CRM Dashboard
The CRM Dashboard is your command center for daily customer relationship management. Instead of opening individual customer records to check on tasks, deals, tickets, and recent activity, the dashboard brings all of this information together on a single screen. It answers the most important daily questions at a glance: What am I overdue on? What is due today? Where do my deals stand? What tickets need attention? And what have I been working on recently?
This article covers everything you need to know about the CRM Dashboard: how to access it, what each panel displays, how data filtering works, and how to incorporate the dashboard into your daily workflow.
Accessing the Dashboard
To open the CRM Dashboard:
- Click CRM in the main menu bar.
- Click Dashboard from the dropdown menu.
- The CRM Dashboard form (FrmCRMDashboard) opens within the main application window within the main application.
The dashboard requires the CRM_VIEW_DASHBOARD permission. If you do not have this permission, the Dashboard menu item will not appear in the CRM menu.
Location Filter
At the top of the dashboard, a Location dropdown lets you filter the data by location. If your business operates multiple locations, this filter controls which location's data is displayed across all four dashboard panels.
The dashboard respects your location access permissions. You will only see locations that you have been granted access to in your user settings. If you have access to a single location, the dropdown will show only that location and no filtering is needed.
The data displayed on the dashboard is further filtered by visibility settings. For example, if your location's crm_deal_visibility is set to "owner_only," the My Pipeline panel will only show deals assigned to you, even if other deals exist at the location. Users with override permissions (such as CRM_VIEW_ALL_DEALS or CRM_VIEW_ALL_TASKS) will see all relevant data regardless of the visibility setting.
The Four Dashboard Panels
The dashboard is organized into four distinct panels, each focused on a different aspect of your CRM activity. Together, they provide a comprehensive overview of your workload and priorities.
Panel 1: My Pipeline
The My Pipeline panel gives you a snapshot of your active sales pipeline. It shows your open deals grouped by pipeline stage, with value summaries for each stage.
What It Displays
- Deals grouped by stage — Your open deals are organized under their current pipeline stage headings (for example, Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Negotiation). Each stage heading shows the number of deals and the total value of deals in that stage.
- Individual deal entries — Under each stage heading, individual deals are listed with their name, value, probability, expected close date, and assigned user.
- Total weighted pipeline value — At the bottom of the panel, the total weighted pipeline value is displayed. This is calculated by multiplying each deal's value by its probability and summing the results across all open deals. This figure gives you a probability-adjusted forecast of your expected revenue.
How to Use It
The My Pipeline panel helps you understand where your deals stand at a glance. Look for:
- Deals bunched in early stages — If most of your deals are in Lead or Qualified, you may need to focus on advancing them through the pipeline.
- Deals with past expected close dates — These deals may need attention or re-evaluation.
- High-value deals in late stages — These are close to closing and should be prioritized.
- The weighted pipeline value trend — Over time, tracking this number helps you understand whether your pipeline is growing, shrinking, or stable.
Panel 2: My Tasks
The My Tasks panel is the most action-oriented section of the dashboard. It shows your tasks organized into three color-coded sections that make it immediately clear what needs your attention.
Overdue (Red Background)
Tasks that are past their due date and have not been completed or cancelled. These are displayed with a red background to signal urgency. Each overdue task shows:
- Task title
- Due date (showing how many days overdue)
- Priority badge (Low/Medium/High/Urgent with corresponding color)
- Related deal or ticket (if linked)
Overdue tasks should be your first priority when you open the dashboard each morning. Either complete them immediately, update their due dates if the deadline has shifted, or cancel them if they are no longer relevant.
Due Today (Amber Background)
Tasks that are due before the end of the current day. These are displayed with an amber/yellow background as a warning that time is running out. Each task shows the same information as overdue tasks: title, due date, priority, and related deal or ticket.
Due Today tasks represent your current day's action items. After addressing overdue tasks, work through these to stay on schedule.
Upcoming (Normal Background)
Tasks with due dates in the future. These are displayed without any special highlighting. They represent work that is planned but not yet urgent. Review upcoming tasks to plan your week and ensure nothing is likely to become overdue without you noticing.
Task Information Displayed
For each task in all three sections, the following information is shown:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The task name describing what needs to be done. |
| Due Date | When the task is due. For overdue tasks, this helps you see how far behind you are. |
| Priority | The priority badge with color coding: Low (gray), Medium (blue), High (orange), Urgent (red). |
| Related To | If the task is linked to a deal, it shows "Deal: [Name]". If linked to a ticket, it shows "Ticket: #[ID]". |
Panel 3: My Open Tickets
The My Open Tickets panel shows support tickets that are assigned to you and are still open (not resolved or closed). Tickets are sorted by priority, with the most urgent tickets displayed first.
Sort Order
Tickets are displayed in the following priority order:
- Urgent — Displayed first, these tickets require immediate attention.
