Using Custom Transaction Fields

Default fields are great to capture standardized information to help identify and understand each and every transaction in your database. However, often times, you or your team will want to gather additional details about a transaction. That's where Custom Transaction Fields come into play.

These easy-to-add fields not only store the information related to the transaction, but they can be used as merge fields in emails and SMS messages - further customizing and helping ensure your outbound communications are accurate and relevant to the recipient. This will also provide you the future ability to filter and trigger automations for data mining purposes.

There are three data types of to choose from:

1. Text - Open text to add anything details from a single work to sentence length
2. Number - Limited to numbers only
3. Date - Month, Day, Year

In this article, we will demonstrate the following:

• Add a Custom Transaction Fields
• Edit a Custom Transaction Field
• Delete a Custom Transaction Field
• Editing Transaction to Add Data to Custom Fields
• Custom Merge Fields

Add a Custom Transaction Field

1. To begin, in the menu group, choose 'Team Management'. Then, 'Custom Transaction Fields'.
   
   
2. The Transaction Custom Fields page will load. If you do not have any created for your team, it will look like this. Click the '+ Add Custom Field' button in the upper-right -or- in the middle.
   
   
3. The add field drawer will slide out from the right allowing you to add the field details you want to add.
   a. Field Name: This is what will display next to the new field - Keep it easy to understand and consistent with current and future custom fields.
   b. Field Type: Text, Number or Date
   c. Merge Field Name: This will populate automatically based on the 'Field Name', and is editable, but does not need to be changed.
   
   Once you're satisfied, click the 'Create Custom Field' button.
   
   
   Additionally, we can also update the 'Merge Field Name', which is used for merge fields in emails and text messages. Usually, we won't update it. However, there may be cases where we will want to update it. In the animated GIF below, we'll demonstrate updating this after it is automatically generated based on the Field Name.
   
   
4. Now, your new transaction custom field will be listed on the page, and available for use on any Transaction.
   
   
5. Once you're finished adding a custom field, you may begin adding additional fields, as desired.

Edit a Custom Transaction Field

Editing a custom transaction field is as easy as adding one. Once we're in the Team Settings and then Custom Transaction Fields, we're presented with two options for each custom field, 'Edit' and 'Delete', but only on those with a Field Source = Team.

After clicking the 'Edit' link, we'll be presented with the Edit dialog. We'll click within the 'Field Name' and update the text. Once we're happy, we'll click the 'Edit Custom Field' button at the bottom to confirm.

Delete a Custom Transaction Field

Please use caution when deleting any custom field. When deleting a custom field, the data contained will be removed from all transactions.

Once we're in the Team Settings and then Custom Transaction Fields, we're presented with two options for each custom field, but only on those with a Field Source = Team - 'Edit' and 'Delete'

After clicking the 'Delete' link, we'll be presented with the Delete dialog. We'll simply type (or copy/paste) the exact text that is presented to us. In the below animated GIF, we'll demonstrate deleting a custom transaction field.

Finding and Updating a Transaction's Custom Field(s)

Each custom field you add will be visible in every transaction - located at the bottom of the view.

1. Locate the transaction you want to edit or add data to a custom field. You can do so from the Transactions page or from the Contact Detail view of the borrower.
2. When the view/update transaction drawer slides out, scroll to the bottom to view all of the available custom fields you or another member of your team created. They will immediately be editable and ready to receive data.
   
   
   
   

Custom Merge Fields

Each custom field also creates a custom merge field for emails and SMS. This will allow you to merge data from these fields into any outbound communication.

When creating a message, simply click the 'Merge Field' icon to search for the custom field you want to add, as seen in the animated GIF below: