confirm

After installation, confirm:

  • You are logged into HubSpot.
  • HubSpot tools appear in Gmail.
  • You can log the email to HubSpot.
  • You can track the email, if available and appropriate.
  • The email connects to the correct Contact.
  • The email appears on the correct HubSpot record.
6. What Does “Log Email” Mean?

Logging an email means the email is saved to the relevant HubSpot record timeline.

For example, if you email a prospect and log the email, the communication may appear on that Contact’s record.

Depending on associations, it may also appear on related Company or Deal records.

Logging helps the team see communication history.

7. What Does “Track Email” Mean?

Tracking an email may allow HubSpot to show engagement activity, such as whether an email was opened or clicked, depending on permissions, settings, and limitations.

Tracking should be used responsibly.

Tracking is helpful for understanding engagement, but it should not replace real qualification.

An email open does not automatically mean the prospect is interested.

A reply, call, meeting, pricing request, or direct question is stronger engagement.

8. Which Emails Should Be Logged?

Log emails that are relevant to sales, prospecting, qualification, pipeline, support, onboarding, or customer communication.

Examples:

  • First outreach emails
  • Follow-up emails
  • Prospect replies
  • Pricing conversations
  • Demo scheduling
  • Referral introductions
  • Objection responses
  • Onboarding-related emails
  • Customer issue communication
  • Decision-maker communication
  • Emails tied to an active Lead or Deal

If the email helps explain the sales relationship, it should usually be logged.

9. Which Emails Should Not Be Logged?

Do not log emails that do not belong in the CRM.

Examples:

  • Personal emails
  • Internal unrelated conversations
  • Sensitive information that should not be stored on a CRM record
  • Emails not related to the prospect, customer, partner, Lead, or Deal
  • Private HR, legal, or confidential communications
  • Emails that could create confusion if added to a customer record

Use judgment.

When unsure, ask Sales Ops.

10. Before Sending a Sales Email

Before sending an email to a prospect, check:

  1. Am I emailing the correct person?
  2. Is this Contact already in HubSpot?
  3. Is the Contact associated with the correct Company?
  4. Should this email be logged?
  5. Should this email be tracked?
  6. Is the email associated with the right Deal, if applicable?
  7. Is the message clear and professional?
  8. Is there a next step or call to action?

Do not rely on the email plugin to fix bad process.

11. After Receiving a Prospect Reply

When a prospect replies:

  1. Confirm the reply is logged in HubSpot.
  2. Open the Contact record.
  3. Review the associated Company.
  4. Add a note if the reply needs context.
  5. Update Lead status if applicable.
  6. Create a follow-up task.
  7. Create or update a Deal if the opportunity is real.
  8. Escalate questions if the prospect asks something you cannot answer.

Do not let replies sit in your inbox without updating HubSpot.

12. How to Use Logged Emails for Qualification

Logged emails help AEs qualify prospects.

Review email history to understand:

  • Has the prospect replied?
  • What questions did they ask?
  • Did they mention pricing?
  • Did they mention current provider?
  • Did they mention payment problems?
  • Did they ask for a meeting?
  • Did they request next steps?
  • Did they raise objections?

A logged email should help you decide what to do next.

13. How to Use Logged Emails for Deal Management

For active Deals, logged emails help show Deal movement.

Emails tied to Deals may include:

  • Pricing requests
  • Proposal follow-ups
  • Demo scheduling
  • Decision-maker questions
  • Contracting questions
  • Onboarding steps
  • Customer concerns
  • Competitive objections
  • Close timing

If an email affects an active Deal, make sure the Deal record has the right context and next step.

14. Email Plugin and Contact Associations

When logging emails, make sure the email is connected to the right Contact.

If the Contact does not exist, HubSpot may prompt you to create one or associate the email.

Before creating a new Contact, search first.

Do not create duplicates.

If the Contact exists under a different email or Company, confirm before creating a new record.

15. Email Plugin and Company Associations

Emails may appear on associated Company records depending on how the Contact and Company are connected.

This is why Contact-to-Company association matters.

If a Contact is not associated with a Company, the Company record may not show the full communication history.

AEs should confirm associations when working important prospects.

16. Email Plugin and Deal Associations

If an email relates to an active Deal, confirm that the communication is visible or associated where needed.

For important Deal-related emails, such as pricing, proposal, onboarding, or decision-maker communication, the Deal record should clearly show what happened.

If the email does not automatically appear on the Deal, add a note summarizing the email and next step.

