Overview

This article outlines the various options and actions associated with lead pipelines, which are used to track the status of a lead or potential customer.

Table of Contents

1. Lead Tracking Overview
2. Creating/Editing a Lead Pipeline
3. Setting up a Default Pipeline
4. Pipeline Setup Options
5. Adding Stages to a Pipeline
6. Pipeline Stage Setup Options
7. Pipeline Stage Active Options
   1. Pipeline Stage Advanced Active Options
8. Pipeline Stage Completed Options
   1. Pipeline Stage Advanced Completed Options
9. Using the Individual Lead Pipeline View
   1. Completing a Pipeline Stage
   2. Skipping a Pipeline Stage
   3. Activating a Pipeline Stage
   4. Reopening a Pipeline Stage
   5. Adding Notes to a Pipeline Stage
10. Assigning a Lead Pipeline to a New Client
11. Assigning a Lead Pipeline to an Existing Client
12. Assigning a Lead Pipeline to Multiple Existing Clients
13. Converting a Lead to a Client from the Calendar
14. Exporting a Pipeline To A CSV File

Lead Tracking Overview

How to Create/Edit a Lead Pipeline

1. Go to the Clients component
2. Click on the Settings tab
3. Click the Manage Lead Pipelines button in the Lead Pipelines section
4. Click the New Pipeline button or find the pipeline you want to edit and click the edit icon
5. Add a name for the pipeline.
   1. If this will be the default pipeline for all new leads, then select the Default Pipeline For New Leads checkbox. Otherwise, leave it unchecked.
6. Add any desired stages
7. Click the Save button

How to Setup a Default Lead Pipeline

Refer to How to Create/Edit a Lead Pipeline above.

Pipeline Setup Options

A pipeline has the following setup options.

• Default Pipeline
  • A default pipeline is used to automatically assign a pipeline to new resources. It can be found under the Details tab.
• Assign Employee To Resource
  • This option assigns an employee to be responsible for the entire pipeline. It can be found under the Settings tab.
• Hidden Pipeline
  • This option makes the pipeline a hidden pipeline. Hidden pipelines are only used if you need to switch a resource from one entire pipeline to a completely new pipeline. If Advanced Options is selected, this option can be found under the Settings tab.

How to Add Pipeline Stages To a Pipeline 

1. 1. Create or edit a pipeline
   2. Click on the Stages tab
   3. Click on the Add Pipeline Stage button
   4. Enter the Pipeline Stage Name
   5. Select the desired actions you want StudioCloud to do when a pipeline stage is selected
   6. Click the Save buttons

Pipeline Stage Setup Options

When a pipeline is assigned to a resource the following options can be selected for the pipeline:

• Employee Assigned To Pipeline Stage
  • If an employee is responsible for a specific pipeline stage, you can use this option. Advanced Options must be enabled to select it.
• Pipeline Stage Deadline
  • This option sets a deadline when the pipeline stage needs to be completed.

Pipeline Stage Active Options

When a pipeline stage is activated the following optional actions can occur:

• Send Email To Client
  • This option will open a pre-built email that can be sent to a client.
• Send Text Message To Client
  • This option will open a pre-built text message that can be sent to a client.
• Send Email To Employee Assigned To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will send a pre-built email to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Send Text Message To Employee Assigned To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will send a pre-built text message to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Assign Employee To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will assign a new employee to be responsible for the overall pipeline
• Set pipeline Stage Deadline
  • This option will assign a deadline for when the pipeline stage needs to be completed based off of when the pipeline stage was activated
• Change Pipeline To A Different Pipeline
  • This option will switch the entire pipeline to be a new pipeline

Pipeline Stage Advanced Active Options

• Send Email To Employee Assigned To Pipeline Stage
  • This option will send a pre-built email to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage.
• Send Text Message To Employee Assigned To Pipeline Stage
  • This option will send a pre-built text message to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage

Pipeline Stage Completed Options

When a pipeline stage is mark completed the following optional actions can occur.

