If you manage a field sales team, you know the pain of chasing reps about forgotten visits and drawn-out planning. You bought Skynamo to solve this, but now you’re staring at a dashboard, wondering how to actually get those automated visit schedules humming. This guide is for anyone who wants less admin and more action out of their Skynamo subscription—no fluff, no buzzwords, just what actually works.
What You Need Before You Start
Let’s not waste time: Before you dive in, make sure you’ve got the basics lined up.
- Admin access to Skynamo (you can’t set up automated schedules without it).
- Your customer list imported and cleaned up. Duplicates or old contacts will just cause headaches.
- A rough idea of who should visit whom, and how often (weekly, monthly, etc.).
- Your team added as users in Skynamo.
If you’re missing any of these, pause and sort them out first. Otherwise, you’ll just be fixing mistakes later.
Step 1: Get Your Customer Data Ready
Don’t gloss over this. Automation is only as good as your data. If your customer info’s a mess, your reps will end up at the wrong places, or worse—missing key accounts.
- Check for duplicates: Skynamo doesn’t magically merge them.
- Add visit frequency fields: If your customer data doesn’t have “visit every X weeks,” add it now. You’ll need it for automation.
- Segment by priority: Not all customers need the same attention. Tag your A, B, and C accounts if possible.
Pro tip: Take 30 minutes to audit your accounts. It’s boring, but it’ll save you hours down the line.
Step 2: Decide on Your Visit Rules
Automation is not magic—it follows rules. Figure out what you want first.
Ask yourself: - How often should each type of customer be visited? (e.g., A accounts weekly, B accounts bi-weekly, etc.) - Do some reps only cover certain regions or customers? - Are there blackout dates (holidays, company events, etc.)?
Write this down or dump it in a spreadsheet. You’ll use it in the next step.
Step 3: Set Up Visit Frequencies in Skynamo
Now, into the software. Skynamo lets you set visit frequencies at the customer level.
- Go to the Customers module.
- Open a customer record.
- Find the “Visit Frequency” or “Visit Schedule” option (naming can differ, but it’s usually obvious).
- Select how often this customer should be visited (weekly, monthly, custom).
- Save.
Repeat for each customer, or do a bulk update if you’ve got a lot (Skynamo’s import/export tools can help here).
What works: Bulk updating visit frequencies is a huge time-saver if you’ve got your data clean.
What doesn’t: Trying to mass-assign frequencies before segmenting your customers. You’ll just have to redo it.
Step 4: Assign Customers to Sales Reps
Automation only helps if the right rep is assigned to the right customer.
- In Skynamo, open the customer record and look for the “Assigned Rep” or “Owner” field.
- Assign each customer to the appropriate rep or team.
- If you have rotating territories, set up rules for rotation—don’t try to hack this with notes fields.
Ignore: The temptation to assign everyone to “All Reps” just to get things moving faster. It creates confusion and missed visits.
Pro tip: If you’re still sorting out territories, start with your key accounts and expand out.
Step 5: Configure Automated Visit Schedules
Here’s where the magic happens. This is Skynamo’s “Scheduled Visits” or sometimes “Recurring Visits” feature.
- Navigate to the Visit Scheduling tool. Usually under “Scheduling” or “Visits.”
- Choose “Create New Schedule” or similar.
- Select the customers and reps you want to include.
- Set the frequency (matches what you set in Step 3).
- Choose start dates, end dates, and any exceptions (like public holidays).
- Save or publish the schedule.
Skynamo will now automatically add these visits to each rep’s calendar.
What works: Setting up schedules for small groups first, then scaling up. It’s easier to spot errors.
What doesn’t: Trying to set up schedules for your entire customer base in one go. Mistakes multiply fast.
Step 6: Set Up Notifications and Reminders
Automation is useless if nobody knows what’s happening. Make sure reps get notified.
- In Skynamo’s settings, look for “Notifications” or “Reminders.”
- Enable automated reminders for upcoming visits—ideally 24 hours before.
- Encourage reps to set mobile push notifications on their devices.
Pro tip: Don’t overdo it on reminders. Too many, and reps will ignore them. One well-timed nudge is enough.
Step 7: Test with a Pilot Group
Don’t roll this out to your whole team on day one. Pick a few reps and a manageable list of customers.
- Check that visits appear as expected on their calendars.
- Make sure reminders are working.
- Ask for feedback—what’s confusing, what’s missing?
What to ignore: Fancy reporting at this stage. Focus on the basics: Are reps seeing the right visits, at the right time?
Step 8: Train Your Team (Briefly)
Don’t run a three-hour training. This isn’t brain surgery. Show your reps:
- Where to find their scheduled visits.
- How to tick off completed visits.
- What to do if a visit needs rescheduling (most reps will figure this out, but cover it anyway).
Keep it short. Written guides or a 10-minute video work well.
Step 9: Monitor and Adjust
Things will break. People will forget to tick off visits. Customers’ needs will change. That’s normal.
- Check the visit completion rates in Skynamo’s reports after a week or two.
- Adjust frequencies or assignments as needed.
- Remove or add customers to schedules as your business evolves.
Pro tip: Revisit your schedules every quarter. Automation is not “set and forget.”
Step 10: Avoid the Most Common Pitfalls
Here’s what trips up most teams:
- Dirty data: Bad customer info means bad schedules.
- Too-ambitious rollout: Don’t automate everything at once. Start small.
- Overcomplicating rules: The simpler, the better. If you need a whiteboard to explain your schedule, it’s too complex.
- Ignoring feedback: Reps know what works on the ground. Listen to them.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automated visit schedules can save you a ton of hassle, but only if you keep the process simple and stay on top of it. Don’t get bogged down trying to automate every edge case or please everyone at once. Get the basics running, see what works, and tweak as you go.
Remember: Good automation comes from clean data, simple rules, and a willingness to adjust. Start small, expand as you see results, and don’t be afraid to ditch what isn’t working. If in doubt, ask your reps—they’ll tell you what’s actually helping (or not).