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Tutorial | Using Cross-Product Custom Fields in MAAC

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    1. Feature Overview and Benefits

    Custom Fields are a core feature that allows brands to deeply integrate structured CRM data into MAAC.

    In the past, brands were often limited by a tag-as-data approach and had to create large numbers of fragmented tags such as Membership_Level_VIP and Purchase_Count to record customer status. This made the backend difficult to manage and also prevented logic based on numerical comparison or date sequence.

    Now, with Custom Fields, you can directly import real CRM data such as membership points, last purchase date, or contract status into MAAC. This turns static data into an always-on automation trigger engine. As soon as a customer attribute changes, the system can capture it in real time and automatically launch the corresponding personalized marketing journey.

     

    Key Benefits

    Custom Fields can be applied across MAAC modules, allowing marketers to use customer attributes flexibly in different scenarios:

    • Contact: View and manually edit Custom Fields directly in contact profiles, and use CSV batch import and export for large-scale data updates and offline analysis.
    • Customer Journey:
      • Trigger: Trigger a journey in real time when a field value changes, or when the updated value matches a specific condition.
      • Branch: Automatically evaluate and split customers in a journey based on field values such as points thresholds.
      • Update Attribute: Automatically update or clear specific field values during a journey based on customer interaction behavior.

    2. Use Cases

    With different Custom Field data types, you can support the following scenarios across MAAC modules:

    • Automatically Send a Gift When a Customer Becomes VIP: When a customer makes a purchase on your website and the related Custom Field changes to VIP, the system can immediately send a congratulatory message and exclusive discount code.
    • Automatically Remind Customers Before Points Expire: When a customer's Current Points Custom Field reaches a threshold and is close to expiration, the system can automatically send a reminder to redeem points and encourage repeat purchases.
    • Automatically Mark High-Intent Customers: After a customer clicks the "Book a Consultation" button, the system can automatically change the related need-level Custom Field to "High" so the service team can follow up first.
    • Automatically Send Anniversary Notifications Every Year: By setting a Date or DateTime field such as birthday or anniversary, combined with the [Ignore Year] option, the system can automatically send greetings and recommended products every year on the specified date without manual reconfiguration.
    • Automatically Send Pre-Appointment Reminders: The system can automatically send a LINE reminder and location information one day before the customer's scheduled date based on a Date or DateTime field (such as "Next Appointment Time"), helping reduce no-show rates. If your CRM already records appointment times in DateTime format, you can use that field directly to configure a Scheduled journey—no need to create a separate Date field.
    • Automatically Remind Customers Before Contract Expiration: By setting Contract Expiration Date as a Date or DateTime field, the system can automatically send a renewal reminder 7 days before expiration to help reduce churn.

    3. Using Custom Fields in the Contact Module

    Custom Fields are integrated into the MAAC Contact module. You can view and edit field values directly on the contact page, and use CSV batch import and export for large-scale data management.

    View and manually edit Custom Fields: Feature Description｜Contact Field Explanation and Matching Logic

    CSV batch import and export for Custom Fields: Tutorial | Import and Update Contact Data in MAAC

     

    4. Using Custom Fields in Customer Journey

    Custom Fields are a powerful data-driven engine in Customer Journey. You can use field changes as the trigger starting point, branch by field value, and update field values automatically inside the journey.

    • Journey Trigger: Supports attribute-change triggers under Action-Based mode, as well as Scheduled triggers.
      In general, Action-Based is suitable when the journey should start immediately after a field value changes, while Scheduled is suitable for journeys based on Date or DateTime-type Custom Fields that should be scanned and triggered in batches at a specified time. When using a DateTime field, the system automatically uses only the date portion for matching; you do not need to create a separate Date field.
    • Journey Branch: Split contacts logically based on text, number, or date fields.
    • Update Attribute: Automatically update or clear Custom Field values inside a journey.

    Full setup tutorial and step-by-step instructions: Feature Description｜Omnichannel Customer Journey

     

    5. Notes and FAQ

    Notes

    • Impact of Archived Fields on Journeys: If you archive a Custom Field in Admin Center, the system stops reading that field. This causes all journey triggers and branch conditions that depend on the field to stop working immediately. Before archiving a field, please make sure you review and stop any related running journeys.
    • DateTime Timezone Normalization: DateTime values are stored in UTC+0 at the system level. In the MAAC interface, such as when setting branch conditions, the system automatically converts the time to your organization's local timezone. You can configure it directly based on local time, and the system will handle the backend timezone alignment.
    • Date vs. DateTime Recommendations:
      • Date: Does not include time. Suitable for all-day events such as birthdays or membership anniversaries.
      • DateTime: Includes hours, minutes, and seconds. Suitable for scenarios with a specific deadline, such as appointment expiration time or limited-time coupon expiration time.
        Starting with this update, DateTime fields can also be used directly for Scheduled triggers. The system automatically uses only the date portion for matching, so you do not need to create a separate Date field, saving your field quota.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Q: If I archive a Custom Field in Admin Center, what happens to journeys that are already running?

    A: For detailed impacts on each journey node after a field is archived, please refer to: Feature Description｜Omnichannel Customer Journey

     

    Q: If a Custom Field is archived and then restored, will the data on the contact page disappear? Will restoring the field trigger the journey again?

    A: Historical data will not disappear. Archiving only hides the field from the interface and blocks new writes. After you restore the field, previously stored values will still be displayed. Restoring the field itself does not trigger the journey again. However, if the field later receives a new value change, it can still trigger the corresponding On Update journey normally.

     

    Q: What is the difference between Date and DateTime, and how should I choose between them?

    A: The main difference is precision and timezone handling:

    • Date: Does not include time or timezone. Suitable for all-day events such as birthdays or membership anniversaries.
    • DateTime: Includes hours, minutes, and seconds. Suitable for scenarios with a specific deadline, such as appointment expiration time or limited-time coupon expiration time.

     

    Q: My CRM fields are all in DateTime format. Can I use them directly to configure Scheduled journey triggers?

    A: Yes. Starting with this update, Scheduled triggers support both Date and DateTime Custom Fields. After selecting a DateTime field, the system automatically uses only the date portion for matching. All trigger settings—including trigger conditions, N days before/after, and the Ignore Year option—work exactly the same as with Date fields. No additional learning is required, and you do not need to create a separate Date field.

     

    Q: How does the system handle timezone for DateTime?

    A: DateTime values are stored in UTC+0 at the system level. In the MAAC interface, such as when setting branch conditions, the system automatically converts the time to your organization's local timezone. You can configure it directly based on local time, and the system will handle the backend timezone alignment.

     

    Q: If a field value is changed through the API or by an agent in CAAC, will it trigger an On Update journey in MAAC?

    A: Yes. If your brand has CDH enabled, MAAC, CAAC, and the API all share the same underlying data. As long as the field changes and matches the trigger conditions you configured in MAAC, the journey will start automatically.

     

    Q: I got an error during CSV import saying the Custom Field could not be found. What should I do?

    A: Please check the header row in your CSV file. Every Custom Field header must use the required prefix. The correct format is cl_custom_{field_key}. Please confirm the spelling is correct and that cl_custom_ is included.

     

    Q: If I use the "Clear value (Set to Null)" action, will it trigger another journey configured for "Any attribute value"?

    A: Yes. Changing a field from a populated value to Null is also considered a field value update, so it can still trigger a journey that listens for changes to that field.

     

    6. Further Reading

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