A useful CRM view should tell someone what to do next. Start with one queue, define the records that belong in it, and check the results against real leads before relying on it.
Full Interview With Chad:
Smart Views Explained: The Most Underused Revenue Tool in GorillaDesk
In Part 1, we talked about a problem most owners don’t see until it’s already costing them money.
Leads slip through the cracks.
Estimates don’t get followed up on.
Past customers disappear into the void.
Not because the business owner doesn’t care, but because chaos scales faster than memory.
This is where Smart Views come in.
And despite how powerful they are, they’re one of the most underused tools in GorillaDesk.
What Smart Views Actually Are (In Plain English)
Smart Views are dynamic, self-updating lists built from your customer data.
They are not static reports.
They are not spreadsheets.
They are not something you have to constantly manage.
They automatically update themselves based on rules you define.
Think of Smart Views as:
- Living to-do lists
- Automatic follow-up queues
- Segmented marketing audiences
- Real-time visibility into what matters right now
Instead of asking, “Who do I need to follow up with today?”
You open GorillaDesk, and the answer is already there.
Why Most Businesses Never Reach This Level
Most owners rely on:
- Their inbox
- Their memory
- Their admin “keeping track of things”
That works when volume is low.
But as Chad explained in the podcast, once leads start coming in consistently, that system breaks fast.
Smart Views exist for one reason:
So nothing ever falls through the cracks again.
The Lead Follow-Up Problem (Solved)
One of the most practical uses Chad shared was building a multi-day follow-up cadence using Smart Views.
Here’s the concept, not the tech jargon:
- Day 1: Leads that came in today and haven’t been called
- Day 2: Leads that have received one call
- Day 3: Leads that have received two calls
- Day 4–5: Continued follow-up based on call attempts
You don’t move leads manually.
You don’t drag and drop anything.
Once a lead no longer fits the rules of one Smart View, it automatically appears in the next one.
That’s the power.
The system enforces discipline even when humans get busy.
Visibility Changes Behavior
Here’s something important that doesn’t get talked about enough.
When your team can see:
- How many leads haven’t been called
- How many estimates are sitting untouched
- How many opportunities are stalled
Behavior changes.
Not because you yelled at anyone.
Not because you added pressure.
But because visibility creates accountability.
Smart Views make problems obvious instead of hidden.
Smart Views Aren’t Just for Leads
This is where most people stop thinking too early.
Smart Views aren’t just for new leads.
They can be used for:
- Past customers who haven’t been contacted in months
- One-time service customers who qualify for recurring plans
- Lost opportunities worth revisiting
- Seasonal campaigns (mosquito, termite, winter services)
- Admin task prioritization
Anywhere there is data, Smart Views can organize it.
Why This Is a Revenue Tool, Not an Admin Feature
A lot of CRMs get labeled as “admin software.”
That mindset is expensive.
Smart Views don’t just save time.
They recover money you already paid to acquire.
Every missed follow-up is sunk marketing cost.
Every forgotten estimate is wasted opportunity.
Every ignored past customer is lost lifetime value.
Smart Views turn your database into an asset instead of a graveyard.
The Real Shift: From Reactive to Proactive
Without Smart Views, most businesses are reactive:
- Responding to whoever calls today
- Dealing with what’s loudest
- Forgetting what’s quiet but valuable
With Smart Views, the business becomes proactive:
- Following up intentionally
- Touching leads multiple times
- Revisiting old opportunities
- Operating with clarity instead of chaos
This is how small teams compete with much larger companies.
Put it to work: design one useful follow-up view
Start with the decision the view needs to support. For example: “Which unsold estimates need a follow-up today?” That is a more useful starting point than trying to display everything in your CRM at once.
- Define what belongs in the queue. A starting design might include open estimates with a next-contact date on or before today and a named owner. Translate that into the fields available in your current CRM; screen names and automation options can vary.
- Define what should leave. Accepted jobs, closed opportunities, and people who have asked not to be contacted should not stay in the same outreach queue.
- Decide what the person must record. After a contact attempt, the record should show what happened and the next action or final status.
- Check the exceptions separately. Leads without an owner or a next-contact date can disappear from an otherwise well-designed view. Give those records their own check.
Test before you trust the list
Take a handful of actual records and compare them with the view. Does an overdue estimate appear? Does an accepted estimate leave? What happens when a date or owner is missing?
A self-updating list is only as reliable as its rules and the information being entered. If a person must update a field, that step still needs to happen. Avoid assuming that moving through a follow-up process is automatic until you have tested the transitions in your own setup.
Once one queue works, document its purpose and who reviews it. Add another view when it solves a different decision, rather than creating several lists that all ask people to chase the same lead.
