How should I use Dashboards in SalesScreen?

Role: All users, Managers and Company Admins
​Plan: All plans

Dashboards turn performance data into a clear story.

They help you understand where you are, where you are heading and what needs attention before the period is over. Instead of waiting for a weekly report or only reviewing final results, you can use current data to adjust your actions while there is still time to make an impact.

A useful dashboard should answer three questions:

The goal is not simply to measure performance. It is to make progress visible and help people take action.

If you are an end user: Dashboards help you understand your own results, follow progress toward your goals and decide what to focus on next. Your performance should never feel like a surprise.

If you are a team leader or manager: Dashboards give you early signals about team performance. Use them to recognize progress, spot where support is needed and make coaching conversations more focused.

If you are an admin: Dashboards help you connect company priorities to the daily actions of teams and individuals. Build a clear and trustworthy structure that gives each audience the information they need.

Before choosing metrics or designing a dashboard, decide what the dashboard should help someone understand or do.

For example:

Every dashboard should support a decision, conversation or action. If a widget does not help someone understand or improve performance, it may not need to be there.

Final results matter, but they often arrive too late to change.

Use dashboards to connect lagging indicators, such as sales or revenue, with leading indicators, such as calls, meetings, opportunities or proposals.

Leading indicators show the behaviours people can influence today. Lagging indicators show whether those behaviours are creating the desired result.

For example, if sales are behind target, a manager can use the dashboard to check whether meeting activity, pipeline creation or another leading indicator is also falling behind. This creates a clearer and more actionable conversation than simply asking the team to sell more.

A strong dashboard does not need to show everything.

Start with a small set of meaningful metrics that connect daily behaviour to business outcomes:

Too many metrics create noise and make it difficult to understand what matters. A focused dashboard makes priorities clear and helps users know where to direct their effort.

If everything is highlighted, nothing feels important.

The same performance story should not look identical for everyone.

Focus on personal progress, targets and the activities the individual can influence. Give users enough context to understand their performance without overwhelming them.

Show team progress, leading indicators, outcomes and trends. The dashboard should make it easier to identify who deserves recognition, who may need support and where the team should focus next.

Connect team activity to broader business priorities. Keep the main view focused on direction and outcomes while allowing relevant teams or departments to be explored when needed.

Widgets can present information at user, team or company level and show progress toward targets.

A number without context rarely tells the full story.

Use targets, trends and relevant periods to help users understand whether performance is on track, improving or falling behind.

Choose a default period that matches the rhythm of the work:

SalesScreen dashboards can use a default period, while viewers may be able to change the period when filtering is available.

The goal is to help users quickly understand what the data means — not make them interpret a complex report.

Dashboards create value when they change what someone does next.

The purpose is not to use data to catch people making mistakes. It is to create a shared understanding of what is working, what needs attention and how to improve.

Progress motivates people in different ways.

Some users are motivated by improving their own results. Others respond to rankings, team goals, recognition or discovering new ways to succeed.

Use dashboards accordingly:

A dashboard provides visibility, but visibility alone will not motivate everyone. Combine dashboard insights with relevant coaching, recognition, achievements and competitions.

Dashboards work best when they become part of how the team operates.

Use them during:

Ask action-oriented questions:

When managers consistently use dashboards, they spend less time collecting numbers and more time helping their teams improve.

Start with the outcome. Decide what the dashboard should help someone understand or do.

Keep it focused. Every dashboard should have a clear audience and purpose.

Connect activities to results. Show both leading and lagging indicators so users understand what drives performance.

Make it actionable. Use the dashboard to identify the next action, not only describe what already happened.

Provide context. Use targets, periods and trends so users understand what the numbers mean.

Make it relevant. End users should see data they can influence. Managers should see information that supports recognition and coaching.

Use fewer, more flexible dashboards. Dynamic filtering can make one dashboard relevant across multiple teams or departments, reducing the need for separate dashboards for every group.

Keep the data trustworthy. Validate metrics and definitions before making dashboards part of the team’s routine.

Review and simplify. Remove widgets that no longer support a decision, conversation or business priority.

Want broader guidance on building adoption from the beginning? See Set Up SalesScreen for Long-Term Success.

A good dashboard should show the few metrics that help its audience understand current performance, progress toward goals and what to focus on next.

A leading indicator is a behaviour or activity that can influence a future result, such as calls or meetings. A lagging indicator is the final outcome, such as sales, revenue or deals won.

Start with a small set of important metrics. Add more only when they support a clear question, decision or action.

End users should use their dashboard to understand their own progress, identify what needs attention and choose the next action that can improve their results.

Managers should use dashboards to spot early signals, recognize progress and have more focused coaching conversations based on shared data.

Admins should begin with the audience and desired outcome, then select the metrics, periods and views that make the right performance story clear.

Not necessarily. Dynamic filtering can allow one dashboard to adapt to the user, team or department viewing it, making the setup easier to maintain.

Dashboard visibility and filtering can follow the company’s privacy settings and the viewer’s access. A user may therefore see only their own data or information within their permitted scope.

Dashboards make progress visible, but people are motivated differently. Use dashboards together with relevant coaching, recognition, achievements and competitions to engage different members of the team.