• Mark Entire Pipeline Completed When Pipeline Stage Completed
  • This option will mark the entire pipeline as completed.
• Send Email To Client
  • This option will open a pre-built email that can be sent to a client.
• Send Text Message To Client
  • This option will open a pre-built text message that can be sent to a client.
• Archive Client When Pipeline Stage is Completed (Lead Pipelines Only)
  • This option will automatically archive a client when the pipeline stage is completed
  • This option is only available for lead pipelines
• Convert To Prospective Client When Pipeline Stage Completed (Lead Pipelines Only)
  • This option will automatically convert a lead to a prospective client
  • This option is only available for lead pipelines
• Convert To Client When Pipeline Stage Completed (Lead Pipelines Only)
  • This option will automatically convert a lead to a client
  • This option is only available for lead pipelines
• Send Email To Employee Assigned To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will send a pre-built email to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Send Text Message To Employee Assigned To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will send a pre-built text message to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Assign Employee To Overall Pipeline
  • This option will assign a new employee to be responsible for the overall pipeline
• Remove Employee Assigned To Overall Pipeline When Pipeline Stage Completed
  • This option will remove the employee that is assigned to the overall pipeline

Pipeline Stage Advanced Completed Options

• Email Employee Assigned To Pipeline Stage
  • This option will send a pre-built email to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Text Message Employee Assigned To Pipeline Stage
  • This option will send a pre-built text message to the employee assigned to the pipeline stage
• Change Pipeline
  • This option will switch the entire pipeline to be a new pipeline

How to use the Individual Lead Pipeline View

To access the individual lead pipeline view, do the following:

1. Click on the Clients component
2. Click on the Lead Tracking tab
3. Click on the Individual Lead Pipelines bar
4. Select the desired lead pipeline from the combo box

To edit a resource double click on the resource item in the pipeline stage column and the edit window for that resource will op en. From the edit window, the pipeline stage for the resource can be changed.

How to Complete a Pipeline Stage

To mark a pipeline stage as completed, simply click the Complete Stage button. Once you have marked a pipeline stage as completed it will automatically switch to the next pipeline stage.

How to Skip a Pipeline Stage

If you would like to skip a pipeline stage, you can click on the arrow to the right of the Complete Stage button and select the Skip Stage item from the drop down menu. Once you have skipped a pipeline stage it will automatically switch to the next pipeline stage.

How to Activate a Pipeline Stage

If you would like to activate a pipeline stage, select the Activate Stage button beside the desired pipeline stage.

How to Reopen a Pipeline Stage

If you would like to reopen a pipeline stage, select the Reopen Stage button beside the completed stage.

How to Add Notes to a Pipeline Stage

If you would like to add notes to a pipeline stage, you can click on the arrow to the right of the Complete Stage button and select the Add Notes item from the drop down menu. This will open the Update Pipeline Stage Notes window, which allows you to edit the notes for the pipeline stage you have selected.

How to Assign a Lead Pipeline to a New Client

To assign a lead pipeline to a new client do the following:

Note: You can setup StudioCloud to automatically assign a client pipeline to a new lead by selecting a client pipeline as the default client pipeline

1. Create a new client
2. Click the Select Pipeline button
3. Select the desired pipeline in the pipeline window

How to Assign a Lead Pipeline to an Existing Client

To assign a lead pipeline to a existing client do the following:

1. Edit an existing client
2. If a pipeline has already been selected, and you wish to change it, click the Remove Pipeline button

3. Click the Select Pipeline button
4. Select the desired pipeline in the pipeline window

How to Assign a Lead Pipeline to Multiple Existing Clients

To assign a lead pipeline to a existing client do the following:

1. Go to any of the following locations to do these steps:
   1. Any of the tables under the Clients tab. For example, the Only Leads view.
   2. The All Leads Pipeline View
2. Select the desired clients by clicking the checkbox for each desired client in the table
   1. Pro-Tip: You can select multiple clients at once using group operations
3. Select the Group Operations menu
4. Click on the Pipeline Options menu item
5. Click the Update Pipelines For Selected Clients menu item
   

6. Select the desired pipeline and pipeline stage then click the update button

How to Convert a Lead to a Client from the Calendar

1. Go to the Calendar component
2. Click the Settings tab
3. Click the Manage Calendar Types button
4. Click the Calendar Sub-Types tab
5. Either create a new sub calendar type by clicking the New Calendar Sub-Type button or edit an existing calendar sub-type by double-clicking or clicking the edit icon
6. Click on the Settings tab
7. Select the Convert Lead to Client checkbox

How to Export a Pipeline To A CSV File

A pipeline view is a way to view the resources associated with a pipeline in a column format. Each column header in a pipeline view is one of the pipeline stages ordered from left to right. Each row in the column is a resource that is currently assigned with that pipeline stage.

This option will export out the pipeline view information to a csv file and each column of the csv file will be a pipeline stage populated with the resource items associated with that pipeline stage. The csv file can be opened in any spreadsheet program where it can then be modified and printed as desired. 

To export a pipeline and its resources to a CSV file do the following:

• Go to the desired pipeline view
• Click on the Export Options menu button
• Click on the Export Selected Pipeline To CSV menu option