If you’ve ever lost a deal because you “thought they were still interested,” or had no idea which customer emails mattered, you’re not alone. Sales is messy. Demos, pricing calls, back-and-forth emails—it’s all too easy to miss the signals that a deal’s heating up or going cold. If you want to spend less time guessing and more time actually selling, this guide is for you.
We’re going deep on activity timelines in Getcacheflow. You’ll see what they track, how to set them up, and—most importantly—how to cut through the noise and use them to actually improve your deals. No fluff, just what works.
Why activity timelines matter (and where they fall short)
Let’s be honest: most CRMs promise “deal visibility,” but what you get is a jumble of notes, cryptic status fields, and maybe a sad little email log. You end up chasing deals that are going nowhere, or miss out on ones that needed just a nudge.
Activity timelines try to fix that by giving you a running feed of everything happening with a deal—who opened the proposal, who asked for a redline, who went missing for two weeks. It’s all in one place. Used right, they’re gold for:
- Spotting which deals are actually moving (not just “stuck in pipeline”).
- Knowing who’s engaged on the buyer side—and who’s just lurking.
- Timing your follow-ups so you don’t annoy or, worse, get forgotten.
But here’s the thing: timelines aren’t magic. If you fill them with noise (“email sent,” “email sent,” “email sent”), they’re just another to-do list you’ll ignore. The real value comes from knowing what to look for, and what to ignore.
Step 1: Getting started with Getcacheflow’s activity timelines
First things first—activity timelines in Getcacheflow aren’t just a fancier email log. They’re designed to surface meaningful buyer and seller actions tied directly to your deals.
What gets tracked
Out of the box, you’ll see:
- Document views (Proposals, contracts, NDAs)
- Edits and comments (Who’s changing what, who’s asking questions)
- Approvals and signatures (When legal or finance finally gives the green light)
- Shared links (Who forwards what, and where it goes)
- Key emails (Not every email, just the ones that matter—think proposal sends, follow-ups, reminders)
You can also see internal actions (like when your team updates a deal stage), but honestly, don’t get too distracted by these unless your process is super buttoned up.
How to set it up
If you’re already using Getcacheflow, timelines show up automatically on each deal record. No extra setup. But here are a few things you should do:
- Connect your email/calendar so Getcacheflow can log meetings and key emails.
- Make sure your team is uploading documents through the platform—otherwise you’ll miss document engagement.
- Customize notification settings so you don’t get pinged every time someone breathes.
Pro tip: Skip the urge to backfill every old deal with manual updates. Start fresh with your active pipeline. Timelines are only useful if they’re accurate and up to date.
Step 2: Reading the timeline—signals that actually matter
Here’s where most people go wrong: they treat every activity as equally important. That’s a fast way to get overwhelmed.
Engagement signals to watch
Focus on these signs:
-
Multiple stakeholders viewing documents
If you see legal, finance, or a VP looking at your proposal, that’s a good sign the deal’s moving up the food chain. -
Repeat views or late-night activity
Someone’s looking at your pricing at 11pm? They’re thinking about you. That’s usually a strong buying signal. -
Commenting and redlining
Actual feedback beats “looks good” silence. If they’re nitpicking, they’re invested. -
Forwarding links outside the initial group
If your proposal’s been viewed by people you’ve never met, it’s being socialized internally—a sign of real interest, or at least real consideration. -
Sudden drop in activity
If things go quiet after lots of back-and-forth, something’s up. Time to check in.
What to ignore
-
One-off email opens
People open emails all the time—doesn’t mean they read them. -
Internal status changes
Unless you’re managing a big sales team, who moved the deal to “Contracting” probably doesn’t matter to your day-to-day. -
Automated reminders
Treat these as background noise.
Pro tip: Set up a quick daily or weekly review where you only look for these key signals. Don’t doomscroll your entire activity log.
Step 3: Using timelines to drive follow-up and strategy
All the tracking in the world is useless if it doesn’t change what you do. Here’s how to actually act on what you see.
Timing your outreach
-
Strike when interest is high:
If you see a flurry of document views or new stakeholders joining, don’t wait a week to follow up. That’s a signal to check in, answer questions, or nudge the decision. -
Know when to back off:
If a buyer’s gone dark after heavy engagement, don’t keep spamming. Reference the timeline (“Saw you had a chance to check out the proposal last week—any questions?”) and give space.
Prioritizing deals
Not every deal deserves your full attention. Use the timeline to:
-
Spot active deals:
Prioritize deals with lots of engagement and multiple stakeholders involved. -
Identify stuck deals:
If nothing’s happened for two weeks, move it to a “stalled” list or set a reminder to revisit later. -
Escalate when you see red flags:
If a key decision-maker stopped engaging, bring it up with your champion—“Noticed finance hasn’t weighed in yet, is there anything blocking on their end?”
Coaching and team reviews
If you’re managing a team, timelines are a great way to cut through hand-wavy pipeline reviews. Instead of “How’s Acme Corp looking?” you can point to actual activity:
- “They redlined the contract yesterday, and their VP reviewed the pricing. Feels real.”
- Or: “No one’s opened the follow-up in two weeks. Let’s move on.”
Step 4: Avoiding common timeline traps
It’s easy to get timeline fatigue. Here’s what to watch out for:
Too much data, not enough insight
Don’t let your team drown in activity logs. Instead:
- Focus on patterns, not one-off events.
- Use filters or custom views to surface only key activities.
- Regularly clean up irrelevant notifications.
Over-valuing “engagement”
Just because someone opens your proposal a lot doesn’t mean they’ll buy. Some people are just curious—or bored. Combine timeline data with real conversations and gut feel.
Forgetting about deal context
An active timeline on a $2k deal isn’t the same as on a $200k deal. Set your own thresholds for what matters at different deal sizes.
Step 5: Customizing timelines to fit your workflow
The default settings in Getcacheflow work for most, but if you want to get more out of timelines:
- Set up custom activity tags—label things like “Legal Review” or “Exec Approval” so you can filter fast.
- Integrate with your CRM—push timeline highlights to Salesforce, HubSpot, or wherever you actually live day-to-day.
- Turn off the noise—disable tracking for activities you don’t care about (like automated reminders).
If you’re a power user, look into the API to pull timeline data into your own dashboards—but honestly, most teams don’t need this unless you’re at enterprise scale.
What’s actually worth tracking (and what isn’t)
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
- Track meaningful buyer actions: Who’s involved, who’s commenting, who’s signing.
- Don’t get distracted by internal busywork: Most internal updates are just noise.
- Use the timeline as a prompt for action, not a substitute for selling: It’s a tool, not a crutch.
Keep it simple—and iterate
Sales tools should make your life easier, not busier. Start with the basics: connect your email, watch for real buyer engagement, and use timelines to guide your follow-ups. Don’t try to track everything. As you see what works (and what doesn’t), tweak your setup.
In the end, the best activity timeline is the one you actually use. Keep it simple, trust your instincts, and let the data help you spend your time where it counts.