CRMs are full of valuable data, but most teams struggle to turn that data into timely insight. Reports are slow to build, questions get routed to ops teams, and decisions are often made with partial information or outdated dashboards.
Leading sales, investor relations, and leadership teams are changing that by adopting natural language report builders inside their CRM. Below are the best practices we’re seeing from teams using AI-driven reporting to move faster, ask better questions, and make more confident decisions with Dakota Joe’s Report Builder built directly into the workflow.
Want AI reporting that works the way your team thinks? Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
As CRM environments grow more complex, the gap between data availability and data usability continues to widen. Most organizations still rely on predefined dashboards, manual exports, or specialized analysts to answer basic business questions, ultimately slowing down sales execution and leadership decision-making.
Across Dakota Marketplace users, a clear pattern has emerged: teams that can ask questions in plain English and instantly generate structured reports operate with more speed, clarity, and alignment. Natural-language report builders aren’t just a convenience… they’re becoming a core best practice for modern CRM usage.
Top Use Cases for a Natural Language Report Builder in Your CRM
1. Shift From “Report Building” to “Question Asking”
Top teams stop memorizing filters and fields — instead they type business questions and let Joe turn intent into structured, presentation-ready reports. This instantly removes reporting complexity and speeds insight generation.
Dakota Joe lets users type plain-language requests and get polished, exportable reports in seconds.
2. Surface Pipeline Views Without Manual Setup
Sales leaders ask Joe for pipeline views — by stage, rep, territory, or segment — without building dashboards or spreadsheets. This gives leaders faster access to forecast insights without dependency on ops.
Joe produces consistent, filter-ready reports on accounts, contacts, and investments on demand.
3. Cross-Reference Data for Holistic Insight
Instead of piecing together multiple reports, teams ask Joe to pull together data across Accounts, Contacts, Investments and Dakota Recommends. This delivers insights that are both broad and connected.
Joe’s cross-object matching capability gives teams a more complete view of relationships and activity without manual joins.
4. Quickly Spot Patterns With Flexible Filters
Rather than guessing which filters to apply, teams tell Joe exactly what they need (ex: time period, segment, geography), and get refined results instantly. This dramatically reduces the back-and-forth that typically slows reporting.
Joe applies filters and returns structured results without manual configuration.
5. Save, Share and Reuse Reports Across Teams
Insights matter only if they can be shared and acted on. Joe saves every report automatically in the team’s Reports tab, making alignment and collaboration frictionless.
Stored reports can be shared organization-wide and exported when needed.
6. Iterate Fast With Edits and Re-Runs
Teams don’t wait for new reports, they adjust and re-run existing ones. Joe makes it easy to refine criteria, add or remove columns, and see updated views in seconds.
Editable, re-run reports means faster iteration on insights.
7. Empower Non-Technical Users to Generate Insight
Most CRM reporting tools require technical knowledge; top teams break this barrier by enabling sales, investor relations, and leadership teams to ask what they need in plain English.
Joe eliminates the need for technical report building or analyst dependence.
8. Use Natural-Language Queries for Real-Time Decision Support
The biggest productivity boost comes from being able to ask ad-hoc questions, like “Which prospects have updated engagement in the last 30 days?”, and get answers instantly, without waiting for scheduled reporting cycles.
Instant results support faster, more confident decision making.
Want Faster Answers From Your CRM — Without More Dashboards or Spreadsheets?
Dakota’s Joe Report Builder, powered by Dakota Marketplace, brings natural-language reporting directly into your CRM so teams can move from data to decisions faster.
Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
Why These Use Cases Matter Most Now
The challenge with CRM data today isn’t access, it’s usability. As systems grow more robust, reporting often becomes slower, more rigid, and more centralized.
Natural language report builders reduce this friction by aligning CRM reporting with how people actually think and work. Instead of learning reporting logic, users ask questions. Instead of waiting on analysts, teams get answers in real time.
Organizations that adopt these best practices operate with more speed, consistency, and confidence. Those that rely on static dashboards and manual exports struggle to keep up… especially in environments where timely insight directly impacts revenue and relationships.
Dakota Marketplace is Here to Help You
Dakota Marketplace powers our Joe Report Builder, bringing natural-language reporting directly into the CRM environment. Instead of navigating complex report builders or relying on operations teams, users can type questions in plain English and instantly receive structured, usable reports.
Joe works across core CRM objects, supports cross-object insights, and allows reports to be refined, saved, and shared – all within Dakota Marketplace. This enables teams to move faster, collaborate more effectively, and turn CRM data into a true decision-making asset.
It’s why sales, investor relations, and leadership teams rely on Dakota Marketplace to modernize their fundraising process.
Ready to put these best practices into action? Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
