Contact Fields let you store additional data about your contacts beyond the standard fields (first name, last name, phone number, email). Create as many custom fields as you need to track the information that matters to your organization — member IDs, birthdates, departments, status, preferences, or any other data point.
Standard Fields
Every customer comes with these built-in fields:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Mobile Phone Number
- Email Address
These fields are available for personalization in messages and are used for core platform features like customer search and identification.
Custom Fields
Custom fields extend your contact profiles with organization-specific data. Some common examples:
- Birthdate — for birthday campaigns and personalized messages
- Member ID — for identifying members in your system
- Department — for segmenting staff by department
- Status — for tracking active vs. inactive customers
- Start Date — for anniversary campaigns or onboarding sequences
- Company/Organization — for B2B customer management
How to Create a customer Field
Step 1: Navigate to Settings
Click Settings in the left-hand navigation and locate the Contact Fields section.
Step 2: Add a New Field
Click Create Field and define the field name and type. Choose a name that clearly describes the data you are collecting.
Step 3: Configure the Field
Set any additional options for the field, such as whether it is required during import or whether it should appear in contact profile views.
Step 4: Save
Save the field. It will now appear in contact profiles and be available as a column mapping option during contact imports.
Using Contact Fields
In Imports
When importing contacts via spreadsheet, custom fields appear as mapping options. If your spreadsheet has a column for "Member ID," you can map it to your custom Member ID field during import.
In Messages
Custom fields can be used as personalization tags in messages, similar to {first_name}. This lets you insert customer-specific data into campaigns and inbox messages for a more personal touch.
In Dynamic Groups
Custom fields power Dynamic Group rules. For example, you can create a Dynamic Group that includes all customers where the "Department" field equals "Sales" or where the "Birthdate" field is empty.
In Data Capture
When contacts reply to survey questions or data capture campaigns, their responses can be stored in custom contact fields automatically.
Tips & Best Practices
- Create custom fields before importing contacts so you can map spreadsheet columns to the right fields during import.
- Use clear, descriptive field names that any team customer can understand. "Start Date" is better than "Date1."
- When collecting birthdates via text, instruct customers to include a year in their response (MM/DD/YYYY format). Birthdates entered without a year may not work correctly with automated birthday campaign features.
- Review your fields periodically and remove any that are no longer in use to keep contact profiles clean.
Common Questions
Can I delete a custom field?
Yes, but be aware that deleting a field removes the associated data from all contact records. Make sure the field is no longer needed before deleting it.