You've probably heard of ClickUp. Maybe you've even signed up, had a little look around and thought, okay... now what?
On the surface, it looks like another task management platform. And yes, you can create tasks, assign deadlines and tick things off.
But that's only a small part of what it can do.
As someone who builds ClickUp workspaces for businesses, one of my favourite things is showing people how different parts of their business can connect, and all the clever things ClickUp can do that they might not even know about.
For example, did you know you can connect ClickUp to ChatGPT and ask it to summarise your outstanding tasks?
Pretty cool, right? And that's just scratching the surface.
Because when it's set up properly, ClickUp can become far more than a glorified to-do list.
Here are seven practical ways businesses can use it.
First things first - What is ClickUp and how does it work?
ClickUp is a project management and productivity platform that helps businesses organise tasks, projects, clients and workflows in one place. But unlike a basic to-do list, it's designed to bring different areas of your business together.
One of the things I love about ClickUp is its built-in hierarchy. Rather than having everything thrown into one giant task list, you can organise your business into different levels:
Workspace: Your business's main ClickUp environment.
Spaces: Different areas of your business, such as Internal Operations or Client Delivery.
Folders: A way to group related projects, clients or processes within a Space.
Lists: Where you organise and manage specific workflows or groups of tasks.
Tasks & Subtasks: The individual pieces of work that need to get done.
For example, you might have one Space for internal operations and another for client delivery, with your projects, tasks and important information organised underneath.
The beauty of this structure is that you can start simple and build on it as your business grows. You can also use different views and dashboards to see what's happening across multiple areas of your workspace without jumping between systems.
And that's before we even get into custom fields, automations, integrations and all the other clever things ClickUp can do!
The best part? There's no single right way to structure it. A workspace for a solo business owner will look very different from one designed for a growing team managing dozens of clients.
It's about building something that makes sense for how your business operates, rather than changing the way you work to fit the software.
1. Keep track of clients without juggling spreadsheets
A CRM doesn't necessarily need to be a separate piece of software.
Depending on your business, ClickUp can be used to manage client details, enquiries, follow-ups, projects and ongoing work.
It can even store financial information, perform basic calculations and give you an overview of things like monthly retainers, without constantly switching between ClickUp and your accounting software.
For example, you could track retainer values, hours used and remaining allocations directly in ClickUp, rather than jumping into Xero or another spreadsheet every time you need an update.
Imagine being able to open a client record and find the relevant information, related projects and tasks without searching through endless emails.
For service-based businesses managing multiple clients, having that information organised can make a real difference.
2. Connect information across different areas of your business
This is one of my favourite features to work with.
Let's say your business has a database of opportunities, resources or products. You also have a separate database of clients.
What if those records could be connected?
A real example from one of my ClickUp builds
A client needed a central grants database that could be connected to their client records and individual grant applications.
I built a ClickUp workspace using Relationships to link the relevant information together. This meant the team could refer back to client details, see which grants were associated with each client and manage the application work without having to duplicate information across multiple lists.
And this concept isn't limited to grants!
You could use the same approach to connect properties with maintenance requests, recruitment candidates with vacancies, or clients with their ongoing projects.
That's one of the things I love about ClickUp. You can design the connections around the way your business actually operates.
3. Delegate work without constantly asking for updates
If you've started growing your team, you'll know that keeping track of who's doing what can quickly become a job in itself.
ClickUp allows you to assign tasks, set due dates, add context and view progress across different projects.
You can also create different views for different people.
For example, your team might want to see their assigned tasks for the week, while you want an overview of everything happening across the business.
It's about giving everyone the information they need without requiring the business owner to oversee every little detail.
A real example from one of my ClickUp builds
One client was preparing to delegate more work to a remote team member but wanted to maintain visibility over what was happening across the business.
We designed their workspace with clear task assignments, due dates and different views, allowing work to be delegated while giving the business owner an overview of progress.
Rather than relying on constant check-ins or remembering who was responsible for what, the system provided a central place to manage and review tasks.
It's a simple concept, but one that becomes increasingly valuable as your team grows.
4. Automate the repetitive stuff
You know those little administrative tasks that happen every single time you onboard a client or complete a project?
Some of them don't need to be done manually.
Depending on how your workspace is configured, ClickUp automations can help with things like:
Assigning tasks when work reaches a particular stage.
Creating follow-up tasks.
Updating information when conditions are met.
Moving work through a defined process.
Notifying the right person when action is needed.
And when ClickUp needs to communicate with other platforms, tools such as Make or Zapier can help create more connected workflows.
Of course, not every process needs automating. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
5. Turn repeatable processes into templates
If you're completing the same type of work regularly, why start from scratch every time?
You might have a standard onboarding process, recurring client deliverables, a monthly reporting routine or a project checklist.
Task templates can give everyone a consistent starting point.
