Forecast performance analysis

Forecast performance analysis

Last modified on 15/05/2023: Performance analysis in forecasts is now available for all Zoho CRM users in all DCs. Note that it was an early access feature available only upon request. As of May 10, 2023, it is rolled out for all Zoho CRM accounts. Find out more about forecasts in our help doc.

Hello everyone! 

We are thrilled to announce an exciting update on comprehensive performance analysis for CRM forecasts, including trends, gap reasons, improvement suggestions, and more.

Forecasts help organizations estimate how sales will progress in the approaching months, quarters, or fiscal years, as well as monitor current sales growth and find ways to accelerate it. They yield important insights into the company's performance and enable businesses to plan upcoming activities accordingly.

In the revamped forecast, until now, we provided the Target Achievement Report page, which showed the targets set for different roles within the organization, their achievements, and the number of open deals they had in a hierarchy. We're introducing a few enhancements to forecasts to provide even more details about performance, as well as an overview—which can be found in the User and Roles Performance pages and Forecast Overview section of the Target Achievement Report page.

We've introduced the following:
  • Performance Trend
  • Achievement Comparison
  • Comparison Across Forecast
  • Current Deals by Stages
  • Reasons for Gaps
  • Improvements


Let's have a look at these charts and at the overall enhancement in detail.

Forecast Overview

We've introduced a section at the top of the Target Achievement Report page called Forecast Overview. The analytics in this section help users track their performance and plan according to their targets and requirements.

  • Performance Trend: Users can analyze their performance with the help of the performance trend chart, which compares actual achievements across time with target achievements. The trend line predicts whether the achievement can be met within the forecast period based on the current performance, and shows the predicted achievement on particular dates. Users, therefore, have a visually clear representation of what's necessary to improve performance to reach targets.

  • Achievement Comparison: Users can compare their performance at different intervals to analyze how their performance has changed over time. They can set the chart to compare performance on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

  • Comparison Across Forecasts: This chart helps users compare their targets, open deals, and achievements across different forecast periods. The bars signify the total deal value assigned to a particular user and contrast it with the deal value closed at the end of the period. Combined with the line plot representing targets in the selected time frame, this enables users to determine whether the target is achievable, and how much more effort is required.

User Performance page
We've introduced the User Performance page for users and admins to track individual performance in a particular period. Apart from providing insights into users' performance, on this page, there are additional details including charts and other widgets. Users can see suggestions for improving their performance or the reasons for which they're not able to meet their targets, and can therefore act accordingly.


The following details are available on the User Performance page:
  • Open deals
  • Deals in the best case, pipelines, and omitted deals.
  • Predictions
  • Targets
  • Achievements
The User Performance page also has charted—Performance Trends and Achievement Comparison—with similar functionality as those in the Forecast Overview section.


The Achievement Comparison chart compares total achievement over time with the number of available deals that can be completed, with a plot for overall targets provided for context.


Apart from these two charts, the User Performance page features the additional Current Deals by Stages chart. The main purpose of this chart is to show deal amounts in different stages. All deals in the current period are plotted as bar graphs according to the deal stage. Each bar breaks down the sum of the deal amounts into three forecast categories: pipeline, best case, and committed. If a pipeline is added, you can also view the current deals by stage based on that pipeline.


We didn't stop just at providing insight into user performance; we've also introduced two additional sections: reasons for gap, which highlights the gap between the target and the achievement and provides reasons that could have led to the gap, and the improvements section, which lists out the various improvements the user can make in order to reduce the gap.

Here are some examples:

Reasons for gaps
  • High number of untouched deals: Any untouched deals will be mentioned here, along with the actual count of untouched deals. Clicking the deal count makes a list of those specific deals pop up.
  • Failed to approach at the right time: Deals that were not approached at the right time are referenced here. Clicking on the link reveals a list of deals that weren't approached at the right time.
  • Doesn't fall in this forecast period: Deals that are outside of the forecast period are referenced for this reason.
  • Deal value insufficient to close target: Deals in the pipeline whose values are too low to reach the target are referenced here.

