What the extension is
The extension installs Octopods cards into HubSpot’s CRM. Once installed:
A card titled “Octopods - Proactive Messaging” appears on the contact record’s main tab.
The same proactive messaging UI is available as a preview card so your team can use it from preview surfaces in HubSpot.
From the card, agents can pick a channel and send a proactive message to the contact they’re viewing, see whether the message was delivered, and look back through the proactive messages already sent to that contact.
Before you begin
To use the extension you need:
A HubSpot workspace already connected to your Octopods account.
At least one channel that supports proactive messaging connected inside the HubSpot workspace — Twilio SMS or WhatsApp Cloud API.
A HubSpot user with access to the contact records and inboxes you’ll be working from.
If you haven’t connected your HubSpot portal yet, see Connecting a HubSpot Portal.
Step 1: Install the Octopods cards
Install the Octopods app in your HubSpot portal and confirm the cards are enabled on contact records. Once installed, “Octopods - Proactive Messaging” appears as a card on the contact view.
Step 2: Pick a channel
Open a contact in HubSpot and locate the Octopods card. The card guides you through a short multi-step flow:
Choose the channel to send from. The card lists your connected channels that support proactive messaging — typically Twilio SMS and WhatsApp Cloud API. Each option shows the channel and the sending number behind it.
If the contact is missing the destination the channel needs (for example, a phone number for SMS or WhatsApp), the card surfaces that and prompts you to add it before you can continue.
Step 3: Compose the message
What you fill in next depends on the channel:
Twilio SMS. Type the message you want to send. The card validates the contact’s phone number before letting you send.
WhatsApp Cloud. Pick a pre-approved WhatsApp template from the list of templates available on the channel, fill in any variables the template uses, and (if the template includes media) attach the required image, video, document, or other media.
Step 4: Send and watch the status
Send the message from the card. The card reports back:
Loading while the message is being processed.
Success when the message is delivered, with a tile that links you to the HubSpot conversation Octopods created so you can follow up from the inbox.
Failure if something went wrong, with a short reason, the time it failed, and the portal ID so you have what you need to investigate or contact support.
If you want to continue the conversation, open the HubSpot conversation that was created — the card links straight to it.
Step 5: Look back through previous messages
The card includes a history view that lists the proactive messages already sent to the contact you’re viewing. Use it to:
Confirm whether a customer was previously contacted and what was sent.
Avoid sending duplicate messages from different teammates.
Open a previous conversation to follow up on it.
Looking up sent messages by phone number
For workflows where you need to find a message by phone number rather than by HubSpot contact, the extension also supports looking up proactive messages sent to a given phone number directly. Enter the recipient’s phone number in international format (for example, +14155551234) and the card returns the matching messages and their delivery status.
This is useful when:
The customer reached out via a different channel and you want to confirm what they were sent before.
You need to verify whether a specific number has been messaged at all.
Channels supported in the cards
The extension is designed for proactive outbound messaging, so it surfaces channels that support that pattern:
Twilio SMS — send a free-form text message.
WhatsApp Cloud API — send a pre-approved template, with variables and media as needed.
Channels that aren’t typically used for outbound messaging won’t appear in the channel picker.
Common things that go wrong
No channels appear in the picker. No channels in your HubSpot workspace currently support proactive messaging, or none are connected. Open the Channels section in Octopods to add or check your channels.
The card says the contact has no phone number. SMS and WhatsApp need a destination to send to. Add the phone number to the HubSpot contact and reload the card.
A WhatsApp template fails to send. Confirm the template is approved and that you’ve filled in every required variable. Templates that aren’t approved can’t be sent, regardless of channel state.
The customer is outside the WhatsApp messaging window. WhatsApp restricts free-form messages outside the messaging window. Use a pre-approved template instead.
Failure reason mentions an issue with the channel. Open the channel inside Octopods and confirm its status. If the channel is connected and you’re still getting errors, capture the failure reason and the timestamp from the card and contact Octopods support.
What’s next
See the Proactive Messaging section for proactive sending from Octopods directly
See the Templates section for managing the WhatsApp templates available in the cards