Every business has its own specific data it needs to capture, e.g. discounts for the customer, delivery terms, a client’s birthdate. However, most of the business management solutions provide only standard fields for filling in data. Surely, some software can let you display all fields and lists in the account. But then, eventually, it will be impossible to use such a platform due to the huge amount of data which is difficult to navigate.
This is exactly what custom fields and lists are intended for. By adding custom fields to your records, you can configure only the fields you need to keep the key information in the opportunities, projects, etc.
In Flowlu, you can display your own specialized fields and lists to capture all the data that’s important to your business. For example, in an opportunity, you can display fields for storing special discounts or information about the delivery — address, estimated time, etc. For the tasks, you can add the field about the costs, and for the projects — suppliers or freelancers from CRM.
In this article, we will discuss how to create and use custom fields and lists in Flowlu. We promise, it would not take more than 15 minutes of your time. But as a result, you and your team will be able to store information in a clearer way and find the necessary data within a few seconds.
Custom Fields
Custom fields are designed for recording any additional data in the contacts, opportunities, projects and other Flowlu modules to suit your company’s needs. They allow you to add more context about your business and customers.
When creating a new custom field, you need to select a field type which enables you to define what kind of information the field should contain. Available types include text, number, price, date, drop-down, checkboxes, file, user, yes/no, CRM account, project, auto increment, etc.
Let’s say, you make cupcakes, or build furniture, or produce medical equipment, and you need to specify the date and time of the delivery in your list of the opportunities.
To do this, you need to go to System Settings → Custom Fields → Main Settings → Opportunities.
You may need the following types of fields:
- Date. Specify the name of this field, then select “Filter” so that you can filter data by date.
- Text field for entering the address.
- Another text field for additional information, such as preferred delivery time.
- A user field to assign a performer (baker, carpenter, manufacturer). You can also select the “Filter” option here.
- Yes/No type to record whether the order has been completed (delivered) or not.
By default, all fields will be displayed in the list of opportunities with specified filters. If you need to display some information only on the opportunity page, uncheck the “Show in List” option.
The custom fields can be filled out on the opportunity page.
You can view custom fields as columns in the list. You can sort your opportunities by custom field or apply filters on your list view.
Record Lists
Lawyers need to record a lot of personal data about the client. The construction company should specify architects, designers, engineers, and contractors in the projects. Most of the companies need to keep track of all contracts in a single place.
For this purpose, Flowlu allows you to create your own lists (tables) to record important information and quickly find the necessary data using filters and sorting.
Create lists for managing suppliers, equipment, goods, freelancers, agreements, sales, passwords, useful tools… you name it!
Once you created and filled out the list, the information will be displayed in one place and can be linked to any project, contact or organization to be shown in this very record.
Now let’s find out how to set up a custom list. Go to “Get More Apps“ to install the “Record Lists“ module. Next, go to “All Record Lists” and create a list named “Current Year Contracts”.
Then, create a set of fields for this list. The “File” field type allows you to attach any number of documents from your computer or Google Drive. When adding a new item in the “CRM Account” field, you can select companies and contacts from CRM. Once the record is saved, it will be displayed in this CRM account on the “Lists” tab.
The “Drop-down” type allows you to indicate the contracts’ stage (e.g. draft, review, approval, execution) and its status (pending, active, expired, etc.). The list of stage or status types is created in the field settings:
If you need to specify several items at once, select the “Checkboxes” field type.
One of the field types that may be quite unclear is “Link to Record List.” When can it come in handy? For example, in the “Insurance” list we do not need to specify the detailed information on the contract. Otherwise, the table will be too cluttered. We just need to refer to its number. All details of the contract will be stored in a separate list, which you called “Current Year Contracts”. When setting up the “Link to Record List” field, you need to specify the “Current Year Contracts” list and the “Contract Number” field.
Now when adding a new item to the “Insurance” you will be able to select the contract number:
In the “Insurance”, indicate both “Provider” and “Insured Person”. These are two fields that are associated with companies and contacts from CRM. Accordingly, the items will be displayed in these two records at once.
With the filters, you will be able to see only the items that match your needs and instantly find the necessary data.
Permissions
To set up the access to the lists, you need to follow two simple steps. First, you need to configure the access rights at the Record Lists module. Administrators will have access to all lists and will be able to create their own. Employees will only see the lists that they will be able to access. They will not be able to create their own lists.
After that, you can grant access to a specific list for the employee. You can give access to edit the list (entering data into the list) or view only.
Conclusion
Custom fields and lists help you capture and manage the information according to your team’s needs. They let you store important data in one place, making it easier to access the key details that meet your organization’s requirements. The possibilities and applications of custom fields and lists are only limited by your imagination.
If you are looking for data management jobs, you can check them here.