how to create custom reporting templates in orcaforce for sales performance reviews

If you’ve ever sat through a sales performance review and felt like the reports were made for someone else, this guide’s for you. Cookie-cutter dashboards rarely answer the real questions managers and reps care about. The good news? Orcaforce (here’s the link) actually lets you build custom reporting templates that fit your team, not the other way around.

Here’s how to cut through the noise, set up templates that don’t waste anyone’s time, and avoid common headaches.

Why Bother With Custom Templates?

Let’s be honest: Most built-in sales reports are either missing key info or drowning you in irrelevant numbers. Custom templates mean:

You highlight what your team tracks (not what some software vendor thinks matters)
Less spreadsheet wrangling before every review
Easier apples-to-apples comparisons, quarter over quarter

But don’t get carried away—templates aren’t magic. They won’t fix data you don’t have, or tell you what actually drives your sales. They’re just a tool, but a good one.

Step 1: Get Clear On What You Need (Before Touching Orcaforce)

Don’t start in the app. Start with a pen and paper (or your favorite notes app):

Decide on your “must-have” metrics. Is this about closed deals? Pipeline? Activity? All of the above?
Think about audience. What do managers need vs. reps? Don’t cram everything into one template.
Figure out frequency. Are you reviewing weekly, monthly, quarterly? That changes what matters.

Pro tip: Ask your team what reports they actually use. You’ll be surprised how much gets ignored.

Step 2: Map Your Data Sources

Orcaforce pulls from its own CRM modules, but you might be using outside data (Google Sheets, other CRMs, etc.). Here’s what to check:

Is all your sales data in Orcaforce already?
Are there fields you need that aren’t being tracked? (e.g., custom fields for region, rep type, etc.)
If you need outside data, do you have an integration or will you need to import CSVs?

It’s worth sorting this out now, not after you’ve built a beautiful template missing half your data.

Step 3: Build a New Report Template in Orcaforce

Now, finally, open Orcaforce and head to the reporting section. Here’s the step-by-step:

Navigate to Reporting > Templates.
Some versions call it “Custom Reports” or “Saved Templates.” Same idea.
Click “Create New Template.”
Don’t use “duplicate” unless you really like the defaults.
Choose Your Report Type.
Table, chart, or dashboard. Tables are best for reviews—charts are good for trends.
Pick Data Sources.
Select your CRM objects (Deals, Activities, Contacts, etc.)
Add any custom fields you defined earlier.
Set Your Filters.
Date ranges (e.g., “last quarter”)
Team or territory, if you want to break things down
Status (open, won, lost)
Choose Columns and Groupings.
Only include what you’ll actually talk about. More columns ≠ better.
Group by rep, team, or deal stage.
Add Calculated Fields (if needed).
Examples: win rate %, average deal size, activity-to-close ratio
Be careful—calculated fields can get buggy if your data’s messy.
Preview the Template.
Don’t skip this. Check for missing data, weird groupings, or empty columns.
Name and Save.
Use clear names (“Q2 Rep Performance,” not “Template 7”).
Add a short description so others know what it’s for.

What to ignore: Most teams don’t need 3D pie charts or “sentiment analysis.” Stick to the basics first.

Step 4: Share and Set Permissions

A common mistake: building a great template, then nobody can find it.

Use Orcaforce’s “Share” feature to make templates visible to managers, reps, or both.
Set edit vs. view-only permissions. Otherwise, someone’s going to “improve” your template by accident.
If you’re running recurring reviews, pin the template as a favorite for quick access.

Pro tip: If you’re in a bigger org, check with IT before sharing sensitive data. It’s not fun to explain a permissions mess after the fact.

Step 5: Schedule Reports (Optional, But Handy)

Orcaforce lets you schedule reports to hit inboxes automatically. This is good… and also easy to abuse.

Schedule only what people will read. Weekly summaries are great; daily “mega reports” are not.
Send to a distribution list, not individuals—otherwise you’ll be updating lists forever.
Include a short message or context if Orcaforce allows it (“Here’s the Q3 pipeline by region—let me know what’s missing”).

If people start ignoring the emails, trim back. Less is more.

Step 6: Iterate and Get Feedback

The first version of your template won’t be perfect. That’s normal.

Ask users if the report actually helps their review process.
Drop columns or filters that nobody uses.
Tweak visuals if people complain they’re confusing.
If something’s broken (e.g., numbers don’t add up), fix the data source—don’t just patch the template.

What doesn’t work: Endless tweaking to please everyone. Pick a few power users, get their input, and move on.

Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)

Too many metrics: If your template needs a scroll bar, it’s probably too much.
Unreliable data: No template will save you from bad inputs. Garbage in, garbage out.
One-size-fits-all reporting: Managers and reps care about different things. Build separate templates if you need to.
Ignoring adoption: If nobody’s using your report after two cycles, ask why. Maybe it’s not as useful as you thought.

FAQ: Quick Answers to Stuff People Actually Ask

Can I clone a template? Yes, but clean up the fields after. Cloning old junk just spreads confusion.
Can I export to Excel or PDF? Usually, yes—but always check the formatting before sending to execs.
Do templates update automatically? If your data’s live in Orcaforce, yes. If you import manually, you’ll need to refresh.
What about mobile? Orcaforce’s mobile reporting is hit-or-miss. Don’t expect fancy dashboards to look great on a phone.

Keep It Simple, Fix What Matters

You don’t need a degree in data science to make sales reviews better—just clear goals and a custom template that fits your needs. Start small, ask for feedback, and don’t overcomplicate things. The real win? Spending less time fiddling with reports, and more actually improving sales.

Now go build something your team will actually use.