If you’re responsible for a sales team, you know that tracking performance isn’t just about “more calls” or “bigger numbers.” It’s about understanding what’s working, spotting problems early, and not wasting hours wrestling with dashboards for the sake of it. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone who’s been handed a login to Quackdials and told to “make sense of the data.” We’ll walk through how to set up your dashboards, what metrics actually matter, and a few honest tips on cutting through the noise.
1. Get Your Basics Right: Clean Data, Clear Goals
Before you even open a dashboard, do a quick gut check:
- Is the data reliable? If reps are logging calls late or skipping fields, your numbers will be off. No dashboard can fix garbage in, garbage out. Take ten minutes to check: Are your sales reps actually entering data, or are there big gaps?
- What do you actually want to measure? "Sales performance" is vague. Are you tracking calls made, deals closed, activity by person, or something else? Write down your top 3 questions (e.g., “Who’s actually moving deals forward?” or “Are we following up fast enough?”). This will save you a ton of time later.
Pro tip: If you’re just getting started, stick to tracking one or two things that tie directly to sales outcomes (like meetings set or deals closed). Skip the vanity metrics for now.
2. Set Up Your Quackdials Dashboard (Without Going Overboard)
Quackdials dashboards are built for sales tracking, but like any tool, you can make them as simple or as complicated as you want. Start simple.
A. Log In and Find the Dashboards
- Head to your Quackdials account and click “Dashboards” in the main menu.
- If you’re part of multiple teams, make sure you’re looking at the right group.
B. Choose Key Metrics (Don’t Try to Track Everything)
Here’s what actually matters for most sales teams:
- Calls made: Obvious, but don’t obsess. More isn’t always better.
- Connect rate: How many calls turn into real conversations. This tells you if your team’s getting through.
- Meetings booked / Demos scheduled: The real sign of progress.
- Deals moved to next stage: Not every call leads to a sale, but are you moving things forward?
- Revenue closed: For quota-based teams, this is your north star.
What to skip: “Average call duration” is usually a waste of time. Long calls aren’t always good calls. “Emails sent” is fine, but unless you’re tracking replies, it’s just activity for activity’s sake.
C. Build Your First Dashboard
- Click “Create Dashboard.”
- Name it something clear (e.g., “Team Performance – Q2”).
- Add widgets for each of your top metrics.
- For each widget, pick the right data source (calls, deals, meetings).
- Set the time frame—weekly or monthly views are usually best for spotting trends.
- Save and pin the dashboard for easy access.
Pro tip: Don’t cram everything onto one screen. If you need to track individual rep activity, make a second dashboard just for that.
3. Dig Into Performance By Rep (and Call Out What Matters)
Tracking the team average is fine, but if you want to actually coach people, you need to see what individuals are doing.
- In your dashboard, add a table or leaderboard showing each rep’s numbers for your top metrics.
- Look for outliers: Is someone making twice as many calls but booking half as many meetings? That’s a coaching opportunity—or a sign they’re just going through the motions.
- If you see a sudden drop in activity, don’t panic. Check if it’s a reporting glitch or if someone’s out sick.
Pro tip: Use filters to compare new hires vs. veterans. If ramp times are dragging, look at the data side-by-side.
4. Spot Trends, Not Just Snapshots
One of the biggest mistakes—especially if you’re under pressure from above—is fixating on yesterday’s numbers. Instead, use Quackdials’ trend lines:
- Add line or bar charts for each key metric, broken out by week or month.
- Watch for slow declines (or spikes) over time. If your connect rate drops for three weeks in a row, it’s time to ask why.
- Overlay team activity with results. If calls went up but meetings booked didn’t, maybe your pitch needs work.
What doesn’t work: Staring at daily numbers. Sales is lumpy. Look for patterns, not day-to-day swings.
5. Set Up Alerts (But Don’t Over-Notify Yourself)
Quackdials lets you set up email or in-app alerts for certain thresholds (like if no meetings are booked in a week).
- Use alerts sparingly—otherwise, you’ll start ignoring them.
- Good alert: “No meetings scheduled in 7 days.”
- Bad alert: “Every time someone makes a call.” That’s just noise.
- If you manage a big team, set up alerts by group or region.
Pro tip: Schedule a quick Monday review, using alerts as a starting point—not the whole story.
6. Share Dashboards With the Team (or Keep Some Private)
Transparency can be great, but blasting everyone with every metric can backfire.
- Share the main performance dashboard with the team. It keeps everyone honest and focused.
- Keep coaching dashboards (with more detailed or sensitive data) private or limited to managers.
- If you’re using dashboards in team meetings, stick to a few screens—nobody wants a 20-slide data parade.
7. Avoid Common Pitfalls
- Chasing the wrong numbers: If your team is “winning” on activity but losing on results, rethink what you’re tracking.
- Analysis paralysis: Don’t let dashboards become a substitute for talking to your team. If something looks off, ask questions.
- Ignoring context: A dip in calls might be fine if reps are closing bigger deals, or if it’s the holiday season.
- Poor data hygiene: Review data entry habits every month. If numbers look too good (or bad) to be true, they probably are.
8. Review, Adjust, Repeat
Dashboards aren’t meant to be set-and-forget. Every few months:
- Ask yourself: Are these metrics helping me coach and run the team, or just filling up space?
- Drop any widget nobody looks at.
- Add new metrics only if they’ll change how you manage.
Pro tip: Get feedback from your team. If they’re ignoring the dashboards, find out why—maybe the numbers don’t match their reality.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
The best sales dashboards are the ones you actually use. Start with the basics, focus on what drives sales, and don’t drown yourself (or your team) in charts that don’t matter. If you find yourself spending more time tweaking the dashboard than coaching your reps, it’s time to trim the fat. Set clear goals, keep your data clean, and revisit what you’re tracking every quarter. That’s how you turn analytics into actual results.