How to Configure Custom Fields in Alivo

A custom field is any extra piece of info you want to track on a contact beyond the basics like name, phone, and address. Think roof type, insurance carrier, job category, or how the homeowner found you. Alivo lets you set up custom fields yourself or pull them in from your CRM, and your AI agents fill them in automatically as they talk to leads. This guide covers both setup paths, the field types you can use, and how the AI population works.

Two Ways Custom Fields Get Into Alivo

Custom fields come from one of two places, and many businesses use both.

1. CRM Integration

When you connect a CRM like JobNimbus, AccuLynx, or another supported platform, Alivo can pull in that CRM's field definitions during setup. You map CRM fields to Alivo custom fields so data stays in sync between the two systems.

During CRM setup, you will walk through a Custom Fields step where you can:

• Map standard CRM fields like contact type, job category, work type, trade type, job type, job status, and lead source.
• Include CRM-specific custom fields that already exist in your CRM (JobNimbus users will see separate sections for Contact Custom Fields and Job Custom Fields).
• Add special notes on each field group to guide the AI on what to look for during conversations.

CRM-linked fields stay tied to your integration. When the AI fills in a value or you update one manually, Alivo can sync it back to the matching field in your CRM.

2. Manual Setup in Alivo

You can also create custom fields directly in Alivo without a CRM. Go to Settings → Templates → Custom Fields. This page shows a table of all your fields with columns for Name, Description, Type, Choices, Required, and Actions.

Click Add Custom Field to create a new one. You will fill in:

• Name. The label that shows on contact records and in your Audience table.
• Description. Plain-language guidance for the AI on what this field means and when to fill it in. The better your description, the more accurately the AI populates it.
• Type. The kind of data the field holds (see the table below).
• Required. Whether the field must have a value (optional toggle).
• Choices. For dropdown fields only. Add the options the AI can pick from.

Field Types You Can Create

Keep in mind: Dropdown (Choice) fields are the only type that can be used to group your pipeline board. If you want to drag leads between columns based on a custom field value, make it a Choice field.

How AI Agents Populate Custom Fields

Once your custom fields are set up, your AI agents handle the data entry for you. After each text message or completed phone call, Alivo reads the full conversation transcript and extracts any details that match your custom field definitions.

Here is how it works in practice:

• The agent asks questions during the conversation. Your agent scripts are designed to gather the info you care about (roof age, damage type, preferred appointment time, and so on).
• Alivo reads the transcript. After each inbound message or completed call, the system reviews the full conversation history, including texts, calls, and emails.
• Matching fields get filled in. If the homeowner mentioned their insurance carrier and you have an "Insurance Carrier" text field, Alivo writes that value to the contact record.
• Dropdown values must match exactly. For Choice fields, the AI can only pick from the options you defined. If it hears something that does not match, it skips that field rather than guessing.

What the AI Will and Will Not Overwrite

• Custom fields: The AI only fills in a custom field if it is currently empty. Once a value is set (by the AI, by you, or synced from your CRM), the AI will not change it.
• Standard fields (name, email, address, etc.): The AI can update these when new information comes up in the conversation, as long as the agent actually asked for or received that detail.

Rule of thumb: Write clear descriptions on your custom fields. Instead of "Roof Type," try "The type of roofing material on the home, such as shingle, metal, tile, or flat." The AI uses your description to decide what to extract and when.

Testing Your Custom Fields

After setting up or editing custom fields (especially during CRM integration setup), you can test how the AI would populate them without affecting a real contact. The retest panel lets you pick an existing contact and conversation, then run a dry-run extraction to see what values the AI would assign. This is a good way to fine-tune your field descriptions before going live.

Editing and Deleting Custom Fields

Go back to Settings → Templates → Custom Fields anytime to edit a field's name, description, type, or choices, or to delete a field you no longer need. Keep in mind that deleting a field removes it from contact records and your Audience table, but it does not delete the underlying contact data in your CRM if the field was synced.

Where Custom Field Values Show Up

Once populated, custom field values appear in a few places:

• Contact detail page. In the contact info accordions alongside standard fields.
• Audience table. Add any custom field as a column through Table Settings (see the Audience table customization guide).
• Pipeline cards. Toggle custom fields on as chips in pipeline view's card display settings.
• Your CRM. If the field is CRM-linked, values sync back automatically.

Custom fields turn your contact records from a name and phone number into a full picture of the job. Set them up once, write good descriptions, and let your AI agents do the data entry while they qualify leads and book inspections.

Still have a question this didn't answer? Reach out to our support team support@alivo.ai and we'll be glad to help.