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

    • Google enhanced conversions not working

      Hi guys, I've connected Zoho CRM through Google Ads interface with the goal to setup the enhanced conversion tracking in Google Ads. I have to Zoho related conversion goals which you can see in the images below: For the conversion goal above I've setup

    • MS Teams Meeting to Zoho CRM

      Has anyone figured out a good way to push MS Teams meeting info on a trigger of "meeting end" to Zoho CRM? We're looking for a way to take attendees of a meeting and meeting duration and push it into Zoho CRM after the meeting has ended. If I can just

    • Font Size 11 - Zoho CRM Email Templates

      Our company communicates with our vendors exclusively using Calibri Font Size 11, as this is the standard formatting for professional emails. Since the CRM only allows for the selection of font sizes 10 & 12, we have been unable to utilize the CRM email

    • Calling Function via REST API with API Key gives 401 using Zoho Developer

      Hi, I created a couple of functions using the one month trial of Enterprise edition, which I was able to call using the API Key method from Postman and from an external site. Now that my trial has expired, I have created the same functions in the Developer

    • How do I move a section or element from one page to another in the NEW Zoho Sites UI

      I have a section on my home page with numerous elements within it and I'd like to move the entire section to a different page on my site so I don't have to recreate it from scratch.  Is there a way for me to do that easily? I could use a quick answer on this please.

    • Zoho Projects app update: Global Web Tabs support

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.10.10) of the Zoho Projects app update, we have brought in support for Global Web Tabs. You can now access the web tabs across all the projects from the Home module of the app. Please update the app to the latest

    • Export as MP4 or GIF

      Hi, Just wondering if there's a way to export/convert a presentation to an MP4 video file or even a GIF. One use case would be to use the animation functionality to create social media graphics/charts/gifs/videos. Thanks for a great tool... Rgds Jon

    • Page Layout- Horizontal Rule

      When editing the layout of, for instance, the Potentials page, is there a way to insert a horizontal rule or white space in between fields?  I'd like to keep a group of fields in the same Section, but would like to create some seperation in order to further group together certain fields within the Section.  If this is not possible, does anybody have any other suggestions on how to create this same effect?   Thank you!

    • Zoho Books will discontinue support for older browser versions soon

      Hello users, Starting from May 15, 2024, Zoho Books will no longer support the following browser versions: Browsers Version Restrictions Firefox Browser Versions older than 100 Google Chrome Versions older than 100 Microsoft Edge Versions older than 100

    • Zoho Projects - Q3 Updates | 2025

      Hello Users, The final quarter of the year 2025 has begun, and we at Zoho Projects are all set with a plan. New targets to achieve and new milestones to reach, influenced by the lasting imprint of the past quarter. 2025's Q3 saw some new features and

    • Zoho Sheet - Printing - Page Breaks and Printing Customization

      I think the title is descriptive enough in that I cannot find help documentation on a simple task of adding in page brakes for separating pages on print. Thanks

    • Issue with Trident exe file

      Hello Team, Exe Setup file It's showing harmful for user pc please check and do needful. this message for developer team. Thanks Bhargav Purohit

    • Different languages for users

      Hello, Do you plan to enable individual users to select their languages for interface? Currently language can be changed for everyone - it looks like a settings for a whole portal, which is not good when you are working internationally. Best regards,

    • Transaction Locking with the dynamic date

      Is it possible to dynamically update dates on transaction locking. We want to lock transaction x days from today

    • Unable to change sales_order status form "not_invoiced" to "invoiced"

      I am automating process of creating of invoice from sales_orders by consolidated sales_orders of each customer and creating a single invoice per customer every month. I am doing this in workflow schedule custom function where i create invoice by getting

    • Apply Vendor Credits Automatically

      We are bulk importing Vendor credits in Zoho Books!!! Is there a way to apply vendor credits automatically to the first UNPAID bill of the Vendor?

