If you're in revenue operations and drowning in spreadsheets or stale dashboards, this one's for you. Custom dashboards in Clari promise a clearer look at your pipeline, forecasts, and team performance. But if you’ve poked around, you know it’s not always obvious where to start—or what actually matters.
Here's a straightforward, step-by-step guide for building dashboards that actually help you and your team make decisions (instead of just looking impressive on a slide). Let’s get into it.
Why Custom Dashboards? (And Why Skip Some of the Hype)
Dashboards should answer real questions—like “Are we on track this quarter?” or “What’s holding deals back?” Not just “Can I make a colorful chart?” Clari’s custom dashboards are flexible, but you can easily waste time building pretty views nobody uses.
What works: - Keeping dashboards focused (one per team or use case) - Automating regular reporting - Surface deal risks and trends
What doesn’t: - Jam-packing every metric you can find into one page - Building dashboards nobody looks at, just because you can
Pro tip: Before you build, figure out the single most important question your dashboard should answer.
Step 1: Get Access and Know Your Permissions
First, make sure you actually have access to create or edit dashboards. In most organizations, only admins or folks with certain roles can set up new dashboards in Clari. If you can’t see dashboard options, ask your Clari admin or IT team.
Check before you start: - Are you an admin, manager, or have “dashboard creator” permissions? - Do you see the “Dashboards” or “Analytics” tab in Clari? - Are you working in the right workspace/team context?
If you don’t have access, don’t waste time clicking around—get it sorted first.
Step 2: Figure Out What You Need (and Ignore the Rest)
This is tempting to skip, but you’ll regret it later if you do. Talk to your team, sales leaders, or whoever will use the dashboard. Pin down: - Who’s this for? (e.g., sales managers, execs, reps) - What problem does it solve? (“How’s our pipeline coverage?” “Where are deals stalling?”) - How often will they look at it? (Daily? Weekly? Only at QBRs?)
Common dashboard goals in revenue ops: - Forecast accuracy tracking - Pipeline health (coverage, aging, slippage) - Rep or team performance - Deal risk spotting
Skip the vanity metrics. If nobody cares about “number of calls made,” don’t put it in.
Step 3: Build Your First Custom Dashboard
Assuming you’ve got access and a clear goal, here’s how to set up a dashboard in Clari that’s actually useful.
3.1. Start a New Dashboard
- Go to the Dashboards or Analytics area in Clari.
- Look for a button like “Create Dashboard,” “New Dashboard,” or a plus (+) sign.
- Name it something obvious. (No, not “Revenue Ops Dashboard v2 FINAL.” Try “Q2 Forecast Health” or “Deal Risk Watchlist.”)
3.2. Add Only the Right Widgets
Clari dashboards are built from widgets (charts, tables, KPIs, etc.). Don’t add everything at once.
- Pick 2–5 widgets that answer your core questions.
- For pipeline health, try:
- Pipeline by stage (bar/column chart)
- Aging pipeline (table or heatmap)
- Forecast trend (line chart)
- Commit vs. actuals (number or gauge)
- For deal risk:
- Deals with no recent activity
- Deals slipping this quarter
- Top open deals by amount
Pro tip: If you’re not sure what a widget does, preview it with sample data before adding.
3.3. Set Filters and Groupings
Otherwise, you’ll get a firehose of irrelevant data.
- Filter by team, territory, quarter, or deal stage.
- Group by rep, product, or source if that helps answer your question.
- Use date ranges that match your reporting cadence (e.g., “This quarter” for execs, “Next 30 days” for managers).
Don’t try to build a “one size fits all” dashboard—tailor it to your audience.
3.4. Arrange and Tweak the Layout
Drag and drop widgets to prioritize the most important data. Put the “headline” metric or chart at the top left—people read left-to-right, top-to-bottom.
- Resize or reorder widgets so the dashboard isn’t cluttered.
- Hide or delete any default widgets you don’t need.
Step 4: Share, Schedule, and Automate
A dashboard nobody sees isn’t worth much. Get it in front of the right people.
- Share directly with teams, individuals, or execs (usually via a “Share” button).
- Schedule automated emails or snapshots—daily, weekly, or before big meetings.
- Set permissions so sensitive data isn’t visible to everyone.
Watch out: Don’t spam people with dashboards they didn’t ask for. More isn’t better.
Step 5: Review, Refine, and Cut Ruthlessly
The first version won’t be perfect. Use it for a week or two, then talk to your users: - What do they actually look at? - What’s confusing or missing? - Are they ignoring certain widgets?
Trim or tweak based on real feedback. If a chart isn’t getting used, delete it. If users keep asking for something else, add it.
Pro tip: Less is more. The best dashboards answer a few key questions fast. Everything else is a distraction.
What to Ignore (or Approach with Caution)
- Overly complicated visualizations: Fancy Sankey diagrams and 3D charts rarely help decision-making.
- Metrics you “could” measure but never act on: If it doesn’t drive a conversation or action, skip it.
- Constantly tweaking for new requests: Set a dashboard “freeze” period so it’s not changing every week.
- Too many filters: If you need ten filters to get the view you want, you probably need a different dashboard.
Common Roadblocks (and How to Get Past Them)
1. Data is out of date or wrong. - Clari pulls from your CRM and other sources. If the source data stinks, so will your dashboard. - Work with your ops or CRM admin to fix data quality before blaming Clari.
2. Users don’t engage. - Ask them what matters, and why they aren’t using it. Sometimes people just want a weekly email summary, not a full dashboard.
3. Performance lags with big dashboards. - Too many widgets or filters can slow things down. Split into multiple dashboards if needed.
Real-World Tips from Revenue Ops Teams
- Start with one dashboard for one audience. Get that right, then copy or tweak for others.
- Document what each widget means. Add descriptions—otherwise, people interpret charts differently.
- Make it actionable. Every metric should answer “So what?” and “What next?”
- Review quarterly. Dashboards get stale. Clean up unused ones, and update for new goals or processes.
The Bottom Line
Custom dashboards in Clari can save you time and headaches—but only if you keep them simple, focused, and relevant. Don’t try to impress with bells and whistles nobody uses. Start with a real problem, build just enough to solve it, and keep iterating. The less noise, the more value you’ll get.