If you’re in sales or revenue ops and tired of missing out on hot leads—or just buried under a flood of useless alerts—this guide’s for you. I’ll show you how to set up custom alerts for high intent accounts in Pocus so you actually hear about the stuff that matters. We’ll cut through the settings, separate what’s useful from what’s just noise, and keep things practical.
Why Custom Alerts Matter (and When They Don’t)
Before you start building anything, know this: alerts are only as good as the signals they’re built on. If you’ve ever been stuck in alert hell (Slack blowing up with “Account X viewed your page!” for the 14th time today), you know the pain.
Custom alerts are worth your time if: - You have a clear idea of what “high intent” looks like for your team. - You’re ready to act on what the alerts tell you. - You want less noise, not more.
Skip the whole thing if: - You don’t have a defined sales process. - You’re chasing every “maybe” instead of focusing on real buying signals. - You’re just setting up alerts because someone told you to.
Still here? Good. Let’s get you set up.
Step 1: Define “High Intent” for Your Business
You can’t automate what you haven’t defined. What actually makes an account high intent for your team? Here’s where you need to get brutally honest.
Ask yourself: - Is it multiple users from one company signing up? - Have they hit a pricing page—twice? - Did someone request a demo or start integrating with your API?
Write down your top 2-3 high intent signals. Don’t overthink it. More signals = more noise.
Pro tip:
If you have to ask if something is “high intent,” it probably isn’t.
Step 2: Get Your Data House in Order
Pocus can only alert you on what it can see. If your data is a mess, fix that first.
Check: - Are your product usage events flowing into Pocus? (Logins, feature usage, page views, etc.) - Are CRM fields mapping correctly? (Company name, plan type, deal stage) - Any gaps? If you’re missing key events, chasing alerts is pointless.
If you’re not sure, run a test account through your system and see what shows up in Pocus. Better to catch gaps now than after you’ve set everything up.
Step 3: Build a Focused Segment in Pocus
Now, let’s get hands-on.
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Head to the Segments tab.
This is where you’ll break down your accounts/users by behavior. -
Create a New Segment.
Name it something obvious like “High Intent Accounts—[Your Criteria].” Future-you will thank you. -
Add Filters Based on Your Criteria.
Some ideas: - Number of users from the same domain
- Visited the pricing page at least twice in the last week
- Triggered a key event (like “Requested Demo”)
- Account fits your ICP (industry, company size, etc.)
Keep it tight. If you add every “kinda interesting” event, you’ll get flooded.
- Test with Real Data.
Preview who actually shows up in your segment. If it’s everyone and their cousin, you need to tighten your filters.
Honest take:
Don’t obsess over catching every possible high intent account in your first segment. You’ll end up with Frankenstein’s monster and half your team ignoring alerts.
Step 4: Set Up Custom Alerts That Actually Help
Here’s where most teams go wrong: they set up alerts for everything. Don’t do that.
- Go to the Alerts/Notifications section in Pocus.
- Choose “New Alert.”
- Set the Alert Trigger:
- Use the segment you built in Step 3 as your base.
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Refine further: maybe you only want to know if an account moved into high intent, not if they’re already there.
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Pick Your Delivery Channel:
- Slack is the usual choice, but only send alerts to a dedicated channel (not #general).
- Email works if you actually check it, but beware of getting buried.
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In-app notifications are fine, but easy to ignore. Use with caution.
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Write a Clear, Actionable Alert Message:
“Acme Corp hit high intent: 3 users signed up, viewed pricing twice, and requested a demo. Assigned to Jane Doe.”
If your alert isn’t actionable, it’s just noise.
- Set the Frequency:
- Instant: For super high value triggers only.
- Daily digest: For lower urgency, less interruption.
- Weekly: Usually too slow for sales, but works for trends.
Don’t:
- Set up alerts for every minor event (“User X logged in”).
- Send alerts to people who can’t or won’t act on them.
Step 5: Test—Then Ruthlessly Prune
Once your alerts are live, don’t just walk away. Watch what comes through for a week.
What to check: - Are the right accounts triggering alerts? - Is anyone on your team acting on them? - Are people starting to mute or ignore your alert channel? (Red flag)
If you’re getting too many alerts, tighten your segment or raise the bar for what triggers. If you’re hearing crickets, maybe you set the filters too tight.
Pro tip:
Once a month, ask your team if they’re finding alerts useful. If not, change them or cut them. Don’t keep zombie alerts around because “we might need them.”
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Set and Forget
Sales and product usage change. So should your alerts.
- Review and update your high intent criteria every quarter.
- Kill off alerts that no one reads.
- If you’re chasing false positives (accounts that look hot but never close), adjust your definition.
It’s normal to start broad and narrow down, or vice versa. There’s no perfect setup, just what works for your team right now.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
- Default templates: They’re too generic. Build alerts that fit your process.
- Every tiny event: If you wouldn’t act on it, don’t alert on it.
- “Catch-all” segments: You’ll catch nothing but noise.
- Alerts for the sake of alerts: If your team isn’t using them, they’re clutter.
Don’t be afraid to delete an alert if it’s not adding value. Less is usually more.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Setting up custom alerts for high intent accounts in Pocus isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little discipline. Define what matters, avoid alert overload, and don’t be afraid to tweak or tear down what’s not working. Start lean, stay honest, and you’ll actually hear about the accounts that matter—without wanting to throw your laptop out the window.
Now, go build something useful. And remember: your future self will thank you for keeping it simple.