---
title: "Follow-up pipelines: support and business set-up files"
description: "Follow files that are not sales, such as a business set-up request: a follow-up pipeline with no amount or probability, its stages, its own fields, its mission, its outcomes and its dashboard."
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-follow-up-cases/"
updated: "2026-11-08"
category: CRM
---

# Follow-up pipelines: support and business set-up files

Not every file is a sale. A business set-up request, a support programme or an application for assistance also move forward in stages until an outcome, but with no amount and no probability of signing. The CRM follows them in a follow-up pipeline: the same stages, kanban and activities as an opportunity, with its own fields, mission, labels and dashboard. This article is intended for economic promotion, business support or assistance teams, and for CRM administrators.

## Before you start

- The CRM module must be enabled for your workspace and open to you (see [Enabling and administering the CRM module](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-enable-and-administer/)).
- Follow-up files use the same permissions as opportunities, CRM menu of the role matrix: “Opportunities — View”, “… — Create”, “… — Edit” (change stage, succeed, abandon, reopen) and “… — Delete”, within your role’s scope. The Access level is enough.
- Pipelines, missions and fields are set with the “CRM settings” permissions (see [CRM settings](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-settings/)).
- The follow-up dashboard requires “CRM dashboards and reports — View” and “Opportunities — View”.

## Sales or follow-up: what changes

Each pipeline has a kind: **Sales**, for deals, or **Follow-up**, for files. A record in a follow-up pipeline keeps everything that helps follow a file and loses what only serves to sell:

| What stays | What goes |
| --- | --- |
| Stages, kanban, list, history and timeline | Amount, currency, probability and weighted amount |
| Account, contacts, activities and signals | Quotes and the Quotes tab |
| Fields required per stage and the reason required when abandoning | Deal split and commissions |
| The project created from a successful file | The forecast and the totals of the sales dashboard |

Each follow-up pipeline also has an object name (“File” by default), labels for its two outcomes (“Succeeded” and “Abandoned” by default) and a mission. Screens and notices use these labels.

## The “Business set-up” preset

The CRM sets up a ready-to-use follow-up pipeline, inactive: “Business set-up” (“Implantation d’entreprise” in a French-speaking workspace). Open **Settings › CRM › Pipelines and stages**: it carries the **Preset · tick “Active” to use it** marker. Tick **Active** to offer it in opportunities.

- **Stages**: Request received, Qualification, Site search, Visits, Decision, then the outcomes **Set up** and **Abandoned**.
- **Required fields**: Qualification requires the business activity and the planned headcount; Decision requires the target move-in date.
- **Object**: “Set-up file”. **Default mission**: Economic promotion.
- **Own fields**: Business activity, Planned headcount, Desired floor space (m²), Type of premises (Offices, Workshop, Warehouse, Retail, Laboratory), Desired location, Real-estate needs (Purchase, Rental, Land, Existing building, New build; several choices allowed) and Target move-in date.

The name of the pipeline and of its stages is set in your workspace’s language. The object and the outcomes have their labels in French, English, German and Italian. You can rename everything, add or remove stages and change the required fields, as for any pipeline.

![The Business set-up follow-up pipeline card in the settings: locked Follow-up kind, Preset marker, default mission, object and outcome labels in four languages, stages with no probability and their required fields.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C1209&quality=80&ssl=1)
A follow-up pipeline: kind, mission, labels and stages with no probability.

## Creating and setting up a follow-up pipeline

1. In **Settings › CRM › Pipelines and stages**, at the bottom of the page, enter the **New pipeline**.
2. Under **Kind**, choose **Follow-up**, then click **Create the pipeline**.
3. Add its stages under **New stage**, then **Add the stage**. A follow-up stage has no probability.
4. Choose the **Default mission**, taken over by each new file.
5. Click **Set the labels**: enter the **Object name**, the **Successful outcome** and the **Abandoned outcome** in each language, then click **Save the labels**. A language left empty takes the default label.
6. Under **Requires:**, tick the fields that must be filled in to enter each stage. A follow-up pipeline can require neither an amount nor a currency.

