Forbidden HubSpot Support Services: Your Options Explained

HubSpot needs different levels of support as your business evolves. Sometimes you need help resolving an issue or making a small change. At other times, you may need additional consultancy capacity, a defined implementation project or an ongoing partner to improve how HubSpot supports your business.

Forbidden offers several support and optimisation services designed around these different requirements.

This article explains the available options, how they work and when each may be appropriate.

Understanding your support options

Our services fall into five main areas:

Service	Best suited for
Protection Plan	Everyday HubSpot questions, troubleshooting and smaller changes
Timebank	Flexible consultancy capacity for agreed tasks and short-term priorities
Growth & Optimisation Retainer	Ongoing, planned improvements aligned with business objectives
Optimisation Project	Larger, clearly defined HubSpot improvements requiring structured delivery
Website & Integration Retainers	Ongoing specialist support for websites and integrations

These services are designed to complement one another. The right approach depends on the work required, its complexity, your internal resources and whether you need reactive assistance or proactive development.

1. HubSpot Protection Plans: everyday support and troubleshooting

A Protection Plan provides access to Forbidden's HubSpot specialists when you need help with everyday questions, troubleshooting or smaller configuration changes.

It acts as a reactive support service for your internal team, helping you resolve problems and make practical improvements without having to investigate everything yourself.

Our approach is simple:

Guide you. Show you. Do it for you.

Depending on the requirement, we may explain how to complete an activity, demonstrate the process or carry out an agreed change on your behalf.

What can a Protection Plan cover?

Typical requests include:

HubSpot questions and practical guidance.
Troubleshooting unexpected behaviour or configuration issues.
Changes to properties, workflows and forms.
Reporting and dashboard adjustments.
Smaller template and landing-page changes.
Short training or support sessions.

Protection Plan levels

Plan	Monthly allowance
Bronze	1 hour
Silver	2 hours
Gold	3 hours
Platinum	4 hours

Protection Plans are billed monthly, with the allowance determined by your chosen level.

Requests are submitted through the Forbidden Customer Portal and triaged within one business day. We then confirm the recommended next step and, where appropriate, the estimated time required.

Investigation, communication, meetings and delivery all count towards the monthly allowance. Unused time does not roll over.

What is not included?

Protection Plans are not intended for proactive portal management, strategic planning, large-scale migration, bespoke integration development or substantial optimisation programmes.

If a request exceeds the available allowance or requires a more structured approach, we will discuss an appropriate alternative.

Best for: Organisations with internal HubSpot ownership that want dependable access to expert assistance when questions or problems arise.

2. HubSpot Timebanks: flexible consultancy and delivery capacity

A Timebank provides a prepaid allocation of Forbidden consultancy time for agreed HubSpot activities.

It is useful when you have a collection of known tasks, a short-term backlog or a temporary requirement for additional expertise.

Unlike a recurring retainer, a Timebank does not establish an ongoing strategic improvement programme.

What can a Timebank be used for?

Depending on the agreed priorities, suitable work may include:

HubSpot configuration and smaller improvements.
Workflow and automation amendments.
Reporting and dashboard development.
Process reviews and recommendations.
Data-quality and migration guidance.
Troubleshooting and investigation.
Training and enablement.
Native integration assistance.

How does a Timebank work?

Timebanks are available in one-, two- and three-day packages.

One consultancy day represents up to 7.5 hours. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, time is deducted in minimum increments of half a day.

We work together to identify suitable priorities, agree the order of delivery and use the available consultancy time against those activities.

Timebanks are normally valid for three calendar months, and unused time expires at the end of the applicable period.

A Timebank provides professional-services capacity rather than guaranteeing that a particular task or outcome will be completed within the purchased allocation.

Best for: Organisations with clear, manageable HubSpot requirements that need additional delivery capacity without entering a recurring engagement.

3. Growth & Optimisation Retainer: continuous HubSpot improvement

The Growth & Optimisation Retainer is designed for organisations that want HubSpot to develop alongside their business.

Rather than focusing only on individual support requests, we work together to identify opportunities, establish priorities and deliver measurable improvements over time.

The service combines longer-term planning with structured delivery.

How does the retainer work?

18-month Growth Roadmap

We establish a longer-term direction for HubSpot, considering opportunities across sales, marketing, service, customer success, reporting, data, automation, AI and adoption.

The roadmap remains flexible as business priorities and platform capabilities evolve.

Three-month Success Plan

Every three months, we agree the outcomes and priorities that matter most.

The Success Plan identifies the work to be undertaken, how success will be measured, responsibilities and dependencies.

Focused Sprints

Focused Sprints deliver specific improvements, such as enhancing forecasting, improving automation, developing customer health reporting or testing an AI use case.

Super Admin

Planned Super Admin capacity supports smaller configuration improvements, governance, platform administration and data-quality activities.

Training and enablement

We help internal teams understand, adopt and maintain improvements, building greater confidence and capability.

Protection support

Every Growth & Optimisation Retainer includes a monthly reactive Protection allowance.

