Customer Fields

Every business relies on customers, so DecoNetwork keeps comprehensive customer records and uses them in an integrated fashion throughout the DecoNetwork system. While all the usual customer data points, such as name and address, are already being saved into your customers' records and stored, you may require specific data to be captured and used in the system for your own unique business purposes. The Customer Fields page lets you add these extra fields and configure how the DecoNetwork system uses them.

Prerequisites

• You must have administrator access to use this feature

In this article...

• To Configure Customer Fields
• To Edit the Configuration Options of a Customer Field
• To Add a Customer Field
• To Define How DecoNetwork Uses Customer Fields

To Configure Customer Fields

1. Log into your DecoNetwork website and click Admin.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Customer Settings.
4. Click Customer Fields.

   If this is the first time you have been to the Customer Fields area, you will launch the Add App screen which will add the required extra functionality into your DecoNetwork system. Click the app to select it and then click Add now to install. Click Close when DecoNetwork has finished re-configuring your site.

   

   The work area of the Customer Fields screen gives you an overview of the customer information that is captured during the account signup and checkout processes.

   
5. Configure the customer fields as required.

   The names of the fields can be edited in-line and saved. The order in which the fields will appear in the Checkout and Signup forms can also be moved up and down using the blue arrows.

   The availability of the customer record to all stores is set via the All Stores checkbox, which by default is ticked. Un-ticking the checkbox forces you to select which stores will use the new field.

   As many of the records being kept are used by DecoNetwork, most Type and store availability settings are not modifiable and so are grayed out. The Edit button lets you configure options for the field type. See the next tutorial for details on how to configure these options.

   The Agree to Terms & Conditions and Agree to refund policy will require the customer to tick the checkboxes to confirm agreement to the terms and conditions and the refund policy in order to proceed with registration/checkout.

   When the Let me know of latest specials Newsletter field appears at registration/checkout and is used to determine if a customer should be contacted through Mailchimp, Zoho, and newsletters. The field is on by default. Customers can turn it off in their account settings.

6. When done, click Save.

To Edit the Configuration Options of a Customer Field

You can edit the configuration options of each customer field.

1. Click Edit beside the field you want to edit the options for.

   The Configure Options popup will be displayed.

   
2. Configure the options for the field as required.
   • Start new line at this field: tick this checkbox if you want this field to be displayed on a new line.
   • Label Width: Specify a width value, in pixels, for the field label.
   • Container Width: Specify the width for the field input container as a percentage.
   • The Street Address field has an additional option allowing you to specify the Maximum Characters allowed.
     

     This is useful if you import your customer data into an external system that has a character limit on the address field.

   • The State field has an additional option: Don't display state field if the selected country does not use the state when addressing mail.
     

     This setting lets you hide the State field in forms when the user selects a country that does not require a state for mailing addresses. If the selected country doesn’t utilize states in its addressing system, this option helps simplify the form for users by removing the unnecessary field, improving the overall user experience.

3. Click OK.

To Add a Customer Field

You can add custom customer fields if you wish.

1. Click Add Custom Field.
   

   This will add a new row of data to the screen.

   
2. Give the field a name (keep it descriptive and relevant).
   
3. Choose what type of data will be stored.
   

   Field types can be one of two categories

   • Text: (a field of plain, typed text) such as "Text field"; or
   • Select: (a list of options) such as "Dropdown".
4. Configure the type of data by clicking Edit.
   

   Configuration options for the new custom field are displayed in a popup. Options vary depending on the field type.

   Text Field

   

   Text Area

   

   Select (Dropdown, Checkbox, Radio buttons, and Multiple-select)

   
   • Start new line at this field: tick this checkbox if you want this field to be displayed on a new line.
   • Label Width: Specify a width value, in pixels, for the field label.
   • Container Width: Specify the width for the field input container as a percentage.
   • Description: Specify a description that explains what data the field is trying to capture.
   • Length: Specify the length for the field (Text Field only)
   • Rows: Specify the number of rows that the field will contain. (Text Area only)
   • Columns: Specify the number of columns that the field will contain. (Text Area only)
   • Maximum Characters: Specify the maximum number of characters allowed.
   • 'Select' type of fields provide a selection of choices from a list. You need to configure what those choices are. Below is an example of the custom field "Favourite Color" being set up with the options Red, Green, and Blue.
     
   • Default sets which option will be selected prior to the user making a selection.
5. When done, click OK.
6. Click Save.

To Define How DecoNetwork Uses Customer Fields

Many of the places within DecoNetwork can use and request customer information at different times, and many of these are configurable. Some, as they are required by the system, are not configurable. To check these configurations, click Define Field Usage.

You will be presented with a matrix of customer fields, where they appear, and how they are used. Some options are not editable as they are required by the system for normal operation. Making an option Visible means that it will be available for the customer to fill in during signup or checkout. Making that option Required means the customer must also use that field, and failing to fill it in will reject the form being submitted with an error telling the user what they have done incorrectly.

Click the image to enlarge.