One tell tale way to know if you’re really using your CRM/Sales Automation System is whether you’re relying on reports. Rolling up data into useful views can serve any number of purposes, from pipeline to market analysis.
Successful reporting, which is akin to successful CRM, depends on good data integrity and good report design/layout. We’ve covered data integrity in other issues of GoldMine® Success™ and ways to ensure it.
Choosing the best report writer to create your report will make achieving your objectives a whole lot easier. There are popular tools to use with GoldMine for report writing – GoldMine’s native report writer, and two award-winning add-on tools – MasterMine and Stonefield Query. As well as excellent generic report writers such as Crystal Report. (They each have very different benefits to offer, so contact your Solution Partner for an explanation and/or a demonstration!)
Designing an effective report takes a special combination of skills and talents. Including technical abilities, understanding of the subject data structure and an appreciation of how to use the data to tell the story the “owner” or “user” of the reports desires. It often takes more than one person to plan, design and create the report.
Reporting brings the truth out! Reporting can showcase performance (or lack there of), highlight quality issues, or provide important information for other departments to follow-up, etc., etc. Reporting will help you hold users accountable – as they see the output of their input; they’re more likely to appreciate how their attention to detail and activities impact their standing on reports that management uses.
With the New Year, now would be a great time to give more thought to your GoldMine reports and how you can manage smarter through them.