Retainer levels

Three delivery levels are available:

Momentum: Consistent, planned improvement.
Accelerate: Greater capacity to progress priorities more quickly.
Intensive: Increased strategic and delivery capacity for more demanding improvement programmes.

The appropriate level depends on your priorities, complexity, internal capacity and desired pace of progress.

The retainer follows a recurring three-month delivery model, with priorities reviewed and reset quarterly.

Best for: Organisations that want a structured, ongoing partnership to improve HubSpot performance, adoption and business outcomes.

4. HubSpot Optimisation Projects: defined improvements and implementation

An Optimisation Project is appropriate when a requirement is too substantial or interconnected to be managed through everyday support or a small allocation of consultancy time.

These projects have an agreed outcome, defined scope, delivery plan and formal completion process.

When might an Optimisation Project be appropriate?

Examples include:

Introducing another Hub into an existing HubSpot environment.
Redesigning sales or service processes.
Restructuring CRM data, properties and associations.
Improving platform architecture and governance.
Re-onboarding teams and implementing new ways of working.
Delivering connected automation and reporting improvements.

How are projects delivered?

An Optimisation Project typically follows six stages:

Kick-off: Confirm objectives, stakeholders and expectations.
Discovery and Blueprint: Review requirements and agree the proposed solution, scope and dependencies.
Implementation: Deliver the agreed workstreams.
User acceptance testing (UAT): Validate the solution and address agreed issues.
Demonstration and handover: Explain the completed configuration and support adoption.
Sign-off: Confirm acceptance and formally close the agreed work.

Projects are individually scoped and priced. A typical delivery period is approximately 6–12 weeks, depending on the agreed requirements.

Best for: Organisations undertaking significant HubSpot changes that need defined deliverables, structured implementation, testing and formal acceptance.

5. Website & Integration Retainers: specialist ongoing support

Some organisations require specialist support for their website or connected systems alongside their core HubSpot operations.

Forbidden offers separate Website & Integration Retainers for suitable ongoing requirements.

These services operate under their own agreed scope and service arrangements.

Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels are available, with the appropriate option determined by the specialist support required.

Best for: Organisations that need continuing specialist assistance with website or integration requirements rather than general HubSpot administration alone.

Supered: additional guidance for your team

Supered is included with Forbidden Protection Plans and retainers.

It provides in-context guidance to help users understand processes and complete activities while working within HubSpot.

This complements the direct support available from Forbidden by helping your team become more confident and self-sufficient.

Supered does not replace specialist consultancy or the agreed delivery capacity within your service.

How to choose the right Forbidden service

The most suitable option depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Your requirement	Recommended option
We occasionally need help with HubSpot questions or issues.	Protection Plan
We have several known tasks but no ongoing programme.	Timebank
We want to improve HubSpot continuously against business priorities.	Growth & Optimisation Retainer
We need to redesign or implement a significant part of HubSpot.	Optimisation Project
We need ongoing specialist website or integration assistance.	Website & Integration Retainer

You may also benefit from combining services.

For example, a Protection Plan can provide everyday assistance while a separately scoped project delivers a larger improvement.

The services you have purchased determine your available support, capacity and delivery arrangements.

What happens after a HubSpot onboarding or implementation project?

Following Guided Onboarding, Onboarding & Implementation or an Optimisation Project, Forbidden may prepare a Growth Plan.

This reviews what has been achieved, identifies opportunities and recommends priorities for future development.

The Growth Plan may include an 18-month roadmap covering foundation improvements, growth opportunities and longer-term platform development.

It also helps identify whether ongoing Protection, a Timebank, a retainer or another project would be appropriate.

A Growth Plan is a recommendation and planning resource. It does not automatically commit you to purchasing another service.

How to request support

The correct route depends on your existing engagement.

If you have a Protection Plan

Submit your request through the Forbidden Customer Portal, providing a clear description and relevant supporting information.

If you have a Timebank

Work with your Forbidden contact to agree priorities and schedule suitable activities against your available allocation.

If you have a retainer

Raise requirements through your agreed service arrangements. Planned improvements are prioritised through the relevant delivery plan, while reactive requests follow the applicable Protection process.

If you have an active project

Use the agreed project communication and delivery arrangements, including LaunchBay where applicable.

If you do not currently have a support service

Contact Forbidden to discuss your requirements and the most suitable way forward.

What can Forbidden help with?

Forbidden can help you identify the right level of support based on your current HubSpot environment, internal capability and business priorities.

We can:

Review the types of support requests your team regularly encounters.
Help you understand whether a Protection Plan or Timebank would be appropriate.
Assess opportunities for ongoing optimisation.
Identify when a requirement needs a separately scoped project.
Explain the available retainer levels and delivery arrangements.
Help you establish a practical roadmap for improving HubSpot.

Your organisation retains ownership of its HubSpot environment, business decisions, data and internal processes. Forbidden provides the agreed guidance, expertise and delivery capacity to support those responsibilities.

Further information

For more information about the available services, refer to the following Forbidden resources:

Some documents may require authorised SharePoint access. Your signed agreement and applicable service terms govern the specific scope, allowances and commercial arrangements for your engagement.

If you are unsure which service you have or which option is suitable, contact your Forbidden representative.