5 Strategic Steps to a Better Salesforce Reporting
Every company relies on meaningful metrics and information. They are the key to success.
Information from data analysis can be used to draw conclusions on a company’s profitability, identify opportunities or forecasts future growth. Right reports and dashboards are able to show you how good your company has achieved in the past and how the current situation looks like.
Through high-quality reports, you can determine the company’s potentials, reduce operation costs, and increase sales. Therefore, it is very worthy to spend a little time and consideration in how to invest in the reporting applications.
To make the best use to reporting, you should proceed strategically. Here are five steps that will help you:
- Determine the relevant issues
- Gather the right data
- Create reports
- Create Dashboards
- Use data to achieve the desired results
Determine the relevant issues
Define which issues are relevant to the achievement of business objectives. What does the management need to know in order to achieve these objectives more effectively? What are the key metrics which behaviours should be encouraged?
Gather the right data
You should plan ahead; you are able to detect and display the correct data only when you plan your method carefully.
You can start by narrowing down the captured data; for example, only select a limited number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or metrics. To enhance the usability of your reports, the reporting application should be focused on very specific business objectives.
Create reports
Salesforce offers different types of reports. These vary from simple to complex.
- Predefined Reports – These are standard reports for all standard objects.
- Tabular Reports – The easiest and quickest method for outputting data in a simple list format.
- Summary reports – Enter data with subtotals and other results data; they are particularly well suited to indicate information on the average monetary value, closed opportunities by salesperson, or the number of customer transactions by status and support staff.
- Matrix Reports – The Matrix reports display data summaries based on horizontal and vertical criteria.
Create dashboards
If you have performed the above steps, you can proceed to create dashboards. Different formats can be used in the dashboards; for example:
- Horizontal bar/vertical column charts – These are especially suited for geographic data, information about phase or status or other data that are of a single group assigned.
- Pie and donut charts – With them data can be displayed, representing the interests of a whole – for example, the number of leads as a function of the lead source.
- Funnel Chart – Allows you to create parent selection lists as opportunity phase, customer operation phase or lead status.
Use data to achieve the desired results
Communication is the key to success. The created dashboard information should be up-to-date and relevant. This is the only way to ensure that the reports can be used, and encourage management to perform their forecasts calls directly from your dashboards.
Metrics and dashboards should be seen not only at the management level, but should also at the salesforce level to help them improve customer services and work more effectively.
Normally, a company accumulates over time of vast amounts of relevant data. The challenge is that each desired and required information from the ground to filter out.
