Custom Fields
Custom Fields let you extend CRM records with the extra information your business tracks that isn’t part of the standard schema - for example an account number, a contract tier, a preferred technician, or a loyalty ID. Every business models its customers differently, so rather than forcing your data into generic fields, you define exactly the fields you need. Custom fields are defined per tenant and appear automatically on the Contact, Account, or Lead form.
Custom fields are also how you feed data into messaging templates: a WhatsApp or SMS template can reference a custom field so personalized values are filled in automatically at send time.
Custom Fields Grid
The grid displays all custom field definitions for the current tenant, grouped by entity type.
Create/Edit Custom Field
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Entity Type | Which entity this field applies to: contact, account, or lead |
| Field Name | Internal identifier (alphanumeric, underscores) |
| Field Label | Display label shown on the form |
| Field Type | Data type (see below) |
| Options | Comma-separated values for select type fields |
| Required | Whether the field must be filled in |
| Sort Order | Controls the display order within the Custom Fields section |
Field Types
| Type | UI Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
| text | Text input | Single-line text |
| number | Text input | Numeric value |
| date | Date picker | Calendar date |
| textarea | Multi-line text | Longer text content |
| checkbox | Checkbox | Boolean yes/no |
| select | Dropdown | Choose from predefined options (defined in the Options field as comma-separated values) |
How Custom Fields Appear
Once defined, custom fields automatically appear in a collapsible “Custom Fields” section at the bottom of the corresponding entity form (Contact, Account, or Lead). No application restart is needed — fields appear immediately for all users of the tenant.
Custom field values are stored separately from the main entity record, so adding or removing custom field definitions does not affect existing entity data.
Worked example: add a “Support Tier” field and use it in a message
Your business assigns each customer a support tier, and you want it visible on every contact and usable in messages.
- Define the field. Click Add. Entity Type
contact, Field Namesupport_tier(stable - templates will reference it), Field LabelSupport Tier, Field Typeselect, OptionsBronze,Silver,Gold,Platinum, Required off, Sort Order10. Save. - See it immediately. Open any Contact - no restart needed. A collapsible Custom Fields section now shows a Support Tier dropdown with your four options. Set a value and save; it is stored separately from the core contact record.
- Reference it in a template. In a Message Template, insert the custom field as a variable -
{{contact.cf.support_tier|standard}}- so a message can read “As a {{contact.cf.support_tier|standard}} customer, …”. The pipe default keeps it reading naturally when the field is blank. - Segment on it. Because it is a
select(not free text), the values stay consistent - so you can reliably pick out, say, every Platinum customer in the Contacts grid and add them to a static List to target from a campaign.
Choosing select up front (rather than a text field) is what makes steps 3 and 4 reliable: the values are consistent, so personalization and segmentation always match.
Best practices
- Use a stable Field Name. The internal name is what templates and integrations reference. Choose it carefully up front, because renaming it later breaks those references.
- Prefer
selectover free text for fixed choices. A dropdown keeps data consistent and makes the field usable as a filter or template variable. - Only mark a field Required when it truly is. A required custom field must be filled before any record of that entity type can be saved.
- Order fields with Sort Order. Put the most-used fields first so the Custom Fields section is quick to scan.
- Don’t duplicate standard fields. Before adding a custom field, check whether a built-in field (phone, email, title, etc.) already covers it.
Related documentation
- CRM Contacts - where contact custom fields appear.
- CRM Accounts - where account custom fields appear.
- CRM Leads - where lead custom fields appear.
- Message Templates - reference custom fields as template variables.