Your CRM Is Built. Now Work It.
Sequences are live. Events are configured. But none of that matters if tasks pile up and leads go cold.
Most operators spend weeks setting up their CRM. Sequences fire. Tags apply. Statuses change. The system hums along. Then the operator opens their task queue on Monday morning and sees 47 overdue tasks. They cherry-pick three easy ones, skip the rest, and wonder why deals keep falling through.
The gap is not in setup. It is in execution. Tasks are where the CRM meets the real world. Every task is a promise to a lead: "Someone will follow up." Break that promise and the lead goes cold. Break it enough times and your pipeline dies.
This page assumes you have completed the Events Deep Dive and Sequences guide. Tasks are the atomic unit those systems produce. If you have not set up your Events system, start there first.
Do This
- Work tasks by priority: overdue first, then by lead temperature
- Batch similar tasks together for speed
- Close every task with a next action or a disposition
- Build presets before enabling sequences
Not This
- Cherry-pick easy tasks and ignore the hard ones
- Leave tasks open past their deadline without rescheduling
- Create tasks without assignees or deadlines
- Manually recreate the same task type every day
Task Creation A-Z
Three entry points, one outcome: every lead gets a next action with a deadline and an owner.
You can create tasks from three places in DataSift: the Events page, the Records list, or inside an individual property record. The result is identical. The difference is context. Creating from within a record auto-links the property. Creating from the Events page requires you to manually attach a property.
Navigate to your entry point
Open the Events page for bulk task creation. Or open an individual property record for context-linked tasks. From the records page, select one or more properties to create tasks in batch.
Create tasks from the Events page, Records list, or individual record.
Select the Task tab
Click "Add New Event" and select the Task tab. If you are inside a property record, the address auto-fills. From the Events page, you will need to search for and select the property.
Choose your assignment method
Assign to a specific user, a role, a custom user group, or use Round Robin for even distribution. See the Assignment Strategy section below for when to use each method.
Assignment options: specific user, role, custom group, or Round Robin.
Set the deadline
Toggle "All day" for tasks due by end of business. Uncheck it to set a specific time for urgent tasks. Hot lead callbacks need a specific hour. Nurture follow-ups can be all-day.
All-day toggle vs. specific time deadline.
Configure recurrence (optional)
Toggle "Repeat Task" for recurring follow-ups. Choose daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly frequency. Enable "Skip Weekends" to roll Saturday and Sunday tasks to the following Monday.
Recurrence frequency and Skip Weekends toggle.
Add notes and save
Add a description with context: what to say, what to look for, what outcome to push for. This turns a generic "follow up" into an actionable task. Save to create the task and trigger any connected Google Calendar sync.
Always create tasks from within the property record, not the Events page. The property links automatically. From the Events page you have to manually search for and attach the property. It takes 10 extra seconds per task, which adds up to hours over a month.
The Assignment Matrix
Four assignment methods. The right one depends on your team size and the task specificity.
Self-Assign (Solo + General Tasks)
You are the team. Assign every task to yourself. The value of tasks for solo operators is not delegation. It is discipline. Tasks enforce a rhythm: you cannot skip follow-ups when the system reminds you daily.
- Use All-Day deadlines for flexible scheduling
- Set daily recurrence for prospecting tasks
- Review your task queue each morning as part of STABM
Round Robin (Team + General Tasks)
General tasks like "call new lead" or "follow up on no-contact" should be distributed evenly. Round Robin prevents one person from getting overloaded while others sit idle.
- Select "Round Robin" in the assignment dropdown
- Choose "Users Round Robin" to pick specific team members
- Distribution is even across selected users
Round Robin distributes tasks equally across selected team members.
Self + Notes (Solo + Role-Specific Tasks)
When you are wearing multiple hats, use the task description to note which role this task requires. "Closer hat: review comps and prepare offer" vs "Data Manager hat: pull new probate records." This creates clarity in your daily queue about what type of work each task demands.
- Prefix task names with the role: "[Closer] Review offer on 123 Main St"
- Batch tasks by role when working your queue
- Track time per role to see where you spend your day
Role / Custom User Group (Team + Role-Specific Tasks)
Acquisition tasks go to closers. Prospecting tasks go to callers. Research tasks go to data managers. Assign by role or create custom user groups for cross-functional teams.
- Use "Assign by Role" for standard team structures
- Create Custom User Groups for specialized teams (e.g., "Senior Closers" vs "Junior Closers")
- Pair task assignment with record assignment for restricted roles
Round Robin is the default answer for teams of two or more. Override it only when the task requires specific expertise. A closer reviewing a counter-offer needs that specific closer, not whoever is next in rotation.
