How to standardise activities
Start with four activity types: call, meeting, email and to-do. Add new types only when you genuinely need them separated in reports — for example “site visit” for a team that analyses travel cost separately.
Create templates for repeat processes. If every demo must be followed by a quote within two days and a follow-up a week later, define that sequence once so marking “demo done” schedules the rest automatically.
Record the outcome of each activity, not just completion. A call that went unanswered is not the same as one that booked a meeting, and outcome reports only mean something when that difference is captured.
Tune reminders per activity type: fifteen minutes before a meeting, the morning of the day for a follow-up call. Too many reminders get ignored; too few lead to forgotten tasks.