If you’re using Clari Co-Pilot to manage your sales pipeline, you’ve probably noticed the standard opportunity fields aren’t always what you need for sharp reporting. Maybe you’re stuck with vague “custom fields” that no one remembers to fill out, or you’re drowning in irrelevant data that slows down your weekly forecast meetings. This guide is for sales ops folks, RevOps, and anyone tired of pulling reports that don’t tell you what’s actually going on.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to customize opportunity fields in Clari Co-Pilot so your reports are clear, useful, and—most importantly—trusted by the team. No fluff, no marketing nonsense. Just what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the usual headaches.
1. Get Clear on Why You’re Customizing Fields
Before you touch a single setting, ask yourself: what are you actually trying to see in your reports? More fields do not equal better insights. In fact, they can make things worse.
Start here: - What decisions do you want to make with your reports? (e.g., “Where do deals stall?” or “Which products drive the most revenue?”) - What do reps and managers complain about with the current setup? - Which fields are always empty or wrong?
Write down exactly what you wish you could filter, group, or chart. This will keep you from adding fields “just in case.” You’ll thank yourself later.
Pro tip: Talk to a few reps and managers—don’t rely on your own assumptions.
2. Review Your Current Opportunity Fields
Clari Co-Pilot (product page here) pulls in fields from your CRM, usually Salesforce or HubSpot. So, you’re working with whatever’s in your CRM, plus anything Clari adds on top.
To get a lay of the land: - Go to your Clari Co-Pilot settings (Admin area). - Find the section that lists Opportunity fields (sometimes called Field Mapping or Data Sync). - Export a list of current fields, or just take screenshots.
What to look for: - Fields no one uses (or knows what they mean) - Duplicate or similar fields (“Deal Reason” vs. “Lost Reason”) - Fields with cryptic dropdown values - Stuff that’s always blank
Ignore: - System fields you can’t change (like record IDs) - Auto-calculated fields (unless you want to re-calculate differently)
You don’t need to fix everything at once. Focus on the fields that show up in your key reports.
3. Decide Which Fields Actually Matter
Here’s where people usually mess up: they add more fields than anyone will ever use. Don’t let “we might want this someday” creep in.
Narrow it down: - Which fields do you need to answer the business questions from Step 1? - Which ones do reps actually fill out accurately? - Are there fields that should be required, so data isn’t missing?
You’ll probably end up with a short list. That’s good.
Examples of fields that often help: - Stage or Status (but make sure the definitions are clear) - Forecast Category (if your team actually uses it) - Close Date (but don’t obsess over it—deals slip) - Product or Solution - Deal Size/Budget - Primary Competitor (if it’s not always “Unknown”) - Next Step (if reps update it regularly)
Fields that usually waste time: - Too many custom “Reason” fields (unless you really use them) - Fields that duplicate what’s in your CRM Notes or Activities - Stuff like “Deal Source” if it’s never updated
4. Clean Up and Rename Fields in Your CRM First
Here’s the reality: Clari Co-Pilot can only work with the fields it gets from your CRM. If your CRM is a mess, Clari will be too.
What to do: - In Salesforce/HubSpot, deactivate or hide useless fields. - Rename fields so they’re human-friendly. (E.g., “Revenue_Potential__c” → “Potential Revenue”) - Set picklist values that make sense in plain English. - Make key fields required at the right stage in your sales process.
Don’t: - Mass-delete fields without checking if they’re used in reports or integrations. - Change field names without telling your team—they’ll get lost.
If you skip this step, you’ll just be pushing bad data into a new tool. It’s not fun, but it’s worth the effort.
5. Map and Customize Fields in Clari Co-Pilot
Once your CRM fields are cleaned up, it’s time to make Clari Co-Pilot actually useful.
a) Field Mapping
- Go to Admin > Opportunity Field Mapping in Clari Co-Pilot.
- Match your CRM fields to Clari’s expected fields. (Clari usually auto-maps the basics, but double-check everything.)
- For custom fields, make sure you’re pulling in the right ones—and not old duplicates.
b) Custom Field Creation
- If you need a field that doesn’t exist in your CRM, create it there first. Clari can’t invent fields.
- After you add or edit fields in the CRM, trigger a sync in Clari Co-Pilot.
- In Field Mapping, check that your new field appears and is mapped correctly.
c) Field Display and Reporting
- Decide which fields should be visible in the main Opportunity view.
- Hide fields that just create clutter.
- Use “field sets” or “views” to show different fields to different teams if possible.
Pro tip: Keep the default view simple. If people want more details, let them click in.
6. Make Fields Useful: Dropdowns, Picklists, and Validation
No one likes a dropdown with 20 options, half of which don’t make sense. The more you can standardize, the better your reporting will be.
To tighten things up: - Use picklists/dropdowns instead of free-text wherever possible. - Remove or merge options that mean the same thing (“Budget Issue” vs. “No Budget”). - Set up validation rules so required fields aren’t skipped. - For date fields, make sure the format matches what your team expects.
Beware: - Overcomplicating picklists. If choices aren’t obvious, reps will just pick the first one or skip it. - Requiring fields too early in the process—this just leads to junk data.
7. Test Changes with Real Users
Before you roll out your shiny new fields to everyone, test with a few people who actually do the work.
How to test: - Have 2-3 reps and 1-2 managers enter real deals using the new fields. - Ask them what’s confusing, what’s missing, and what should be optional. - Check how the new fields show up in Clari Co-Pilot’s reports and dashboards.
What usually goes wrong: - Fields have confusing names or duplicate info. - Required fields block updates when reps don’t have the info. - Reports look messier or harder to filter than before.
Fix these before you go wider. It’s much easier to tweak now than after the whole team starts complaining.
8. Roll It Out (and Actually Explain the Why)
When you’re ready, roll out your new setup. But don’t just flip the switch—explain (briefly!) why these changes matter.
Best practices: - Send a quick email or Slack explaining what changed and why. - Show examples: “Now you’ll see ‘Deal Risk’ as a dropdown—this helps us spot deals that need help faster.” - Be clear about what’s required and what’s optional. - Give people a way to give feedback or report issues.
Don’t: - Drop a 10-page PDF training doc. No one reads those. - Announce changes on a Friday afternoon and expect everyone to care.
9. Keep Reports Simple and Review Field Usage Regularly
After rollout, watch how people use (or ignore) your new fields. Pull up reports and look for blank values, weird dropdown choices, or obvious workarounds.
What to do: - Review field completion rates monthly. - Ask managers if the new fields help in their pipeline reviews. - Remove or tweak fields that aren’t working—don’t let your setup get stale.
Pro tip: Fewer, high-quality fields are better than a long list no one fills out.
Final Thoughts: Start Small, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Perfection
Customizing opportunity fields in Clari Co-Pilot (or any sales tool) isn’t about building the perfect system. It’s about making reporting just useful enough that people trust it and actually act on it. Start with the minimum set of fields you need, get them right, and only add more if there’s a clear reason.
Keep it simple, check in with real users, and be ready to cut what doesn’t work. Your future self—and your sales team—will thank you.