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HubSpot Calling: Setup, Recording, and Integration Guide
Phone calls remain one of the highest-converting activities in B2B sales. Despite the rise of email sequences, LinkedIn outreach, and chat widgets, a well-timed phone call can compress a deal cycle by days or even weeks. HubSpot's built-in calling tool puts that capability directly inside your CRM, eliminating context-switching and giving reps a single pane of glass for every prospect interaction.
But getting HubSpot calling configured correctly, with the right phone numbers, compliant recording settings, and reliable third-party integrations, takes more planning than most teams expect. This guide walks through the full setup process, covers recording and compliance considerations, and shows you how to turn raw call data into automated workflows that actually move pipeline.
If you are evaluating how calling fits into a broader RevOps stack, our roundup of the best AI tools for RevOps teams in 2026 provides useful context on where phone intelligence sits alongside other automation layers.
HubSpot Calling Features at a Glance
HubSpot offers a native calling tool embedded within the CRM. Depending on your subscription tier, you get access to different levels of functionality. Here is what each tier includes:
| Feature | Free / Starter | Professional | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Click-to-call from CRM records | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly calling minutes | 500 min/account | 3,000 min/account | 12,000 min/account |
| Call recording | No | Yes | Yes |
| Conversation intelligence (CI) | No | No | Yes |
| Custom call outcomes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Call transcription | No | No | Yes |
| Third-party calling integrations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The native dialer works through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), meaning reps place calls directly from their browser. No desk phone required. Calls are automatically logged to the associated contact, company, and deal records, which keeps your CRM hygiene tight without relying on reps to remember manual logging.
A common misconception is that calling minutes are allocated per seat. They are shared across your entire HubSpot account. For teams making high volumes of outbound calls, this can become a bottleneck on Starter plans. Monitor usage in Settings > Calling > Usage to avoid mid-month cutoffs.
Setup and Phone Number Configuration
Getting the calling tool live involves two steps: enabling calling for your portal, and provisioning phone numbers for individual users. Here is the process.
Enable calling in your portal
Navigate to Settings > Calling. Toggle the calling tool on. If you are a Super Admin, you can also control which users have permission to make calls from this screen. It is worth restricting access initially to ensure your phone number strategy is in place before reps start dialing.
Register a HubSpot-provided phone number
HubSpot can provision a phone number for each user. Go to Settings > Calling > Phone Numbers and click "Get a HubSpot number." You will select a country and area code. These numbers support outbound and inbound calls, though inbound routing is limited compared to dedicated phone systems.
Alternatively, register your own outbound number
If your reps already have direct lines or you want calls to display a specific caller ID, you can register an existing number. HubSpot will send a verification code via call or SMS. Once verified, outbound calls from HubSpot will show that number as the caller ID, but inbound calls will not route through HubSpot.
Configure user-level defaults
Each rep can set their preferred outbound number under their personal calling settings. They can also toggle whether calls default to recording (if your plan supports it). Encourage reps to test a call to their own mobile device before going live.
Answer rates drop significantly when prospects see an unfamiliar area code. If your team sells into specific regions, provision numbers with local area codes for those territories. Some third-party integrations, covered below, offer dynamic local presence that automatically matches the prospect's area code.
For teams that care about speed-to-lead targets, having calling configured and ready before you launch any inbound campaigns is essential. A lead that hits your CRM should be callable within seconds, not after a rep figures out their phone setup.
Call Recording and Compliance
Call recording is available on Professional plans and above, and it is one of the most valuable features for coaching, deal review, and dispute resolution. However, it comes with real legal obligations that you need to take seriously.
Enabling Recording
In Settings > Calling, toggle on "Allow call recording." You can set this to record by default or require reps to manually start recording on each call. For most sales teams, defaulting to record and training reps on when to pause is the more practical approach.
Consent and Compliance
Recording laws vary by jurisdiction. The two models you need to understand:
| Consent Model | Requirement | Example Jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| One-party consent | Only one person on the call (your rep) needs to know it is being recorded | New York, Texas, most of the UK |
| Two-party / all-party consent | Everyone on the call must be informed and agree to recording | California, Illinois, Florida, parts of the EU |
The safest practice is to always inform the other party that the call is being recorded. HubSpot allows you to configure a recording disclosure message that plays automatically at the start of each recorded call. Enable this under Settings > Calling > Recording. It eliminates ambiguity and, frankly, most prospects do not give it a second thought.
Recorded calls are stored on the contact's timeline and can be played back, shared, or downloaded. On Enterprise plans, the conversation intelligence engine will transcribe recordings and surface keywords, competitor mentions, and talk-to-listen ratios, giving managers a coaching tool that does not require them to sit in on every call.
