A CRM report can do one of two things: either show you game-changing insights or hide them in overcomplicated data sets.

CRM reporting features have come a long way. In fact, most CRM companies tout their “advanced built-in reports” as one of their core features. They’re supposed to save you the time and hassle of crafting your own.

But here’s the thing: CRM reports are only effective if they can help you reach your unique goals.

Let’s explore four of the most revealing reports you can generate from CRM and how to use them to grow your business:

1. Most Profitable Customers

The Pareto Principle shows that about 80% of your revenue comes from a mere 20% of your customer base.

These are the buyers that make the biggest impact on your revenue. They’re the most loyal, and they have a greater potential to continue buying from you.

Running a profitability report can help you identify not just your most successful campaigns, but also your most lucrative accounts. As long as you’re tracking purchase history and customer buying habits in your CRM, you should be able to find your top 20%.

If you knew which customers made up that 20%, your marketing and sales teams both stand to benefit.

2. Lead Source Reports

Your CRM likely follows a traditional funnel, with leads dropping out at various stages. But how are the leads entering your funnel?

And more importantly, where do the leads that convert come from?

Most companies rely on multiple points of entry, such as email marketing, social media, paid ads, and cold calling. But knowing which of these produces the most qualified leads and conversions can help you better allocate your marketing spend.

As a result, nearly 90% of businesses who practice lead attribution say it has a positive influence on their business.

3. Activity Reports

CRM has made micromanagement a thing of the past. All you need to do is look at each employee’s activity report to find out how they’re allocating their time.

There may be times where employees aren’t hitting quotas. Or, they may be working longer hours but the results don’t justify the time spent.

Whenever there’s an issue, activity reports can help reveal potential causes and solutions.

Are sales reps missing meetings? Are they sending follow-up emails? Do they make enough cold calls in a day? Are they spending too long on calls?

Tracking individual activities can be helpful in spurring better time management and productivity. Run activity reports per employee each week and see how it improves your sales numbers.

4. Current Issues Report

It’s all too easy to shy away from issues, especially complex ones that no one wants to resolve.

But CRM’s core purpose is to prevent fine details from slipping through the cracks. It’s essential you stay on top of current issues and gauge your progress toward a resolution.

Otherwise, issues that aren’t being worked on could pose a potential threat to your revenue.

What’s In Your CRM Report?

Most CRM suites offer seemingly infinite ways to run a CRM report. It’s up to you to decide what information is worth seeing so you can use that data to make a positive impact on your business.

Is your CRM collecting the data you really need? Reach out today to see how our custom solutions ensure you never miss an opportunity to grow.