Weekly client report for outbound agencies (template)

A good weekly outbound report fits one page and answers four questions: how many people we contacted, how many answered, how many meetings were booked and held, and what we are changing next week. Define every metric once, show the denominator, report booked and held meetings separately, and end with one decision. The template below has nine metrics, a layout and a made up example.

Clients do not read dashboards, and they do read a short email on Monday morning. The report is also your protection: it says what was done and what counted, before anyone asks. Most disputes in outbound services come from two words, "reply" and "meeting", meaning different things to each side. This template fixes that.

What goes on the page?

Four blocks, in this order.

1. The headline: one sentence, with the number that matters most.
2. The numbers: nine metrics, this week and the running total.
3. What we learned: two or three lines on what worked or failed.
4. Next week: one decision, and anything you need from the client.

Which nine metrics?

Three notes on definitions.

Replies include courtesies, so split them. In the ShortVibe study about half of the 395 replies were courtesies such as "thanks for connecting". Report replies and positive replies separately so the client can see the real interest.

Reply rate has a base. Always write "10,978 of 27,737 (40%)" and not "40%". Without the base the number cannot be checked.

Booked and held are different numbers. A calendar can mark a meeting completed when its slot ends, whether or not anyone joined. On our account 351 meetings were booked and 33 were confirmed held. Report both and say how held is confirmed. See count meetings honestly.

What does the report look like?

A made up example, to show the shape. Numbers are invented for illustration.

Week of 12 October. Headline: 4 meetings booked, 2 held, and the logistics segment replies at twice the rate of the retail segment. | | This week | Total since start | |---|---|---| | People contacted | 84 | 312 | | Acceptance | 38% (32 of 84) | 41% | | Replies | 19 (6 courtesies) | 71 | | Reply rate | | 23% (71 of 312) | | Positive replies | 5 | 18 | | Meetings booked | 4 | 11 | | Meetings held | 2 | 6 | | Handed to client | 3 (2 price, 1 complaint) | 9 | | Opt outs | 1 | 3 | What we learned: Openers that mention the segment's recent hiring got 9 replies from 31, openers without got 4 from 35. One prospect asked for a price we do not have, so the agent handed it to you. Next week: Move the retail segment to a smaller list and test the hiring opener on it. We need the price list for the handoff rule.

How do you build it each week?

1. Pull the numbers on the same weekday and hour, so weeks compare.
2. Read the replies before you write. A number without a reading is a trap.
3. Write the headline last.
4. Check that held meetings are confirmed.
5. Send it before the client asks.

On Sellinger the data is in the platform, so the pull is a few minutes. The reading takes the time, and it is where you earn the fee. See agency pricing models for how this ties to what you charge.

What should you leave out?

• Vanity numbers. Messages sent and profile views. Report people, not activity.
• Averages across segments. A good total can hide one segment that does all the work. Show the split.
• Forecasts. Report what happened. If you give a projection, label it.
• Surprises. If a number is bad, say so in the headline.

What goes in the headline?

One sentence with one number and one consequence. Compare:

• Weak: "Good week, lots of activity."
• Strong: "4 meetings booked, 2 held, and the logistics segment replies at twice the rate of retail." (the made up example above)

Write the headline last, from the numbers, and make it something the client could repeat to their boss without opening the table.

How do you word a bad week?

Say it first, say why, and say what changes. A made up example: "No meetings booked this week. Acceptance fell to 22% after we added a new list of owners from a directory. We have paused that list and returned to the signal based list." The client gets the number, the cause and the action in three sentences. That tone is what turns a report into trust. A quiet week hidden in a table of activity is the thing clients remember.

How do you handle the handoffs row?

List each conversation the agent passed to a person, with the reason: a price question, a complaint, a request for a contract, or a person asking for a human. The client needs to see what they must answer and how fast. A handoff that waits a day is a lost lead, so put the oldest first and mark anything over 24 hours old. The handling of speed and handoff is in speed is table stakes.

What changes in a monthly version?

Keep the same nine metrics and add three things:

1. A trend line per metric over the four weeks, as a short list of numbers, not a chart.
2. A segment split. One row per segment for people contacted, replies and meetings held.
3. A decision log. What you changed and what happened after the change.

The weekly report stays a single page. The monthly one can run to two.

How do you keep the report honest across clients?

Use the same definitions for every client, and put them in the first report as a short glossary. When a client asks for a different definition, such as counting a click on a booking link as a meeting, add it as a tenth row and keep the original nine. Never change a definition in the middle of a campaign without marking the week it changed. The reasoning for separating booked and held is in count meetings honestly.

A checklist before you send

• [ ] Every rate shows its base.
• [ ] Booked and held are separate.
• [ ] Courtesies are not counted as interest.
• [ ] Handoffs are listed with reasons.
• [ ] There is one decision for next week.
• [ ] The client can answer in one line.

For the client side, we run the same reporting on our own account, covered in the Sellinger case study, and agencies that resell outbound can set the model in the partner programme.