IN BRIEF
Design the information around a decision
A dashboard is useful when it helps someone decide what to do. Before adding more reports, identify the decisions leadership and managers need to make, the evidence required and the action each measure could prompt.
Begin with a precise question
Instead of asking for a view of sales performance, ask where qualified opportunities stop progressing or whether the team has enough coverage in a new market. Instead of requesting an eCommerce overview, ask which products attract interest but rarely reach a completed purchase.
Agree on definitions
Teams need the same understanding of terms such as qualified lead, active opportunity, customer and completed order. Record where the data comes from, who maintains it and which exclusions matter. A disagreement over definitions can look like a disagreement over business performance.
Separate an observation from an explanation
A lower conversion rate describes what happened. It does not, by itself, explain why. Examine the audience, offer, process and data quality before attributing a change to an individual, campaign or system. Speak with the people doing the work to test possible explanations.
Connect the finding to an action
State the decision, the reasoning and the person responsible. If evidence is incomplete, define a contained test or the additional information needed. Agree when the team will review the result and what would justify continuing, changing or stopping the approach.
Keep reporting usable
Too many measures can obscure the few that matter. Give owners and leaders a view that supports oversight, while managers retain the detail needed to run their functions. Review whether reports are being used and retire those that no longer inform a decision.
Accelyst's in-house Salesforce team can help align CRM processes and reporting with the decisions your business needs to make.