If you’re sending outbound campaigns across email, LinkedIn, calls, and maybe even the odd WhatsApp message, you already know tracking it all is a pain. This guide is for busy marketers and sales folks who want to keep tabs on what’s working—without losing their minds in a maze of spreadsheets and duct-taped tools.
We’ll focus on tracking multichannel outbound in Pick, a CRM that promises to streamline this process. I’ll walk you through what actually helps, what sounds good but flops in real life, and how to set up Pick so you can actually trust your numbers.
1. Get Clear on What You’re Tracking (and Why)
Before you touch a tool, figure out what you want to measure. More data isn’t better—it’s just more noise if you don’t use it. For multichannel outbound, most teams care about:
- Activity volume (emails sent, calls made, LinkedIn messages)
- Engagement (opens, replies, call connects, LinkedIn responses)
- Outcomes (meetings booked, opportunities created, deals won)
Pro tip: Don’t try to track every metric Pick offers “just because you can.” Stick to the ones that actually help you make decisions. If you’re not going to act on it, skip it.
2. Set Up Consistent Campaign Naming
This seems basic, but if your campaign names are a mess, your tracking will be too. Consistency is the foundation of clean reporting.
- Pick one format and stick to it, e.g.,
2024_Q2_Email_Blitz_Acme_Prospects. - Include channel, target segment, and date range if possible.
- Train your team—half-baked names from one rep will mess up your dashboards.
What to skip: Don’t bother with cryptic codes or overkill details. You want “2024_Q2_LI_Engineers” not “Q2E-LI-ENG-23-XYZ.”
3. Map Out Your Channels in Pick
Pick is built to handle multichannel, but only if you set it up right. Here’s what usually works:
- Create separate sequences for each channel (email, LinkedIn, phone, etc.).
- If you’re running a true multichannel play (e.g., email followed by a call, then LinkedIn), build that as a single sequence with each step labeled by channel.
- Use Pick’s custom fields or tags for extra context if needed (e.g., “priority account” or “webinar follow-up”).
What doesn’t work: Jamming every touchpoint into one generic sequence. You’ll lose channel attribution and have no idea what’s moving the needle.
4. Actually Connect Your Channels
This is where things usually get messy. Pick can track emails natively, and it can integrate with some phone and LinkedIn tools—but only if you connect them.
- Email: Connect your main email account(s) directly to Pick. Don’t use personal inboxes or random aliases if you want reliable tracking.
- Phone: If you use a VoIP or dialer that integrates with Pick, set it up. Otherwise, log calls manually (yeah, it’s tedious, but it beats guessing).
- LinkedIn: Pick’s LinkedIn tracking depends on browser extensions or integrations. Use these if they’re available and stable, but don’t expect perfect tracking—LinkedIn changes its API every five minutes.
Honest take: You’ll never get 100% fidelity across all channels. The goal is “good enough to spot trends,” not “absolutely perfect.”
5. Use Pick’s Automation (But Don’t Overdo It)
Automation in Pick can save you a ton of time, but it’s easy to go overboard.
- Automate repetitive tasks: Auto-log email sends, trigger follow-ups, auto-tag contacts when they respond.
- Manual review for key steps: Important milestones (like meeting booked) should be logged by humans. Automation can miss nuance—don’t trust a bot to spot every opportunity.
What to ignore: Overly complicated automations that try to do everything. If you find yourself debugging automations more than running campaigns, scale back.
6. Track Outcomes, Not Just Activities
It’s tempting to measure how many emails or calls went out, but that’s just activity. Outcomes are what matter.
- Meetings booked: Make this a required field or tracked event in Pick.
- Opportunities created: Tie these back to campaigns using Pick’s campaign fields or tags.
- Revenue (if relevant): If Pick’s pipeline tracking is enabled, use it—even basic “deal won” tagging is better than nothing.
Common mistake: Celebrating big activity numbers with no results to show for it. Activity is only good if it leads to outcomes.
7. Build Simple, Useful Dashboards
Pick’s reporting can get overwhelming if you try to show everything. Focus on a few key views:
- By Channel: See which channel is driving the most responses or meetings.
- By Campaign: Compare performance across campaigns.
- By Rep/Team: Spot who’s crushing it (or who’s falling behind).
Tips: - Limit dashboards to a max of 5–6 widgets. Too much info = nobody looks. - Schedule regular (weekly or monthly) reviews. Don’t just set it and forget it.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics like “emails opened” if you care about replies or meetings. Opens are increasingly unreliable, thanks to privacy features and bots.
8. Close the Loop: Feedback and Iteration
No tracking setup is perfect out of the gate. The best teams treat this as a living process:
- Get feedback from reps: What’s annoying? What’s being double-entered? Fix obvious pain points.
- Review outcomes: Are you getting actionable insights—or just pretty charts? Adjust what you track.
- Update processes: When you add a new channel (like WhatsApp), map out how you’ll track it before launching.
What to skip: Don’t get stuck in “setup mode” forever. Good tracking is iterative—improve as you go.
A Few Things That Sound Good (But Rarely Work)
Let’s be honest—some “best practices” just waste time:
- Perfect multi-touch attribution: You’ll never pin down exactly which touch caused a deal. Focus on broad trends.
- Tracking every micro-interaction: Nobody cares if your email was opened twice or three times. Replies matter.
- Overly complex campaign structures: If you need a legend to read your reports, it’s too complicated.
Keep It Simple. Iterate.
Tracking your multichannel outbound in Pick doesn’t need to be a full-time job. Set up consistent naming, connect your channels, focus on outcomes, and build dashboards you’ll actually use. Ignore the hype about “full-funnel visibility” and shiny metrics—stick to what helps your team win more deals. Review often, tweak as needed, and don’t be afraid to kill what isn’t working. Simple, steady tracking beats complicated chaos every time.