Customer directory

Search for customers using powerful filters, create segments, and more

Kyle Weiskopf avatar
Written by Kyle Weiskopf
Updated over a week ago

Overview

The customer directory in Customer Fields allows you to securely access all of your customer data quickly and easily. You can find the customer directory by clicking on the Customers tab from the left navbar in the app admin.

The customer directory includes powerful features that allow you to apply multiple filters when viewing your customers. You can also create saved segments, configure how the data columns are displayed, and more! Here's a quick demo video:

The primary function of the customer directory is to view a list of customers, but there's a lot more under the surface. We've provided some details below to help you get the most out of this essential tool:

Apply filters

Filters allow you to perform searches based on certain criteria. To use a filter, click the '+ Add filter' button.

When you add a filter, you can search and select from a list of data columns and customer events. All of the standard and custom data columns are available, along with all of the standard and custom customer events.

Filter types

There are many different types of filters in the customer directory. The filters are specific to the type of data that is being filtered. For example, if you select the created_at data column, you will notice that all of the filter options are related to dates, with the typical 'is before' and 'is after', along with more advanced options like 'on month of year' or 'more than x years ago' . If you select the email data column, you will notice that the filter options are specific to email addresses, with options like 'domain equals'

Once you have selected your desired filter, click the 'Done' button, and the app will perform a search.

See here for a guide on how to sort customers by date created.

Multiple filters & chaining

You can easily apply multiple filters at once when searching through the list of customers. This is especially helpful if you want to filter by a certain range of data or reference multiple different data points at once.

  • To group two or more filters together, click the '+' button to the right of an active filter to configure the next filter. This concept is called chaining, and it's useful if you want to group a certain set of filters together.

  • To create a separate filter, click the '+ Add filter' button. This allows you to create a separate filter that is not part of a group.

When using multiple filters, you can apply conditional logic using "and" & "or" operators. Click on the operator to toggle between the two options.

Segment customers

Segments allow you to save a filter or set of filters for easy reference. In addition to the filters, a segment also saves the data column preferences that have been configured using the data column picker. There is no limit to the number of segments you can create, and each segment can have its own unique set of filters & data column preferences.

Creating segments

You can create a segment by adding your desired filters and then clicking the 'Save segment' button, which is found on the top right of the customer directory. When creating a segment, the app will ask you to provide a segment name. This segment name is just for reference purposes - it has no effect on customer data.

When you save a segment, you will notice that a new segment tab will appear next to the "All" tab. Each segment has its own unique URL, which is helpful if you need to share a segment with another staff member.

Editing segments

You are welcome to update a segment's filters or data column preferences at any time. To update a segment, simply click the 'Save segment' button after making your changes and select the 'Update an existing segment' option.

You can also edit a segment's name, by clicking the 'More actions' button from the top of the directory and selecting 'Rename segment'. Notice there is also an option for 'Delete segment' if you wish to remove the segment altogether.

Reprocess segments

There are some cases where you may want to reprocess a segment to update the list of customers.  The app is designed to automatically update your segments whenever a customer record is added or changed, but if you're using some of the app's more advanced filters (like relative date ranges, for example), sometimes it's helpful to forcefully update the segment.

You can reprocess a segment by clicking on the 'More actions' button from the top of the directory and selecting 'Refresh segment'. The app will show a dialog to indicate when a segment is processing, and once it's done you'll see a confirmation message.

Configure data columns

By default, the app's directory will display data columns for customer_id,  first_name, last_name, email, phone, created_at, and updated_at. You are welcome to adjust which specific data columns are displayed (or hidden) from the customer list. Simply click on the column icon and the data column picker will appear in a pop-out.

The data column picker also allows you to adjust the directory's display order for the data columns. You can drag and drop the data columns into the order you desire, and the customer list will automatically update once you close the pop-out.

Adjust sorting

You can sort your customers by two important metrics: (A) The date/time when a customer record was created, and (B) the date/time when a customer record was last updated.

To sort your customers, make sure either at least one of the following data columns is showing on the directory:

  • Created at (created_at)

  • Last updated at (updated_at)

Click on a heading for either data column when viewing the list, and the app will automatically sort customers. Descending order is used by default (newest first), but you can change to ascending order (oldest first) by clicking the heading a second time.

Delete Customers

There are two ways to delete customer records in the app; via the customer directory and via the customer detail pages.

Delete via the directory

  1. You can select one or more customers for deletion using the customer directory. When performing this action, the app will prompt you with two options; (A) remove only from Customer Fields, and (B) delete from both Customer Fields and Shopify.

Remove only from Customer Fields: this option will remove the records from the app, but will not delete them in Shopify. This option is especially useful if you are trying to downsize managed customers to make more room for your customer quota.

Delete from Customer Fields and Shopify: this option will permanently delete the customers from both the app and Shopify.

Example

See the gif below to see how to remove multiple customers from the app:

Delete via the details page

When viewing a specific customer record, there is an option at the bottom of the page to remove the customer from Customer Fields. This will remove the customer from the app, but not from Shopify:

Other directory functions

  • Access the app's Import & Export tools

  • Access the customer view and edit pages

Did this answer your question?