If you lead a sales team and need real answers—not just another dashboard—this guide is for you. Whether you’re new to Attention or stuck wrangling its reporting features, I’ll walk you through building custom reports that actually help you run your team. No fluff, no vendor hype, just what works (and what doesn’t).
Why Custom Reports Matter (and When They Don’t)
Let’s be honest: not every metric needs a custom chart. But if you’re tired of generic dashboards that don’t answer your questions, building your own reports in Attention can help you:
- Spot bottlenecks before deals get stuck
- Track what’s actually moving the needle
- Share the right info with your team—without the noise
But don’t get carried away. If you’re building reports just because you can, you’re creating busywork. The best custom reports are the ones that replace tedious meetings, drive decisions, or save you from spreadsheet hell.
Step 1: Decide What You Actually Need
Before you even open Attention, get clear about what you want to track. Here’s how to avoid building a report graveyard:
Ask yourself: - What question do I need answered? - Who needs this info, and how often? - Will this report change how we work, or is it just “nice to have”?
Pro tip:
Start small. Pick one or two questions that would actually change your weekly meeting or 1:1s. For example:
- “Which reps have the most stalled deals?”
- “Are we winning more with a certain product line?”
If you’re not sure, talk to your team. You’ll get better buy-in and avoid building something no one reads.
Step 2: Find the Right Data in Attention
Attention can pull in a lot: calls, emails, pipeline stages, deal size, and more. But more data isn’t always better—focus on what you’ll actually use.
To get started: - Go to the Reports or Analytics section (naming might change, but it’s usually obvious). - Look for “Create new report” or “Custom report.” Don’t settle for just tweaking built-in dashboards—they’re fine, but usually too generic. - Browse available data fields. If you can’t find what you need, check your integration settings. Sometimes you have to enable sources like Salesforce, HubSpot, or calendar data before you can report on them.
Watch out for: - Data lag: Sometimes Attention syncs every few hours, not in real time. Don’t panic if today’s deals aren’t showing up. - Field confusion: “Owner,” “Rep,” “Assigned”—pick the right fields, or you’ll end up with skewed numbers.
Step 3: Build Your First Custom Report
Here’s how to actually create a report that’s useful—not just pretty.
1. Select Your Metrics
Pick only what matters. For most sales teams, that’s: - Number of deals by stage - Win/loss rate - Average deal size - Activity volume (calls, emails, meetings)
Skip the vanity metrics. If it won’t change your next action, leave it out.
2. Filter Ruthlessly
Customize filters so you’re not buried in irrelevant data. For example: - Timeframe: Last 30 days, this quarter, etc. - Team or rep: For coaching or territory reviews - Deal type or product line: To spot trends
3. Choose the Right Visualization
Don’t overthink this: - Bar charts for ranking reps or products - Line graphs for trends over time - Pie charts sparingly (they look nice, but tell you less than you think)
4. Name and Save
Give your report a name that actually means something—“Q2 Stalled Deals by Rep” beats “Custom Report 4.” Add a brief description if Attention allows. It’ll save you (and others) a headache later.
Pro tip:
Most people forget to save their filters or views. Double-check that you’re saving the actual report you want, not just a temporary filter.
Step 4: Share Reports Without the Headaches
The whole point of reporting is to get the right info to the right people. Attention gives you a few ways to do this—some better than others.
1. In-App Sharing
- You can usually share reports directly with other Attention users.
- Pick who can view or edit. Don’t give edit rights unless you want chaos.
- Use groups or teams to avoid sharing one-by-one.
2. Scheduled Email Reports
- Attention lets you schedule reports to hit inboxes on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly).
- This is great for execs or reps who never log in.
- But…scheduled emails can become background noise. Check that people are actually reading them.
3. Public or Link Sharing
- Some versions of Attention support sharing a public link.
- Handy if you need to share with someone outside your org or embed in another tool.
- Don’t use this for sensitive data—links can get forwarded.
4. Exporting Data
- If all else fails, you can export to CSV or Excel.
- Good for deeper analysis or if you want to mash up data with other sources.
- But beware: exports get stale fast. Don’t build a process around manual exports unless you have to.
Step 5: Review, Iterate, and Kill Useless Reports
Here’s where most teams mess up: they set and forget. Custom reports aren’t magic—they need maintenance.
- Check usage: If nobody’s opening it, kill it.
- Update filters: Has your team changed, or have new products gone live? Old filters mean bad data.
- Ask for feedback: A 2-minute gut check in your team meeting can save you hours later.
Pro tip:
Once a quarter, prune your reports. Less is more. If everything is “critical,” nothing is.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
What Actually Helps
- Single-purpose reports: One report for one job. “Weekly pipeline review” is better than “All metrics dashboard.”
- Clear ownership: Someone owns the report. They update it and take feedback.
- Actionable data: If you can’t make a decision or take an action from the report, it’s just noise.
What to Ignore
- Chasing perfection: Don’t spend hours tweaking colors or layouts.
- Every possible metric: You’ll end up with analysis paralysis.
- Reports for reports’ sake: If you can’t explain why a report exists, delete it.
Watch Outs
- Data accuracy: Garbage in, garbage out. Make sure your integrations are set up right.
- Permission confusion: Don’t accidentally share confidential info.
- Automated reports turning into spam: If people tune them out, they won’t drive action.
Keep It Simple, Move Fast
Custom reports in Attention aren’t about showing off—they’re about getting answers so you can lead better. Start with one or two reports that matter, share them with the right people, and don’t be afraid to kill what isn’t working.
You’ll get more value from a few dead-simple, high-impact reports than a dozen charts nobody reads. Iterate as you go. The best sales leaders don’t waste time fiddling—they build what works and move on.