Third-Party Calling Integrations
HubSpot's native calling works well for teams with moderate call volumes, but it has limitations: no power dialer, no dynamic local presence, no advanced IVR, and minute caps that high-volume teams will bump against. This is where third-party integrations come in.
HubSpot's calling SDK allows external providers to embed directly into the CRM interface. Reps place and receive calls without leaving HubSpot, and call data syncs automatically. Here are the most common integrations and what they bring to the table.
Aircall
Aircall is a cloud-based phone system popular with SMB and mid-market sales teams. Its HubSpot integration is one of the tightest in the ecosystem. Calls placed through Aircall appear on HubSpot timelines with full metadata: duration, recording link, outcome, and notes. Aircall also supports power dialing, call queues, and warm transfers, which are features absent from HubSpot's native tool. Pricing starts around $40/user/month.
RingCentral
RingCentral targets larger organizations that need a unified communications platform covering calls, video, and messaging. The HubSpot integration logs calls and SMS messages, and supports click-to-dial from CRM records. RingCentral's analytics suite is more robust than what HubSpot provides natively, making it a strong fit for teams that want deep reporting on call performance across departments.
Other Notable Integrations
Dialpad, JustCall, Orum, and Kixie all offer HubSpot integrations with varying strengths. Orum, for example, focuses heavily on parallel dialing, letting reps call multiple numbers simultaneously and connecting them only when a live person answers. If your team is making 80+ dials per day, a dedicated dialer is almost always worth the investment.
For a broader view of how these tools fit into your outreach stack, see our analysis of tracking the signals that matter from outreach and reply tools.
Syncing call data to HubSpot is step one. The real leverage comes from building workflows on top of that data. A logged call with a "Connected" outcome should trigger a different follow-up sequence than a "No Answer." We cover this in the automation section below.
Call Outcomes and Logging
Every call placed through HubSpot (or synced from a third-party tool) can be tagged with an outcome. Out of the box, HubSpot provides these default outcomes:
- Connected - You reached the intended person
- Busy - Line was busy
- No Answer - The call rang but was not picked up
- Left Voicemail - You left a message
- Wrong Number - The number on file is incorrect
On Professional and Enterprise plans, you can create custom call outcomes to match your sales process. For instance, many teams add outcomes like "Gatekeeper - Transferred," "Callback Scheduled," or "Not Interested - Timing." The more specific your outcomes, the more useful your reporting becomes.
Best Practices for Call Logging
Reps should log notes immediately after each call while the conversation is fresh. HubSpot's call logging window prompts for notes, outcome, and association (linking the call to specific deals or tickets). Here is what a well-logged call includes:
- Outcome selection (mandatory, enforce this with your team)
- 2-3 sentence summary of the conversation
- Next steps with a date
- Association to the relevant deal record
Clean call logging feeds directly into lead scoring and prioritization. A contact who has been called three times with "No Answer" should be treated differently than one who connected and expressed interest. Without reliable logging, your scoring models are operating on incomplete data.
Using Call Data for Automation and Intelligence
This is where most teams leave value on the table. Call data sitting passively on contact timelines is useful for context, but call data feeding automated workflows is transformative. Here is how to put it to work.
Workflow Triggers Based on Call Outcomes
In HubSpot workflows, you can use call outcomes as enrollment triggers or branching logic. Some high-impact examples:
| Trigger | Automated Action | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome = "Left Voicemail" | Enroll in a 3-email follow-up sequence | Multi-channel follow-up increases callback rates by 30-50% |
| Outcome = "Connected" + no deal created | Create a task for the rep to log a deal | Ensures pipeline visibility from first meaningful conversation |
| Outcome = "No Answer" x3 in 7 days | Rotate to email-only sequence | Avoids burning the number by over-calling |
| Outcome = "Wrong Number" | Flag for data enrichment review | Keeps your database clean without manual audits |
This kind of event-driven logic is at the heart of modern sales automation. For a deeper dive on building sequences that respond to real-time signals, see our guide on event-driven sequences with AI.
Conversation Intelligence for Coaching
On Enterprise plans, HubSpot's conversation intelligence (CI) automatically transcribes calls and applies keyword tracking. You can configure tracked terms like competitor names, pricing objections, or specific product features. CI surfaces:
- Talk-to-listen ratio - Top performers typically listen more than they talk. CI gives managers a quantitative view of this across the team.
- Longest monologue - A proxy for whether reps are pitching or having conversations.
