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Custom Contact Fields

Custom contact fields let you store information that does not fit the default contact fields.

Use them for things like:

  • external account or customer IDs
  • property type or service-plan labels
  • migration columns you need to preserve from another CRM
  • trade-specific data that should stay on the contact record

Custom contact fields are workspace-wide. Once created, the field can be used anywhere that contact data is viewed or updated.

Supported Field Types​

TypeBest for
Textaccount IDs, short labels, membership codes
Textarealonger descriptions or notes you want structured
Numberscores, quantities, or numeric references
Booleanyes/no flags
Daterenewal dates, install dates, anniversaries
Emailalternate email addresses
Phonealternate phone numbers

If you are storing an ID from another system, use Text unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise.

How to Create a Field​

  1. Open Contacts
  2. Find the Custom contact fields panel
  3. Enter a field label
  4. Confirm or edit the generated field key
  5. Choose the field type
  6. Optionally add a description
  7. Optionally map the field to external_id
  8. Click Add field

Field keys are normalized to lowercase with underscores. For example, Account ID becomes account_id.

Identity Mapping And External IDs​

CustomerFlows can route external_id into one custom contact field.

This is useful when:

  • your website or app identifies contacts with its own customer ID
  • you are importing an external_id column from another system
  • you want AI, identity, and CRM workflows to share the same stable account reference

Rules to know:

  • only one custom field can map external_id
  • create that field before importing contacts if you need to preserve outside IDs
  • a text field is usually the best fit for this mapping

Editing And Deleting Fields​

You can change a field label later, and you can also rename the field key.

If you rename the key, CustomerFlows carries the existing stored values forward to the new key automatically.

If you delete a custom field:

  • the field definition is removed
  • stored values for that field are removed from contacts
  • any import or identity flow that depended on that field needs to be updated

Best Practices​

  • keep keys short and stable
  • use one field per long-term business concept
  • avoid near-duplicate fields like account_id and customer_account_id
  • create import-related fields before your first CSV migration
  • reserve external_id mapping for the field that should represent your system-of-record identifier

FAQ​

Can I have different custom fields per pipeline? Not currently. Custom contact fields are workspace-wide, not pipeline-specific.

Can more than one field map to external_id? No. Only one custom field can claim that identity mapping at a time.

Can I rename a custom field after data already exists? Yes. If you change the field key, CustomerFlows carries existing values forward to the new key.

What happens if I delete a field? CustomerFlows removes the field and clears that field's stored values from contacts.

Need help? Email [email protected] or ask in r/CustomerFlows.