After successfully building a storage management system for this moving and storage company, we tackled another challenge: creating a comprehensive KPI dashboard that could give managers a quick, real-time overview of the business’s performance. While their software did a sufficient job of collecting data, it lacked the ability to summarize it effectively. Managers struggled to get a quick snapshot of key metrics like lead statuses, booked jobs, and referral sources, making it hard to oversee operations and identify issues before they became problems.

Missed Opportunities and Scattered Data

• Lack of Visibility: Managers couldn’t easily see the status of key metrics like open leads, follow-up requirements, or job statuses. As a result, mishandling leads led to lost business opportunities.
• No Centralized Reporting: There was no consolidated place for all metrics, making it difficult for management to evaluate the overall health of the business.
• Scattered Data: While the software stored the data, it didn’t summarize or organize it in a way that made decision-making easier for management.

A Custom Dashboard for Complete Visibility

To solve these issues, we built a custom KPI dashboard using Looker Studio, powered by daily data exports from the company’s software. Here’s how we built the system:

Automated Data Exports & Cleaning:

• We set up an automated process to export data daily from the software, similar to the approach used for the storage management project. This data included lead statuses, booked and lost jobs, referral sources, and more.
• The raw data needed significant cleaning, manipulation, and metric calculations to ensure it was usable fand accurate. We cross-checked records, merged multiple reports, and calculated metrics like conversion rates and top referral sources.

Building the KPI Dashboard in Looker Studio:

We created a multi-page dashboard with detailed views of key metrics:

• Lead Statuses: Managers could see where each open lead stood (e.g., whether an estimate needed to be sent or followed up on).

• Booked & Lost Jobs: Daily and weekly summaries of booked jobs and lost opportunities, with clickable charts that linked back to the specific job for quick review.
• Referral Sources: The dashboard tracked top referral sources by dollar amount, allowing managers to understand where most of their business was coming from.

• Storage Unit Performance: We pulled metrics from the storage management system into this, keeping everything in one place.

Consolidating Other Metrics:

• As an added feature, we later integrated their social media performance metrics into the dashboard. This allowed the company to track storage unit performance, lead management, booked and lost jobs, and social media performance—all in one consolidated dashboard.

Real-Time Office Display:

• To maximize visibility, the company set up the dashboard to cycle through different key performance indicators on a large screen in their office. This constant display helped managers and team members get a quick snapshot of the company’s performance and stay motivated.

Motivation, Visibility, and No Missed Opportunities

The KPI dashboard brought immediate benefits to the company’s management:

• Instant Visibility: Managers now had a real-time overview of all critical metrics, enabling them to make faster, more informed decisions.
• Better Lead Management: With clear visibility into lead statuses, managers could ensure leads were not being lost due to missed follow-ups or estimates.
• Increased Accountability: The centralized dashboard provided clarity across the team, helping everyone stay aligned on performance goals.
• Motivational Impact: The real-time display in the office encouraged accountability and kept the team focused on improving key metrics.