If you’re using Vymo and tired of generic activity fields that don’t match how your team actually works, you’re not alone. Out-of-the-box setups are rarely a perfect fit. This guide is for admins, ops folks, or anyone tasked with making Vymo actually useful for your business. I’ll walk you through how to customize activity tracking fields, what’s worth changing, what’s not, and a few gotchas to watch out for.
Why Bother Customizing Activity Tracking Fields?
Let’s be real: default fields are meant to be one-size-fits-all, which means they’re usually one-size-fits-nobody. Custom fields let you:
- Track what you actually care about (not what Vymo’s product team thinks you should)
- Cut out dead weight—nobody needs to fill out “Meeting Location” if everything’s remote
- Make reporting less of a chore and more of a tool
- Avoid the classic “garbage in, garbage out” data trap
If your reps are skipping fields or making up answers, you probably need to rethink what you’re asking for.
What You Can (and Can’t) Customize in Vymo
Before diving in, know that Vymo is pretty flexible, but not limitless. Here’s the honest scoop:
- You CAN: Add custom fields, rename existing ones, change field order, tweak dropdown values, set certain fields as required/optional.
- You CAN’T: Change core workflow logic (like how activities are triggered), add complex field-level logic (if-this-then-that stuff), or make per-user field customizations. Permissions are mostly role-based, not field-based.
If you need super-advanced logic, Vymo might not be your tool. But for most use cases, you can get it 80% of the way there.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need to Track
Don’t just copy your old system or add every field someone requests. Start by asking: What decisions do we want to make with this data? What do managers complain they can’t see?
Pro Tips: - Talk to your top salespeople—the ones who actually log activities—and ask what’s missing or what’s useless. - Keep it minimal. You can always add fields later, but deleting fields (and cleaning up bad data) is a pain. - Make a list: Required vs. Nice-to-have fields. Only put the essentials in at first.
Step 2: Check Your Permissions
You’ll need admin rights in Vymo to change activity fields. If you don’t have them, stop here and ask your system admin. Don’t waste time poking around menus you can’t access.
Step 3: Find the Activity Field Customization Settings
Vymo’s UI changes from time to time, but as of 2024, here’s how to get where you need to go:
- Log in to Vymo and go to the Admin/Settings area.
- Look for “Activity Types,” “Activity Fields,” or “Workflow Configuration.”
- Find the Activity Type you want to customize.
- Each activity (call, meeting, email, etc.) can have its own set of fields.
- Click to edit or configure fields for that activity.
- You should see a list of current fields.
If you can’t find these options, your account level may not support field customization, or it may be hidden behind a feature flag. Ask your Vymo support rep (but expect a wait—support isn’t always fast).
Step 4: Add or Change Fields
Here’s where you actually make changes. For each field:
- To Add: Click “Add Field” (or similar).
- Choose a type: text, date, dropdown, number, etc.
- Name it clearly. “Deal Size (USD)” beats “Value” every time.
- For dropdowns, limit the options—nobody needs a 20-item list.
- To Edit: Click the pencil/edit icon next to a field.
- Rename, adjust options, or toggle required/optional.
- To Remove: Usually a trash or “delete” icon. Be careful—deleting fields with data may nuke past entries.
What Works: - Short, clear field names (no jargon) - Dropdowns for anything you want to report on - Required fields only when absolutely necessary
What Doesn’t: - Long, freeform text fields (they’re data black holes) - Required fields for every activity—people will just fill in nonsense - Fields you “might use someday”
Step 5: Set Field Order and Visibility
Most versions of Vymo let you drag-and-drop to reorder fields. Put the most important stuff up top. If your Vymo setup allows, you can also set field visibility by activity type or user role. Don’t overcomplicate it—if everyone needs to see it, leave it visible.
Ignore: Fancy color-coding, emojis, or other “engagement” tricks. They rarely help and just make the UI noisy.
Step 6: Test the Changes
Before rolling out to your whole team:
- Create a few test activities as a regular user
- Check how fields look on mobile (Vymo is used on phones a lot)
- Run a report—do your new fields show up? Are they easy to filter?
Pro Tip: If something feels clunky now, it’ll be worse once 50 people start using it.
Step 7: Communicate Changes to Your Team
Nobody likes surprise changes. Send a quick note or record a 2-minute screen share showing what’s new and why it matters. Emphasize what you’ve removed as much as what you’ve added—deleting fields is a win.
Step 8: Review and Iterate
After a month or two, check in. Are people filling out the new fields? Is the data useful? If not, tweak or remove as needed.
- Don’t be afraid to kill fields that aren’t being used.
- Ask managers which fields they actually look at in reports.
- Keep an eye out for “Other” or “Notes” fields getting all the action—that’s a sign your structured fields are missing something important.
What to Avoid
- Overengineering: Don’t try to capture every possible detail up front.
- Copy-pasting from your old CRM: Start fresh. Old habits are hard to break, but Vymo’s way might be simpler.
- Ignoring user feedback: If your best reps aren’t using a field, ask why—don’t just blame them for “bad data hygiene.”
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too many required fields: Leads to fake data or skipped logging.
- Complex dropdowns: Users will pick the top option every time.
- Not testing on mobile: Most Vymo users are on the go.
- Forgetting to update reports: If your custom field isn’t in your reports, why bother collecting it?
Wrapping Up
Customizing activity fields in Vymo isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thought. Keep it simple, focus on what really matters, and don’t be afraid to prune fields if they’re not pulling their weight. Your team (and your future self) will thank you. Start lean, see what works, and tweak as you go. That’s how you end up with data you’ll actually use.