You can build in the steps, information and responsibilities required so the process doesn't rely entirely on someone remembering what comes next.
It's particularly useful as a business grows and work starts being shared across more people.
6. Get a better picture of what's happening across your business
Sometimes you don't need another spreadsheet or meeting.
You just need to see what's happening.
ClickUp dashboards can bring together information from across a workspace, depending on how the underlying tasks and data have been structured.
A real example from one of my ClickUp builds
For another client, a key part of the workspace design involved bringing together client delivery, recurring retainers and team workload information.
We structured ClickUp to track work across clients, capture time and service-related information, and provide visibility through different views and dashboards.
The idea was to give the business owner a clearer picture of the work being delivered, how resources were being allocated and where attention might be needed.
And because the information was being managed within ClickUp, it could be referenced across different areas of the workspace rather than relying on separate tracking spreadsheets.
7. Build a system that can grow with your business
The way a business operates with one person is usually very different from how it operates with five or ten.
Suddenly there are more clients, projects, responsibilities and moving parts.
Setting up some structure early can save you from having to rethink your entire approach every time your business grows.
That doesn't mean building an overly complicated workspace on day one.
In fact, I'd argue the opposite.
Start with what you need now, consider where the business is heading and build something that can develop alongside it.
So, is ClickUp right for every business?
No. And I wouldn't recommend it just because it's a platform I enjoy working with.
Some businesses genuinely only need a simple task list or spreadsheet.
Others have reached a point where their processes, people and information need something more connected.
The important part is understanding what you're trying to achieve before choosing how to build it.
Because a complicated system isn't automatically a better system.
Where I come in
I'm Alana, the person behind By Alana Virtual Services and a ClickUp Certified Expert.
I work with service-based businesses to design, build and improve ClickUp workspaces around their actual operations.
I've worked on ClickUp builds covering everything from connected client databases and project delivery to team workload management, financial tracking, dashboards and automations.
And while the features themselves are impressive, what I enjoy most is figuring out how to make them work together for a particular business.
Sometimes that means designing a workspace from scratch. Other times it's improving an existing setup, connecting information that's currently sitting in different places or finding a simpler way to manage everyday work.
If you're wondering whether ClickUp could work for your business, I'd love to hear what you're trying to achieve. You don't need to have the solution figured out before getting in touch.
FAQ
Can ClickUp be used as a CRM?
Yes! ClickUp can be configured as a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
You can store client information, track enquiries, manage follow-ups and connect clients to their projects or ongoing work.
With custom fields, relationships and different views, you can create a CRM that works alongside other areas of your business.
For some businesses, this can reduce the need for separate CRM software, although businesses with more complex sales requirements may still benefit from a dedicated platform.
Can ClickUp track time, budgets and monthly retainers?
Yes. ClickUp includes time-tracking capabilities, custom fields, formulas and dashboards that can help businesses monitor project hours, budgets and retainer allocations.
For example, you could track how many hours a client has used against their monthly retainer, calculate remaining allocations and see which clients are approaching their limits.
Some calculations may require manual inputs or additional configuration, depending on your setup and ClickUp plan.
It's not a replacement for accounting software such as Xero, but it can provide useful operational and financial visibility without constantly switching platforms.
Can ClickUp connect with ChatGPT and other software?
Yes! ClickUp can connect with ChatGPT and other platforms through supported integrations and automation tools.
For example, with the appropriate ClickUp connection and permissions, you can ask ChatGPT to help find, summarise or organise information from your workspace, including outstanding tasks.
Tools such as Make and Zapier can also help connect ClickUp with other software, allowing information to move between systems and reducing repetitive manual work.
The possibilities depend on which platforms you're using, your subscription plans and what you're trying to achieve.
Do I need a ClickUp expert to set everything up?
Not necessarily! If you're using ClickUp for basic personal tasks or a straightforward project, you may be perfectly comfortable setting it up yourself.
But if you're managing multiple clients, connecting different areas of your business, building automations or introducing ClickUp to a team, the setup can become more involved.
Working with a ClickUp specialist can help you plan your workspace structure, map your processes and build something suited to the way your business operates.
And if you've already started using ClickUp but things have become a little messy, you don't necessarily need to start again. Sometimes a workspace cleanup or redesign is all that's needed.
About the Author
Alana | Founder of By Alana Virtual Services
Alana is a ClickUp Certified Expert and the founder of By Alana Virtual Services, based in Perth, Western Australia.
With over seven years of corporate experience spanning business operations, administration, project coordination and executive support, she now helps Australian businesses build practical systems that support the way they work.
Her experience includes designing and implementing custom ClickUp workspaces, connecting client databases and workflows, building automations and helping growing businesses better manage their day-to-day operations.
She's particularly passionate about finding simpler ways to work and showing business owners what's possible when their systems actually work together.
