How to Use Custom Fields

Every business tracks information that is unique to the way it works. A CRM already includes standard fields—such as name, phone number, email address, owner, and date. Custom fields let your organization add the extra information it needs without redesigning the whole system.

In short, a custom field gives your team a consistent place to record a business-specific answer.

What is a custom field?

A custom field is an extra, labeled place to store information on a record. Think of it as adding a question to a form.

For example, a Project record may already have standard fields for the project name, customer, and owner. Your company might add fields for Site Access Window, Permit Number, or Flooring Warranty Required.

Custom fields do not replace standard fields. They extend a record so it better matches your company’s workflow.

Why use custom fields?

Well-designed custom fields can help your team:

• Keep important, business-specific details on the correct record.

• Enter information consistently instead of using different wording in notes.

• Find, sort, and filter records more easily.

• Build more useful reports and exports.

• Give sales, estimating, operations, and accounting cleaner handoffs.

When information is stored in a dedicated field instead of buried in a note, everyone knows where to find it and the CRM can use it more consistently.

Custom fields, notes, and tags: which should you use?

These tools serve different purposes:

• Custom field: Use for a structured answer that should be entered consistently or used in searching, filtering, reporting, or automation.

• Note: Use for free-form background, a conversation summary, or one-time context.

• Tag: Use for a flexible label that groups or categorizes records.

A simple rule: if the answer needs its own label and your team will use it repeatedly, a custom field is usually the better choice.

Common custom field types

The field type controls what users can enter and helps keep the data clean. Common types include:

• Short text: A brief value such as a permit number, reference code, or neighborhood.

• Long text: A longer explanation or set of instructions.

• Number, currency, or percent: A value that may need to be calculated, sorted, or reported.

• Date or date and time: A deadline, appointment, delivery date, or other calendar value.

• Single-select dropdown: One choice from a controlled list, such as Residential, Commercial, or Builder.

• Multi-select dropdown: More than one choice from an approved list.

• Auto-generate: A unique value that the system creates automatically, such as a sequential number.

Choose the most specific type that fits the answer. For example, use a date field for an installation date instead of a text field. This prevents entries such as “next Friday,” “Friday,” and “9/12” from describing the same kind of information in different ways.

Plan the field before you create it

Ask these questions first:

1. What information do we need to collect?

2. Which record or module should contain it?

3. Who will enter it, and who will use it?

4. Will it be used for searching, filtering, reporting, exporting, or automation?

5. Should it be required on every record, or only completed when relevant?

6. Does a standard or custom field already collect the same information?

Answering these questions helps prevent duplicate, unnecessary, or confusing fields.

Custom field best practices

• Use a short, specific label. “Requested Installation Date” is clearer than “Date 2.”

• Use dropdowns when the answers should come from a standard list.

• Put the field on the record where the answer naturally belongs.

• Make a field required only when users can reasonably provide the answer every time.

• Avoid collecting sensitive information unless it is necessary and appropriately protected.

• Test the field on a sample record, explain its purpose to the team, and review it periodically.

How custom fields work in MeasureSquare CRM

In MeasureSquare CRM, administrators use Custom Fields in Settings to add company-specific data to Contacts, Companies, Projects, and other CRM modules. A field belongs to the module where it is created: a Contact field appears on Contact records, while a Project field appears on Project records.

Administrators can also make a field mandatory when every record should contain an answer. This can improve consistency, but required fields should be used carefully so they do not block users who genuinely do not have the information yet.

Create a custom field in MeasureSquare CRM

1. From the CRM home page, open your profile menu in the upper-right corner and select Settings or System Settings.

2. Select Custom Fields.

3. Choose the CRM item or module where the answer belongs, such as Contacts, Companies, or Projects.

4. Click + Field in that item’s column.
   

        5. Enter a clear field name.

       7. Add the choices for a select field and configure whether the field is mandatory, if needed.

       8. Click Save, then open a test record in that module and confirm the field appears and accepts the expected value. (ex. Going to Contacts > Gear icon⚙️)

                  

If you cannot see or change Custom Fields, ask your MeasureSquare CRM administrator to review your permissions.

Edit an existing field

1. Return to Settings or System Settings, then select Custom Fields.

2. Hover over the field you want to change and click the pencil icon.

3. Make the needed changes in the Edit Field panel.

4. Click Save and test the updated field on a record.

Example: track site access consistently

Suppose your operations team needs to know when crews may enter a jobsite. Instead of typing this information in project notes, create a Project dropdown called Site Access Window with choices such as Standard Hours, After Hours, Weekend Only, and Coordinate with Site.

The field gives everyone the same choices, keeps the answer visible on the Project, and makes the information easier to filter or include in a handoff.

Use the information after it is collected

Once your team enters consistent values, custom fields are easier to use in record views, filters, analytics, and list-view exports where those features support the selected module. This is one reason a structured field is usually more useful than placing the same answer in a note.

Important: record fields and Bid Worksheet fields are different

MeasureSquare CRM also uses the term custom field inside the Bid Worksheet. Bid Worksheet custom fields are columns used for estimating and proposal calculations. They are separate from the record-level fields managed under Settings > Custom Fields.

Use Settings > Custom Fields when you need to store information about a Contact, Company, Project, or another CRM record. Use the Bid Worksheet’s gear icon when you need to add, remove, rename, or rearrange estimating columns.

Related MeasureSquare Help Center articles

• Add and edit custom fields in MeasureSquare CRM

• Create custom fields in MeasureSquare CRM

• Customize Bid Worksheet fields in MeasureSquare CRM

Custom fields are most useful when they collect a small set of information that someone regularly acts on. Start with one clear need, test the field, and expand only when the team sees the value.