Understanding Your Dashboard

Time to read: 5 minutes

Overview

Your dashboard is the first thing you see when you log into CertLister. It gives you a quick overview of your credential statistics and trends. The dashboard summarises what the certification tracking and verification software records.

This guide explains what the dashboard shows and how to use it effectively.

Dashboard Layout

Your dashboard has these sections:

1. Key figures (top row) - 5 numbers, each opening the credentials it counts
2. Charts (below) - an issuance and expiry chart, and a breakdown by category
3. Setup (admins only) - where your verification page, logo, emails and designs stand

Section 1: Key Figures

The top row shows 5 numbers at a glance. Click a number to open the credentials it counts.

Issued

What it shows:

• Every credential you've issued, whatever its status now (active, expired, revoked or replaced)
• Below the number: how many were issued this calendar month

Example: "125" with "+12 this month"

What it's useful for:

• Tracking growth over time
• Knowing your credential volume

Click to: View all credentials

Active

What it shows:

• Credentials that are valid today
• Excludes expired, revoked and replaced credentials

Example: "118"

What it's useful for:

• Seeing how many valid credentials are in circulation
• Compliance reporting

How it updates:

• Automatically when credentials expire (based on expiry date)
• When you manually revoke credentials

Click to: View only active credentials

Expiring soon

What it shows:

• Active credentials whose expiry date falls in the next 30 days
• The number turns orange when something is due

Example: "4"

What it's useful for:

• Contacting holders before their credential lapses
• Planning renewals a month ahead

Click to: Credentials filtered to "Active" and "Expiring in 30 days" — the same credentials, as a list

Expired

What it shows:

• Credentials past their expiry date
• Revoked and replaced credentials are not counted here, even when their expiry date has passed

Example: "7"

What it's useful for:

• Identifying credentials that need renewal
• Compliance tracking
• Planning recertification training

Click to: View only expired credentials

Verifications

What it shows:

• Number of times recipients or third parties looked up a credential on your public verify page in the last 30 days

Example: "42"

What it's useful for:

• Gauging how actively your credentials are being checked
• Spotting unusual verification activity
• Understanding recipient engagement after issuance

Note: This number opens Reports → Verifications, where detailed verification logs (who verified what and when) are available, on every plan.

Section 2: Charts

Two panels show how your credentials are spread over time and across categories.

Credentials Issued / Due to Expire

What it shows:

• Area chart of credentials per month
• Switch between Issued (credentials issued each month) and Expiring (active credentials due to expire each month) using the toggle at the top of the chart
• The line under the title says how many credentials the chart holds and which months it covers

Controls:

• Issued / Expiring toggle — Issued looks back from the current month; Expiring looks forward from it
• Date range presets — 3M, 6M, 12M, 2Y, or Custom to pick a range of months. For Issued you can pick months up to the current one; for Expiring, the current month or later. Choose both months, then click Apply
• Interactive tooltips on hover

Good to know:

• Expiring counts only credentials that are still active and have not yet reached their expiry date. Revoked credentials, and credentials you have already renewed, are left out.
• The refresh icon in the dashboard header also reloads the date range you are looking at.

What it's useful for:

• Seeing issuance growth trends and identifying peak periods
• Planning ahead for renewal crunches (Expiring mode shows which months have the most credentials expiring)
• Spotting gaps where no credentials were issued

Credentials by Category

What it shows:

• Your categories ranked by how many credentials each holds, with the count and its share of all your credentials
• The six largest categories by name; any others are grouped into Other
• Credentials with no category, as No category
• How many categories you have, under the title, with a Manage link to the Categories page

Click a row to: Open the credentials in that category. Other opens the Categories page.

What it's useful for:

• Understanding which credential types are most common
• Balancing training programs
• Resource allocation

Section 3: Setup

Admins also see a Setup card, below the charts. When you have no credentials yet, it sits beside the task that walks you through issuing one.

What it shows:

• Verification page - its public address, on your custom domain once that domain is active
• Custom domain - the domain and its status, or Not connected (Pro)
• Logo - whether one is uploaded
• Reply-to address - where recipients' replies go (Basic and Pro)
• Reminder schedule - how many days before expiry recipients are emailed. Reminders go out only for credentials whose category has Send expiry reminder email turned on
• Saved designs - how many designs you have

Click a row to: Open the page where that setting changes.

Navigating from the Dashboard

The Left Sidebar

The left sidebar groups navigation into three sections.

On a wide window you can give a page more room. Click the button at the bottom of the sidebar; its tooltip says Collapse sidebar. The sidebar shrinks to icons; point at an icon to see its name. Click the button again to expand it. Your browser remembers the choice. Design Studio always opens with the sidebar shrunk, so the canvas has more room.

