How to create and use custom fields

Table of contents

1. What are custom fields?
2. Key benefits of custom fields
3. Custom fields for contacts and opportunities
4. Custom fields for contacts
5. Custom fields for opportunities
6. Organising custom fields with folders
7. Creating a folder
8. How to set up custom fields
9. Using the Custom Fields page
10. Frequently asked questions

What are custom fields?

Custom fields help you capture and organise information that goes beyond standard contact details such as name, email address and phone number. They let you customise records, forms, workflows and pipelines to fit your business processes and improve the way you manage leads and opportunities.

These fields can be used in:

• Forms
• Surveys
• Pipelines
• Workflows
• Automations
• Smart lists
• Contact records
• Opportunity records

Custom fields let you capture details that are specific to your business, such as:

• Lead type
• Budget range
• Preferred contact method
• Referral source
• Property type
• Expected closing timescale

This helps you build tidier records, better segmentation and more tailored automations.

Key benefits of custom fields

Custom fields bring both flexibility and structure to the way your account and your automations are set up.

The benefits include:

• Capturing data that is specific to your business
• Organising contact and deal information more efficiently
• Personalising emails and SMS messages using merge fields
• Building more effective smart lists and workflow filters
• Displaying important information directly in records and pipelines
• Grouping related fields using folders for tidier layouts

Custom fields for contacts and opportunities

Choosing the right field type matters, because contact fields and opportunity fields behave differently within the system.

Custom fields for contacts

Custom contact fields are linked directly to a person.

Use contact fields for information such as:

• Buyer or seller type
• Date of birth
• Preferred contact method
• Referral source
• Company website

These fields can be used within:

• Contact records
• Forms
• Surveys
• Contact workflows
• Smart lists
• Email and SMS personalisation

Custom fields for opportunities

Custom opportunity fields belong to a specific deal or sales opportunity.

Use opportunity fields for information such as:

• Budget range
• Property type
• Deal urgency
• Expected closing timescale
• Sales stage details

These fields appear within:

• Opportunity records
• Sales pipeline views
• Opportunity workflows
• Deal reports and automations

Note: once a field has been created as a contact field or an opportunity field, it cannot be changed.

Organising custom fields with folders

Folders help you organise related fields into sections, so that records stay tidy and easy to read.

Folders appear directly within records and can group related information together.

Examples:

• Buyer information
• Property details
• Sales qualification
• Appointment preferences

Creating a folder

To create a folder:

• Open Settings
• Go to Custom Fields
• Choose the object using the selector at the top
• Open the Folders tab
• Click Create folder
• Enter the folder name
• Save the folder

Once you have created your folders, you can assign fields to them for better organisation.

How to set up custom fields

Follow these steps to create and organise custom fields in your account.

Step 1: go to Settings → Custom Fields

In your account, click Settings, then Custom Fields.

Step 2: select the object

Use the object selector at the top of the page to choose the object you want to manage.

Step 3: open the Fields tab

Stay on the Fields tab to view existing fields and create new ones.

Step 4: click Create field

Click Create field at the top right of the page.

Step 5: select a field type

Choose the type of field you want to create.

Step 6: fill in the field details

Enter the field details, including the name and the folder, if required.

Step 7: check the preview

Use the preview panel to check how the field will look.

Step 8: create the field

Click Create custom field to save the field.

Using the Custom Fields page

The Custom Fields page has an updated layout that helps you manage your fields more efficiently.

1. Use the object selector at the top of the page to switch between the supported objects.
2. Use the Fields tab to view and manage your custom fields.
3. Use the Folders tab to create and manage folders.
4. Sort the table by column to find fields more quickly.
5. Use the icons in the field list to identify special field statuses.

Frequently asked questions