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Building Actionable Reports and Dashboards in Zoho CRM

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In terms of customer relationship management software, Zoho CRM has unrivalled reporting and dashboard features. The saying goes something like, “Whatever gets measured, gets done.” While opinions may vary on the absolute truth of this statement, one fact remains clear: measuring performance is crucial for any business striving for success.

Performance Evaluation and Its Significance

At some point, every company establishes a set of objectives and a set of targets to reach those objectives. Consequently, it becomes imperative to measure performance against these targets. Zoho CRM facilitates this process by enabling users to incorporate a majority of fields across various modules into reports, serving as both measures and filters. Additionally, Zoho includes numerous numerical and statistical functions akin to those found in Excel. With these tools, users can create actionable, insightful, intuitive, and visually appealing dashboards quickly and efficiently.

Overview of Dashboard Creation

In this article, we will explore the different types of dashboards available in Zoho CRM and how to create impactful reports. Readers will find guided practical examples and insights into the best reports and dashboards utilized by successful businesses globally. The key topics covered include:

By the end of this article, you will have learned how to craft a basic report, the importance of automating report distribution, and how to create a visual dashboard that aligns with industry best practices.

Creating a Report

With Zoho CRM, making a report is a breeze. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Access Reports: From the Home page, navigate to Reports and select “Create Report.”
  2. Select Module: Choose the primary module for your report. For this example, we will select “Leads” and click “Continue.”
  3. Add Related Modules: You will see an option to add related child or parent modules. For simplicity, we will continue without adding any related modules.
    • Tip: For reporting on “Deals,” consider including “Contacts” and “Accounts” as child modules to enhance the report’s detail.
  4. Select Columns: Choose the columns you wish to include in your report. For instance, select “Created Time” and click “Done.”
  5. Group By Fields: Select the fields you want to summarize by (e.g., “Lead Source” and “Country”) and click “Done.”
  6. Preview Your Report: A preview will appear, showcasing how your report looks.
    • Tip: Experiment with fields in Columns, Row Groups, Column Groups, or Aggregate Columns to find the right arrangement.
  7. Apply Filters: Click on the “Filters” tab, select the fields to filter your report, and specify criteria such as date ranges.
  8. Save Your Report: Click “Save,” give your report a name and description, and choose the folder for storage.

Editing and Exporting Reports

Once saved, your report will display the selected columns, groupings, and filters. You will have options to:

Scheduling Reports for Automatic Distribution

Improving productivity and guaranteeing consistent monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) are both achieved through automating report distribution. Here’s how to schedule a report:

  1. Clone the Report: With the report open, click on the dropdown next to “Edit” and select “Clone.”
  2. Modify Filters: Adjust the filters to focus on “Leads Created Last Month.”
  3. Schedule the Report: After saving the modified report, navigate to the “Scheduled Reports” folder and click “New Report Schedule.” Fill in the details and click “Schedule.”

Creating Dashboards

Dashboards in a CRM system provide a summarized view of reports, offering real-time insights into user activities and business performance. There are two primary methods for creating dashboards: from existing reports and using the Quick Chart tool.

Creating a Dashboard from an Existing Report

To create a dashboard from a report, follow these steps:

  1. Access Dashboards: Go to the Dashboards or Analytics module on the main menu.
  2. To begin creating a new dashboard, click the plus sign.
  3. Add Chart Component: Select “From Existing” to incorporate data from a previously created report.
  4. Define Parameters: Input a name, select the report, and choose the chart type (e.g., column or pie chart).

Dashboard Development with Quick Chart

The Quick Chart tool enables users to build dashboards quickly without needing to create reports first. Various components can be utilized, including:

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Example Dashboards to Accelerate CRM Success

Zoho provides a gallery of dashboards that users can select and customize. This resource serves to inspire users and streamline the development of effective dashboards. Access the gallery by clicking “Add Component” and then “Pick From Gallery.”

Dashboards are categorized into five types:

  1. Org Overview: Summarizes key metrics for management meetings.
  2. Lead Analytics: Measures lead performance and conversion rates.
  3. Deal Insights: Provides insights into revenue and salesperson performance.
  4. Activity Stats: Tracks task completion and user activities.
  5. Marketing Metrics: Evaluates campaign performance and revenue generation.

Conclusion

In this article, you have learned how to create a basic report, automate report distribution, and design engaging dashboards in Zoho CRM. The skills and knowledge gained will enable you to measure, learn, and evolve within your business, enhancing marketing, sales, and account management functions.

Regularly reviewing your dashboards and reports, especially during periods of growth or change, will help ensure that your CRM system continues to meet your evolving business needs.

© Image credits to Turgay Koca

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