If you’re here, you probably want to actually see how your go-to-market efforts are working—without spending hours buried in spreadsheets or dashboards that only look good in meetings. This guide is for people who have real questions (What’s working? Where are we stuck?) and want answers they can trust, not just pretty charts.
We’ll walk through setting up custom reporting dashboards in the Champify GTM tool. If you’ve poked around the built-in reports and thought, “That’s...not quite what I need,” you’re in the right place. We’ll cover:
- When it’s worth building your own dashboard—and when it’s not
- The steps (with gotchas) to get a working setup
- How to avoid the usual reporting traps
- What to skip so you don’t waste time
Let’s get into it.
1. Decide What You Actually Need to Track
Before you open up Champify, stop and ask: What do I really need to see? It’s tempting to track everything, but that just leads to dashboard spaghetti. Start with a shortlist:
- What are your team’s top 2-3 priorities? (e.g., pipeline sourced, deal velocity, conversion rates)
- Which numbers do you look at every week (or wish you did)?
- What’s missing or unclear in your default Champify reports?
Pro tip: If you can’t explain why a metric matters in one sentence, it’s probably dashboard clutter.
What Works
- Focusing on metrics tied to action (e.g., “How many leads from Product X turn into ops?”)
- Keeping it simple: a few charts that answer real business questions
What to Ignore
- Vanity metrics (e.g., “Total page views” if nobody cares)
- Anything you can’t act on
2. Map Out Your Data Sources in Champify
Champify’s GTM tool can pull in a lot—CRM data, product usage, marketing touchpoints, you name it. But not all data is created equal.
- Find your sources: In Champify, check the “Integrations” or “Data Sources” section. Make a quick list of what’s available (Salesforce, HubSpot, product analytics, etc.).
- Check freshness: Is the data real-time, or delayed by a day? This matters for dashboards you’ll use in meetings.
- Spot gaps: Are key fields missing, like lead owner or deal stage? You might need to fix upstream data first, or your dashboard will just give you garbage in, garbage out.
Heads up: If you’re missing data, don’t try to “fake it” in the dashboard. You’ll just end up with misleading reports.
3. Create a New Dashboard (and Don’t Overthink Layout)
Time to get your hands dirty. In Champify, go to the “Dashboards” or “Reporting” section.
- Click “Create Dashboard” (the button might say “+ New Dashboard” depending on your version).
- Name it clearly. “Q3 Pipeline Health,” not “Test 2” or “July Dashboard Temp.”
- Skip the template hype. Champify offers dashboard templates, but they’re usually generic. Only use one if it’s exactly what you want.
Layout Tips
- Start with just 2-3 widgets or charts. You can add more later.
- Use wide layouts for charts you’ll present; keep tables scrollable.
- Don’t cram everything onto one screen. Split across tabs if you need to.
Pro tip: If you need to explain your dashboard to every new user, it’s too complicated.
4. Add Custom Widgets and Filters
This is where you make the dashboard yours. Here’s how to add and actually use custom widgets:
- Click “Add Widget” or “+ Chart.”
- Pick your visualization: Table, bar chart, funnel, etc. Don’t pick pie charts—nobody can read them.
- Select your data source (e.g., Salesforce deals, product events).
- Set up filters: Only show what matters—by territory, product, rep, or time range.
- Choose your metrics: Sum, average, count, whatever helps you make a decision.
- Give it a real title. “Deals by Stage, This Quarter” is better than “Widget 4.”
What Works
- Filtering by owner, region, or segment—makes dashboards actionable for teams
- Using time filters (“Last 30 days,” “This quarter”) for context
What to Ignore
- Over-customizing visuals (colors, 3D effects). Focus on clarity.
- Stacking too many filters—easy to lose sight of what you’re actually seeing
5. Use Calculated Fields (But Keep Them Simple)
Sometimes you need a metric that isn’t in the raw data—like win rate, average sales cycle, or custom scoring.
- Find “Calculated Fields” or “Custom Metrics”: In Champify, this is usually an option when editing a widget.
- Keep formulas readable: “Closed Won Deals / Total Deals” makes sense. Nested IFs and crazy logic? Save that for a spreadsheet.
- Document formulas: Add a description so people know how it’s calculated.
Warning: If you start building complex calculated fields to “fix” bad source data, stop. Fix your data pipeline instead.
6. Share and Set Permissions
No dashboard is useful if only you can see it. In Champify:
- Share with teams or roles: Use built-in permission groups so sales, marketing, etc., get the right view.
- Lock down sensitive data: Don’t accidentally show salary or customer PII.
- Set up scheduled emails: Only if people actually want them—otherwise, they’ll just create inbox noise.
Pro tip: Don’t set dashboards as the homepage for everyone unless they’re truly core to the business.
7. Test Your Dashboard (and Ask for Brutal Feedback)
Before you call it done:
- Check numbers against source systems: Spot-check a few data points in Salesforce or your CRM.
- Ask real users to poke holes: Sales managers, ops folks, whoever relies on the data.
- Look for “so what?” moments: If someone looks at a chart and doesn’t know what to do with it, fix the widget or cut it.
What Works
- Quick feedback cycles—share early, fix fast
- Leaving a “Comments” or “Suggestions” section for users
What to Ignore
- Obsessing over pixel-perfect design
- Trying to please everyone—focus on the core audience
8. Iterate, Don’t Set and Forget
The best dashboards evolve. Once you’ve got your first version live:
- Review usage after a week—are people actually opening it?
- Prune widgets nobody uses
- Update filters or add new metrics as business priorities change
Pro tip: Set a quarterly calendar reminder to review your dashboards. Otherwise, they’ll turn into digital junk drawers.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too many metrics: If it doesn’t drive action, cut it.
- Out-of-date data: Set up alerts so you know if data stops syncing.
- Dashboard as report card: Don’t use dashboards just to “score” teams. People will game the numbers.
- Ignoring mobile users: If your team checks dashboards on their phone, test that layout—some widgets break or look awful.
TL;DR: Keep It Simple and Iterate
A good custom dashboard in Champify isn’t about looking fancy—it’s about answering real questions fast. Figure out what matters, show just enough data, and don’t be afraid to cut clutter. The perfect dashboard doesn’t exist, so start simple and improve as you go. Your future self (and your team) will thank you.