17. Common Email Plugin Issues

AEs may run into issues such as:

  • HubSpot panel not appearing
  • Logged emails not showing in HubSpot
  • Email tracking not working
  • Contact not found
  • Email associated with the wrong record
  • Add-in not loading
  • User not logged into HubSpot
  • Outlook or Gmail requiring refresh
  • Browser extension disabled
  • Permission issue

If an issue persists, submit a support request.

18. Basic Troubleshooting

Before escalating, check:

  1. Are you logged into HubSpot?
  2. Are you in the correct HubSpot account?
  3. Is the plugin installed?
  4. Is the plugin enabled?
  5. Is Outlook, Gmail, or Chrome updated?
  6. Is the Contact already in HubSpot?
  7. Are filters hiding the activity?
  8. Are you looking at the correct record?
  9. Did you choose to log the email before sending?

If you still cannot resolve it, use the support process.

19. What to Include in a Support Request

If the email plugin is not working, include:

  • Your name
  • Email client used: Outlook, Office 365, Gmail, or Chrome
  • Description of issue
  • Screenshot
  • Example Contact or email address
  • What you expected to happen
  • What happened instead
  • Whether this affects active Leads or Deals
  • Urgency level

Support portal:

https://support.chainit.com/

20. Sales Email Documentation Standard

The email plugin helps log activity, but AEs are still responsible for making the record clear.

If an email is important, add a note when needed.

Example:

“Prospect replied asking for pricing and online payment options. Current provider is Square. Follow-up task created to gather volume and average ticket.”

Do not assume the email alone gives enough context.

21. Email Activity and Follow-Up Tasks

A logged email should often lead to a follow-up task.

Create tasks when:

  • Prospect does not reply
  • Prospect asks for information
  • Prospect requests pricing
  • Prospect asks for a meeting
  • Prospect raises an objection
  • Prospect says follow up later
  • Prospect needs internal review
  • Prospect has a support issue

AEs should not rely on memory to manage follow-up.

22. Email Activity and Lead Status

Email engagement should inform Lead status.

Examples:

  • No reply after first outreach: Attempting
  • Prospect replies: Connected
  • Prospect discusses needs: Working or Qualified
  • Prospect asks for pricing: Qualified or ready for Deal review
  • Prospect says not interested: Disqualified or nurture, depending on reason

Use the Lead status that best reflects the current reality.

23. Email Activity and Deal Creation

A prospect email may justify Deal creation if it shows real commercial opportunity.

Examples:

  • “Can you send pricing?”
  • “We are looking to switch processors.”
  • “Can you help us accept online payments?”
  • “We need recurring billing.”
  • “Can we schedule a demo?”
  • “What does onboarding look like?”

Do not create a Deal from an email open alone.

24. Best Practices for Sales Emails

Use these standards:

  • Keep emails clear and professional.
  • Use the prospect’s name and business context.
  • Avoid generic language when research is available.
  • Include one clear next step.
  • Log important emails.
  • Track when appropriate.
  • Create follow-up tasks.
  • Update HubSpot after meaningful replies.
  • Do not overpromise pricing, approval, onboarding, or technical capabilities.
25. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

  • Sending sales emails without logging them
  • Assuming email opens equal interest
  • Forgetting to create follow-up tasks
  • Logging unrelated emails
  • Creating duplicate Contacts from emails
  • Not checking Company association
  • Letting replies sit only in your inbox
  • Using the plugin but not updating Lead or Deal status
  • Sending pricing without discovery
  • Guessing on questions that need internal review
26. Minimum Setup Checklist

Every AE should confirm:

Outlook or Gmail Setup
  • Plugin installed
  • Logged into HubSpot
  • Correct HubSpot account selected
  • Plugin appears in email client
  • Test email logged successfully
CRM Connection
  • Email logs to correct Contact
  • Contact is associated with correct Company
  • Important emails are visible in HubSpot
  • Follow-up tasks can be created
  • Sales activity is connected to the right record
Daily Use
  • Log sales emails
  • Review replies
  • Update Lead status
  • Add notes when context is needed
  • Create next-step tasks
  • Create Deals only when there is real opportunity
27. Final Standard

The HubSpot email plugin is not just a technical add-on.

It is part of ChainIT Pay’s sales operating system.

AEs should use it to keep prospect and customer communication connected to HubSpot, so the team has visibility into outreach, engagement, follow-up, and pipeline movement.

The ChainIT Pay email standard is:

  • Log meaningful sales emails.
  • Track responsibly when appropriate.
  • Keep records associated correctly.
  • Update Lead and Deal status after meaningful engagement.
  • Create tasks for next steps.
  • Do not let important sales communication live only in your inbox.

Clean email activity creates clean sales history.

Clean sales history creates better follow-up.

Better follow-up creates stronger pipeline discipline.