Mastering Multi-Level Sorting in HubSpot Reports: Tips and Workarounds
Unlocking Deeper Insights: Mastering Multi-Level Sorting in HubSpot Reports
HubSpot's reporting tools are essential for understanding your business performance and making data-driven decisions. However, sometimes the standard reporting functionalities don't quite provide the granular insights you need. A recent discussion in the HubSpot Community highlighted a common challenge faced by many HubSpot users: achieving multi-level sorting in table view reports.
Imagine you want to sort your company data, first by the assigned company owner and then, within each owner's accounts, by the health score – from the accounts needing the most help to the healthiest. This level of detail can be crucial for prioritizing outreach and improving customer relationships. But how do you accomplish this in HubSpot?
The Challenge: Limitations of Standard HubSpot Report Sorting
The core issue is that HubSpot's standard reporting functionality has limitations when it comes to true multi-level sorting. As a community member pointed out, the ability to sort by a primary dimension and then a secondary breakdown isn't universally available across all report types. In many table visualizations, you're restricted to a single active sort at a time. You can sort by company owner or by health score, but not both simultaneously in a saved, persistent order.
This limitation can be frustrating, especially when you need a nuanced view of your data to identify trends and opportunities. The discussion also highlighted the complexities of sorting by “Health Score,” which depends on how the data is stored within HubSpot's CRM.
If “Health Score” is a numeric property (e.g., a scale from 1 to 100), sorting is typically straightforward – you can usually sort by clicking the column header. However, if “Health Score” is represented as a dropdown or label property (e.g., “Red/Yellow/Green” or “Poor/Fair/Good”), the sorting will default to alphabetical order, which doesn't reflect the actual severity or priority.
Practical Solutions and Workarounds for Multi-Level Sorting
While a perfect, out-of-the-box solution for multi-level sorting isn't always available in HubSpot's native reporting, several workarounds can help you achieve a more refined view of your data. Here are some solutions suggested by the HubSpot Community:
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Manual Inspection: A “Good Enough” Approach: Sort the table by the primary criterion (e.g., company owner) and then visually scan the data within each group for the secondary criterion (e.g., health score). While this is a quick and simple solution, it's not ideal for large datasets and doesn't provide a stable, consistently sorted view. It's a “good enough” approach for a quick check, but not for in-depth analysis.
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Introduce a Numeric Health Score Property: This is often the most practical and reliable solution. Create a new numeric property (e.g., “Health Score (Numeric)”) on the company object. Then, implement a workflow to automatically keep this numeric property synchronized with your existing health score property. For example, you can assign numeric values to different health score labels (e.g., Red = 1, Yellow = 2, Green = 3). Once you have this numeric property, you can easily sort by it in your reports.
Example: If you're using HubSpot's workflows, you can create a workflow triggered when the “Health Score” property is changed. The workflow would then use “If/Then” branches to set the corresponding numeric value in the “Health Score (Numeric)” property.
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Verify the Health Score Property Type: Double-check that your “Health Score” property is actually configured as a “Number” property type within HubSpot's settings. If it's incorrectly set as a text field or a dropdown, sorting will not work as expected. Navigate to Settings > Properties, find the “Health Score” property, and ensure the “Field type” is set to “Number.”
Leveraging HubSpot's Ecosystem for Enhanced Reporting
For businesses heavily reliant on detailed reporting, exploring integrations within the HubSpot ecosystem can be beneficial. Several apps available on the HubSpot Marketplace offer advanced reporting capabilities, including custom sorting and filtering options. These apps often provide a more flexible and powerful way to analyze your data than HubSpot's native reporting tools.
For example, ESHOPMAN provides a built-in storefront and e-commerce solution for HubSpot, allowing you to seamlessly integrate your online store data with your CRM. This integration can unlock new reporting possibilities, allowing you to track customer behavior, sales performance, and other key metrics in a unified view.
Conclusion: Optimizing Your HubSpot Reporting for Maximum Impact
While HubSpot's standard reporting tools might have some limitations when it comes to multi-level sorting, there are several effective workarounds and strategies you can use to achieve the insights you need. By understanding the limitations and implementing the solutions outlined above, you can unlock deeper insights from your HubSpot data and drive better business outcomes. Whether you're using a web shop builder or managing a complex sales pipeline, mastering HubSpot reporting is crucial for success. Remember to leverage the HubSpot Community for ongoing support and inspiration!