Why HubSpot’s new service object is the best way to manage customer onboarding

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If you’re running customer onboarding in HubSpot, you’ve probably used a deal pipeline, a ticket pipeline, or even a custom object to do it.

These all work and we’ve seen hundreds of teams succeed with each approach.

But HubSpot just introduced a new option that’s purpose-built for service delivery: the Service object.

It gives onboarding teams a clean, dedicated space to manage onboarding pipelines, track progress, and build automation - without overlapping with sales or support workflows.

In this post, we’ll walk through:

→ What the Service object is and how it works
→ Why it’s a great fit for onboarding
→ How Arrows now integrates with the Service object

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A standard object, purpose-built for delivery

The Service object is now part of HubSpot’s standard object library, and it's available to every HubSpot customer, regardless of pricing tier or hub.

Like other standard objects (contacts, companies, deals, tickets), it features out-of-the-box support for basic HubSpot functionality like pipelines, custom reports, associations, workflows, etc.

But unlike those others, it’s specifically designed to represent the actual service being delivered after a deal closes. That makes it a natural fit for client onboarding.

There’s no need for custom configuration or Enterprise-tier access. You can turn it on in minutes and start building your onboarding process from a clean slate.

Why it’s a great home for customer onboarding

The biggest advantage of using the Service object is that it gives your onboarding process its own space - completely separate from sales or support workflows.

You can:

→ Build pipelines tailored to each onboarding process or service type
→ Avoid cluttering deal or ticket pipelines with onboarding activity
→ Report on onboarding outcomes based on the actual service sold
→ Customize properties like onboarding start date, success criteria, or service category

And if you’re only using the object for onboarding, HubSpot now supports renaming it (currently in beta) so you can call the object "Onboarding" in your HubSpot portal and keep everything crystal clear.

Arrows + Service object = even better onboarding

You can now connect Arrows onboarding plans directly to Service records in HubSpot!

That means:

→ You can launch an onboarding plan from a Service record
→ Plan progress syncs back to the record automatically→ Arrows app cards for Onboarding Plans, File Submissions, and Form Submissions can be added to the record view
→ Workflows tied to the Service object can automatically create and assign onboarding plans

If you’re already using Arrows with deals or tickets, the experience is nearly identical; just cleaner because it's contained in it's own separate object.

🔔 Note: HubSpot’s API doesn’t yet support timeline events on the Service object. So while plan progress syncs as expected, task completions won’t show in the activity timeline (yet). We’ll support this as soon as HubSpot allows it.

So... should you use HubSpot's new Service object for onboarding?

Yes, you should definitely try it out! Especially if you’re setting up onboarding processes from scratch or looking to simplify your existing setup.

The Service object gives you the flexibility and structure to manage onboarding more clearly, with purpose-built records and pipelines that keep everything organized.

Several of our partners and customers are already moving their onboarding pipelines to the Service object and loving it!