Recording Lost Reasons
When an event doesn't proceed, EventWorks lets you record why. Lost reasons help you track patterns in why events fall through, giving you data to identify common issues.
Getting There
Lost reasons come into play when:
- You release an event (click the Release button on the event dashboard)
- You change an event's status to a lost status (if your administrator has enabled required lost reasons)
- You edit an event and set the lost reason manually
Lost reasons are configured in Settings > Events > Lost Reasons.
The Release Workflow
The most common way to record a lost reason is through the Release workflow:
- Open the event.
- Click the red Release button in the event actions area.
- A modal appears asking you to:
- Click Release.
This does three things:
- Changes the event's status to the selected lost status
- Records the lost reason
- Updates all of the event's dates to the lost status
Note: Both the lost status and lost reason are required when using the Release workflow.
Required Lost Reasons on Status Change
Your administrator can enable a setting that requires a lost reason whenever an event's status is changed to a lost status — not just through the Release workflow. When this is enabled:
- Changing the status dropdown to a lost status will prompt you to also select a lost reason
- The status change won't save without a lost reason selected
This ensures that no event is marked as lost without capturing the reason why.
Recording a Lost Reason Manually
You can also set or update a lost reason through the event edit form:
- Open the event and click Edit.
- Go to the Additional Information tab.
- Select a Lost Reason from the dropdown.
- Optionally enter details in the Lost Reason Other text field for additional context.
- Click Save.
The "Lost Reason Other" field is a free-text area for capturing specifics that don't fit neatly into the predefined reasons — for example, "Client decided to postpone to next year due to budget constraints."
Viewing Lost Reasons
Once a lost reason is recorded, it appears in the Event Info sidebar on the event dashboard. If the event has both a lost reason and additional text in "Lost Reason Other", both are displayed.
Lost reasons can also be used for analysis via:
- Dashboard widgets — The "Events by Lost Reason" widget breaks down lost events by reason
- Reports — Lost reason data is available in event reports
- Event list filters — Filter the events list by lost status to see all lost events and their reasons
Managing Lost Reasons in Settings
Administrators can customise the available lost reasons.
Viewing Lost Reasons
Go to Settings > Events > Lost Reasons to see all configured reasons.
Creating a New Lost Reason
- Go to Settings > Events > Lost Reasons.
- Click Add.
- Enter the reason name (e.g., "Budget constraints", "Chose competitor", "Event cancelled", "No response").
- Click Save.
Editing a Lost Reason
- Go to Settings > Events > Lost Reasons.
- Click Edit on the reason you want to change.
- Update the name.
- Click Save.
Deleting a Lost Reason
You can delete lost reasons that are no longer needed. Events that were previously assigned a deleted reason will retain the original reason text.
Settings & Configuration
- Required lost reason — When enabled in Settings > Events, changing an event to a lost status requires a lost reason to be selected. This ensures consistent data capture.
- Complete tasks on lost — When enabled, all open tasks on an event are automatically completed when the event is marked as lost.
Tips & Best Practices
Tip: Keep your lost reason list focused and consistent. A short list of clear, distinct reasons (e.g., "Budget", "Chose competitor", "Date unavailable", "No response", "Event cancelled") is more useful for analysis than a long list of vague options.
Tip: Use the "Lost Reason Other" field for event-specific detail, and the main lost reason dropdown for the category. This gives you structured data for reporting while still capturing the nuance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I change the lost reason after an event is released?Yes. Edit the event, go to the Additional Information tab, and change the lost reason and/or the "Lost Reason Other" text.
Q: What's the difference between "Release" and just changing the status to lost?The Release workflow is a formal process that updates the status, records the lost reason, and changes all dates to the lost status in one step. Simply changing the status only updates the event status itself (and may or may not require a lost reason, depending on your settings).
Q: Do lost events count in pipeline reports?Lost statuses typically have a 0% probability, so they contribute zero to pipeline value. They can still appear in other reports and the "Lost" tab of the events list.
Q: Can I un-release an event?Yes. Change the event's status back to a non-lost status (e.g., Lead or New). The lost reason will remain on the record for reference, but the event will no longer appear as lost.