Improvements
  • Focus on recommended deals: Deals that are likely to be won are referenced here, along with the total deal value upon closing. The deal count is hyperlinked to summon the deal list.
  • Focus on high-value deals: This improvement recommendation suggests which deals to focus on, including high-value deals or low-value deals, based on the win rate for each type of deal. It also mentions the number of such deals available in the pipeline and lists them via a link.
  • Improve closing rate: This improvement is suggested if the user needs to improve their closing rate, along with the percentage by which it needs to increase.
  • Kick out the stalled deals: If a high number of deals in the pipeline have a low chance of being won, they will be mentioned here. Users can click on the deal count to see a list of such deals.

Role Performance page
Users can access the role performance report via the Roles Performance page by clicking on a particular role in the hierarchical view of the Target Achievement Report page.

The Roles Performance page also features sections that show reasons for achievement gaps and improvements (different than those suggested in the User Performance page). Admins can thereby analyze the performance of particular roles and their direct subordinates.

Here are examples of reasons for achievement gaps and improvement suggestions:

Reasons for achievement gaps
  • Users recently switched roles: Users who have switched roles are cited here as a potential reason for a performance gap, along with the count of such users and the percentage of the target deal value that they owned. Clicking on the count of users summons a list of users who have switched roles.
  • Mismatch found in the split and target: In case there is a delay in the allocation of values in the target, it will be mentioned as the percentage of the value in the target that is mismatched.
  • Low user performance: The number of users who closed less than 20% of their targets is cited here. The list of users is linked with the provided count.
  • Overrated targets: If users' targets are overrated, this reason will appear, along with the percentage of how overly rated the targets are.

Improvements
  • Identify users who have a low follow-up rate: Users who have contributed to a decline in customer happiness are referenced here, along with a list linked to the user count.
  • Right deals to the right person: If a certain user has a high win rate of 76% on high-value deals and 60% on low-value deals, the system will suggest assigning high-value deals to that user to get better results.
  • Reassignment yields better results: If two users have some stagnant and untouched deals, the system will suggest that those deals be reassigned to help closure.
  • Target correction: If five users have overrated targets and three users have low-rated targets compared to the individual's average performance, the system will suggest reassigning targets based on performance.

Notes:
  • The charts on the User and Role Performance pages are available only for completed and current forecasts only.
  • The Current Deals by Stages chart is available only for the Current forecast.
  • The Achievement Comparison chart is only available if there is data from previous forecast periods.
  • Improvements and reasons for performance gaps are updated once per week


    • Recent Topics

    • Renew an expired subscription

      Hey Zoho officer, My subscription was expired yesterday, but I did not notice until just now. How can I renew the subscription even it is expired? The website is really important for our publicity. So I hope I can still review the domain and website. Thanks!

    • How to normalize CRM module when integrating with Survey?

      This question is about the problem with many-to-many relationships and Survey. One of the things our organization does is track people in our program and their jobs. We get new information from the people three times annually through Zoho Surveys. Survey

    • ZOHO CRM reverting contacts details

      Hi! Anyone else had a problem where +- at 20:00 NZT email addresses and company details reverted back to the ones that was previous changed? We had about +- 30 odd notification come through last night and had to go and change all back manually.

    • Announcing Zoho Community Developer Bootcamps in India – Extensions

      Hey everyone! We're back with another line-up of Zoho Community Developer Bootcamps in India! Following the success of the first leg of bootcamps on Extensions, we're now ready with the second leg. These bootcamps focus on empowering developers of all

    • ZOHO Sheet View for Activities

      Hello I am beginning to look at importing previous events into activities as utilizing events as timeslips for engagements, we have added fields such as duration, billable, etc. However to use Events on a regular basis would require the ability to use

    • Custom Serial numbers in Inventory tied to customers

      Hello, We have both software and hardware serial numbers that we need to track for active customers in the field. We do not know the serial numbers for the software until the customer buys it as its not a stock item but something we order and deploy for

    • Issue with inventory and shopify

      Hello! We're having some issues with Inventory not synchronizing all our products with our shopify store. We've tried multiple times to synchronize them. We have multiple locations and it seems to just be getting a part of the inventory. When we sell

    • Automatic Pick LIst

      The pick should have the feature to send you to the FIFO location and tell you from wich bin you should get the product. Depending on FIFO LIFO or what we choose

    • Picker users

      Hi FOr bin location we are starting to use Android app. The users are allowed to chance the asignee, but they are the Asigneed persons. We should have the avility to choose or setup these fields.