- High — Important tickets that should be addressed soon.
- Medium — Standard tickets with normal urgency.
- Low — Low-priority tickets that can be handled when time permits.
Within each priority level, tickets are sorted by age (oldest first), ensuring that the longest-waiting tickets get attention.
Ticket Information Displayed
For each ticket, the panel shows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Subject | The ticket's subject line, summarizing the customer's issue or request. |
| Priority | A color-coded badge matching the priority level (same color scheme as task priorities). |
| Status | The current ticket status (for example, Open, In Progress, Waiting on Customer). |
| Age | The number of days since the ticket was created. Older tickets may need escalation or follow-up. |
How to Use It
The My Open Tickets panel helps you manage your support workload. Look for:
- Urgent and High tickets at the top — Address these first.
- High-age tickets — A ticket that has been open for many days may indicate a stalled issue that needs escalation or a fresh approach.
- Ticket count — If your ticket count is consistently high, it may be time to discuss workload distribution with your manager.
Panel 4: Recent Activity
The Recent Activity panel shows the last 20 activities you have logged across all customers. It provides a chronological record of your recent CRM interactions.
Activity Information Displayed
For each activity, the panel shows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Date | When the activity was logged. |
| Customer | The name of the customer the activity was logged against. |
| Type | The type of activity (Call, Email, Meeting, Note, or other configured types). |
| Subject | A brief description of the activity. |
How to Use It
The Recent Activity panel is useful for:
- Reviewing your day's work — At the end of the day, scan the panel to confirm that all interactions were logged.
- Picking up where you left off — At the start of a new day, the panel reminds you of your most recent interactions, helping you resume conversations smoothly.
- Identifying gaps — If you notice that several days have passed without any logged activities for a particular customer, it may be time to reach out.
Refreshing the Dashboard
The CRM Dashboard loads data when it is first opened. It does not auto-refresh in the background. This means that if data changes while the dashboard is open (for example, a colleague completes a task or a new deal is created), the dashboard will not update automatically.
To refresh the dashboard and see the latest data:
- Press F5 on your keyboard, or
- Click the Refresh button on the dashboard ToolStrip.
Both actions reload all four panels with the most current data from the database. Refreshing is quick and can be done as often as needed throughout the day.
Recommended Daily Workflow
The CRM Dashboard is most effective when it becomes part of your daily routine. Here is a recommended workflow for using the dashboard to stay on top of your CRM responsibilities:
Morning Check-in
- Open the dashboard first thing — Before diving into emails or other work, open the CRM Dashboard to get an overview of your day.
- Check overdue tasks (red section) — These are your highest priority. For each overdue task, decide whether to complete it now, reschedule it, or cancel it if it is no longer relevant.
- Review today's tasks (amber section) — These are your action items for the day. Plan your schedule around completing them before they become overdue.
- Scan the pipeline — Look at the My Pipeline panel for deals that need attention, especially those with approaching expected close dates or high values in late stages.
- Check the ticket queue — Review My Open Tickets for any urgent or high-priority issues that need immediate response.
Midday Check-in
- Refresh the dashboard — Press F5 to reload the data.
- Check for new overdue tasks — Tasks that were due in the morning may now be overdue if they were not completed.
- Review any new tickets — Check if new tickets have been assigned to you since the morning.
End-of-Day Review
- Refresh the dashboard one final time.
- Review Recent Activity — Confirm that all of the day's customer interactions were logged.
- Preview upcoming tasks — Look at the upcoming tasks section to prepare for tomorrow.
- Check pipeline movement — See if any deals advanced or if new deals were created during the day.
Tips and Best Practices
- Make the dashboard your home screen — Open it first thing every morning and keep it accessible throughout the day. The more frequently you check it, the less likely tasks or tickets will slip through the cracks.
- Address overdue tasks immediately — The red overdue section exists to create urgency. Do not let overdue tasks accumulate. If a task cannot be completed right away, update its due date to a realistic new deadline so the dashboard accurately reflects your workload.
- Use the pipeline panel for forecasting — The weighted pipeline value is a useful metric for forecasting expected revenue. Track it over weeks and months to identify trends in your sales pipeline.
- Pay attention to ticket age — Tickets with high age values may indicate bottlenecks in your support process. If a ticket has been open for many days, consider escalating it or asking a colleague for assistance.
- Log activities consistently — The Recent Activity panel is only useful if activities are logged consistently. Make it a habit to log every call, email, meeting, and note. The dashboard then becomes a reliable timeline of your customer interactions.
- Refresh before making decisions — Because the dashboard does not auto-refresh, always press F5 before using dashboard data to make decisions or report on your workload. This ensures you are working with the most current information.
What to Read Next
- CRM Menu & Navigation — Overview of how CRM features are organized in the AccuArk menu system
- Sales Pipeline Overview — Understand pipeline stages, deal tracking, and weighted values in detail