    • Apply Vendor Credit Automatically

      Hello!!! Is there a way where in we can apply vendor credits automatically on the FIRST OUTSTANDING BILL of the vendor?? We have lots of VENDOR CREDITS ISSUES mostly!!! Applying it manually is a pain for us. Would be great if we have a way to apply the

    • Need Easy Way to Update Item Prices in Bulk

      Hello Everyone, In Zoho Books, updating selling prices is taking too much time. Right now we have to either edit items one by one or do Excel export/import. It will be very useful if Zoho gives a simple option to: Select multiple items and update prices

    • Creator problem: Edit form View not displaying whole form

      I'm having problems with the form in my database. The edit view is not showing the whole form: This is how it looks in the normal view: As you can see, there is a whole section in the bottom right of the form which is not displaying in the Edit View. This means that I can't change or delete any of these fields... Anybody had a similar problem or know a solution? Any help would be appreciated.   Cheers,

    • Vendor Master Enhancements for Faster Purchase Entry

      I’d like to suggest a few features that will improve accuracy and speed during purchase voucher entry: Automated Item Tax Preference in Vendor Master Add an option to define item tax preference in the vendor master. Once set, this preference should automatically

    • Quick Item Search & Auto-suggestion for Invoices

      Hi Team, I am facing an issue while creating invoices in Zoho Books. Currently, I have to type the full item name in the correct sequence and spelling for it to appear. For example, my item name is: "Distemper Acri Silk Special White 10kg" If I type something

    • Function #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.

    • Integrating Chatbot with Zoho Creator Application

      Is it possible to integrate a chatbot with a Zoho Creator application?

    • Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing

      Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.

    • 'Add Tax To Amount' not reflected in Invoice

      Hi Zoho Support, I'm experiencing an issue with tax calculation display in my invoice template. Despite having "Add tax to amount" box checked in the template settings, the Amount column is not showing the tax-inclusive total for line items. Current behaviour:

    • "Subject" or "Narration"in Customer Statement

      Dear Sir, While creating invoice, we are giving in "Subject" the purpose of invoice. For Example - "GST for the month of Aug 23", IT return FY 22-23", "Consultancy", Internal Audit for May 23". But this subject is not coming in Customer Statement. Only

    • A real WYSIWYG field instead of the limited rich text

      Hi to everyone A "real" WYSIWYG or HTML field that outputs good HTML code when accessed through the API would be excellent. I tried to use the rich text field, but the styling options are limited. For example, there are no heading tags (h1 to h6), and

    • Delete my store of Zoho commerce

      Hi Team, I want to delete my stores of commerce. Please help me asap. Looking for the positive response soon. Thanks Shubham Chauhan Mob: +91-9761872650

    • Delete Inactive Zoho Accounts - Access Cleanup_User Id: 60001640923

      As part of our Zoho access hygiene, we’ve reviewed and deactivated several inactive user accounts. These accounts have not been used in the past year and are no longer tied to active operations. All access rights have been revoked, and records retained

    • No feedback from Zoho Books regarding Yodlee feeds for Investec

      I reported on 6 Feb 2025 that the Bank Feeds for Investec bank via Yodlee are not working. To date there has been no resolution. You are charging us for a suite of products where the functionality does not work. Please advise how you will refund me for

    • Inappropriate Removal of Features

      It's the first with any software where I am experiencing that an existing customer has some of his exiting features removed. Moreover, new Zoho One users are paying less than us. Is this going to be Zoho's "normal behaviour". If so, it is going to be

    • Filtering report embeded in page

      Right now we are using a page variable to filter a report on a page. However, it being a page variable makes it reset if you go to another report/form, we want the filter to be kept the same. I tried using an application variable according to zoho you

    • Export Invoices to XML file

      Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities

    • Zia summarizes your IM bot chats in real time

      Hello everyone! Let's say you’re an agent taking over a chat where a customer was booking a flight through a bot on WhatsApp. They've already shared key details, like their destination, travel date, and number of passengers. You need to understand the

    • Megamenu

      Finally! Megamenu's are now available in Zoho-Sites, after waiting for it and requesting it for years! BUT ... why am I asked to upgrade in order to use a megamenu? First: Zoho promised to always provide premium versions and options for all included Zoho-applications

    • Cancel and refund

      Hi, Yesterday I paid for the Zoho email subscription. Within a few minutes, I realized that the subscription counts one email ID as one user. To make another email ID for the same domain name, I'd have to pay for another user. I emailed right away to

    • One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

      I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and

    • Kaizen# 209 - Answering Your Questions | All About Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post! Thanks for all your feedback and questions. In this post, let's see the answers to your questions related to Client Script. We took the time to discuss with our development team, carefully

    • Unable to copy into a new document

      Whe I create a new Writer doc and attemp to copy and past I get this message. The only way to copy into a document is I duplicate an existing document, erase the text and save it under a different name and then paste the information. Not ideal. Can you

    • To Do: shareable task links without login

      Hi! I’m using Zoho Mail and ToDo in my daily work, and I’ve run into one limitation that’s a real blocker for me. Right now, to share tasks with managers or directors, they need to have a Zoho account and be added to a group. In practice, many of them

    • Next Page