Task + Record Assignment
The number one silent failure in team CRM setups. A task exists, but the team member cannot see the record.
Four roles in DataSift are restricted: Prospectors, Acquisitions, Dispositions, and Researchers. These roles can only see property records that are directly assigned to them. If you create a task for a Prospector but do not assign them the property record, the task appears in their Events tab but they cannot access the property details.
Broken State
Task assigned to Prospector. Property record NOT assigned. The Prospector sees "Call New Lead" in their task queue. They click it. No property details load. No phone number. No address. No context. The task sits unworked. The lead goes cold.
Working State
Task assigned to Prospector. Property record ALSO assigned to Prospector. They click the task, see the full property record, phone numbers, notes, and history. They make the call. The system works as designed.
Critical: When assigning tasks to Prospectors, Acquisitions, Dispositions, or Researchers, always assign the property record to them first. Without record assignment, they see the task but cannot access the property. Zero errors in the console. Zero warnings. Just an invisible wall.
| Role | Record Visibility | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| Sensei / Super Admin / Admin | All records | None. Tasks work automatically. |
| Marketer | All records | None. Tasks work automatically. |
| Prospector | Assigned records only | Assign record before or alongside task. |
| Acquisitions | Assigned records only | Assign record before or alongside task. |
| Dispositions | Assigned records only | Assign record before or alongside task. |
| Researcher | Assigned records only | Assign record before or alongside task. |
How to Assign Records
Assign the property record to the team member before creating the task.
With record assignment, the team member sees the full property details.
Deadline Pattern Library
Match your deadline and recurrence settings to the lead temperature. Hot leads need hours. Cold leads need weeks.
Hot Lead Follow-Up
Deadline: Specific time, within 1-2 hours of trigger
Recurrence: None. Hot leads need immediate, manual follow-up each time. Create a new task after each interaction.
Skip Weekends: Off. Hot leads do not wait for Monday.
Hot leads have 2+ pillars of motivation. They are ready to move. Every hour you delay, conversion probability drops. Set a specific time (not all-day) so the task fires as an urgent notification, not a passive checkbox.
Warm Lead Maintenance
Deadline: All-day task, 15 days from last contact
Recurrence: Every 15 days
Skip Weekends: On. Saturday tasks roll to Monday.
Warm leads have one pillar of motivation. They need nurturing, not pressure. A 15-day cadence keeps you present without being aggressive. The Skip Weekends toggle ensures tasks land on workdays when you are in the CRM.
Cold Lead Re-engagement
Deadline: All-day task, 45 days from last contact
Recurrence: Every 45 days
Skip Weekends: On.
Cold leads have zero pillars but are not dead. They gave you a phone number. They just are not ready. A 45-day check-in is light enough to avoid annoyance but consistent enough that you are the first call when their situation changes.
No Contact / Nurture Sequence
Phase 1 (Days 1-5): Daily recurrence. You are still trying to reach them. Three attempts per day (part of the 27-touch attempt grid).
Phase 2 (Week 2+): Weekly recurrence for 3-6 months. They never answered but the numbers are valid.
Skip Weekends: On for Phase 2. Off for Phase 1 (you need every day of the attempt window).
The shift from daily to weekly happens after your initial attempt cycle exhausts. Do not burn out on leads who may just be busy. Switch to a maintenance cadence and let time do the work.
Deadline Controls in DataSift
The All Day toggle creates a flexible deadline without a specific time.
Uncheck All Day to set a specific time. Use for hot lead tasks.
Recurrence options: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly.
Skip Weekends rolls Saturday/Sunday tasks to Monday.
The Preset Pyramid
Three layers of task presets. Start with defaults. Customize for your market. Then build custom workflows for your unique operation.
Task presets eliminate the daily friction of recreating the same tasks. Build them once, attach them to sequences, and they fire automatically every time a status changes or a trigger condition is met.
DataSift ships three default preset groups. For solo operators on Blueprint A, these cover 90% of your task needs without modification.
Lead Management: Call new lead, follow-up reminder, qualification check, set appointment
Acquisitions: Schedule walkthrough, run comps, prepare offer, counter-offer review, send contract
Transactions: Send to title, schedule inspection, title follow-up, seller check-in, closing prep
Best practice: 3-6 tasks per preset group. More than that creates noise. Fewer leaves gaps.
Take the default presets and adjust three things for your operation:
Assignees: Change from Account Owner to the correct team member or role. Default presets assign everything to the account owner, which breaks when you hire.
