Use Contact Fields and Notes
Store consistent facts in fields, preserve concise human context in notes and keep every value useful, current and appropriate for its purpose.
Choose the storage type before collecting the value
Use a field when information has a defined meaning and may be filtered, updated or reused. Use a note for concise human context that does not fit a structured value. Define ownership, allowed values, update rules and privacy boundaries before the AI Agent, an import or a connected workflow writes data.
Choose the right place for each kind of information
Contact fields store consistent facts that can support search, routing, personalization and connected workflows. Notes provide flexible context for a person reviewing the contact.
Service interest, preferred location, company or an approved qualification answer.
Long narratives, changing categories or several meanings in one value.
A concise exception, promise, concern or human follow-up context.
Copying the entire conversation or storing facts that need consistent reuse.
Approved categories for workflow, source, audience, status or coordination.
Private detail, unrestricted free text or a value requiring precise formatting.
Define the field before anything writes to it
Create and name a field before expecting the AI Agent, an import or a connected workflow to populate it. Stable definitions protect search, routing, personalization and historical meaning.
Why the value is needed
One stable concept
Allowed values and type
Who maintains it
Search, route or personalize
Use a clear customer- or team-facing name such as Preferred location or Service interest.
When required, use lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, such as preferred_location.
Do not create several fields for the same information merely because different workflows name it differently.
Do not silently reuse an existing field for a new purpose after values have already been collected.
Allow the AI Agent to update only selected fields
Give an AI Agent permission only for fields it genuinely needs to fulfill the approved conversation objective. Define when a value is known, whether it must be confirmed and what happens when the contact changes an earlier answer.
Necessary for the workflow
The value supports qualification, routing, personalization or a defined next action.
Collect with a clear reasonKnown versus inferred
The customer stated or confirmed the value rather than the Agent guessing from unrelated context.
Define the confidence ruleCustomer corrects the value
The update rule preserves the current answer and does not silently retain a superseded value.
Test correction behaviorSensitive information
The Agent does not infer or store sensitive data merely because it appears in a message.
Escalate or omit as approvedUnderstand what the AI Agent can use
Depending on configuration, the AI Agent may use approved contact details, fields, notes, tags and recent conversation context to personalize a reply or choose the next step.
Approved contact information
Current details, defined fields, concise notes, operational tags and relevant recent messages.
Use only when reliable
Reference the value when its meaning, freshness, permission and relevance are appropriate for the response.
A validly formatted field can still describe an earlier preference or status.
Source, collection time and later customer corrections.
Mapping or source quality may not match the current field definition.
Original source, mapping, sample records and allowed values.
Human context can contain assumptions, excessive detail or information outside scope.
Factual wording, relevance, access and retention need.
Two values or messages can point to different current answers.
Clarify with the contact or route to a person before acting.
Define, sample and verify before processing the file
Create every field definition before importing values. Then test a small synthetic sample, confirm the mapping and only process the approved source file after the result is correct.
Fields and allowed values
Source column to field
Small synthetic test
Records and value meaning
Approved protected file
Each source column maps to the intended defined field.
A similar name writing values into the wrong concept.
Dates, numbers, choices and text follow the accepted value rule.
Broken filters, empty values and inconsistent categories.
The matching rule updates the intended contact or creates the approved new record.
Duplicates, merges or updates to the wrong person.
The source, access, purpose and retention practice are approved.
Unnecessary copies or values outside the use case.
Design a safe fallback for every field used in a message
When an approved message template uses a contact field, test records where the value exists, is missing, is outdated and contains an unexpected format.
The message displays the correct current value in natural wording and the intended place.
A defined fallback removes or replaces the variable without showing an empty or broken placeholder.
The workflow confirms or refreshes time-sensitive information before using it.
The message avoids exposing raw technical values, codes or malformed content.
Keep important fields understandable and current
Assign an owner for every field that affects routing, personalization, qualification or a connected workflow. Review definitions and values on a schedule that matches their business impact and rate of change.
Unclear purpose, undocumented values or changed business meaning.
Clarify the existing definition before adding another field.
Several fields that represent the same concept with different names.
Choose the canonical field and plan a verified consolidation.
Old preferences, statuses, locations or qualification answers.
Refresh, confirm or stop using the value until it is reliable.
Messages, routing, imports or connected workflows that rely on the field.
Test every affected path before changing name, format or meaning.
Review dependencies before removal
Confirm that no approved message, route, import, Agent instruction or connected workflow still relies on it.
Consider an approved tag
A reusable label that changes during the conversation lifecycle may be easier to manage as a tag.
Collect only what the workflow needs
A text box is not permission to store information. Limit fields and notes to approved, relevant data that authorized people and workflows genuinely need.
- Define the purpose.Know why the information is collected and which approved outcome it supports.
- Use the narrowest data.Avoid inferring or storing sensitive details that are not required for the use case.
- Control access.Limit who and which connected workflows can read or update the value.
- Keep notes factual.Record concise operational context rather than speculation, judgment or an unnecessary transcript copy.
- Protect transfers and exports.Use approved files, recipients and storage practices for imports, downloads and connected systems.
- Review retention.Remove unnecessary working copies and stale information according to the approved data practice.
Resolve common field and note problems
Confirm the definition and access
Verify that the field exists in the account, uses the expected key and is available to the relevant person, Agent or workflow.
Inspect meaning and confirmation rules
Check allowed values, required customer confirmation, correction behavior and the selected field permission.
Stop and verify the mapping
Preserve the source headers and sample records, then correct the mapping before processing another file.
Add a safe fallback
Test the template with a present, missing and unexpected value, then confirm the rendered channel message.
Contact fields and notes questions
When should I use a field instead of a note?
Use a field when the value has a defined meaning and may be filtered, updated, personalized or reused by another workflow. Use a note for concise human context that does not fit a structured value.
Can the AI Agent update every contact field?
It should have permission only for fields required by the approved use case. Define when the value is known, whether confirmation is required and how a corrected answer replaces the earlier one.
Can a correctly formatted field still be wrong?
Yes. The value may be outdated, imported under an earlier definition or contradicted by a newer customer message. Check freshness and source before relying on it.
Should notes contain the entire conversation?
No. Keep the conversation as evidence and use notes for concise, factual context that helps the next authorized person understand an exception, concern, promise or next action.
What should happen when a message variable has no value?
Use a tested fallback that removes or replaces the variable naturally. The customer should never see an empty, raw or broken placeholder.
Send the field definition and expected use
Include the ConvoRev account, readable label, technical key when relevant, expected value, source, permitted updater, affected workflow and a synthetic example. Remove credentials and unnecessary private customer information.