If you run B2B sales, you know that keeping the pipeline healthy and forecasting accurately is harder than it looks on paper. There's a lot of noise—tools that promise "transformational" results but mostly add more dashboards. If you’re here, you’ve probably heard of Akoonu. Maybe you want the straight story: What does it actually do for revenue operations and forecasting? What’s worth your time, and what isn’t?
This guide cuts through the fluff. Below, I’ll break down Akoonu’s core features, highlight where it genuinely helps B2B teams, and point out the bits you can safely ignore if you’re short on hours (aren’t we all?).
Who Should Care About Akoonu?
- RevOps leaders tired of patching together data from five different SaaS platforms.
- Sales managers who need clean, actionable pipeline views (not just pretty charts).
- Anyone who’s been burned by forecasting tools that look good in QBRs but never actually help close more deals.
If you’re running a small B2B sales team or deep into enterprise territory, Akoonu’s main value is in keeping sales data actionable and your pipeline honest. Let’s get into the specifics.
1. Real-Time Pipeline Visibility (That’s Actually Useful)
Every sales tool claims to give you “full pipeline visibility.” Most just drown you in data. Here’s where Akoonu stands out—at least, when it’s set up right.
What Works
- Dynamic Pipeline Views: You get customizable, filterable pipeline snapshots—by rep, by stage, by region, whatever. This helps you spot stuck deals and sandbagging fast. You don’t have to open five tabs or pull a CSV.
- Change Tracking: Akoonu tracks deal movement over time, so you can see not just where a deal is, but how it’s progressed (or stalled). Useful for coaching, not just reporting.
- Simple Drilldowns: Click any stage or deal to get context—notes, activity, next steps—without a maze of menus.
Pro Tip: If your team isn’t disciplined about updating Salesforce (or whatever you use), no tool can magically “fix” that. Akoonu surfaces bad data, but you’ll still need to drive good habits.
What’s Overhyped
- “AI Insights” are only as good as your data. Akoonu’s machine learning is fine, but it won’t magically predict the future if your reps treat CRM fields like a suggestion box.
2. Guided Sales Processes (for the Real World)
Standardizing your sales process sounds great until you try to roll it out. Akoonu’s playbooks and guided selling tools are practical, not preachy.
What Works
- Playbooks Embedded in Workflow: Instead of a dusty PDF, Akoonu brings your sales methodology (MEDDIC, SPIN, custom) right into the opportunity view. Reps get prompts and reminders in context—not homework to do after calls.
- Required Fields and Checklists: You can set up deal stages that require certain fields or steps before moving forward. This keeps deals progressing and data cleaner.
- Buyer Roles & Stakeholder Mapping: Akoonu makes it easy to map out who’s actually involved on the buyer side, so you stop getting blindsided by surprise decision-makers.
Pro Tip: Don’t overload playbooks. The best ones are short, focused, and match how your team really works. If you try to force a 30-step process, your reps will ignore it.
What’s Overhyped
- “Process Enforcement” can turn into busywork. Akoonu helps, but if your process is broken, no amount of pop-up reminders will save it.
3. Sales Forecasting That’s (Relatively) Trustworthy
Forecasting is where most sales tools overpromise. Akoonu’s approach is solid, but let’s be real: it’s only as good as your input.
What Works
- Roll-Up Forecasts: Easily see forecasts by rep, team, or territory. Akoonu surfaces both rep-submitted forecasts and model-driven projections, so you can compare gut feel with data-driven numbers.
- Deal Health Scoring: Akoonu gives each deal a “health score” based on activity, stage movement, and other factors. This isn’t magic, but it’s a solid gut-check—especially for spotting deals that look big but are going nowhere.
- Scenario Planning: You can run “what if” scenarios (e.g., if we slip $200k, what’s the impact?) without a giant spreadsheet.
Pro Tip: Use Akoonu’s “deal health” as a conversation starter, not gospel. It’s a nudge to ask, “Are we really going to close this one?”—not a crystal ball.
What’s Overhyped
- “Predictive Forecasts” aren’t foolproof. Akoonu does better than most, but don’t hang your quarter on an algorithm. Always pressure-test big deals the old-fashioned way.
4. Revenue Operations Automation
If you’re drowning in manual updates and Slack threads about “where’s that deal at?”, Akoonu can help automate some of the grunt work.
What Works
- Automated Deal Updates: Akoonu can nudge reps for updates when deals stall, or when required steps aren’t completed. You get fewer end-of-quarter fire drills.
- Integration with Email/Calendar: Syncs with your existing tools so activity logging isn’t a nightmare. Less double entry.
- Reporting Automation: Scheduled reports and alerts keep everyone on the same page. No more chasing people for pipeline snapshots.
Pro Tip: Set up alerts for exceptions (stalled deals, deals missing key info) instead of just daily summaries. You want signal, not more noise.
What’s Overhyped
- “Full Automation” is a myth. Akoonu gets you 70% of the way, but someone still has to review deals and clean up the edge cases.
5. Customization Without Needing an Admin Army
A lot of sales tools require a Salesforce admin just to change a field. Akoonu strikes a decent balance—you can tweak most things yourself.
What Works
- Configurable Playbooks and Fields: You can adjust stages, required fields, and playbook steps without IT. This is huge if your process changes often.
- Role-Based Views: Reps, managers, and execs see what matters to them. No one’s wading through irrelevant screens.
- Template Library: Akoonu comes with starter templates for common B2B sales motions, so you’re not building from scratch.
Pro Tip: Start simple. Customize as your team adopts the tool, not before. Too much setup upfront leads to a graveyard of unused fields.
What’s Overhyped
- “No-Code Everything”—you’ll still need to think through process changes, and complex integrations may require help.
What to Ignore (At Least for Now)
A few Akoonu features sound nice but rarely deliver big wins unless you’re running a massive sales org:
- Deep Analytics Dashboards: If you already use Tableau or Power BI, Akoonu’s analytics are a “nice to have,” not a replacement.
- Gamification Widgets: Focus on making the sales process easier, not just adding badges and leaderboards.
- Heavy Custom Integrations: Unless you have a dedicated ops team, integrating Akoonu with every tool in your stack is more pain than payoff.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Akoonu packs a lot in, but the real value is in using a handful of features well—clean pipeline visibility, guided selling, basic forecasting, and automation to save your team from grunt work. Don’t go feature-crazy out of the gate. Set up what you need, ignore the rest, and let your process evolve as your team learns what’s actually helpful.
Sales ops isn’t about more dashboards—it’s about making it easier for reps to sell and managers to see what’s real. Start simple, get everyone on board, and tweak as you go. That’s how you move the needle—Akoonu or not.