Manage — the things you set up and work in day to day:

• Overview - Returns you to this page
• Categories - Organize credential types
• Credentials - View and manage all credentials
• Design Studio - Create and edit credential designs (drag-and-drop canvas), and apply one to every credential that still needs a PDF
• Verification Page - Configure your public verification page, embed widget, and branding

Grow — the surfaces that go looking for work:

• Reports - Credential activity, verification trends, email delivery, team stats
• Automations - Rules that act on credentials as they are issued, expire or bounce
• Integrations - API keys and webhooks
• Recipient Portal - Where recipients sign in to collect and manage their own credentials

Account:

• Settings - Organization settings, profile, billing

User Menu

Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, or your avatar when the sidebar is shrunk. The menu shows your name, your email address, and your role, with a Sign out button. To change your profile, go to Settings → Profile.

Understanding Credential Statuses

Credentials can have these statuses. The dashboard counts Active and Expired credentials; the Credentials page also shows Revoked, Replaced, and Draft.

Active (Green)

What it means:

• Credential is currently valid
• Not expired or revoked
• Appears in public verification as valid

Shows as active when:

• No expiration date set
• Expiration date is in the future

Expired (Yellow/Orange)

What it means:

• Expiration date has passed
• No longer valid for compliance
• Shows as "Expired" in public verification

What happens:

• Status automatically changes daily at 2 AM UTC on and after the expiration date
• Recipient should renew or recertify

Revoked (Red)

What it means:

• Credential manually revoked by administrator
• Invalid even if expiration date hasn't passed
• Shows as "Revoked" in public verification

Common reasons to revoke:

• Fraudulent credential
• Recipient violated terms
• Credential issued in error
• Certification suspended

Replaced

What it means:

• A newer credential was issued as a renewal of this one
• Shows as replaced in public verification, with a link to the current credential
• Expiry reminders stop for it

See Renewing a Credential.

Draft

What it means:

• Saved but not issued yet — no credential number and no public verification
• Uses no credit until it is issued

See Drafts.

Clickable Key Figures

Each number opens a filtered view:

Issued → All Credentials page

Active → Credentials filtered by "Active" status

Expiring soon → Active credentials expiring in the next 30 days

Expired → Credentials filtered by "Expired" status

Verifications → Reports → Verifications

Tip: Use these shortcuts to quickly access relevant data instead of manually filtering.

Dashboard Refresh

Dashboard numbers update:

• Every time you open the dashboard
• Automatically every 5 minutes while the page is open
• When you click the refresh icon in the dashboard header

The header shows when the numbers were last updated, for example "Updated 3 minutes ago".

If the numbers can't be loaded, a message appears at the top of the page with a Try again button. Numbers already on screen stay where they are.

Tips for Using Your Dashboard Effectively

Check Daily

Morning routine (2 minutes):

1. Review the key figures - anything expiring soon?
2. Look at the chart - normal issuance pattern?
3. Check the category breakdown - anything unexpected?

Monitor Growth

Weekly task:

• Compare "Issued" to previous week
• Increasing? Your programs are growing
• Plateaued? Consider marketing or new programs

Track Expirations

Monthly task:

• Click Expiring soon to see who needs renewing in the next 30 days
• Check the Expired count
• Contact holders for renewal
• Plan recertification training

Keep Categories Organized

Quarterly task:

• Review the category breakdown
• Merge similar categories if needed
• Delete unused categories
• Keep it simple (5-15 categories is ideal)

Mobile Dashboard

CertLister works on phones and tablets.

Mobile view differences:

• Key figures sit two to a row
• Charts stack and adjust to screen width
• Touch-friendly navigation

Tip: Bookmark app.certlister.com on your phone for quick access.

Troubleshooting

Stats show wrong numbers

Problem: Numbers seem incorrect or outdated.

Solutions:

1. Click the refresh icon in the dashboard header
2. Refresh your browser (Ctrl+R or Cmd+R)
3. Log out and log back in

"No data to display"

Problem: Dashboard shows empty state.

Reasons:

• You just created your account (no credentials yet)
• All credentials were deleted
• Data is still loading

Solution:

• Create your first credential
• Wait for data to load completely
• Check your internet connection

Charts not loading

Problem: Statistics cards show but charts are blank.

Reasons:

• Slow internet connection
• Browser compatibility issue
• JavaScript disabled

Solutions:

• Refresh the page
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Check that JavaScript is enabled in browser settings
• Clear browser cache

Stats don't match credential count

Problem: Numbers don't add up (Active + Expired ≠ Issued).

Reason: You may have revoked or replaced credentials. Both are counted in Issued but in neither Active nor Expired. A credential becomes Replaced when you renew it — the replacement is Active, and the one it superseded is not.

Solution: This is correct behavior. Issued includes all statuses (Active + Expired + Revoked + Replaced). Expiring soon is part of Active, not in addition to it.

What the Dashboard Doesn't Show

To keep the dashboard focused, some information is not displayed:

Not on dashboard:

• Full list of all credentials (use Credentials page)
• Individual credential details (click through to view)
• Verification logs (use Reports → Verification)
• Team member activity (if multi-user organization)
• Billing information (use Settings → Billing)

Next Steps

Now that you understand the dashboard, here's what to do next:

1. Create Your First Credential

Learn how to issue credentials step-by-step.

2. Set Up Categories

Organize your credentials by type.

3. Explore the Credentials Page

View, search, filter, and export your credentials.