Notes, logged activity, tasks and status changes
Four kinds of entries keep a record's story straight, and mixing them up is the most common reason a file goes cold.
| Entry | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Note | Something you know, written down. | "Owner says the March dip was a closed week for renovation." |
| Logged call, email, text or meeting | Something that happened, with a direction. | "Called, left voicemail" (outbound) or "Merchant called asking about the offer" (inbound). |
| Task | Something someone must do, by a date. | "Call back Thursday 10am about the MTD statement." |
| Status change | Recorded automatically when a lead's status or a deal's stage changes. | Nothing to type: it shows who moved it and when. |
The rule of thumb: if it needs doing, it is a task, not a note. A note that says "call back Friday" is invisible on Friday; a task shows up under Today.
Where the timeline is and how to write in it
Leads and deals have an Activity tab; merchant, lender and funded deal pages show the same timeline. Newest entries are on top, and Show older loads more.
- 1Open the record's Activity tab.
- 2Choose what you are adding: Note, Call, Email, Text or Meeting.
- 3For a note, pick a note type (General, Call, Sales, Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, Document or Payment). For a call, email, text or meeting, pick Outbound or Inbound.
- 4Optionally pick people to notify. Each person you notify gets a task linking to this record.
- 5Type the entry and click Add note (or Log), or press ⌘ or Ctrl + Enter.
Use the Note types filter above the timeline to see, say, only underwriting and compliance notes on a long file. You can delete your own notes; logged calls and status changes stay. On a lead, Log call (or the C key) records the call's outcome and can set a Follow up date, which creates a call-back task for the lead's rep.
Status changes and stage history
Every status or stage change lands on the timeline as "changed status". On a deal, the badge next to the stage shows how many days it has sat there; hover it for the full stage history.
Creating and finishing tasks
A task has a Title, a Due date, an Assignee, a Type (Follow up, Call, Email, Collect docs, Submit, Renewal or Other), a Priority (Low, Normal, High, Urgent) and optional Notes. Create one three ways:
- From a lead or deal's Tasks tab with Add task: the task is linked to that record.
- From anywhere with New → Task.
- On the Tasks page with New task.
Tick the checkbox to complete a task. The menu on each task has Edit, Reopen (for done tasks) and Delete. Some tasks are created for you: an application from your link creates a follow-up task, notifying someone on a note creates one for them, and renewal automation (on plans that include it) creates a renewal task when a merchant becomes eligible.
The Tasks page and your day
Tasks in the sidebar shows tabs for All open, Overdue, Today, Upcoming and Done, with counts. Owners and managers also get Mine and Everyone, so they can see what the whole team has due. The Dashboard shows your own counts (Overdue, Due today, Upcoming, Open) and your open tasks.
A daily habit that keeps files moving
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Related lessons
- Sales rep playbookNotes, calls and follow-up tasksLog every call with its outcome, set the call-back in the same step, write notes your team can find, and keep your task list as your to-do list.
- Sales and merchant conversationsFollow-up cadences that respect the merchantA sample follow-up cadence for new leads and pending deals, why every touch gets logged, how to honor opt-outs, and when to stop following up.
- Underwriting and analysisDecision notes and the audit trailWrite the underwriter's notes, decide conditions, record decline reasons and know which actions the CRM logs, so every decision on a file can be explained.
- Start hereA tour of the appThe sidebar, the New menu, list search and filters, CSV export, the phone layout and the theme switch: where everything is in the CRM.
- Help centerGetting started with FerrylendSign in for the first time, set your password, and find your way around the app.