Keeping your manufacturing data organized doesn’t have to be a headache. With Pipeline CRM’s flexible features, you can track activities, customize fields, and streamline your workflow—all without feeling buried in spreadsheets. This guide walks you through the essentials so you can get the most out of your account.
Activity Categories: Stay on Top of What Matters Activity categories help you sort, filter, and report on the types of records you create. This makes it easy to see where your team spends time and spot trends. Common Activity Categories:
- Concerns
- Site Visit
- Estimate
- Delay in Delivery
- Samples
Tip: Use activity categories to power up your Activity Report and Scoreboard for instant insights. Learn more here.
Custom Field Groups: Organize Your Data, Your Way Custom field groups let you bundle related fields, so you can easily find what you need on each record profile. Popular Groups:
- Specifications
- Required Information
- Design Information
- Quote Information
- Vendor Information
Pro move: Group fields by workflow stage for faster navigation. More info on custom field groups here.
Custom Fields: Personalize for Your Process Tailor your Pipeline CRM account with custom fields at the company, deal, or person level. Track what matters most—no more generic spreadsheets.
Examples of Custom Fields:
Field NameTypeRecordEntries
Region
Dropdown
Deal
Locations
Source Details
Dropdown
Deal
Direct Deliver, Third Party Signed, No Signee
Project Location
Text
Deal
Product
Dropdown
Deal
All available products
Project Start
Date
Deal
Total Quantity of Order
Numeric
Deal
Order Status
Dropdown
Deal
New, In Progress, Stalled
Person Statuses: Know Your Contacts at a Glance Person statuses help you quickly evaluate your relationship with each contact. Examples:
- Referral
- Mutual Customer
- Website Inquiry
- Location (Seattle, Portland, etc.)
Read more about Person Statuses here.
Person Tags: Flexible Labeling for Easy Search Tags are your shortcut to grouping contacts by industry, interests, or anything else that matters to you. Sample Tags:
- Contractor
- Fabricator
- Builder
- Designer
- Referral
- Vendor
Admins can manage tags in Account Settings or add them directly from the list view. Learn more here.
Sources: Track Where Your Leads Come From Understanding your lead sources helps you see which marketing efforts really pay off. Common Sources:
- Business Development
- Marketing Event
- Purchased List
For more information on lead sources, click here.
Pipelines & Stages: Map Your Sales Journey Multiple pipelines mean you can manage different products or services, each with its own process. How it works:
- Create pipelines for each product or service.
- Define unique stages for each pipeline.
- Track deals as they move through each stage.
Learn more about multiple pipelines here.
Task and Event Categories: Never Miss a Beat Categorize reminders and events so you can focus on what matters most. Examples:
- Design Proposal
- Lunch and Learn
- Meeting
- Quote Review
- Send (quote, reminder, etc.)
For more information on categories, click here.
Automations: Let Pipeline CRM Do the Heavy Lifting Automations streamline your workflow by handling repetitive tasks. Set up triggers to save time and keep your team in sync. Sample Automations:
NameTypeTriggerDescription
Branch Manager Notification
Deal
Create
Notifies manager of deals >$5,000.
Major Projects Pipeline Notification
Deal
Create
Alerts managers when a deal is created for major projects.
Safety Services & Onsite Labour
Deal
Create
Sends an email for deals in safety services or onsite labour.
Vending/Dispensing Notification
Deal
Create
Triggers notification for vending-related deals.
Supply Chain Notification of WON Deals
Deal
Update
Alerts when deals >$25,000 are marked as Won.
Post Quote Follow Up
Deal
Update
Creates a follow-up template when a deal enters the Quote stage.
Note: Automation limits depend on your subscription plan. See details here.
Key Takeaways
- Use categories and tags for fast filtering and reporting.
- Customize fields and groups to fit your workflow.
- Automate routine tasks to boost productivity.
- Keep formatting clean for easy reading—short paragraphs, plenty of white space, and bold highlights where it counts.
If you have more questions, reach out to our support team at customercare@pipelinecrm.com.