How to use Custom Nested Fields for CRM-grade Data

As businesses grow, their data grows with them — but not always in a structured manner. Most teams start with simple attributes like Name, Phone, City, Source, or Interest. This works for small operations, but becomes limiting for:

• Segmentation

• Personalization

• Routing

• Reporting

• Sales qualification

• Campaign targeting

• Support workflows

For example, knowing a customer is in “Mumbai” is useful — but not enough if your event has multiple venues inside Mumbai. Or if your business has multiple product variants inside the same product category.

This is where Custom Nested Fields come in.

Nested fields allow businesses to store data in hierarchies. This gives structure, prevents ambiguity, and makes segmentation meaningful.

---

What Are Nested Custom Fields? (Simple Definition)

A Nested Custom Field is a custom field that has:

Parent Field → Child Values

Think of it as a two-layer structure.

Example:

Event (Parent) ↳ Mumbai   ↳ Powai   ↳ Andheri   ↳ Vile Parle ↳ Bangalore   ↳ Indiranagar   ↳ Jayanagar   ↳ Whitefield

This structure allows the system to understand context in a layered manner.

Without nested fields, users would have to manually enter:

EventCity = Mumbai, EventLocation = Powai

And everyone may spell Powai differently or add new values randomly (Powai, Powai East, Powai West), leading to dirty CRM data.

Nested fields eliminate this inconsistency.

---

Why Businesses Need Hierarchical Data

Hierarchies are important when:

• One parent has multiple variations

• You deal with multi-location operations

• You offer multiple product or service variants

• You need multi-layer segmentation for campaigns

• You want more accurate reporting

Let’s look at examples:

Flat Data (Old Way)	Nested Data (New Way)
City = Mumbai	City → Location → Powai
Category = Shoes	Category → Brand → Nike
Product = Car	Brand → Model → Variant
Support = Laptop	Device → Model → Issue Type

With flat values, your CRM may treat Mumbai, Andheri, Powai all as separate cities — messy. Nested structure organizes them logically — clean.

---

Detailed Use Cases Across Industries

Different domains benefit differently from nested structures.

Events / Exhibitions / Conferences

• Event → City → Venue This helps track participation & operations city-wise.

Education / EdTech

• Course → Module → Batch For student support, progress tracking, and content drip.

Real Estate

• City → Project → Tower For lead routing, price lists, and site visits.

Logistics

• Route → Hub → Zone For order management & delivery escalations.

Enterprise Sales

• Region → State → City Works well with B2B distributor networks.

In every example, the goal is clarity and operational intelligence.

---

How to Create Custom Nested Fields

Step 1: Login

Login with the registered phone number and OTP. No technical skills required — this is a no-code configuration.

---

Step 2: Open Settings

Navigate to:

Settings → Custom Fields

This is where CRM attributes are defined for your workspace.

---

Step 3: Create the Parent Field

Click:

Create New Field

Now think about what you want to categorize.

Ask yourself: “What is my main classification layer?”

This is your parent.

In our example:

Parent = Event

Select:

Field Type = List

Why list? Because list ensures standardization. Users must pick from your defined choices — avoiding spelling errors, duplicates, or random entries.

Now enter values such as:

• Mumbai

• Bangalore

• Delhi

These are your parent-level divisions.

Click Save Custom Field.

---

Step 4: Create the Nested Layer

Click:

Create New Field

Enable:

Add Parent Field

Select the parent field you just created (Event).

The system now allows you to “map” child values to each parent value.

For example:

• Under Mumbai → Powai, Andheri, Vile Parle

• Under Bangalore → Indiranagar, Jayanagar, Whitefield

• Under Delhi → CP, Greater Kailash

Save the field again.

At this point, you have a fully structured nested CRM attribute.

---

6. How to Assign Nested Values to a Customer

Assigning nested data is as important as creating it.

Step 1: Open Chats

Open any customer conversation.

Step 2: Add Custom Field

Locate the right panel under Details and click:

• Add Custom Field

Search for the parent (Event)

Step 3: Select Parent Value

Select the city (Mumbai)

Step 4: Select Nested Value

Now select the sub-location (Powai)

The system now stores the relationship:

Event → Mumbai → Powai

This makes future segmentation possible.

---

7. Segmentation & Filtering: Why Nested Data Matters

Nested data becomes extremely powerful during:

✔ Campaign broadcasts ✔ CRM filtering ✔ Automation workflows ✔ Sales pipelines ✔ Support queues ✔ Live analytics

Example:

Show me all customers attending Event = Mumbai Or Show me all customers in Event = Mumbai → Powai

This helps micro-segment audiences.

---

8. Benefits in Detail (Beyond Just “Organizing Data”)

1. Cleaner CRM Data

Free-text leads to inconsistencies. Nested lists enforce standard inputs.

2. Precise Segmentation

Campaigns can be:

• Location specific

• Variant specific

• Category specific

3. Faster Decision-Making

Teams can identify:

• Priority customers

• Location clusters

• Variant preferences

4. Reduced Human Error

No typos like “Mumbai”, “mUmbai”, “Mum-Bai”.

5. Works Across Departments

Sales → Support → Operations can share standardized labels.

6. Enterprise Friendly

Complex operations need structured data — not flat notes.

---

11. Conclusion

Nested Custom Fields bring DoubleTick closer to a true CRM-grade data model. Instead of storing data as disconnected labels, your workspace can now store structured, contextual information that supports:

• Smart segmentation

• Accurate targeting

• Detailed reporting

• Enterprise workflows

In short: Better data → Better insights → Better business outcomes