Deadlines: Adjust timing for your market speed. If your market moves fast (Phoenix, Dallas), tighten deadlines. Slower markets (rural, Midwest) can use longer windows.
Descriptions: Add your specific scripts, comp criteria, or offer templates to the task description. A task that says "call lead" is less actionable than one that says "call lead, reference probate filing date, ask about timeline to sell."
Custom preset groups for workflows unique to your operation:
Wholesale: Send to buyers list, follow up with top 3 buyers, schedule closing, confirm assignment fees
Rentals: Tenant walkthrough, property manager intro, insurance verification, lease signing, first rent collection
Deep Prospecting: Skip trace research, heir tree check, courthouse records pull, Ancestry.com search, owner swap in CRM
External Integration: Zapier task relay, attorney package send, investor portal update
Name your custom groups clearly. Use the pattern: [Department] - [Workflow]. Examples: "Acquisitions - Wholesale" or "Research - Deep Prospecting."
Creating Preset Groups
Navigate to the Events page and select the Preset tab. From there, create groups to organize your presets, then add individual presets within each group.
Open the Preset tab
From the Events page, click the Preset option to see your existing preset groups and create new ones.
Navigate to the Preset tab on the Events page.
Create a group
Click "Create Group" to start a new organizational folder. Name it clearly using the [Department] - [Workflow] pattern.
Create a new group to organize related task presets.
Add presets to the group
Click "Add New Preset" within your group. Configure the task name, assignment, deadline, recurrence, and description. Each preset becomes a reusable template that sequences can reference.
Add individual task presets within each group.
Create presets BEFORE enabling sequences. Sequences reference presets by name. If the preset does not exist when the sequence fires, the task action silently fails. No error. No warning. Just a missing task and a lead that never gets called.
Task Completion Workflow
A completed task is not the end. It is the trigger for what happens next.
Marking a task complete does five things in DataSift. Understanding this chain is the difference between using tasks as a checklist and using them as an engine.
Every task completion is logged with timestamp and user in the activity log.
The Completed tab shows all finished appointments and tasks across all records.
The most powerful branch is the sequence trigger. When a task completes, it can fire a "Task Completed" trigger in your sequences. That trigger can create the next task, change a status, send a notification, or start a drip. One completion cascades into the next action. No manual intervention needed.
The Task Triage System
Five steps every morning. Ten minutes. Zero leads forgotten.
This is the "T" in STABM. The task queue is the heartbeat of lead management. Skip it and you are flying blind. Work it systematically and every lead has a next step.
The Events tab task queue. This is where every day starts.
Open Events Tab
Start every day here. Not email. Not Slack. The Events tab shows your task queue. This is the "T" in STABM.
Sort by Overdue
Overdue tasks are already late. Handle them before anything new. Every overdue task is a lead losing confidence in you.
Batch by Type
All call tasks together. All follow-up texts together. All offer reviews together. Context-switching kills speed. Batching multiplies it.
Work by Temperature
Within each batch, hot leads first. Then warm. Then cold. Then nurture. Revenue lives in the hot leads.
Set Tomorrow's Tasks
Before logging off, ensure every active lead has a task scheduled for tomorrow. The golden rule: no lead without a next step.
Filter by due date to see today's priority tasks.
Managers can filter by team member to review individual workloads.
Your Task Batching Plan
Write down the order you will work your task types each day. This becomes your daily operating procedure.
Task Execution Scorecard
Four KPIs that tell you if your task system is working. Then rate yourself on five dimensions.
Completion Rate
Target: Complete 95% of daily tasks. Green >95%, Yellow 80-95%, Red <80%.
Overdue Rate
Target: Under 5% overdue. Zero overdue at end of day.
Time to Complete
Hot: within 2 hours. Warm: within 48 hours. Cold: within 7 days.
Task Load
Per caller. Adjust based on task complexity and call duration.
Self-Assessment
Rate yourself 1-5 on each dimension. The radar chart updates in real time.
Task Strategy by Blueprint
Your team size and operating model change how you use tasks. Find your blueprint.
Blueprint A: Solo Operator
All tasks self-assigned. You are every role. The value of tasks is not delegation. It is enforcing discipline when nobody is watching.
- Presets: Use Layer 1 defaults as-is. Do not overcomplicate.
- Assignment: Everything goes to you. No Round Robin.
- Key risk: Ignoring tasks because nobody holds you accountable. Set phone reminders for hot lead tasks.
- Daily target: 20-30 tasks per day across prospecting and follow-up.
