How to assign and manage sales team tasks within Sales Ape

If you’re juggling a sales team and you want less chaos and more closed deals, this guide’s for you. Sales task management gets messy—fast. If you’re tired of reminders slipping through the cracks, or you’ve got a CRM (or a spreadsheet) that everyone ignores, you’re in the right place. This is a hands-on walkthrough for using Sales Ape to keep you and your team on track—without a bunch of clunky steps or sugarcoating.

Let’s break it down: from assigning tasks that actually get done to keeping tabs on what matters. No fluff, no “transformative end-to-end solutions.” Just clear steps and real talk on what works—and what doesn’t.

1. Set Up Your Team in Sales Ape

You can’t assign tasks if your team isn’t in the system. Before you get fancy, make sure the basics are covered.

Steps: 1. Invite your team:
- Go to the “Team” section. - Click “Invite Members.” - Enter their work emails. - Assign them a role (usually “Sales Rep” or “Manager”).

  1. Check permissions:
  2. Confirm that everyone has the right access.
  3. Don’t overload reps with admin rights—they just need to see and work on their own stuff.

Pro Tip:
If someone isn’t using their account, chase it down now. There’s no point in assigning tasks to a ghost.

2. Understand How Tasks Work in Sales Ape

Before you start assigning, know what you’re working with. Sales Ape’s “Tasks” are pretty straightforward, but here’s what actually matters:

  • Task Types:
  • Call
  • Email
  • Meeting

  • Custom (for anything else, but don’t overthink it)

  • Due Dates:

  • Every task needs one—otherwise, it’ll get lost in the shuffle.

  • Priority:

  • You can mark things as “High,” “Medium,” or “Low”—but don’t go crazy with these. Too many “High Priorities” means nothing is.

  • Linked Records:

  • Tasks can (and should) be attached to contacts, leads, or deals. That way, you know exactly what the follow-up is about.

What to ignore:
- Don’t bother with the “Notes” field unless there’s something critical. Keep details concise.

3. Assigning Tasks That Actually Get Done

This is where most teams get tripped up. Assigning a task is easy. Assigning one someone will do—different story.

Steps: 1. Go to the right record:
- Find the lead, contact, or deal you want a task for. - Click “Add Task.”

  1. Fill out task details:
  2. Give it a clear title (“Follow up: Demo feedback” beats “Call”).
  3. Pick the type (call, email, meeting, custom).
  4. Set a due date that’s realistic—don’t just pick “today” for everything.

  5. Assign it to a specific team member.

  6. Add any details:

  7. If there’s a script, key info, or context, pop it in Description—but keep it short.

  8. Save—and check it appears in that person’s task list.

Pro Tip:
Batch assign tasks during pipeline reviews. Don’t micromanage every single outreach—just cover the big stuff, and let reps manage their own follow-up subtasks.

What works:
- Assign tasks during live pipeline meetings, so nothing gets “forgotten.” - Use clear, specific titles. Vague tasks die in limbo.

What doesn’t:
- Assigning “catch-all” tasks like “Work these leads.” Be specific, or it won’t happen.

4. Tracking Task Progress (Without Micromanaging)

You want visibility, not to become a task cop.

How to track: - Task List View:
- Use the Team Task List to see everything assigned, in one place. - Filter by owner, due date, priority, or status (Open, In Progress, Done, Overdue).

  • Dashboards:

  • Sales Ape’s dashboards show task completion rates, overdue tasks, and bottlenecks by rep.

  • Notifications:

  • Set up daily or weekly digest emails. Skip the real-time pings—no one likes those.

Pro Tip:
Check overdue tasks weekly. If someone’s always behind, talk to them privately—it’s usually a process issue, not laziness.

What works:
- Use the “Overdue Tasks” view as your triage list. - Encourage reps to mark tasks “Done” in real time.

What doesn’t:
- Hovering over people about every unchecked box. - Forcing everyone to comment on every task—wastes time.

5. Following Up and Closing the Loop

Assigning is step one. Making sure it’s actually done—and learning from misses—is where you level up.

Steps: 1. Review completed tasks:
- Glance through the week’s completed tasks for each rep. - Spot-check any that were left unaddressed, or that keep bouncing back as “overdue.”

  1. Run a weekly standup:
  2. Quick check-in: “Any blockers on open tasks?”

  3. Don’t turn this into a blame game. The goal is to fix process issues, not call people out.

  4. Use recurring tasks sparingly:

  5. Only for things that truly repeat (e.g., weekly check-ins).
  6. Otherwise, people just start ignoring them.

Pro Tip:
If you see a pattern of tasks not getting done, look upstream—is it too much busywork, not enough clarity, or just too many deals per person?

What works:
- Closing the loop in meetings—if a task got skipped, ask “Why?” and adjust the process. - Praising quick follow-ups, not just big wins.

What doesn’t:
- Relying on software reminders alone. Human check-ins matter.

6. Streamlining With Automations (But Don’t Overdo It)

Sales Ape lets you automate task creation, but this is a double-edged sword. Automation is helpful, until it buries your team in noise.

What you can automate: - New lead tasks:
- Auto-create a “Welcome Call” task when a new lead is added.

  • Deal stage changes:

  • Move a deal to “Proposal Sent”? Trigger a follow-up email task.

  • Missed due dates:

  • Auto-remind the owner if a task slips past due.

How to set up: 1. Go to “Automations.” 2. Pick a trigger (e.g., new lead, deal stage change). 3. Define the task details. 4. Assign it to a user or role.

What works:
- Automating the obvious, repetitive stuff. - Creating tasks you’d assign anyway.

What doesn’t:
- Creating a new task for every little thing. People will ignore the flood. - Relying on automation to replace real management—use it as a backup, not a crutch.

Pro Tip:
Check your automation logs monthly. If you see hundreds of ignored tasks, dial it back.

7. Reporting and Iterating

Don’t just “set and forget” your task process. Use reporting to spot what’s working and tweak as you go.

How to use reports: - Task Completion Rate:
- If reps are closing 95%+ of tasks, you’re assigning the right stuff. - If rates are low, check if tasks are too vague, irrelevant, or just getting skipped.

  • Deal Impact:

  • Are closed-won deals tied to a higher number of completed tasks? If not, maybe you’re tracking the wrong things.

  • Feedback Loops:

  • Ask the team: “Which tasks help you sell? Which are just noise?”

What works:
- Quarterly reviews of task stats—don’t obsess weekly. - Listening to feedback, and being willing to cut pointless process.

What doesn’t:
- Tracking for tracking’s sake. Only what helps close deals matters.

Keep It Simple, Tweak as You Go

Managing sales tasks with Sales Ape isn’t rocket science—but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Set up your team, assign only what’s truly needed, and check in just enough to keep things moving. Ignore the bells and whistles that don’t actually help you sell. Start simple, watch what works, and don’t be afraid to change it up when your team tells you what’s broken. That’s how you keep tasks useful—and your reps focused on closing, not clicking.