If you manage field sales reps, you know the drill: too many check-ins, not enough actual info, and a spreadsheet graveyard nobody looks at. If your team’s always “in the field” but you’re never sure what’s actually happening, you’re not alone. This is for sales managers, team leads, and reps who want to track field sales activity in a way that’s actually useful—not just for the sake of tracking.
Let’s cut to it: the Spotio mobile app isn’t magic, but it can help you see where your team’s spending time, what’s working, and what’s being missed. Here’s how to set it up so it actually makes your life easier.
1. Get Your House in Order: Set Up Spotio Right
Before anyone hits the road, take an hour to get the basics sorted. Don’t skip this—half-baked setup always leads to frustration later.
Steps: - Define your territories. Think about how you want to split things (by zip code, rep, neighborhood, etc.). Keep it simple at first. Overcomplicated maps waste time. - Import your data. Pull in existing leads and customers. Spotio can work with spreadsheets, CRMs, or even a fresh start. If your data is messy, clean it up before importing. Junk in, junk out. - Assign reps to territories. Make sure every rep knows where they’re supposed to work. No “I thought that was my street” excuses. - Set up activity types. Decide what counts as a logged activity—door knocks, meetings, follow-ups, etc. Spotio lets you customize these, but don’t go wild. Too many options kills compliance.
Pro tip:
Start with just a few activity types. You can always add more as the team gets used to logging in the app.
2. Train Your Team—But Skip the Overkill
You don’t need a half-day workshop or a 40-slide deck. Most reps just want to know what’s expected, how to log their visits, and what not to do.
What works: - Short, live demo. Show the basics: logging a visit, marking a lead, adding a note. Ten minutes is plenty. - Clear “Why.” Explain that tracking isn’t busywork—it’s how you figure out what’s working and who needs help. - Cheat sheet. One page, screenshots, no fluff. How to log a new contact, what to do if the app crashes, who to ask for help.
What doesn’t: - Endless documentation nobody reads. - “Gamification” unless your team is into it. Some folks love leaderboards; others just want to sell.
Pro tip:
If you’re the manager, actually use the app yourself for a day. You’ll spot the annoying bits and fix them before they frustrate your team.
3. Logging Activity: What to Track (and What to Ignore)
The temptation is to track everything. Resist it. Only log what you’ll actually use to improve the team’s results.
Log these: - Visit attempts (knocks, calls, meetings). - Lead updates (new info, status changes). - Notes on conversations. - Follow-up dates.
Ignore or limit: - Mileage (unless you need it for payroll). - Every tiny interaction (“Left a flyer,” “Waved at dog,” etc.). - Non-sales activities (lunch, bathroom breaks).
How to make it stick: - Logging should take less than a minute. If reps are typing essays, you’ve set it up wrong. - Use dropdowns and quick buttons, not free text fields for everything.
Pro tip:
Spotio lets you add photos. Use this for proof of visit if that’s ever an issue, but don’t demand it every time—it slows things down.
4. Use Check-Ins—But Don’t Turn into Big Brother
Spotio’s check-in feature shows when and where reps visit leads. It’s useful, but only if you use it wisely.
How to use check-ins: - Ask reps to check in at the start and end of each visit. - Use check-in location data to spot patterns (good and bad). - Don’t obsess over every GPS blip. Focus on outliers—people spending all day in one place, or skipping assigned areas.
What to avoid: - Micromanaging. If you use check-ins to constantly chase reps, morale will tank. - Ignoring privacy. Tell your team what’s tracked and why. Transparency builds trust.
5. Make the Most of Spotio’s Map View
The map isn’t just for show. It’s the quickest way to see what your team’s actually covering (or missing).
How to use it: - Review the map daily or weekly to see which areas are untouched. - Color-code leads by status: hot, working, cold, etc. - Use filters to spot patterns—like high activity but low results in certain areas. That’s where coaching can help.
What’s overrated: - Pinning every possible data point. Keep it simple: who’s visited, what happened, what’s next.
Pro tip:
Export map data as needed for team meetings. Don’t overanalyze—just look for gaps and outliers.
6. Set Up Smart Notifications (Not a Firehose)
Notifications can nudge your team, but too many and they’ll tune out.
What’s worth setting up: - Reminders for follow-ups and overdue visits. - Alerts for leads marked as “hot.” - Daily or weekly summary emails for managers.
Skip or limit: - Instant pings for every single activity. Nobody wants their phone blowing up all day.
How to adjust:
Start with the basics. Ask your team what’s actually useful after the first week, and tweak from there.
7. Reports: Focus on Useful Metrics
Don’t drown in dashboards. Pick a few numbers that matter.
Watch these: - Visits per day/week. - Conversion rate (visits to deals). - Follow-up completion. - Coverage by territory.
Don’t bother with: - Vanity stats (“number of notes logged”). - Anything nobody acts on.
Pro tip:
Review reports with your team, not just by yourself. If a metric doesn’t drive action or discussion, drop it.
8. Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
- Overcomplicating activity types. Simple = more reps will log activity.
- Micromanaging every move. Use Spotio for visibility, not surveillance.
- Assuming the tech will “fix” broken sales processes. It won’t—bad strategy with good tracking is still bad strategy.
- Letting data rot. If nobody checks the logs or acts on them, reps will stop bothering.
How to avoid: - Keep setup basic at first. - Iterate based on feedback. - Actually use the data to coach and improve, not just as a scorecard.
9. Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Stay Human
Spotio’s mobile app is a solid tool for tracking field sales activity—as long as you don’t let it become the main event. Focus on a handful of useful activities, keep the setup clean, and don’t expect miracles. The real win is making it easier to see where your team is winning (or stuck) so you can help them do more of what works.
Start simple, watch what your team actually does, and tweak as you go. No app replaces real coaching and common sense, but with the right setup, Spotio can help you spend less time wondering and more time selling.