Using Custom Client-Specific and Debt and Company-Specific Fields

This article describes the custom fields and the custom debt and company fields available within the FORTH CRM. This article includes the following topics:

• Overview
• Accessing and Adding Custom Fields
• Custom Field Types
• Form Builder
• Troubleshooting / FAQ

Overview

Custom Fields are fields that can be used in addition to Standard (System) Fields to save information about the client. They can be added to In-Take Forms within the CRM. Custom Fields are available as different Field Types based on the type of information you are trying to save (i.e., Date, Text, Price, Multiple Choice...).

Custom Debt/Company Fields can be used in addition to Standard (System) Fields to save information about a company or debt. Once added, they will appear on the Edit Company or Edit Debt fields where applicable within the CRM.

Custom Debt/Company Fields are available as different Field Types based on the type of information you are trying to save (e.g., Date, Text, Price, Multiple-choice, etc.).

As with standard fields, they can be enabled for use with a co-applicant and made mandatory for an enrollment plan to be saved.

Accessing and Adding Custom Fields

(Regular) Custom Fields

1. From the Contacts tab, click Custom Fields.
2. The Custom Fields Page opens and is divided into three distinct sections:
   

• Section 1 - Module to Add/Edit existing Custom Fields.
• Section 2 - Already existing custom fields, their type, and how often they are used.
• Section 3 - By clicking these icons, you can edit existing individual custom fields.

3. Follow the steps listed here to set up a Multiple Choice custom field.

(1) Add a Name or Label for the new custom field in the Name / Label field.

(2) Select the field Type from the dropdown menu.

(3) Add an optional Description for the field.

(4) If creating a “Multiple Choice” field, you can add another option by clicking the Add Another Option link (see the red arrow on the image to the left).

(5) To remove options, click the red circle icon to the right of the input field for the option label.

(6) Save the Custom Field by clicking Save. To save the field as a new field, click Save As New instead.

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Custom Debt / Company Fields

1. From the Admin tab, click Settings in the navigation bar.
   
2. Click Custom Fields Management in the Navigation Bar. The Custom Fields Page opens. The page is divided into three distinct sections:
   

• Section 1 - Module to Add/Edit existing Custom Fields.
• Section 2 - Already existing custom fields, their objects (debts or companies) and their field type.
• Section 3 - By clicking these icons, you can edit existing individual custom debt/ company fields.

3. Do the following to set up a Multiple Choice custom field. Click the image to enlarge.

(1) Input the field Name in the "Custom Field Name" field.

(2) Add an optional Description for the field in the "Description" field.

(3) Select the specific object (i.e., Debts in this example) in the "Object" dropdown menu.

(4) Select Multiple Choice from the Field Type dropdown menu.

     NOTE: If editing an existing custom field, the "Field Type" option is unavailable. To change it, you need to create a new Custom Field.

(5) If creating a “Multiple Choice” field, you can add more options than the four created by default by clicking the green "+" icon (see the red arrow in the image to the left).

Blank option fields will automatically be removed.

(6) Save this Custom Field by clicking Save Field.

Custom Field Types

List of commonly used field types

• Check Box: Provide multiple checkboxes to be available to select multiple options.
• Date: Allows for a date to be chosen.
• Multiple Choice: Allows options available in a drop-down menu.
• Multiple Select: Similar to multiple choice but allows the user to select multiple options.
• Number: Specific number field containing two (2) decimal places. (Use Text for whole numbers).
• Paragraph: Allows a larger free-form entry beyond the character limit of a text field.
• Price: Input field for currency.
• Radio Buttons: Similar to Check Boxes, options are marked with a radio button, but only one selection can be made at a time.
• State: Provides a populated list of the 50 US States and Canadian Provinces.
• Text: A blank field allowing up to 140 characters to be entered.  (most commonly used).

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Form Builder

For assistance with adding Custom Fields to your In-Take Form, please view our Form Builder Article.

Troubleshooting / FAQ

Q: Can I make a custom field searchable? We have contacts coming in with an outside party's ID and need to be able to search for the contact using that ID.

A: No, you cannot make custom fields searchable, but we do have a field titled External ID, which is available for use in these situations. Instead of mapping the outside party's ID to a custom field, map External ID on the Data Source (Setting Up Data Sources) and/or add it as a field on your intake form.

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