    • Zoho Inventory MobileApp compatible with barcode scanners such as Zebra

      Hi, Although the Zoho Inventory App is working with a scanner mode taken directly through the cell phone which I do not consider it as efficient, I would like to know when are you planning an update on the app so it can be compatible with bar code scanners

    • More Payment Gateways For South Africa

      Hello, please add more payment gateways that cater for South Africa to the Zoho ecosystem. Yoco - pay now with card (integrated but there is a problem) Others to consider Payflex.co.za - pay now with card or pay later using credit from payflex Float.co.za

    • Sync Zoho Docs and Google Drive

      Sync Zoho Docs and Google Drive -  how can I do it?

    • Is it possible to link a CRM field or Zoho User to a ticket auto assign function.

      Dear Support, I have a unique situation at our company. So I know it might be able to link a ticket to the client account owner from the CRM. However, is it also possible to link an email field, username or other field in the CRM to a new ticket created

    • Drill Down - Pivot Table

      Is there anyway to have drill down options in pivot tables like in the chart function?

    • Allow Zoho form to send to one of our ogranizations groups

      All emails from the form submission are being held for moderation. I have permissions set to organization members, and I think I have the forms setup in our DMARC

    • Kanban view - which modules support this view?

      Recently (a few days ago), we started exploring Zoho Recruit and like to use Kanban view to visualise the data in different modules. I just found out from emailing Zoho Support that they need to enable Kanban view for different modules (why?). Which modules

    • Email notification for followers

      Is there a way to enable email notification for followers of a support ticket? ie: Ticket #123 is owned by Agent#1, Agent#2 adds themselves as a follower. Whenever ticket #123 receives an email from the customer, Agent#1 receives an email. Agent#2 would

    • Remove the dot menu and + sign on sub form

      If I don't want the user to be able to add more entries on a subform, am I able to remove the dot menu and the + sign?

    • Writing Checks to Employees for Reimbursable Expenses

      I couldn't find a way to write a check through books or expense to an employee for reimbursable expenses. The expense created an entry in the system with a debit (expense) credit (liability). I entered a bill and used the liability account so it would

    • Peppol Malaysia API

      Hi Zoho Books, my country Malaysia will going to implement "Peppol" (E-Invoicing), starting 1 Jul 2025 for all businesses. The government intends to provide API for accounting app. The workflow involves creating an invoice from accounting app, triggers

    • Error "The SMTP server requires a secure connection or the client was not authenticated. The server response was: 5.5.1 Authentication Required"

      Hi, I'm trying to send an email via the SMTP server using C# code but getting the following error: "The SMTP server requires a secure connection or the client was not authenticated. The server response was: 5.5.1 Authentication Required" I know the username

    • Free webinar! The Zoho Sign Masterclass: The basics, latest features, and mobile apps

      Hi, Are you new to Zoho Sign or looking to brush up on its capabilities? This webinar will help you master Zoho Sign from the ground up, covering everything from the basics to the latest features. Whether you're an individual managing personal documents,

    • Home and Reports Tabs Not Loading

      Hello, I've been trying to view the home and report tabs since yesterday but the same issue persists. While the Home view appears, the data will not load (see screenshot). The Report view does not load at all. Clicking the tab elicits no response; the

    • Introducing the Zoho CRM Lead Magnet plugin for Wordpress

      In this digital era, websites are the most important source of leads. That means your CRM system should be well integrated with your website to contextually capture each and every visitor to turn them into a lead. Introducing the Zoho CRM Lead Magnet plugin for WordPress.  The plugin lets you to: Create webforms using Zoho CRM forms/ Contact form 7 plugin Embed them in your website hosted using Wordpress Automatically capture leads into Zoho CRM with zero attenuation. Not only is the integration

    • Team Modules in Zoho CRM: Empower Every Team, Break Silos and Boost Collaboration

      Hello Everyone, The ultimate goal of every business is to achieve customer delight—and achieving customer delight cannot happen with the effort of a single person or team. At Zoho CRM, we believe that it’s a shared mission that spans across your entire

    • Trying to integrate gmail but google keeps blocking Zoho access for integration??

      hi i am trying to integrate a gmail account so can track/access business emails this way. I have followed the instructions but after selecting my email account it gets re-routed to this message (screengrab below) Can anyone advise a way around this or

    • Zoho Projects - Give Project access to developer (external)

      We have a client using Zoho Projects and would like to invite several external users and assign the Projects because the Project tasks are outsourced to other companies. What is the best way to give access to external Users and is there any limitations

    • Introducing the Germany Tax Edition !

      Whether you're operating within Germany, trading outside the country, or dealing with customers within or outside the EU, our new Germany Tax Edition makes navigating the complexities of VAT management a cakewalk. Our Germany tax edition allows you to

    • Centralized Organization Information Management in Zoho One

      Dear Zoho One Support, I'm writing to propose a feature that would significantly improve the user experience and streamline data management within Zoho One. Current Challenge: Currently, managing organization information across various Zoho One apps requires

    • Including attachments with estimates

      How can attachments be included when an estimate is sent/emailed and when downloaded as a .pdf? Generally speaking, attachments should be included as part of an estimate package. Ultimately, this is also true for work orders and invoices.

    • Add Hebrew Support for Calendar Language in Zoho Forms

      Dear Zoho Forms Team, Greetings! We are using Zoho Forms extensively and appreciate its versatility and ease of use. However, we’ve noticed that the Calendar Language settings currently do not include Hebrew as an option. We would like to request the

    • Company centric layout

      Hey everyone, I want to have an "account-centric" Zoho, where the main part is the "Account" and other parts like "Contacts", "Deals", "Projects" are linked to this "Account". Tricky part is, that I have different layouts for different departments, and

    • CRM HAS BEEN SOOO SLOW For Days 05/15/25

      I have fantastic Wifi speed and have zero issues with other websites, apps, or programs. It takes an excruciatingly amount of time to simply load a record, open an email, compose an email, draft a new template, etc. Am I in a subset/region of subscribers

    • Announcing Zoho Community Developer Bootcamps in India – Catalyst by Zoho

      Hey everyone! Following the success of the first set of bootcamps on SalesIQ Zobot and Extensions last year, we're ready for the next set of bootcamps—this one dedicated to Catalyst by Zoho! These bootcamps are aimed to empower developers to build, scale,

    • Introducing the Zoho Show Windows app

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce the launch of the Zoho Show app for Windows! You can now create, access, collaborate on, and deliver presentations right from your desktop. The Windows app brings you all the powerful features you’re familiar

    • New Action Requests

      Hi, Is there any chances to get the new actions requested at all? I have made a few requests but never heard back from Zoho about them. I assume that developing them take time but is there any support that can provide some update? Thanks

    • Workdrive - copy permissions

      I am trying to customize sub folder, which I understand fully from below https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/workdrive/team-folders/manage/articles/customize-folder-permissions-in-a-team-folder#Customize_permissions_during_folder_creation However I want

    • US military addresses

      When we have a client with a US military address having them fill in a form is a problem Zoho forms doesnt acommodate them correctly. It doesn't make sense for me to have to create a secondary data model for military addresses. I have placed some links

    • Introducing 'Previous' and 'Next' operators for enhanced date-based filtering

      Hi everyone, We are excited to introduce to you two new operators - Previous and Next - for your date and date time fields in filters as well as in custom view. For starters, let’s say you want to filter records based on Created Time: Previous 6 months:

    • Same users on different accounts

      I have an issue I need help with. Whilst trialing ZOHO CRM I created the following: Account1 using myname@myorganisation.com.au and 2 personal emails Account2 using a personal email and 2 users sales1@myorganisation.com.au and sales2@myorganisation.com.au

    • Next Page