Blueprint B: Time-Poor Operator
You have capital but not time. Delegate ALL task execution. Your Lead Manager handles lead tasks. Callers handle prospecting tasks. You review results, not work tasks.
- Presets: Customize Layer 2. Change assignees from Account Owner to Lead Manager and Caller roles.
- Assignment: Round Robin across callers. Direct assign to Lead Manager for qualification tasks.
- Key risk: Tasks assigned but records not assigned to restricted roles. Audit weekly.
- First hire impact: Data Manager + Lead Manager (simultaneous). LM handles 40-60 tasks daily while DM keeps lists clean.
Blueprint C: Specialist
Fewer leads, deeper execution. Your tasks are research-heavy: heir tree checks, courthouse pulls, Ancestry searches. Build custom presets for deep prospecting workflows.
- Presets: Build Layer 3 custom presets for deep prospecting (skip trace, heir tree, courthouse, owner swap).
- Assignment: Self or Data Manager ($500-$700/mo). Research tasks go to Data Manager.
- Key risk: Over-complicating presets. You are a niche operator, not an enterprise. 3-4 custom presets is enough.
- Daily target: 10-15 deep research tasks. Quality over quantity.
Blueprint D: Scale-Up
Full team, all channels. Tasks are your management layer. Round Robin everything. Daily KPI review of completion rates per team member.
- Presets: Full Layer 2 customization + Layer 3 for each exit strategy (wholesale, rental, fix-and-flip).
- Assignment: Round Robin for general. Role-specific for acquisitions and transactions.
- Key risk: Task overload from too many sequences firing simultaneously. Audit sequence frequency weekly.
- Manager role: Sales Manager ($5,000-$6,000/mo) audits overdue tasks daily and coaches completion rates.
Glossary
Click any card to reveal the definition.
Task
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Task
An action item with a deadline, assignee, and optional recurrence. The atomic unit of CRM execution. Every lead should have at least one active task at all times.
Task Preset
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Task Preset
A reusable task template with pre-configured name, assignment, deadline, and description. Sequences reference presets by name to auto-create tasks.
Preset Group
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Preset Group
An organizational folder for related presets. Default groups: Lead Management, Acquisitions, Transactions. Create custom groups for your unique workflows.
Round Robin
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Round Robin
Even distribution of tasks across selected team members. Use "Users Round Robin" to pick specific people. Prevents one person from getting overloaded.
Recurrence
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Recurrence
Auto-recreation schedule for tasks. Options: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly. When a recurring task is completed, a new instance auto-creates for the next interval.
Skip Weekends
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Skip Weekends
Recurrence toggle that rolls Saturday and Sunday tasks to the following Monday. Enable for warm, cold, and nurture leads. Disable for hot leads that cannot wait.
Record Assignment
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Record Assignment
Property ownership that controls visibility for restricted roles. Prospectors, Acquisitions, Dispositions, and Researchers can only see records assigned to them.
Restricted Role
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Restricted Role
Roles that can only see assigned records: Prospector, Acquisitions, Dispositions, Researcher. Task assignment must be paired with record assignment for these roles.
Activity Log
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Activity Log
Chronological record of all task completions, edits, and status changes. Your audit trail for team accountability and performance tracking.
Task Triage
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Task Triage
The daily prioritization system: overdue first, batch by type, work by temperature, set tomorrow's tasks. Target: 95% completion rate with zero overdue at end of day.
Test Your Understanding
Seven questions on task frameworks and execution. No trick questions.
1. What is the first step in the daily Task Triage System?
2. When should you use Round Robin assignment?
3. Why must task assignment be paired with record assignment for Prospectors?
4. What recurrence pattern is recommended for warm lead follow-ups?
5. What happens when a recurring task is marked complete?
6. Which layer of the Preset Pyramid should solo operators start with?
7. What is the target daily task completion rate?
Resources & Next Steps
Companion guides, help articles, and reference materials.
Lead Management & CRM Automation
CRM Quartet companion: 4 Pillars, STABM, pipeline, Dead Lead Revival
Events Deep Dive
CRM Quartet companion: appointments, tasks overview, TCA model, default account
CRM Sequences & Automation
CRM Quartet companion: trigger-based workflows, TCA patterns, pre-built library
DataSift Help: Events Overview
Official help article on events, tasks, and task presets
Deal Flow Tech Stack SOP
Full tech stack spreadsheet with tool pricing and configuration
5 Day Deal Flow Resource Hub
Critical resources across all 5 days of the Deal Flow Challenge
Case Studies
Real operator results across all four blueprints