Suggested application: For a planned absence, build a handover around the service commitments a colleague must cover. Use an assigned task for each action and a separate record snapshot for reference. Keep the scope narrow: unfinished appointment confirmations, outstanding client decisions, or promised updates, rather than every record the departing colleague normally handles.
Define the coverage scope and check access
Neither basic task creation nor record exporting is restricted to a particular HubSpot plan, but the person exporting needs Export permissions. Recurring tasks have a separate seat requirement: only users allocated a Core, Sales, or Service seat can create them, work with them, or receive them as assignments. The workflow below uses non-recurring tasks. [1] [2]
Suggested application: Agree on the covering colleague, the commitments they will handle, and the records needed for reference before entering anything. Ask someone with Export permissions to prepare the snapshot if necessary. Treat that file as optional supporting material, not a substitute for assigning the work.
Create a task for each distinct commitment
Open CRM > Tasks through More, or directly when More is not displayed. Choose Create task at the upper right to open the entry panel. Complete Title, Type, and Priority; use Associate with records to connect the relevant records and Assigned to to choose the covering user. Review Due date, including its time, then select Reminder and add Notes. Save with Create; Create and add another also opens another task for entry. [1]
Suggested application: Write titles as observable actions rather than broad responsibilities. In the notes, state what has already been agreed, what remains undecided, and what the colleague should do if the client cannot respond. Choose the deadline around the client commitment and the colleague’s agreed availability, rather than accepting a default without review.
Connect context without duplicating work
Contacts, companies, and deals are among the records that can be linked to tasks. Leaving that link blank does not prevent saving: the assignee can still find the task in their list and receive notifications. However, someone checking a record timeline will not see the unlinked task there. Also review Type after writing the title: the words call and email trigger the matching type automatically. [1]
Suggested application: In a hypothetical cleaning business, Maya is covering Sam’s absence. Create “Call client to confirm property access,” assign it to Maya, and associate the relevant contact. Suggested notes might explain that the service visit is agreed but entry arrangements remain unresolved. Avoid another task called “Handle client” unless it represents genuinely separate work.
Prepare the contact snapshot separately
Open CRM > Contacts through More, or directly if More is absent. In table view, select the required view tab; use Add view to select it if needed. Choose Export above the table on the right. Configure File format, Export name, and Language of column headers in the dialog. The initial export selection follows the view’s properties and associations; Customize provides controls for changing what is included. [2]
This export captures record properties as they currently stand, along with associations—not a contact’s call-and-note history, for which HubSpot documents separate export routes. The default association output includes associated names and a maximum of 1,000 record IDs in each association column. Selecting a header language does not translate the stored property values. [2]
Suggested application: Choose an existing view that matches the coverage scope and review the information selected before sharing. Give the snapshot a descriptive handover name. Keep action instructions in task notes rather than expecting the colleague to infer responsibilities from contact details.
Run a final handover check
Suggested application: Use this short checklist before leaving: confirm the colleague has accepted coverage; check every task’s action, association, deadline, reminder, and notes; compare the snapshot’s scope with the agreed commitments; and discuss unresolved decisions. Watch for common mistakes: vague titles, duplicate assignments, unnecessary exported information, and instructions that assume the absent colleague remains available. Ask the covering colleague to explain the next action in their own words.
Sources
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked documentation, checked on 2026-10-02. Examples are suggested workflows, not claims of hands-on product testing.