If you're a sales manager who wants to actually help your team improve—without sitting through every call—this guide is for you. Real-time coaching alerts sound great, but let's be honest: nobody needs another stream of useless notifications. Done right, though, these alerts can give reps the nudge they need, when they need it, and give managers real insight into what’s happening on the front lines.
We'll walk through how to set up real-time sales coaching alerts in Salesken, show you what actually works, and flag the stuff that’s more hype than help.
Why Real-Time Coaching Alerts Matter (and When They Don’t)
Before we jump in, let’s get clear: real-time alerts aren’t magic. They don’t replace real coaching or fix broken sales processes. But they can:
- Catch mistakes as they happen, not a week later
- Help new reps ramp up faster
- Remind experienced reps to hit the basics (because even pros forget)
Where they fall short:
- If your “alerts” are just noise, reps will ignore them
- Too many alerts = alert blindness (and eye rolls)
- They won’t fix bigger issues like bad product-market fit or broken comp plans
In short: use them as a tool, not a crutch.
Step 1: Get Your Salesken Environment Ready
Before you start, make sure you have:
- Admin access in Salesken. If you’re not an admin, you’ll need to bug someone who is.
- Your sales calls (phone or video) routed through Salesken, so the platform can actually monitor them.
- Call transcripts enabled, since most alerts are triggered by what’s said on the call.
Pro tip: If your team’s using some weird dialer nobody’s heard of, double-check that Salesken can integrate with it. Otherwise, you’ll spend hours setting up alerts that never fire.
Step 2: Decide What’s Worth Setting an Alert For
Here’s where most teams screw up: they set alerts for everything, and soon everyone tunes them out.
Start simple. Focus on coaching moments that actually move the needle:
- Reps skipping key discovery questions
- Not mentioning a required disclaimer or compliance script
- Failing to handle common objections
- Talking too much (yes, it happens)
Ignore: - Alerts for every “umm” and “uhh”—nobody cares - Overly generic stuff like “Did the rep greet the customer?” unless that’s a real problem
Write down 2 or 3 high-impact behaviors you want to coach on. That’s enough to start.
Step 3: Set Up Coaching Alerts in Salesken
Let’s dig into the actual steps.
3.1. Log In and Head to the Coaching Section
- Log into Salesken.
- In the sidebar, look for something like “Coaching,” “Real-Time Alerts,” or “Live Assistance.” (The UI changes, so hunt around if you don’t see it immediately.)
- Click into the section for configuring live coaching or alerts.
3.2. Create a New Alert
- Find the “Create Alert” or “Add New Alert” button.
- Give your alert a clear, honest name (e.g., “Missed Discovery Question - Budget”).
3.3. Set Trigger Conditions
This is where you tell Salesken what to listen for. Most commonly, you’ll set alerts based on:
- Keywords or phrases: e.g., “budget,” “timeline,” “decision maker”
- Missed phrases: If the rep didn’t mention something by a certain point in the call
- Talk-time ratios: If the rep is monologuing for 10 minutes straight
Example: - Trigger if the rep does not mention “budget” in the first 10 minutes of the call.
Pro tip: Don’t get too clever. AI can only do so much—if your triggers are too vague or complex, you’ll get a lot of false positives or miss things entirely.
3.4. Choose Who Gets the Alert
You can usually set:
- Who sees the alert: The rep on the call, their manager, or both.
- How it shows up: On-screen pop-up, Slack/Teams message, email, etc.
Best practice: Start by sending alerts to the rep only, so they can self-correct. If you see a pattern, then start looping in managers.
3.5. Set the Alert Message
Write something clear and actionable. Don’t be robotic or guilt-trippy.
- Bad: “You failed to mention budget.”
- Better: “Quick reminder: Ask about budget before moving on.”
Keep it short. Nobody reads essays in the middle of a call.
Step 4: Test Your Alerts (Don’t Skip This)
Here’s where most people get burned. If you don’t test, your reps are about to become guinea pigs.
- Run a mock call (or two) and trigger the alert deliberately.
- Make sure the right person sees it, at the right time, and it says what you want.
- If you get false positives (or nothing at all), tweak your keywords or timing.
Watch for: - Alerts firing too often or not often enough - Confusing or vague alert messages - Alerts popping up at the wrong time (like after the call is over—yes, this happens)
Step 5: Roll Out to a Small Group First
Don’t hit your whole team with new alerts at once. Pick a small group—ideally, a mix of new and experienced reps.
- Ask for honest feedback. Are the alerts helpful, annoying, or just ignored?
- Adjust as needed.
- Only roll out to everyone once you’re sure you’re not about to create an alert mutiny.
Pro tip: If reps hate the alerts, they’ll find ways to ignore or mute them. Listen to their feedback, or your coaching tool becomes shelfware.
Step 6: Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Overdo It
Once alerts are live, keep an eye on:
- Are key behaviors actually improving?
- Are reps acting on alerts, or just closing them?
- Is there alert fatigue? (If so, kill a few.)
What not to do: - Don’t add a dozen new alerts just because you can. - Don’t assume alerts are a replacement for real coaching conversations.
Remember, alerts work best as gentle nudges—not as a substitute for actual human feedback.
Step 7: Train Managers to Use Alerts (Not Abuse Them)
Managers need to know:
- Alerts aren’t a “gotcha” tool. They’re for support, not surveillance.
- Use alerts as conversation starters, not evidence to beat people up.
Encourage managers to:
- Check in with reps on how alerts are landing
- Use alert data to spot trends and coach in 1:1s
- Turn off alerts that cause more frustration than improvement
Pro tip: If your managers aren’t bought in, even the best alert system won’t stick.
What Actually Works—and What’s Overhyped
Worth Your Time
- Pinpointing 2–3 real coaching moments to focus on
- Tuning alerts so they’re timely, actionable, and rare
- Using alerts to start coaching conversations, not end them
Don’t Bother With
- Dozens of alerts for every possible scenario
- Overly broad or vague triggers (“Did the rep build rapport?”)
- Relying on alerts as your only form of coaching
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Go.
Start with a couple of alerts, test with a small group, and tweak based on real feedback. If you try to automate everything, you’ll drown in noise and miss the point: helping your team get better, one real conversation at a time.
Done right, real-time coaching alerts in Salesken can be a solid tool in your belt—not a magic bullet. Stay skeptical, keep it simple, and you’ll get way more value (and fewer headaches) from the system.