Custom fields are how you tell Upfirst what to pull out of your calls. They show up at the top of your call summaries so they're easy to skim, and they pass through to Zapier so you can route the info anywhere you want.
There are two kinds:
Contact fields save information that belongs to a specific caller and stays the same between calls. Things like name, phone, email, address, or company name. Once the receptionist has it, it sticks to that contact, so it doesn't need to collect it again.
Call fields save information that's specific to one call and changes each time. A bakery might use call fields like 'cookie flavor' or 'quantity,' since callers order something different every time. Call fields show up as the highlights at the top of each call summary.
A note on how custom fields work: adding a field doesn't tell the receptionist to ask for the information. It only tells the receptionist what to extract from the conversation if it comes up. If you want the receptionist to actually ask the caller for something, write that instruction into your Training.
1. Open Custom fields
Go to Settings > Custom fields in the left-hand menu. Contact fields and call fields each have their own toggle.
2. Add a field
Click Add field for a contact field, or open the Call fields toggle and add a call field there.
You can also add and edit call fields straight from a call. Open any call, click Customize next to Call highlights, and add them there. See How to customize your call summaries for that flow, including the Suggest highlights button and reordering.
3. Name the field
The field name is the friendly label that shows up on call summaries and in Zapier. Keep it short and clear. Examples: 'Service Needed,' 'Appointment Date,' 'New or Returning Customer.'
4. Write the description
The description is the instruction your receptionist follows when extracting the info. Tell it exactly what to pull and how to format it.
Examples:
Service Needed: The type of service the caller is requesting.
Appointment Date: Extract the date the caller wants service in MM/DD/YY format.
New customer?: Only state Yes or No.
Quantity: The number of items the caller wants to order, as a whole number.
The more specific the description, the more consistent the extraction.
5. Save and test
Hit save and place a test call. The new field appears at the top of the call summary if the receptionist captured it. Custom fields apply to calls going forward, so past calls are not reprocessed.
Things to know
Not sure what to add? From a call, click Customize next to Call highlights and use Suggest highlights. It looks at your receptionist's training and suggests details worth pinning to the top of your summaries. You can edit any suggestion after you add it.
Custom fields don't change what the receptionist says or asks. They only control what gets extracted afterward. Use Training to control the conversation itself.
Contact fields persist across calls from the same number. Call fields don't.
You can also import contact fields, so a caller's saved details show up on their summaries from the first call.
All custom fields are passed to Zapier, so you can map them to your CRM, spreadsheet, or anywhere else.