If you’re using Dock workspaces to share content, updates, or onboarding materials with your customers, you probably want to know: are they actually using what you send? Are your decks and resources getting read, or just gathering dust? This guide is for anyone running customer-facing projects in Dock who wants real, useful answers—not just vanity metrics.
Below, you'll find a step-by-step walkthrough for tracking customer engagement in Dock. We’ll cover what’s possible, what’s not worth your time, and some honest thoughts on how to avoid getting bogged down in data you don’t need.
1. Know What Dock Tracks (and What It Doesn’t)
Before you start, get clear on what Dock can actually track. Dock is built for customer-facing projects—think onboarding, QBRs, or implementation plans. You create a workspace, share it with your customers, and track how (or if) they interact.
Here’s what Dock does track: - Workspace visits: Who visited, when, and how often. - File views and downloads: Which docs and files got opened or downloaded. - Task completion: If you use checklists, you’ll see what’s checked off. - Comments and feedback: Any direct comments inside the workspace.
Here’s what Dock doesn’t track (as of early 2024): - Detailed time-on-page: You won’t see “minutes spent” per doc. - Heatmaps, clicks, or fine-grained analytics: This isn’t Google Analytics. - Off-platform engagement: If someone forwards a file outside Dock, you won’t know.
Honest take: Dock gives you a solid, high-level sense of engagement. Don’t expect to stalk every mouse movement. For most customer teams, that’s a good thing.
2. Set Up Your Workspace to Make Tracking Easy
Tracking is only as good as your setup. If your workspace is a mess, or if important assets are buried, you’ll have no idea what’s working.
Checklist for a trackable workspace: - Organize by section: Group files, links, and tasks logically (e.g., “Kickoff,” “Resources,” “Next Steps”). - Label clearly: Use file names and section headers that make sense to your customers. - Embed, don’t just link: Whenever possible, upload files directly to Dock or use its embed features. External links (like Google Docs) are harder to track. - Turn on notifications: Make sure you’re set to get updates when customers visit, comment, or complete tasks.
Pro tip: Less is more. Cluttered workspaces make it harder to see what’s getting used. Keep each workspace focused on a single project or journey.
3. Share the Workspace—The Right Way
How you share the workspace affects what you’ll see in the analytics. Dock lets you invite people directly or share a link.
- Direct invites: You’ll see exactly who’s engaging—by name and email. Best if you want individual-level tracking.
- Shared link: Anyone with the link can access, but you’ll lose some detail. This is easier for big teams or when you don’t want to bug everyone with invites.
Honest take: Go for direct invites if you care about individual accountability (like onboarding). For broader projects, shared links are fine—you’ll just get less granular data.
4. Monitor the Engagement Dashboard
Once the workspace is live and shared, Dock’s engagement dashboard is your home base. Here’s what to look for (and what’s worth ignoring):
What to Watch
- Top visitors: Who’s checking in most? Are decision-makers actually looking?
- Recency and frequency: Are folks coming back, or was it a one-and-done?
- File views/downloads: Which resources get opened vs. ignored?
- Checklist/task progress: Are tasks getting checked off? If not, what’s the holdup?
- Comments and feedback: Are customers asking questions or leaving notes?
What to Ignore
- Vanity metrics: Don’t obsess over “total visits” if nobody’s moving forward.
- Over-interpreting silence: Some customers just don’t engage digitally, but still make progress offline.
- One-off spikes: Sometimes someone clicks everything in one go and never returns. Look for patterns, not outliers.
Pro tip: Take screenshots or export reports periodically if you want to track trends over time—Dock’s analytics are improving, but historical tracking is basic.
5. Use Engagement Data to Drive Real Conversations
Don’t just watch numbers—use them. Here’s how engagement insights can actually help you move projects forward:
- Spot stalled accounts: If a customer hasn’t visited or checked off tasks, reach out. A “noticed you haven’t checked in—anything I can help with?” message is way better than guessing.
- Tailor your follow-ups: If someone’s opened every resource but hasn’t commented, ask if they have questions. If they’ve skipped key docs, point them out.
- Celebrate progress: See a customer flying through tasks? Shout it out. Recognition keeps momentum up.
What doesn’t work: Nagging people over every missed click. Use engagement data as a conversation starter, not a hammer.
6. Don’t Overthink the Metrics
It’s easy to fall into the trap of tracking everything just because you can. Here’s what actually matters:
- Are customers moving forward? Are tasks getting completed and projects progressing?
- Are blockers clear? Use engagement drop-offs to spot where people get stuck.
- Are resources useful? If nobody opens a file, maybe it’s not needed—or it needs a better title.
What to ignore: Micro-metrics like “did someone spend 2 or 4 minutes on this doc?” Focus on movement, not minutiae.
7. Combine Dock Data with Real Conversations
Dock gives you a window into digital engagement, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
- Ask your customers directly: “Was the workspace helpful?” is a great question at the end of a project.
- Correlate with outcomes: Did high engagement actually lead to faster onboarding or less back-and-forth?
- Adjust based on feedback: If customers say they didn’t see value in certain docs, change what you share next time.
Honest take: No tool tells the whole story. Use Dock as a guide, not gospel.
8. What to Watch Out For (Pitfalls & Gotchas)
- False positives: Sometimes people click out of curiosity, not intent.
- Ghost users: A VP logs in once, never returns, but looks “engaged” in the dashboard.
- External sharing: If clients download files and share them elsewhere, you lose the thread.
- Notification overload: Too many alerts, and you’ll start ignoring them.
Best advice: Use Dock analytics for signals, not as a scoreboard.
9. If You Need More: Integrations & Exports
As of early 2024, Dock’s native analytics are solid but basic. If you need more, here’s what’s possible:
- CSV exports: You can export activity logs for deeper analysis (e.g., in Excel).
- CRM integration: Some CRMs can pull Dock engagement data, but setup varies. Check if your CRM is supported.
- Zapier/automation: For power users, you can connect Dock to Slack or email for custom alerts—just don’t overcomplicate it.
Pro tip: If you find yourself spending hours building dashboards, step back. Most teams don’t need that much granularity.
10. Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Tracking engagement in Dock isn’t about chasing every stat. It’s about seeing if your customers are actually using what you send, and making adjustments if not. Get your workspace tidy, keep an eye on the basics, and use what you learn to make things better next time.
Start simple. If something feels confusing or isn’t giving you real answers, skip it. Your time’s better spent helping customers than fiddling with reports.