Contact Fields

Updated: March 19, 2024

A Contact Field is a property associated with a contact that populates and stores specific information based on the data type. For example, a contact field can be a first name, last name, address, city, phone number, company, revenue, etc.

Each account comes with pre-made contact fields. Some fields can be edited and deleted, but necessary fields such as phone_number or contact_ID cannot. However, additional custom contact fields can be created.

Go to: Data > Contact Fields

Click Create New Field to begin.

Name. Create a system field name. Use underscores for spaces. For example, household_income.

Label. Create a human readable label to display on the agent's dashboard. For example, Household Income.

Agent Required. When enabled, this feature requires the field to not be left blank or empty. This action only applies to creating new and/or updating existing contacts and then clicking the Save button. However, if a call has been dispositioned, and the field has no value, it bypasses the requirement. This is because call dispositioning is an unrelated event to clicking Save. If the agent clicks save, the field must have a value.

Agent Read Only. If enabled, it sets the field as a read only field on the agent dashboard. By default, some fields are "read only". Managers can still edit the field's values. If disabled, the agent can store, update, or delete values from the field.

Import Required. If enabled, and if the .CSV file is missing data for this field, it will reject the contact during upload. If disabled, no values are required for the field.

Show On Agent Dashboard. If enabled, this contact field will be displayed on the agent's dashboard

Select a Data Type. Data types are storage formats that contain specific types of values. There are eleven data types available and it's important to select the right one. For example, a phone number should have the Phone Number data type and not the Text data type. Otherwise, the system won't recognize the E.164 numbering plan (example: [phone]) and, therefore, not dial the phone number through the web phone. Here are the data types:

• Text - Stores text data.
• Integer - Stores whole numbers with numeric values up to sixteen digits in length.
• Decimal - Stores decimal numbers only. If a number is saved without decimal, it auto-adds the decimal (ex: 5.5 or 10.5).
• Date Time - Provides a calendar with day and time selections.
• Date - Provides a calendar with day selections.
• Checkbox - Provides a toggle switch that is "True" or "False."
• Picklist - Stores alphanumeric values that can be associated with other data choices. For example, in order fulfillment, a picklist can be a list of inventory items or quantities.
• Picklist Multiselect - Similar to "Picklist," but provides multiple options to select from.
• Phone Number - Stores phone numbers and saves them in E.164 format (ex: [phone]).
• Email Address - Stores email addresses. Currently, we do not accept "Hotmail" or "Live" address hosts.
• Formula - This field is used for basic arithmetic between two or more Integer and/or Decimal data types. Addition ( + ), subtraction ( - ), multiplication ( * ) and division ( / ) are available. Example, for the formula, enter at least two Field Names (not label names) with an operand such as Integer_Field + Decimal_Field. The result will appear in the formula contact field after clicking Save Contact.

Filterable. When enabled, this contact field will be used to filter contacts on campaigns and on the Contacts page filter form. For example, city, state, or zip code are filterable because Live Filters may target or exclude contacts based on these fields. Keep in mind, some contact fields may have a limited number of fields that may be filterable-enabled.

Click Save to finish.

Keep in mind, once a contact field has been created and saved, the name, data type, and the filterable option cannot be changed. They can be deleted and recreated.

Phone Number Field

Phone numbers are an essential part of the platform. Because of this, there are many phone number fields within an account. In order to keep contacts working as intended, there needs to be at least one phone number contact field available within an account. In other words, if the last phone_number field is attempted to be deleted, an error is displayed: "This contact field cannot be deleted because it's the last remaining phone number field..." If the last phone number field needs to be deleted, create a new phone number field first, then delete the old field.

Main Contact Fields Page

On the main page, the table displays the contact fields and their settings. The top of the page displays the "Filterable Field Count Limits" section. As previously mentioned, "filterable" fields are limited and as contact fields are created with "filterable" enabled, these values are updated.

Filter Results

Click on "Filter Results" to query for contact fields based on the specific criteria: Label, Name, Data Type, Required, Import Required, Is Filterable, and Show on Dash. Click Filter to run the query.

Searching Empty Fields on the Contacts Page

Our platform has the ability to search contact fields that have an empty/blank value.

Go to Data > Contacts and click Filter. On the contacts page, notice that some fields have an empty check box that reads "Search Empty Value." When this is checked and you click Filter Results, the query will search for contacts with those values that are empty (in addition to other query filters).

Conclusion

Having the right contact fields along with accurate data should be a high priority. Contact field accuracy provides the confidence that data is moving through the platform as intended. That begins with having the correct number of fields, field labeling, choosing the right data type, and properly mapping data during the upload process. When data runs as expected, focusing on the end result is much easier to achieve.