Understanding Pipeline Stages

Pipeline stages are the steps in your sales process, and each opportunity sits in one stage at a time as it moves from first contact to closed deal. Your stages are your own: every business sets up the list that matches how it sells, so you can see at a glance where each deal stands and where deals get stuck.

In this guide you’ll learn how to:

• Move an opportunity from one stage to another
• Add a new stage
• Rename or recolour a stage
• Reorder your stages
• Delete a stage you no longer need

Before you start

• If you don’t see CRM in the sidebar, an admin can switch it on in Settings, Customize Navigation.
• You manage stages on the Opportunities tab in Kanban view. To switch, click the view switcher (Change view) in the toolbar and choose Kanban view.

What are pipeline stages?

Stages are the checkpoints in your sales process. Each stage is a column on the Opportunities board, and each opportunity sits in exactly one of them.

Stages help you:

• see where each deal stands at a glance;
• spot which deals need attention;
• forecast revenue by stage;
• find where deals get stuck.

OneSuite doesn’t fix your stages. You add, rename, recolour, reorder and delete them to match how your business sells.

What does each stage column show?

Each column header shows the stage name in its colour, the number of opportunities in the stage and its Forecasted Revenue.

The same stages appear wherever you pick a stage for an opportunity, and on the Pipeline Overview dashboard widget.

How to move an opportunity between stages

Drag the opportunity’s card to another column to change its stage. The change saves as soon as you drop the card.

1. Open CRM, then the Opportunities tab in Kanban view.
2. Click and hold an opportunity card.
3. Drag it to the new stage column.
4. Release it. The stage updates at once.

You can also change the stage in the Stage column in Table view, or in the Stage field on the opportunity’s own page. You can move a deal backwards as well as forwards.

To add a deal straight into a stage, click + at the top of the column, or Add new at the bottom, and type its name.

How to add a stage

Click Add stage after the last column, then give the stage a colour and a name.

1. Open the Opportunities tab in Kanban view.
2. Scroll right past your last column and click Add stage.
3. Pick a colour from the colour picker.
4. Enter a name in Enter stage name.
5. Click Create, or Cancel to stop.

The new stage is added as the last column. OneSuite confirms with Stage created successfully. To place it elsewhere, reorder it as described below.

How to rename or recolour a stage

Use Edit stage in the column’s ⋯ menu to change a stage’s name or colour.

1. Click the ⋯ menu at the top right of the stage column.
2. Click Edit stage.
3. Change the colour, the name, or both.
4. Click Update. OneSuite confirms with Stage updated successfully.

How to reorder stages

Move a stage with Move left or Move right in its ⋯ menu, or drag the column header to a new position.

1. Click the ⋯ menu at the top right of the stage column.
2. Click Move left or Move right to shift the stage one place.
3. Or click and hold the column header and drag the whole column to a new position.

Move left is unavailable on the first column and Move right on the last. The new order saves automatically.

How to delete a stage

Use Delete stage in the column’s ⋯ menu. A stage can only be deleted once it is empty, so move its opportunities to other stages first.

1. Move every opportunity out of the stage by dragging the cards to other columns.
2. Click the ⋯ menu at the top right of the stage column.
3. Click Delete stage.

There is no confirmation step: an empty stage is deleted straight away, and OneSuite confirms with Stage deleted successfully. If opportunities are still in the column, OneSuite stops the deletion and shows Cannot delete a stage that has opportunities.

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FAQs

Can I change the pipeline stages in OneSuite CRM?

Yes. Stages are set per business, and you can add, rename, recolour, reorder and delete them from the Opportunities tab in Kanban view. Your list can be as short or as long as your sales process needs.

Why can’t I delete a pipeline stage?

The stage still holds opportunities. OneSuite shows Cannot delete a stage that has opportunities. Drag every card into another stage, then choose Delete stage again.

Can I move an opportunity back to an earlier stage?

Yes. Drag the card to any column, including an earlier one, or pick another stage in the Stage field. Moving backwards is useful when a deal stalls or a client reopens talks.

Should I create a “Lost” stage?

It helps. A stage for lost deals keeps them visible, so you can look for patterns in why deals don’t close instead of losing that history.

Where do I add a new stage in the Kanban view?

Scroll to the right of your last column and click Add stage. Pick a colour, enter a name and click Create.

Can I just use a spreadsheet instead of pipeline stages?

You can, but a spreadsheet won’t total the value in each stage, flag stalled deals on your dashboard, or let you drag a deal forward in one move. Stages in the CRM do all three and keep each deal linked to its company and contact.

What to do next

Add deals to your pipeline: Create opportunities and place them in a stage with Creating Opportunity.

Tailor the board: Adjust filters and fields on your pipeline with Customizing Your Opportunities View.

Watch your pipeline from Home: Track value by stage and stalled deals with CRM, Client & Pipeline Widgets: OneSuite Dashboard Guide.