Custom fields in Bludot CRM (and why they matter for BR&E)

Custom fields: The foundation for tracking what matters in your community

Every economic developer tracks information that doesn’t fit neatly into a generic CRM. That’s exactly what custom fields are for in Bludot.

Custom fields are simple: any data point Bludot doesn’t include as a default field (like address, phone number, website) becomes a custom field that’s unique to your account. And once that field exists, it becomes usable across the platform: on businesses, prospects, properties, and projects.

Custom fields are designed to help you track the information that matters most to your team, without forcing you into a one-size-fits-all data model.

Where custom fields show up in Bludot CRM

Custom fields aren’t confined to one area of the Bludot CRM. They can live in multiple places depending on how your team works.

Custom fields can be used on:

• Active businesses and prospects: To store information about the business itself

• Properties: In the Properties module

• Projects: To capture data that matters to a time-bound initiative

This matters because not all data belongs on a business profile forever.

For example, if you’re running a grant program, a field like grant amount may be extremely relevant for 6–10 months inside a project.

But putting a single number on a business profile without context (what grant, when, why) can become meaningless over time. That’s why custom fields exist both on businesses and projects: so teams can store the right data in the right context.

Custom field types: built to match real-world data

Custom fields can be built in several formats depending on what you need to capture:

• Text

• Dropdown

• Checkbox

• Currency

• Number

Checkbox fields are especially useful when a business can fit multiple categories at once, rather than being forced into a single dropdown choice.

The real unlock: Use custom fields in surveys and forms to keep your database current

Custom fields become significantly more powerful when they’re used inside surveys and activity forms, because you can map questions directly back to the database.

Surveys: map each question to the database (business or project)

When building a survey, Bludot lets you map questions field-by-field to either:

• Business fields

• Project fields

• Or both in the same survey

That means a single survey can both:

1. Update a business profile

2. Create a project from the same submission

Bludot also supports auto-populating existing values when a business is identified, so respondents only update what’s changed. This reduces friction for the business while keeping your CRM data current.

Activity forms: capture notes once and automatically update the profile

Teams often capture information during a visit, then later re-enter it into the CRM (or forget to). Mapped activity forms remove that extra step.

You can log a business visit and have the form automatically update key fields like:

• Estimated open year

• Employee count

• Ownership type

• Square footage

When the activity is submitted, the system confirms the update by indicating it mapped values back to the business fields—so staff don’t have to go hunting for what changed.

Search, segment, and report using custom fields

Once custom fields are being populated through surveys and forms, you can actually work the data—not just store it.

Advanced search

Any custom field can be searched, and you can combine multiple custom field filters in a single view.

Dynamic labels

Because custom fields map back to the profile, you can create dynamic labels that stay up to date as new information is collected over time.

Exports and reporting

After filtering a list, you can export it, email it, or use it as the basis for reporting. You can also analyze activity data (like business visits) alongside custom field values to better understand engagement patterns.

How to create and manage custom fields

Custom fields are easy to set up and maintain, and they can be managed directly within the CRM.

Create a new custom field

From a business profile:

1. Scroll to custom data

2. Select Manage custom data

3. Choose Add another data field

4. Enter the field name and select the field type

Once created, the field becomes available across businesses moving forward.

Manage dropdown and checkbox options

Dropdown and checkbox options are managed in Settings → Custom Data, where you can define and adjust the available selections over time.

Map fields to activity forms

Activity forms can be configured to map responses back to specific business fields, so the profile is updated automatically when staff log activities.

What this means for BR&E teams

Custom fields aren’t “extra configuration.” They’re what makes an economic development CRM truly fit the reality of BR&E work.

When custom fields are set up thoughtfully and used across surveys and visit workflows, teams can:

• Capture the information they actually need (even when it’s unique to their community)

• Keep data current without duplicate entry

• Segment lists instantly without spreadsheets

• Report on engagement and outcomes with more confidence

And because custom fields work across businesses, prospects, properties, and projects, teams can stay consistent while still capturing the nuance of the work.

Want to see it in action? Schedule some time with us.