If you’re working with a team—even a small one—you know that keeping track of who’s doing what can get messy, fast. Emails get lost, sticky notes disappear, and “Did you do that thing?” becomes a daily refrain. If you’re using Keycontacts, you’ve already got some decent tools to wrangle your team’s to-dos. But let’s be honest: most apps promise smooth teamwork and end up adding noise. Here’s how to actually assign and manage tasks in Keycontacts so things don’t slip through the cracks, and so your team doesn’t want to throw their laptops out the window.
1. Get Your Team Set Up Properly
Before you even touch tasks, make sure your team’s in the system and everyone’s clear on how Keycontacts works.
- Invite your team: Go to your Keycontacts dashboard, head to the “Team” or “Users” section (name might vary depending on your plan), and send out invites. Double-check their email addresses; nothing slows you down like a bounced invite.
- Set permissions wisely: Not everyone needs admin-level access. Assign roles that match what people actually do. (If someone only needs to see their own tasks, don’t give them the keys to the kingdom.)
- Get basic buy-in: Quick group chat or email: “Hey, we’re using Keycontacts for tasks now. Here’s the link. Here’s what you’ll need to do.” Don’t overthink it.
Pro Tip: If your team hates new tools, start small. Assign one shared task and ask for feedback.
2. Create Clear, Actionable Tasks
A good task is specific and unambiguous. “Follow up with client” is vague. “Email Jane Doe at Acme Corp about contract signature by Friday” is clear.
- Click “Add Task” wherever you see it in Keycontacts—usually tied to a contact, company, or deal.
- Fill in the details:
- Title: Make it a verb—“Send invoice,” “Call supplier,” etc.
- Description: Add details, links, or files if needed. Don’t write a novel, but leave enough info so nobody has to guess.
- Due date: Assign a realistic deadline. If everything is “ASAP,” nothing is.
- Priority: Some teams love priorities (High, Medium, Low). If your team ignores them, skip it.
What to skip: Don’t assign tasks to yourself “just to remember.” Use a personal to-do app for that. Keycontacts works best when tasks are shared and visible.
3. Assign Tasks to the Right People
This is where most teams mess up: tasks either get dumped on one person, or nobody’s sure who owns what.
- Choose an assignee: When creating or editing a task, select the team member who’s actually responsible. If it’s a group effort, assign it to the lead.
- Tag other stakeholders (if you must): Some versions let you “@mention” or tag others in the comments. Use this sparingly—too many notifications, and people tune out.
- Avoid “All” assignments: Assigning tasks to “Everyone” just guarantees nobody feels responsible.
Pro Tip: Rotate task assignments if you’re noticing one person is always overloaded and others are twiddling their thumbs.
4. Use Task Lists and Filters to Stay Organized
Once you’ve got more than a dozen tasks, things can get hairy.
- View by owner: Filter tasks by assignee—see what’s on your plate, or what’s piling up for others.
- Sort by due date or priority: Deadlines matter. Make sure urgent stuff isn’t buried.
- Group by contact or company: If you’re managing multiple clients, this helps keep things from mixing together.
What doesn’t work: Relying only on the “All Tasks” view. That’s how you miss things.
5. Set Up Smart Notifications (but Don’t Overdo It)
Notifications are double-edged. Too few, and tasks slip by. Too many, and people ignore them.
- Default notifications: Keycontacts usually sends emails or in-app pings when you’re assigned a task, when it’s due soon, or when it’s overdue.
- Customize settings: Encourage everyone to check their notification settings. If someone hates emails but checks Slack all day, connect the Slack integration (if your plan supports it).
- Reminders: Use them for deadlines only—not for every little update.
Pro Tip: Have a “quiet hours” policy if you’re in different time zones, so nobody’s annoyed by midnight reminders.
6. Track Progress and Keep Tasks Updated
A task isn’t done until it’s marked complete—and ideally, there’s some note or outcome captured.
- Mark tasks as done: Obvious, but often missed. Encourage the habit.
- Comment with updates: If something’s delayed or blocked, add a note. Saves everyone a “where’s this at?” message.
- Attach files or links as you go: Better than digging through email later.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over “percent complete” fields or status colors unless your team finds them useful. It’s just busywork for most people.
7. Review and Reassign as Needed
Projects change. People go on vacation. Tasks fall off the radar.
- Regular check-ins: Even a 10-minute weekly review of open tasks (solo or with the team) can catch things before they become problems.
- Reassign or adjust: If someone’s overloaded, move tasks around. If a task no longer matters, delete it—don’t let your task list become a graveyard.
- Archive completed tasks: Keeps things tidy and helps if you need to look back later.
Pro Tip: Don’t let “zombie tasks” linger. If something’s been open forever, face it—either finish it or kill it.
8. Encourage Feedback and Tweak Your Process
No tool is perfect out of the box, and every team works a bit differently.
- Ask what’s working and what’s not: After a week or two, get honest feedback. Is the system helping, or just adding more clicks?
- Adapt: Maybe you need fewer notifications, or clearer task names, or a different way of grouping tasks. Adjust.
- Resist feature bloat: Stick to the basics: assign, track, complete. Fancy automations sound cool but often just make things more confusing unless you really need them.
Keep it simple. The best task management system is the one your team actually uses. Start with the basics in Keycontacts, get everyone in the habit, and don’t be afraid to tweak as you go. You’ll spend less time chasing tasks—and more time actually getting stuff done.