The kind is chosen at creation. It can still be changed while the pipeline is empty; as soon as a record is in it, the **Kind locked** marker appears and the change is refused: “This pipeline already carries records: its kind can no longer change.”. A record cannot move to a pipeline of the other kind either.

### Fields specific to a pipeline

In **Settings › CRM › CRM settings**, **Custom fields** section, **Opportunities** tab, click **Add a field**. The **Pipeline** field attaches it to a single pipeline; left on **All pipelines**, it applies to every record. A field specific to a pipeline is offered, required and accepted on its records only. The **Multiple-choice list** type allows several values, like the preset’s real-estate needs.

### Missions

The mission says which policy a file belongs to. The **Missions** list is set in **Settings › CRM › CRM settings**, under **CRM lists**, in four languages. It starts with Economic promotion, Spatial planning, Tourism and Mobility. Each file takes its pipeline’s mission, which you can change on the record; lists, the kanban, the dashboard and reports can be filtered by mission.

## Following files

Open **CRM › Opportunities** and choose the follow-up pipeline in the **Pipeline** list. When your workspace has pipelines of both kinds, the **Kind** list (Sales, Follow-up) keeps only those of the chosen kind; the **Mission** list filters the files.

- **Kanban**: each column only gives the number of files, with no total or weighted amount. Cards show the name, account, expected date, owner and signals, never an amount. The last two columns carry the outcome labels, for example **Set up** and **Abandoned**.
- **List**: the Amount, Weighted and probability columns show a dash, and the object name appears under the record’s name. The amount filters disappear.

![The kanban of a follow-up pipeline: one column per stage with only its number of files, the two outcome columns, cards with no amount, and the New record button.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-02.en_.png?resize=800%2C305&quality=80&ssl=1)
A follow-up pipeline’s kanban: no amount, no probability.

To open a file, click the button that carries the object name, for example **New record — Set-up file**. It appears when the kanban shows a follow-up pipeline, or when the list is filtered on a follow-up pipeline or on the Follow-up kind.

1. Enter the file’s **Name** and choose the **Account**, for example the company looking to set up.
2. Check the **Pipeline** and the **Starting stage**.
3. Keep or change the **Mission**, taken from the pipeline.
4. If needed, give the **Expected date**, the **Owner** and the contacts.
5. Fill in the custom fields, those common to all records and those of the pipeline.
6. Click **Create the record**.

The window shows no amount, currency or probability. Sent through the API, they are refused: “A follow-up pipeline carries no amount, currency or probability.”

![The New record window for a set-up file: name, account, pipeline and starting stage, mission, expected date, owner and the pipeline’s own fields, with no amount or probability.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-03.en_.png?resize=672%2C800&quality=80&ssl=1)
Opening a file: the pipeline’s mission and its own fields, no amount.

## A file’s record

The header gives the status (Open, or the pipeline’s outcome), followed by the object name. In the **Overview** tab, the section carries the object name, “Set-up file” for example: **Mission**, **Expected date**, **In the stage since** and, for an abandoned file, the **Reason for abandonment**. The pipeline’s own fields are under **Custom fields**.

The tabs are those of an opportunity, without **Quotes**: **Contacts**, **Activities**, **History** and **Timeline** work the same way (see [Tracking opportunities in the pipeline](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-opportunities-and-pipelines/)). The history and the timeline name the outcomes as the pipeline does: “Set up”, not “Won”.

![A set-up file’s record at the Visits stage: the two outcome buttons, mission, time in the stage and own fields such as business activity, planned headcount and real-estate needs.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-04.en_.png?resize=800%2C376&quality=80&ssl=1)
A file’s record: its outcomes, its mission and its own fields.

