Mastering Pipedrive Custom Fields: The Complete Guide

If you’re looking to customize your Pipedrive CRM to your business needs, custom fields might be the answer. With this feature, you can tailor Pipedrive to have the exact information that matters to your sales process. 

Whether you're just getting started or looking to optimize your existing setup, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Pipedrive's custom fields - from creation to advanced formula options. 

What are custom fields in Pipedrive?

Custom fields allow you to collect and organize specific information that isn't covered by Pipedrive's default fields. While standard fields like names, phone numbers, and email addresses come pre-configured, custom fields let you track the unique data points that matter to your business.

You can add custom fields to various entities in Pipedrive:

• Leads/deals
• People (contacts)
• Organizations
• Products
• Projects

This flexibility makes it possible to capture industry-specific information or data points that are crucial to your particular sales process, giving you a completely personalized CRM experience.

👉 Read more:

• How does Pipedrive work?
• Pipedrive alternatives
• Pipedrive pricing guide
• Pipedrive forms

Types of custom fields available

Pipedrive offers 16 different custom field types, each designed for specific kinds of information:

How to add custom fields in Pipedrive

To create custom fields in Pipedrive, just follow the steps:

1. Go to Settings > Company > Data fields
2. Click "Add custom field"
3. Select where to add your field (Lead/deal, Person, Organization, Product, or Project)
4. Name your field and select its type
5. Configure the field properties
6. Save your changes

You can also add custom fields directly from an item's detail view by clicking Details > Customize fields > +Add a new field.

Understanding field properties and options

When creating custom fields, you can customize various properties:

Visibility options

• Appears in add view: Makes the field visible when adding new items
• Appears in detail view: Shows the field in an item's detailed information page
• Pipeline-specific (for lead/deal fields): Lets you show or hide fields in specific pipelines

Quality rules

• Required fields: Forces users to complete the field before saving (Pipedrive Professional plan and higher)
• Important fields: Highlights fields that should be filled but aren't mandatory

Field grouping

You can organize related custom fields into groups for better organization. To create a field group:

1. Click "+ Field group" while creating or editing a field
2. Name your group
3. Assign relevant fields to the group

This organization helps keep your data structure clean and intuitive, especially as you add more custom fields.

How to modify custom fields

You can edit your custom fields at any time:

1. Go to Settings > Company > Data fields
2. Find your field and click the "..." button
3. Choose from options:
   
   • Edit: Change the name and properties (type can't be changed once created)
   • Reorder: Change the display order of fields
   • Delete: Remove the field and its data
   • Copy API key: Get the field's API key for integration purposes

Changing a custom field's type

While you can't directly change a field's type after creation, you can transfer data to a new field:

1. Create a new custom field with the desired type
2. Export your data with both the old and new fields included
3. Copy the data from the old field to the new field in your spreadsheet
4. Import the updated spreadsheet back to Pipedrive
5. Verify the data transfer was successful
6. Delete the old custom field

This process allows you to effectively "convert" custom fields when needed.

Formula fields for advanced users

For users on Professional plans and higher, Pipedrive offers formula fields - a powerful way to automate calculations within your CRM:

Creating formula fields

1. Go to Settings > Data fields > Add custom field
2. Select either numerical or monetary field type
3. Toggle on "Apply formula to deals"
4. Build your formula using available operations

Formula components

• Use # to reference other fields (e.g., #Deal value)
• Basic operations: +, -, *, /
• Grouping with parentheses: ( and )
• Percentage calculations using %

For example, to calculate a 10% commission on deals: #Deal value * 10%

Formula behavior

• Formulas automatically recalculate when related fields change
• You can manually recalculate by clicking the refresh icon
• Bulk recalculation is available through list view
• Formulas only work on deals, not leads

I'll expand on the Best Practices section for custom fields:

Best practices for custom fields

Implementing custom fields effectively requires strategic planning and ongoing management. Here are some expanded best practices to help you maximize the value of custom fields in Pipedrive:

Plan before implementing: Before creating custom fields, take time to map out your entire sales process and identify exactly what information is crucial at each stage. Consider holding a workshop with your sales team to understand what data points they actually need to track. This proactive approach prevents field clutter and focuses on collecting only meaningful information that drives decisions or actions.

