If you’re running B2B lead gen and sick of sifting through generic dashboards, you’re not alone. You want to know what’s working, what’s not, and you want it in plain English. This guide’s for marketers, founders, and sales folks who use Albacross and need to cut through the noise with custom reports that actually help you get better leads—not just more charts.
Let’s skip the fluff. Here’s how to build custom reports in Albacross that tell you what you need to know, without wasting your time.
Why Custom Reports Matter (and When They Don’t)
Albacross does a decent job out of the box, but the default reports are, let’s be honest, a little too generic for most B2B teams. Custom reports let you:
- Focus on the metrics that matter to your business, not someone else’s.
- Slice data by things like industry, company size, or source—so you know which campaigns are actually bringing in worthwhile leads.
- Avoid “dashboard fatigue” (yeah, it’s real).
But don’t overthink it. If you’re just getting started or only need top-level numbers each week, the canned reports might be fine. Custom reports shine when you have specific questions and need to track performance over time.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Order
Before building any reports, make sure your Albacross setup isn’t a mess.
Check these basics: - Is your tracking code correctly installed on all the pages you care about? If not, fix that first. - Are you syncing with your CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce), if you want to track leads through the funnel? - Are your company filters, industries, and segments set up in a way that makes sense for your business?
Pro tip: Bad data in = bad reports out. Don’t skip this. It’s boring, but it saves headaches later.
Step 2: Decide What You Want to Track
There’s no point creating a report unless you know what you’re looking for. Some common things B2B teams track:
- Number of qualified leads by week or month
- Lead source (which campaigns, channels, or content pieces are working)
- Industry or company size breakdown (to see if you’re attracting the right audience)
- Conversion rates (visit → lead, lead → meeting, etc.)
- Sales pipeline impact (if you’ve got CRM integration)
Pick 2-4 key metrics that actually matter to your sales process. Ignore the rest for now.
What to skip: Vanity metrics like total visits or “engagement score.” If it doesn’t help you make a decision, forget it.
Step 3: Build Your First Custom Report
Here’s how to create a custom report in Albacross that you’ll actually use. I’ll walk through the process, step by step.
1. Head to the Reporting Section
- Log in, and find the “Reports” or “Custom Reports” tab (the exact name might change, but it’s usually in the left sidebar).
- Click “Create New Report” or “+ New Report”.
2. Choose Your Report Type
- Table: Good for detailed breakdowns (e.g., leads by industry and source).
- Chart: Helpful for trends over time.
- Dashboard: If you want a few widgets in one place—avoid this if you’re just starting out; it gets cluttered fast.
3. Set Your Filters and Breakdown
- Add Filters: Pick only the leads you care about (e.g., “Industry: SaaS,” “Country: US and UK,” “Company Size: 51-200”).
- Breakdown: Choose how you want to split the data (by source, by date, by industry, etc.).
Pro tip: Start simple. You can always add complexity later. Too many filters = confusion.
4. Pick Your Metrics
- Choose what you want to measure: number of leads, conversion rate, pipeline value, etc.
- If you’ve integrated with your CRM, you can usually pull in extra fields for deeper insights (like sales status or deal value).
5. Set the Time Range
- Stick to weekly or monthly views at first. Daily data just gets noisy unless you have a ton of traffic.
- Use comparison periods (like “this month vs. last month”) to spot trends, not just numbers.
6. Save and Name Your Report
- Give it a name you’ll recognize (“SaaS Leads by Channel – Q2” beats “Report 3”).
- Save it to your dashboard or share it with your team.
Step 4: Share and Automate (But Don’t Overdo It)
Once your report’s set up:
- Schedule Regular Emails: Most people don’t need to check dashboards daily. Set up a weekly or monthly email summary for key stakeholders.
- Share with Sales: If sales doesn’t see your leads, nothing gets followed up. Make sure they have access or get the right reports.
- Avoid Notification Overload: Don’t set up so many alerts that everyone starts ignoring them.
Step 5: Review and Iterate
The truth is, your first custom report probably won’t be perfect. That’s fine. Here’s how to make it better:
- Check for Actionability: If you look at the report and don’t know what to do next, change it.
- Ask for Feedback: Show it to sales or your boss. If they can’t understand it in 60 seconds, it’s too complicated.
- Cut the Noise: Remove anything you’re not using. Less is more.
What Works (And What To Watch Out For)
What works: - Focusing on just a few critical metrics. - Using filters to get rid of junk leads and data. - Reviewing trends over time, not just snapshots.
What doesn’t: - Trying to track everything at once—you’ll drown in data and no one will read it. - Overcomplicating filters (“Leads from manufacturing companies in Sweden who visited our pricing page on a Tuesday”). Keep it real. - Relying on Albacross alone for the full picture. It’s a good tool, but you’ll probably need to combine it with CRM data, Google Analytics, or manual checks for the best insights.
Ignore this stuff: - “Engagement scores” or similar black-box metrics (unless you know exactly how they’re calculated). - Reports you don’t use. If it’s not helping you make decisions, delete it.
Quick Troubleshooting
- Data looks weird or missing: Double-check your tracking code and filters. Nine times out of ten, it’s a setup issue.
- Leads not syncing to CRM: Reconnect your integration, and check for field mismatches.
- Report loading slowly: Too many filters or too long a time window. Simplify.
If you’re still stuck, Albacross support is actually pretty responsive—use them.
Keep It Simple (and Keep Improving)
Custom reports in Albacross are only as good as the questions you ask and the data you put in. Start simple. Track what matters for your B2B lead gen. Don’t be afraid to delete or tweak reports that aren’t working. The goal isn’t to have the fanciest dashboard—it’s to help your team close more deals, faster.
You can always make it more complicated later. For now, keep it tight, useful, and actionable. Then go do something better with all that extra time.