- Keyword mentions - Track how often competitors come up, or how frequently reps mention specific proof points. Our article on proof points that convert applies equally to phone conversations.
Teams using platforms like Octave alongside HubSpot can layer additional intelligence on top of call data, combining phone engagement signals with email and CRM activity to build a complete picture of buyer intent.
Feeding Call Data Into Lead Scoring
Call engagement is one of the strongest intent signals available. A prospect who answers the phone, asks questions, and stays on for five minutes is demonstrably more engaged than one who only opens emails. Build this into your scoring model:
- Connected call: +15 points
- Call duration > 3 minutes: +10 points
- Callback request: +20 points
- No answer x3: -5 points (decay for unreachability)
For a full framework on building scoring models that incorporate multi-channel signals, see our guide on lead scoring and qualification tools in 2026.
Optimizing Your Calling Workflow
Having the tool configured is one thing. Getting consistent results from it requires operational discipline and ongoing refinement.
Call Blocks and Time Management
Reps who scatter calls throughout the day typically make fewer of them. Structured call blocks of 60-90 minutes, during which reps do nothing but dial, consistently outperform unstructured approaches. Tuesday through Thursday between 10-11:30 AM and 2-3:30 PM in the prospect's timezone tend to yield the highest connect rates, though your data may tell a different story.
Voicemail Strategy
If your team is leaving voicemails (and they should be, selectively), keep them under 30 seconds and include exactly one reason to call back. HubSpot's voicemail drop feature, available through some third-party integrations, lets reps pre-record a message and drop it in one click, saving 30-45 seconds per attempt.
Combining Calls With Other Channels
Calling works best as part of a multi-channel sequence, not in isolation. A typical high-performing pattern might look like: email on Day 1, call on Day 2, LinkedIn touch on Day 3, second call on Day 5. The email gives the prospect context before the call, and the LinkedIn touch adds social proof. Tools like Octave can help orchestrate these multi-channel sequences so reps are always working the highest-priority contacts at the right time with the right channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use HubSpot calling on the free plan?
Yes. Free and Starter plans include the calling tool with up to 500 minutes per account per month. However, call recording is not available below the Professional tier.
Does HubSpot calling work on mobile?
Yes. The HubSpot mobile app supports calling, and calls placed from the app are logged to the CRM just like desktop calls. Recording is also supported on mobile if your plan includes it.
What happens when I hit the minute limit?
Once your account reaches its monthly minute allocation, users will not be able to place calls through HubSpot's native dialer until the next billing cycle. Third-party integrations are not affected by HubSpot's minute limits since they use their own telephony infrastructure.
Can I port an existing phone number to HubSpot?
HubSpot does not support full number porting. You can register an existing number for outbound caller ID purposes, but inbound calls to that number will not route through HubSpot. If you need full inbound and outbound on a single number, a third-party integration like Aircall or RingCentral is the better path.
How long are call recordings stored?
HubSpot stores call recordings indefinitely as long as your account remains active and on a plan that supports recording. Recordings are accessible from the contact timeline and the Calls index page.
Can I use call data in HubSpot reports?
Yes. You can build custom reports on call activity, including metrics like calls per rep, average duration, outcome distribution, and calls-to-meetings conversion. These reports are available on Professional and Enterprise plans.
Do third-party calling integrations count against HubSpot's minute limits?
No. Calls placed through third-party providers like Aircall, RingCentral, or Dialpad use those providers' own telephony and minute allocations. Only calls placed through HubSpot's native dialer count against your HubSpot minutes.
Key Takeaways
HubSpot calling is a capable tool that gets significantly more powerful when you move beyond basic setup and start using call data as an operational asset. Here is what matters most:
- Get the basics right first. Provision local numbers, enable recording with proper consent disclosures, and train reps on outcome logging before you worry about advanced automation.
- Choose native vs. third-party based on volume. If your team makes fewer than 30 calls per rep per day, HubSpot's native dialer is probably sufficient. Above that, invest in a dedicated dialer.
- Automate off call outcomes. Every logged call should trigger a next step, whether that is a follow-up email, a task, or a lead score adjustment. Manual follow-up does not scale.
- Use conversation intelligence for coaching, not surveillance. The best sales teams use CI data to identify patterns and replicate what top performers do differently, not to micromanage.
- Integrate calling into your broader GTM motion. Calls are one signal among many. Combine them with email engagement, website visits, and CRM activity for a complete picture of buyer readiness.
If your team is ready to unify calling data with the rest of your sales intelligence, Octave can help you connect the dots across every channel your reps use, turning fragmented activity data into clear next-best-action recommendations.