Custom fields in CRM: how to add your own client data

Without custom fields in CRM, everyone records client data wherever they like. In a real estate agency, one manager writes the client's budget in a comment, another in the lead name, and a third nowhere at all. A month later, the head of sales can't answer a simple question: how many requests came in with a budget over $10,000.

Your own card fields solve this problem. You add exactly the data sales needs to the customer profile in CRM: budget, course, appointment date, tax ID. With a “Budget” field of the “Number” type, the filter picks out large clients in a couple of clicks. And required fields don't let a manager move a lead to the next of the CRM pipeline stages until the key data is filled in. Fields are added without a developer and at no extra cost: all CRM features are available on any plan.

Watch the two-minute video, and below you'll find the step-by-step setup.

Why a business needs custom fields in CRM

• Online school: the “Course” and “Cohort” fields show how many requests there are for each cohort. You can send a broadcast to everyone in one cohort right from the list.
• Real estate: the “Budget” and “Property” fields — the manager knows right away what to offer, and the head of sales sees the large clients.
• Salon or clinic: the “Appointment date” and “Specialist” fields — appointments don't get lost, and the filter shows who is booked with whom and when.
• B2B: make the “Tax ID” and “Purchase volume” fields required at the “Invoice” stage. A lead can't be moved to this stage until the company details are filled in.
• Business owner: the “Who sees the value” setting hides amounts and personal data from some employees. They will only see the word “Hidden”.

What fields you can add in CRM

There is one field list per project, and both leads and deals use it. Where a field is shown — in leads, in deals or in both — is set in the settings of the field itself.

The “Client card” builder is a screen with two panels. On the left, “Blocks” are the field types. On the right, “Card fields” are the fields in the order they appear in the card.

The main field types:

• “Category” — a list of options with colors; you can allow choosing several;
• “Text” — a single line or a large field with formatting;
• “Number” and “Costs” — amounts and quantities;
• “Date picker” and “Birthday” — dates;
• “Files”, “Map” (address) and “Completed” (a percentage from 0 to 100).

Some fields are unique, for example “Funnel stage” or “Responsible”. If such a field is already in the card, its type is greyed out in the palette.

How to add a field to a client card

1. 1
   Open the builder

   The “Leads” → “Set Client card” menu. In the CRM list, “⋯” → “Card layout” leads there too.
2. 2
   Add a field

   Click the type you need in “Blocks”. The new field appears at the top of the list.
3. 3
   Name the field

   Type the name right in the field's row.
4. 4
   Put it in place

   Drag the field by the “⇅” handle.
5. 5
   Set it up

   Click ⚙ and choose where to show the field and who sees it. Then click “OK”.
6. 6
   Save

   Click “Save” on the bar at the bottom. Without it, the changes won't be saved.

A dropdown field with colors

A “Category” field has a list of options under its row. Type an option into the “Enter the category name and press Enter” field and press Enter. The colored square changes the option's color, “▲” moves it up, and × deletes it. To allow choosing several options in the card, turn on ⚙ → “Appearance” → “Multiple choice”.

Required and hidden fields: field settings

The ⚙ button opens the “Field settings” window:

• “Where to show” — “In the lead card”, “In the deal card” and at which “Funnel stages”;
• “Required” — “Required field” at all stages or only at selected ones;
• “Who sees the field” — employees and teams; the others won't see the field;
• “Who sees the value” — the others will see the field with the word “Hidden”;
• “Hint” — a short text under the field name, up to 250 characters;
• “API id” — the field number for connecting other software.

Labels appear under the field name in the builder: “Required”, “Hidden in leads”, “Shown on N stages”.

Quick edits from the lead card

You don't have to leave the card. The “+ Add field” button above the lead fields creates a field right away. The pencil next to a field changes its name, hint and whether it's required. You can reorder fields by dragging them right in the card — the new order is saved for everyone at once. The whole builder is also available on the card's “Settings” tab. And when you import contacts from Excel to CRM, you can create a new field right from the column's list.

Planned budget: how to sort leads by deal size

To flag large clients, don't enter a payment that hasn't happened yet: payments are real money in your reports. Keep the expected amount in your own “Planned budget” field of the “Number” type. On the kanban board, click “⋯” → “Sorting” → “By numbers” → “Planned budget”, and the largest leads move to the top of each column. In the table, the totals row at the bottom adds up the budget of the filtered leads, and in “⋯” → “Kanban card” you can show the field on the board in the “Large” style.

Read also: CRM pipeline stages: set up your sales funnel and client alerts, Import contacts from Excel to CRM without manual data entry, Customer profile in CRM: full history, client replies and tasks