Tips & Best Practices

Power-user tips and productivity hacks to get the most out of TightBlocks. Learn keyboard shortcuts, quick actions, and efficiency tips.

Table of Contents

• Keyboard Shortcuts

• Quick Actions

• Search Tips and Advanced Filters

• Bulk Operation Shortcuts

• Productivity Hacks

• Common Workflows

• Data Management Best Practices

• Team Collaboration Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Shortcuts

Navigation:

• Cmd+K or Ctrl+K - Open global search / command palette

• Cmd+N or Ctrl+N - Quick create (company, contact, deal, task)

• Cmd+Shift+R or Ctrl+Shift+R - Open recent items menu

• Cmd+? or Ctrl+? - Show keyboard shortcuts help

• g then c - Go to Companies (in command palette)

• g then n - Go to Contacts (in command palette)

• g then d - Go to Deals (in command palette)

• g then t - Go to Tasks (in command palette)

• g then a - Go to Analytics (in command palette)

Actions:

• Ctrl/Cmd + K - Command palette (if available)

• Esc - Close modal/dialog

• Enter - Save/Submit

• Ctrl/Cmd + Enter - Save and continue

List View Shortcuts

• ↑ ↓ - Navigate list items

• Enter - Open selected item

• n - New record (when in list)

• f - Focus filter

Form Shortcuts

• Tab - Next field

• Shift + Tab - Previous field

• Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save

• Esc - Cancel/Close

Quick Actions

Quick Create Menu

Access:

• Press Cmd+N or Ctrl+N anywhere

• Or click + button in top navigation

• Or type c, n, d, or t in the command palette (Cmd+K)

Create:

• Contact

• Company

• Deal

• Task

• Activity

• Email

Contextual Quick Actions

From Contact:

• e - Send email

• t - Create task

• a - Log activity

• d - Create deal

From Deal:

• e - Send email

• t - Create task

• i - Create invoice

From List:

• Select multiple items

• Bulk actions menu appears

• Quick bulk operations

Search Tips and Advanced Filters

Quick Search

Global Search:

• Press Cmd+K or Ctrl+K to open

• Type to search all records

• Results show by type

• Press Enter or click to open

Quick Commands in Search:

• Type c - Create company

• Type n - Create contact

• Type d - Create deal

• Type t - Create task

• Type g c - Go to Companies

• Type g n - Go to Contacts

• Type g d - Go to Deals

• Type g t - Go to Tasks

• Type g a - Go to Analytics

Field-Specific Search:

• email: john@example.com - Search by email

• phone: 555 - Search by phone

• tag: hot-lead - Search by tag

Advanced Filters

Building Filters:

1. Go to any list view

2. Click Filters

3. Add conditions:

   • Field

   • Operator (equals, contains, greater than, etc.)

   • Value

4. Combine with AND/OR

5. Save as view

Filter Operators:

• Equals: Exact match

• Contains: Partial match

• Starts with: Beginning match

• Greater than/Less than: Numeric/date comparison

• Is empty/Is not empty: Null checks

• In/Not in: Multiple values

Saved Views:

• Save common filters

• Quick access from View dropdown

• Share with team

• Set as default view

Bulk Operation Shortcuts

Selecting Records

Select Individual:

• Click checkbox

• Or Space when focused

Select All:

• Click header checkbox

• Or Ctrl/Cmd + A (when in list)

Select Range:

• Click first item

• Shift + Click last item

• Range selected

Select by Filter:

• Apply filters

• Select all filtered results

• Bulk action on filtered set

Bulk Actions

Available Actions:

• Bulk edit fields

• Bulk tag

• Bulk assign

• Bulk delete

• Bulk export

• Bulk merge

Keyboard:

• Select records

• b - Open bulk actions menu

• Choose action

• Apply

Productivity Hacks

Email Templates

Quick Insert:

• Type // in email composer

• Template picker opens

• Start typing to filter

• Press Enter to insert

Variables:

• Use variables for personalization

• {{contact.first_name}} - Auto-fills

• Saves time on repetitive emails

Task Templates

Create Templates:

• Save common tasks as templates

• Reuse for similar situations

• Consistent task creation

• Faster setup

Saved Views

Create Views:

• Set up filters

• Save as view

• Quick access

• Share with team

Use Cases:

• "My Hot Leads"

• "Deals Closing This Month"

• "Overdue Tasks"

• "High-Value Customers"

Quick Notes

Inline Notes:

• Click note field

• Type directly

• Auto-saves

• No need to click Edit

Drag and Drop

Pipeline:

• Drag deals between stages

• Quick stage updates

• Visual pipeline management

Tasks:

• Drag to reorder

• Prioritize tasks

• Organize to-do list

Common Workflows

New Lead Workflow

1. Import/Create Contact

2. Tag as "New Lead"

3. Assign to Sales Team

4. Create Welcome Email Task

5. Set Follow-up Reminder

Automate with Workflow:

• Auto-assign on creation

• Auto-tag

• Auto-create tasks

• Auto-send welcome email

Deal Follow-up Workflow

1. Create Deal

2. Set Expected Close Date

3. Create Follow-up Tasks:

   • Day 3: Follow-up call

   • Day 7: Send proposal

   • Day 14: Check in

4. Log All Activities

5. Update Stage as Progresses

Customer Onboarding Workflow

1. Deal Won

2. Create Invoice

3. Tag Contact as "Customer"

4. Create Onboarding Tasks:

   • Send welcome package

   • Schedule onboarding call

   • Set up account

5. Assign to Customer Success

Re-engagement Workflow

1. Identify Inactive Contacts:

   • Filter: No activity in 90 days

2. Tag as "At Risk"

3. Create Re-engagement Task

4. Send Re-engagement Email

5. Log Response

Data Management Best Practices

Data Quality

Consistent Formatting:

• Use standard phone format

• Consistent name capitalization

• Standard date formats

• Uniform company names

Required Fields:

• Always fill required fields

• Add recommended fields

• Complete contact information

• Keep data current

Regular Cleanup:

• Merge duplicates monthly

• Remove test records

• Archive old contacts

• Update outdated information

Naming Conventions

Contacts:

• "First Last" format

• No nicknames in name field

• Use description for notes

Companies:

• Official company name

• Consistent abbreviations

• No "Test Company" records

Deals:

• "[Company] - [Product/Service]"

• Include value in name (optional)

• Consistent format

Tagging Strategy

Organize Tags:

• Use categories: source:, status:, type:

• Consistent naming

• Don't over-tag

• Review and clean tags regularly

Examples:

• source: website

• status: hot-lead

• type: enterprise

• campaign: q4-2025

Team Collaboration Tips

@Mentions

Mention Team Members:

• Type @ in notes/comments

• Select team member

• They get notified

• Great for collaboration

Use Cases:

• Request help

• Share important updates

• Assign tasks

• Get input

Sharing Records

Share with Team:

• Click Share button

• Select users or teams

• Set permissions (view/edit)

• Collaborate effectively

Activity Logging

Log Everything:

• All interactions

• Important conversations

• Decisions made

• Next steps

Benefits:

• Team visibility

• Complete history

• Context for others

• Better collaboration

Task Assignment

Clear Assignments:

• Assign to specific person

• Set clear due dates

• Add descriptions

• Follow up on completion

Communication

Use Notes:

• Document in CRM

• Not in separate tools

• Centralized information

• Easy to find

Update Status:

• Keep records current

• Update stages promptly

• Log activities regularly

• Share important changes

Related Articles

• Getting Started Guide - Learn the basics

• Contact Management - Contact tips

• Deal Pipeline Management - Deal tips

• Workflow Automation - Automation tips

• Email Integration - Email tips

Last Updated: January 2026