Custom attributes
Add your own contact fields, choose which ones are active and in what order, and set them up as search filters on the Contacts page.
Creating a contact attribute from the user menu, the Contact Attributes page with active and inactive lists, dragging to reorder, configuring an attribute as a search filter with each input type, and mapping it during import.
Custom attributes are your own contact fields, such as a policy number, a lead score or a loan amount. Once an attribute exists, you can fill it in on a contact, map a spreadsheet column to it when importing, and search contacts by it.
Before you start
- You need permission to manage contact attributes. See Team members.
- Both screens are in the user menu (your initials, top right): Add Contact Attribute and Attribute Management.
Create an attribute
- Open the user menu and click Add Contact Attribute. You can also click Create New Attribute on the Contact Attributes page.
- Enter the Attribute Name, for example
Policy Number. - Choose the value type: String, Number or Date. The default is String.
- Under Search Filter Configuration, choose how people will search by this field (see the table below), and optionally add Placeholder Text.
- Leave Enable Search Filter on to show it as a filter on the Contacts page, or switch it off.
- Click Add.
Names must be at least two characters long.
The Add Contact Attribute dialog with Attribute Name filled in, the type dropdown set to String, the Search Filter Configuration section with Input Type, Placeholder Text and the Enable Search Filter switch, and the Add button.
Manage your attributes
- Open the user menu and click Attribute Management. The Contact Attributes page opens.
- Attributes under Active Attributes are in use. Those under Inactive Attributes are hidden.
- Drag an attribute by its handle to reorder it, or to move it between the two lists.
- Click Inactivate all or Activate all to move everything at once.
- Click Save to keep your changes, or Revert to undo them.
A few standard fields are always active and can't be moved or deleted.
To delete an attribute you created, click the delete icon next to it.
The Contact Attributes page with Active Attributes and Inactive Attributes side by side, drag handles and delete icons on custom attributes, the Inactivate all and Activate all buttons, Create New Attribute at the top and Save and Revert at the bottom.
Set an attribute up as a search filter
- On the Contact Attributes page, click an active attribute's name. Configure Search Filter opens.
- Choose the Input Type.
- For Number Range, set Min Value and Max Value.
- Optionally add Placeholder Text, the hint shown in the empty filter box.
- Switch Enable Search Filter on.
- Click Save Configuration.
The filter now appears on the Contacts search page.
Settings explained
| Input Type | How people search |
|---|---|
| Text Input - Free text | Type text. Matches values that start with what you type. |
| Select Dropdown | Pick from a dropdown of values your contacts already have. New values are added to the dropdown within a few minutes. |
| Number Range - Min/Max range | Enter a minimum and a maximum. |
| Date Range - From/To date | Pick a from and a to date. |
| Boolean - True/False or 1/0 dropdown | Pick yes or no. |
Use attributes elsewhere
- On a contact: open the contact, click Edit, then Additional Attributes. See Contacts.
- When importing: map a column to the attribute on Pair your data. See Importing contacts.
- In messages: attributes can be inserted into text messages as merge fields. See SMS campaigns.
Common questions
An attribute name I typed already exists. Attribute names are shared, so Bigly reuses the existing field instead of making a duplicate.
A dropdown filter is missing a value I just added. Values are added to dropdowns every few minutes. Check again shortly.