Table of Contents
Purpose
Required Fields help with making sure information in your system is accurate and encourages a well-rounded experience for your clients. They keep your team informed of specific contact, property, or opportunity related information to help them provide top notch service results!
This makes sure that the data is complete and accurate before it is saved in the system!
Requirements
✅In order to access Administration, you will need System Admin added to your user role.
✅ To make edits on the Required Fields tab in Administration, you will need Configure Contact Required Fields added to your user role.
Setting Up Your Required Fields
Required Fields in the Administration module allow you to set fields that must have values entered in certain contact, property, and opportunity detail pages across your system.
You can customize the required fields for records related to Contacts, Properties, and Opportunities. You have the ability to enforce that these module details cannot be saved until all required fields are completed with the necessary information.
To set up your Required Fields, navigate to your profile icon and select Administration.
Then, choose Application and then Required Fields.
The Required Fields window will appear and you can choose between pages for Contacts, Properties, and Opportunities settings.
For Contacts
If you select Contact Details, the required fields available are shown below:
These fields can be or are marked as required on the contact details screen; here are some good examples as to why you might want to consider these fields as required:
First Name
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
Last Name
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
🧠 First and Last Name are the most fundamental pieces of contact information. Requiring them makes sure you have the basic identity details needed to properly identify and communicate with each contact.
Company
Knowing the company association for a contact is important for understanding their role, context, and potential business relationship. This helps you with future and present communications.
Contact Type
Categorizing contacts by type allows you to manage contacts appropriately based on their relationship to your business.
Branch
Similar to a property’s branch details, requiring the branch association for a contact makes sure you have the right location context. This is especially important for large organizations with multiple offices or service areas.
When creating a new contact record, the required fields you selected in Admin will now be required by your users before they can add contact records to your system:
When setting up your Required Fields for Contacts, consider if you would need to have information relating to their branch, contact type or company. This makes sure your team provides better information relating to your client jobs!
For Properties
If you select Property Details, the required fields available are shown below:
These fields can be marked as required on the property details screen; here are some good examples as to why you might want to consider these fields as required:
Branch
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
Important for proper service scheduling and management.
Property Name
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
A unique, identifiable name for the property is essential for tracking and referencing!
Account Owner
Knowing which sales or account representative is responsible for a given property helps with ownership and accountability.
Industry
Categorizing the property by industry like residential or commercial allows for better targeting of services and reporting.
Lead Source
Tracking where new property leads originated from could help your marketing efforts.
Operations Manager
Assigning an operations manager helps make sure you have proper oversight and execution of work at the property.
Payment Terms
Setting the expected payment terms upfront prevents billing issues later on.
Primary Contact
Having the main point of contact for the property is crucial for communication and service delivery!
Property Status
Requiring the current status of a property allows you to monitor the pipeline with precision control.
Property Type
Classifying the property type helps you customize your service offerings.
State
The state location is important for things like licensing, or state specific regulations.
Tax Jurisdiction
Knowing the tax jurisdiction confirms proper billing and invoicing.
If these checkboxes are turned on, the Property details screen will enforce the required fields to be entered with information before you are allowed to create the new property:
For Opportunities
If you select Opportunity Details, the required fields available are shown below; here are some good examples as to why you might want to consider these fields as required:
Division
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
Requiring the division or business unit associated with an opportunity makes sure the right organization is captured. This is especially important for large landscaping companies with multiple service lines or regional divisions.
Opportunity Name
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
Just like with property records, having a unique, identifiable name for each opportunity is essential for tracking and referencing them throughout the lifecycle for a property’s job.
Sales Rep
This is a system default that cannot be turned off.
Requiring the assigned sales representative for an opportunity creates clear ownership and accountability. This supports effective pipeline management and sales team coordination!
Sales Type
Categorizing the type of sales opportunity provides valuable context that can inform your sales strategies and forecasting.
If these checkboxes are turned on, the Opportunity details screen will enforce the required fields to be entered with information before you are allowed to create the new opportunity:
Custom Fields vs. Required Fields
Sometimes, you might want to gather information outside of your required fields on your records. Custom fields are used for information that might not be defaulted in Aspire. The use of a custom field helps when viewing property, contacts, or equipment record information.
However, custom fields also help when building lists as they can be added to displays and filters to show you additional data that you are needing to track.
Compared to required fields, custom fields can be created in Contacts or Properties but not for Opportunities.
📑To learn more about Custom Fields, read this article.