A crm fit for the job. And dogs too!
When the data is complex, a CRM that can handle it makes all the difference.

Client

Youth Up Front

Read time

3 min

TL;DR

HubSpot replaced a heavily customised CRM with a clean, connected system that Youth Up Front can manage in-house. Bringing students, schools, programs and even therapy dogs into one clear picture. Now with smarter forms, reporting and light-touch automation.
8hrs

less admin/week

6

pathways automated

38

dogs added to CRM!

Challenge

Ready for a system that works with them.

Youth Up Front supports young people at pivotal moments. Through schools and community programs, they help students build confidence, capability and choice.

Their work is structured, data-rich and always evolving. The CRM they were using wasn’t keeping up.

When complexity gets in the way.

Their CRM was heavily customised. It held the data, but even small changes were complex and often needed technical support. Over time, it became harder to adapt and no longer fit how the team worked.

They needed something simpler, something they could run themselves.

HubSpot offered that shift. Strong out-of-the-box functionality, minimal configuration, and the flexibility to grow alongside their programs.

The team was brought in early – trained and onboarded from the start. They were uploading data and building workflows before go-live.

More than simply a new platform, HubSpot gave them a system they could use with confidence.

Solution

Restructuring the system, not just the platform.

This wasn’t about rebuilding everything from scratch. The goal was to move to a system that could reflect how Youth Up Front operates, without unnecessary complexity.

Their work involves layered relationships. Students, parents, schools, programs and emergency contacts, often the same person across multiple roles.

At its core, this was about pairing. They need to pair people to programs, so they can connect young people with the right support. The new system needed to handle that clearly. So we restructured how the data was organised.

We mapped how people, programs and organisations connect, then configured HubSpot to support those relationships properly. The importance was creating a scalable data model, so that one person had multiple, connected relationships.

Using HubSpot’s out-of-the-box functionality, we set up the system with minimal complexity. Data was migrated, forms integrated, and reporting dashboards put in place, all designed so the team could manage it themselves.

When the data is complex, a CRM that can handle it makes all the difference.

HubSpot Feature List

HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM provides a single, connected source of truth. The Youth Up Front team can now see the full picture (people, programs and schools) and act faster, without the old system’s friction and dependency on technical support.

Data Imports
An initial review and clean-up prevented the “messy CRM” problem from repeating by aligning data before importing. The import tool helped us bring data across with ease, avoiding duplications and instead using the unique HubSpot ID to capture different roles and relationships.

Default Objects Repurposed
For a largely out-of-the-box CRM setup, Default Objects were repurposed in order to to suit client requirements. Providing a view of all programs currently running and still to come, while tracking companies, tickets and deals instead of having them scattered threads and spreadsheets.

Contacts
Contacts were set us to manage layered and complex relationships. Including “family” views for parents with multiple children and even the service dogs.

Custom Properties
Created student-specific fields in Custom Properties to preserve all important data being migrated from another CRM. These properties and fields allowed for easy day-to-day management and accessible/immediate reporting, while continuing to support ongoing data capture.

Custom Views
Custom Views turned HubSpot into a practical working tool. The team could jump straight to the right cohort / contact type / pipeline slice and take action, instead of wading through a one-size-fits-all CRM screen.⁠ Views specific to user seniority and role also protected sensitive student data.

Object Associations
Object Associations turned HubSpot into a connected system where staff can see the full context (student + family + school + program + dog), which is a big part of why the team can now “see the full picture” and move faster post-migration.

Dashboards
Reporting Dashboards for engagement, outcomes, and impact made reporting real time and self-serve – no waiting on extracts or workarounds. A reliable “what’s happening” view that supported consistent team access rather than visibility locked to one person.

Message Templates
“Canned” responses in message templates saved time and worked as a way to create a standard of communications from YUF to students, schools and families.

"Working with Outta Spatial felt like having an extension of our team. They took the time to understand our business, our processes and even the little quirks that make us who we are. The result is a CRM that gives us complete visibility across leads, jobs and customers in one place. Tasks that once relied on spreadsheets and manual follow-ups are now automated, saving time and helping us stay on top of every opportunity."

Outcomes

A system the team can run.

At a glance;

  • Reduced admin by 8+ hours per week
  • Centralised customer and job information
  • Improved sales pipeline visibility
  • Better follow-up and lead management

 

The system now works with the team, not against them.

From creating fields and forms to accessing data and reporting in real time, what once required technical intervention is now managed internally.

More importantly, everything now connects the way it should. Students, schools, programs and contacts are no longer scattered across records. They’re visible, linked and easy to work with.

Programs link to schools, schools to students, and even therapy dogs are part of the picture!

The team can now see the full picture, act with confidence and move faster because of it.

What started as a migration became something far more useful.

A system that brings the right information together, at the right time, for the people who need it.

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