The Client
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Mead Lumber started in Nebraska in 1910, and continues to grow, with more than 50 lumber and hardware store locations in nine upper Midwest states. They serve both contractors and individual customers, providing them with everything from home construction materials to design consultation services. Thanks to their size and structure, Mead Lumber can provide services that give them an edge over smaller, independent stores while still competing with other large chains. Each of Mead Lumber’s locations has access to home construction services, materials, and even event organizing and marketing support provided by the corporate headquarters.
The marketing team had been using HubSpot for several years, managing marketing and customer interactions at the corporate level. But as the company continued to grow, Mead Lumber saw an opportunity to improve how individual stores managed customer relationships. They wanted to give each location more control over their customer interactions, using HubSpot tools to make follow-ups and lead management easier and more efficient at the store level.
The Problem
When Mead Lumber rolled out a redesigned website, things started to break down. The website had multiple workflows connected to form submissions for individual stores, but suddenly none of these workflows were working. And even worse, they didn’t even know if things had been set up properly in the first place. Form submissions were no longer being recorded, so there was no way for stores to track and follow up with their potential customers.
To add to the challenge, Mead Lumber wanted to increase HubSpot adoption at the store level. Right now, only the corporate team was using HubSpot, and there wasn’t any system in place to make sure individual locations were following up with leads or managing their contacts properly. Corporate had no way of knowing whether leads were being handled at the store level, which led to lost opportunities and inconsistent customer engagement.
Mead Lumber needed to fix their broken workflows and implement a system that would help local stores take ownership of their customer relationships, improving follow-up processes and increasing lead-to-close rates across the board.
The Solution
ClearPivot stepped in to help Mead Lumber get everything back on track. After talking with the team, the first thing they did was create a process map. This laid out what the customer journey should look like moving forward, from the first point of contact through to conversion. The process map that ClearPivot created gave Mead Lumber a clear picture of what they wanted their customer interactions to look like in the future so everyone could be part of the vision.
Next, ClearPivot did a thorough audit of Mead Lumber’s existing HubSpot setup. They dug into the contacts, forms, marketing emails, and workflows to figure out what was and wasn’t working. It turned out that the workflows had been set up inefficiently, with separate workflows for each product, which made the system overly complicated. Since the workflows weren’t tied directly to HubSpot forms, they stopped working entirely after the website redesign.
To fix this, ClearPivot streamlined everything by creating four main forms, each designed to handle a specific category of inquiries:
- A form for home construction services
- A general contact form
- A form for product-specific requests
- Location-specific forms for store-level inquiries
Form submissions were then routed to the right location based on the customer’s zip code. Each store was assigned a list of zip codes, so when a customer submitted a form, it would automatically direct their information to the nearest store. ClearPivot also implemented standardized naming conventions and organized all of Mead Lumber’s HubSpot assets into groups and folders, making the system easier to manage.
The Results
After ClearPivot restructured the workflows and forms, Mead Lumber saw a complete turnaround in how they managed customer interactions. Form submissions were now routed correctly to the right store, meaning leads were no longer falling through the cracks. Each location could engage with potential customers directly and follow up quickly, ensuring a smoother and more personalized experience for customers.
The new system also helped Mead Lumber cut down on spam contacts entering their workflows. Now, only genuine inquiries were making it into the system, and any updates to lead routing workflows became simple—just adding a zip code to the right list was all it took.
To ensure the whole team was on the same page, ClearPivot provided detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) so everyone knew how to maintain and manage their HubSpot portal going forward. The corporate team also received HubSpot training, which allowed them to handle the new processes themselves and train staff at individual stores. This has helped increase HubSpot adoption across the more than 50 locations, empowering store teams to manage their customer relationships more effectively and take ownership of their local leads.
In addition, ClearPivot created custom reports for Mead Lumber, giving them valuable insights into form submissions by location and source. This newfound visibility has made it easier for Mead Lumber to track how well their marketing efforts are working and make more informed decisions moving forward.
For companies like Mead Lumber, where multiple locations and teams need to manage customer interactions consistently and efficiently, having a clean and consistent HubSpot setup is non-negotiable. Mead Lumber was able to improve their internal processes and improve their customers’ experiences by simplifying and centralizing their workflows. These solutions are a game-changer for businesses with a multi-location team model, especially where corporate oversight is essential but local responsiveness is key. By making sure that the right tools are in place and all locations have the training they need, businesses can deliver top-notch customer service, improve lead follow-ups, and drive growth at both the local and corporate levels.