## Moving a file forward, succeeding or abandoning

- **Changing stage**: drop the card on another kanban column, or choose the stage in **Change stage…** on the record. If the stage requires a field that is still empty, the **Fields required by the stage** window asks for it.
- **Succeeding**: the button carries the successful outcome’s label, for example **Set up**. Confirm in the “Move to “Set up”?” window.
- **Abandoning**: the button carries the abandoned outcome’s label. In the “Move to “Abandoned”” window, the **Reason for abandonment** is required; it is chosen from the list of loss reasons.
- **Reopen** takes a closed file back to its last in-progress stage.

A file can succeed or be abandoned at any stage. A successful file can become a project, with no budget since it has no amount: **Create the project** appears on its record (see [From a won deal to a project](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-won-deal-to-project/)).

![Diagram: a file starts at Request received; it only enters Qualification with the business activity and planned headcount, otherwise the Fields required by the stage window asks for them. It goes through Site search and Visits, only enters Decision with the target move-in date, then ends Set up, from where a project can be created, or Abandoned, with a required reason for abandonment.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-flux-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C891&quality=80&ssl=1)
The preset’s typical path; a file can succeed or be abandoned at any stage.

## The follow-up dashboard

Open **CRM › Dashboard**. As soon as a follow-up pipeline is active, two buttons appear: **Sales** and **Follow-up**. The sales dashboard ignores follow-up pipelines; the follow-up one only counts their files, with no amount at all. Filter it by follow-up pipeline, by mission, by period and by person.

- Four figures at the top: **Open records**, **Succeeded in the period**, **Abandoned in the period** and **No next activity**.
- **Open records by stage** and **Open records by mission**.
- **Average time per stage (days)**, for the stages left during the period.
- **Records closed by month**, succeeded and abandoned, and **Reasons for abandonment**.

Each figure opens the list of files behind it. You only see files within your scope; with the **Mine** scope, the dashboard says so: “Your own figures: your scope is limited to your records.”. The PDF export remains that of the sales dashboard (see [The dashboard and sales targets](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/crm-dashboard-and-targets/)).

![The follow-up dashboard: open, succeeded, abandoned and no-next-activity records, then open records by stage and by mission, average time per stage, records closed by month and reasons for abandonment.](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/crm-follow-up-cases-05.en_.png?resize=800%2C560&quality=80&ssl=1)
The follow-up dashboard: no amount, each figure opens its records.

## Notices, workflows and reports

- Opportunity notices apply to files, with the object name: “CRM: Set-up file assigned to you”, “CRM: Set-up file without a next step” and “CRM: planned date passed”. Everyone can turn them off in **Personal Settings › Notifications**, row “CRM — opportunities: assigned, signing date passed, no next step”.
- The “Opportunity won”, “Opportunity lost” and “Opportunity stage change” triggers also fire for a follow-up file. In the workflow editor, the **Pipeline kind among** and **Record mission among** conditions tell files apart from sales (see [Creating and editing a workflow](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/workflows-create-and-edit/)).
- Custom reports on opportunities offer the pipeline kind and the mission as columns and filters.

## Good to know

- A follow-up file carries no quote: creating one on it is refused (“A follow-up file carries no quote.”). It is not split and earns no commission.
- The forecast and the committed amounts of the sales dashboard ignore follow-up pipelines.
- The CRM log keeps a file’s history like an opportunity’s.
- Deactivate the preset rather than deleting it: deleted, it comes back, inactive, the next time the **Pipelines and stages** page is opened.
- On a stage of a follow-up pipeline, the **Committed** box remains visible but has no effect: with no amount, nothing goes into the committed amount.

## FAQ

### I do not see the preset in the kanban.

It is inactive at installation. An administrator ticks **Active** on its card, in **Settings › CRM › Pipelines and stages**.

### Can I turn a sales pipeline into a follow-up pipeline?

Only if it does not carry any record yet. Otherwise, create a follow-up pipeline and open the new files in it.

### *Similaire*