Use clear naming conventions: Establish consistent naming patterns that make fields instantly recognizable. For example, prefix all fields related to qualification with "QUAL_" or all budget-related fields with "BDG_". This clarity helps both new and experienced users navigate your CRM system without confusion. Avoid abbreviations that aren't universally understood within your organization.

Group related fields: Organize your custom fields into logical categories using field groups. For instance, create separate groups for "Customer Details," "Financial Information," and "Product Interests." This structured approach makes it easier for users to find relevant fields quickly and improves data entry efficiency. Field grouping also creates visual clarity in what might otherwise become a cluttered interface.

Limit required fields: While it may be tempting to make many fields mandatory, this can create friction in the sales process. Only designate fields as required when they're absolutely essential for moving forward or for reporting purposes. Consider using "important" field designations (available in Professional plans) as a middle ground that encourages completion without creating obstacles.

Use appropriate field types: Match your field types to the data they'll contain. For example, don't use a text field for data that should be standardized through a single or multiple option field. Using date fields for deadlines rather than text fields enables proper sorting and filtering. The right field type not only improves data quality but also enhances reporting capabilities.

Regularly review usage: Schedule quarterly audits of your custom fields using Pipedrive's field statistics feature. Identify which fields are frequently used and which are neglected. Fields with low completion rates might need to be reconsidered or repositioned in your workflow. These reviews help prevent "field creep" – the gradual accumulation of unnecessary custom fields that can overwhelm users.

Document your setup: Create comprehensive documentation of your custom field structure, including the purpose of each field, when it should be completed, and how the data will be used. This documentation is invaluable for training new team members and maintaining consistency in data entry. Consider creating a simple reference guide that explains not just what each field is for, but why it matters to your business.

Test before full deployment: When implementing new custom fields, test them with a small group of users before rolling them out company-wide. This pilot approach allows you to gather feedback and refine your setup before scaling, potentially avoiding disruption to your entire sales team.

Balance customization with simplicity: While Pipedrive's flexibility allows for extensive customization, remember that the best CRM setup is one that people will actually use. Aim for the minimum viable customization that meets your needs rather than creating the most comprehensive system possible.

Custom field limitations

When working with Pipedrive's custom fields, it's important to understand their inherent limitations to plan your CRM structure effectively. 

Single and multiple option fields can accommodate up to 500 choices, which is generous for most use cases but may require careful planning for businesses with extensive categorization needs.

Additionally, autocomplete fields have a 255-character storage limit, so they work well for standard entries but aren't suitable for longer text that might exceed this threshold. 

For Professional plan subscribers utilizing formula fields, Pipedrive caps usage at 10 formula fields per company account, which necessitates strategic implementation of your most critical calculations. 

The platform also restricts certain advanced functionality to higher-tier subscriptions; for instance, pipeline-specific field settings are exclusively available to users on Professional plans and above. 

Similarly, the ability to designate fields as required—forcing team members to complete them before saving—is reserved for Professional and Enterprise subscribers. Understanding these boundaries will help you design a more effective custom field structure while avoiding potential frustrations down the line.

Field statistics for admins

For better field management, Pipedrive provides usage statistics for custom fields. To view:

1. Go to Settings > Company > Data fields
2. Find your field and click to edit
3. Click "View field stats" at the bottom-left corner

This shows creation and update dates, plus stats on where the field is used, helping admins make informed decisions about field management.

Conclusion

Custom fields transform Pipedrive from a standard CRM into a tailored system that perfectly fits your business processes. By thoughtfully implementing custom fields, you can capture exactly the information you need, organize it effectively, and even automate calculations to save time and reduce errors.

Whether you're tracking industry-specific data points, calculating commission rates, or just want to see information organized in a particular way, mastering custom fields will help you get more value from your Pipedrive subscription and ultimately close more deals with less administrative overhead.

Remember that the availability of some advanced features like pipeline-specific fields, required fields, and formula fields depends on your subscription level, with Professional and Enterprise plans offering the most flexibility.