trakki
Field sales call report: free template (Excel, Word)
By Manuel Ober · · 4 min read
Two templates to download
Take the Excel version if you want to analyse your visits over time, and the Word version if you have to hand in reports one by one or prefer to write on paper.
Download the Excel template (13 KB, opens in Excel, LibreOffice, Numbers and Google Sheets)
Download the Word template (36 KB, opens in Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs)
Both files are in German: sheet names, column headings and form labels. The English meaning is given below, and you can rewrite the headings in your own language. One thing to keep if you do: the “Monat” sheet counts the “Art” column by the exact words “Besuch” (visit) and “Telefonat” (phone call). Keep those two, or adjust the two formulas on that sheet.
The Excel version is a list with one row per contact and three sheets:
- Besuche (visits). Datum (date), Kunde (customer), Ort (town), Art (type: Besuch, Telefonat, E-Mail, Video), Ansprechpartner (contact person), Dauer (min) (duration in minutes), Besprochen (what was discussed), Ergebnis / Nächster Schritt (outcome / next step), Wiedervorlage am (follow-up on) and Erledigt (x) (done). When the follow-up is done, you put an x there. Two example rows show how it looks.
- Monat (month). At the top you enter the first day of the month. Below it you get four figures: that month's visits, phone calls and number of different customers, plus all overdue follow-ups without an x. Those are the figures for your manager, without writing a report.
- So geht's (how it works). Four points on how to fill it in.
The Word version is a form for a single visit, one page long. It has fields for Kunde (customer), Ort (town), Datum (date), Gesprächspartner (person you spoke to), Funktion (their role), Anlass (reason for the visit), Was besprochen wurde (what was discussed), Ergebnis (outcome), Nächster Schritt (next step), Nächster Besuch am (next visit on) and Erledigt bis (done by).
Looking for a template to plan your week? It is in the guide Excel template for route planning.
Why most call reports are no use
They are written for the manager and not for the next visit. Three paragraphs in the evening saying the conversation was “constructive”. Six months later nobody remembers what the customer wanted.
A call report has one purpose: next time, you know in ten seconds what happened last time. Whatever does not serve that can go.
Five items that belong in the report
- When and with whom. Date, customer and contact person. Without a name the report is worthless in three months, when the pharmacy has a new manager.
- What kind of contact. Visits and phone calls are counted separately in the report; whether a call also counts towards the visit cycle is up to you, customer by customer.
- What the customer said. One sentence, for example: “Will order only after the summer, stock is full.” Not what you presented.
- What you do next. One sentence, for example: “Call back early September with a quote.” This line prepares the next visit.
- By when. The follow-up date. Without a date, the next step stays a good intention.
You do not have to enter the duration, but it helps: if you know a visit to this customer takes 45 minutes, you plan the day properly. How time on site feeds into your daily plan is in the guide Why the field sales day runs long.
Write the report in the car, not in the evening
Write it straight after the appointment, before you start the engine. Then you still have the name, the sentence and the next step in your head. In the evening it is five reports, and they all sound the same.
That is why there is one row per contact and not a paragraph. You can manage a row in the car. A paragraph you put off.
The figures for your manager appear by themselves
If you keep one row per contact, you have the figures together at the end of the month. You enter the first of the month on the “Monat” sheet, and the four figures are there.
Your manager rarely wants more than that. Everything else is in the “Ergebnis / Nächster Schritt” column. You filter the list by customer or period and pass on what you want to pass on.
Where the template reaches its limit
The spreadsheet does not know when a customer is due again. You enter the follow-up date by hand, and it does not work out a visit cycle.
Call reports in an app instead of on paper
If you want call report and due date together, record the visits with the customer instead of in a separate spreadsheet. That is how trakki does it: every visit has a note that stays in the customer file, and every visit where you met the customer moves the due date. You can dictate notes instead of typing them, and change them later. Tasks for next time are attached directly to the customer. You pass on your visits as an Excel file, for the company system, say. You can look at trakki in your browser with sample customers, more on the home page.
Frequently asked questions
Does a call report need the customer's signature?
No. A signature belongs on a handover record, not on a call report. The report records for you what happened and what comes next. If you need proof for legal reasons, for instance for handing out samples in the pharma sector, keep it separately and follow your company's rules.
How long do I keep call reports?
As long as the customer is your customer. Three years of a customer's history is worth more than any list when you change territory. Notes about people, such as the contact person, are personal data. Keep to the facts, write nothing private, and delete the details when the contact person leaves.
Is the template enough for a team?
For one person, yes. As soon as several people visit the same customers, you need a shared system, otherwise everyone has their own version of the truth. The template and trakki are not made for that.