Custom Objects in CRM: Fields and Statuses in Planfix
Custom objects in CRM let you model what your business actually runs on, such as leads, deals, service visits or customer requests, so data stops getting lost and every process gets a clear structure. This video, under two minutes long, shows how custom objects in Planfix work, using a lead for a language course.
What are custom objects in CRM?
Custom objects in CRM are record types you define yourself when standard contacts and tasks don’t fit your process. In Planfix, an Object is a digital twin of a real-world object or process, such as a lead or a contract, with its own custom fields, statuses, scripts and access rules.
What you’ll learn: how custom objects and statuses work in Planfix
- Build the Object card with custom fields such as course, learning format and price, and pin key fields to the main panel (0:08).
- See every lead in the Object’s Records, with the columns and filters you need (0:31).
- Design the Object’s lifecycle: its statuses and the rules for moving between them (0:39).
- Automate what happens when a status changes, such as emailing the customer an assessment (1:10).
- Set permissions for the whole Object and for individual fields (1:29).
Custom objects vs custom fields
A custom field stores one piece of data; a custom object is the whole record type those fields belong to.
| Custom field | Custom object | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Price, learning format | Lead, deal, customer request |
| Statuses and transition rules | No | Yes, its own set |
| Automation | A value change can trigger a script | Object scripts; buttons on Plan B and Plan X |
| List of records | No, but usable in filters and reports | Yes, with columns and filters |
| Permissions | Per field (most field types) | For the whole Object |
How to set up a custom object in Planfix, step by step
Step 1. Create a new Object
Go to Account management → Types of objects (formerly Objects) and click New Object to model entities such as deals, invoices or equipment. For background, read why objects became the universal building block in Planfix.
Step 2. Build the form with custom fields
A new Object opens with a standard set of fields. Pick an existing field or click the plus button to create one, then drag and drop fields into place. Select Mandatory in a field’s settings to make it required, and pin key fields to the main panel. Every new record then gets these fields automatically.
Step 3. Add custom statuses to the lifecycle
Open the Object’s set of statuses: the standard Planfix statuses are already there. Click Add status to set, pick an existing status or click the plus button to create one, then choose which statuses can lead to it and which it can move to. Here is how to set up a status set for an object.
Step 4. Set transition rules
Click a status in the set to choose who can move a record into it, add a separate button for it (Plan B and Plan X), attach an automatic script or remove the transition.
Step 5. Automate status changes
Object scripts react to changes in a record: choose the triggering action, set conditions and actions, then check the script in testing mode (the flask icon). The free plan allows one script per object. More in our video on automated scripts and buttons in Planfix.
Step 6. Configure permissions
By default, every user has access to a new Object. To restrict it, open the Object card and click the permissions management icon on the right-side panel. You can also set who sees and edits most fields, by role or by a list of users, when you create a field or later in Account management → Types of objects → Task → Custom fields.
Example: a lead object for language courses
The video models a lead for a language-course business, with custom fields for the selected course, learning format and price. The Object’s Records list all leads with the columns and filters the team needs.
A lead can move through stages such as New, In progress, Qualification and Awaiting payment. Only the assigned employee can move it to Qualification, so nothing bypasses the workflow. At that stage, a rule set up once makes Planfix email the customer an online language assessment automatically.
Custom object examples: who this is for
One account can run several processes, each on its own Object:
- Sales teams: leads and deals moving through pipeline stages; see how to set up a sales funnel in Planfix.
- HR: vacancies and candidates, each moving through its own hiring stages.
- Field service: service visits with their own fields and lifecycle.
- Customer support: customer requests filtered and reported on separately from ordinary tasks.
- Operations and finance: invoices, equipment and documents, each with its own fields and statuses.
FAQ
Do I need a developer to create a custom object?
No. Custom objects, statuses and transition rules are no-code settings in Account management, and scripts are built from a triggering action, conditions and actions, not code.
How many custom objects can I create in Planfix?
It depends on the plan: Free includes 1 object, Plan A 20, Plan B 100 and Plan X 200 (see the Planfix pricing page). Paid plans start with a 14-day trial with no limits. For comparison, HubSpot offers custom objects only with Enterprise subscriptions.
Start with one custom object
Pick one process where data gets lost, such as leads or customer requests, and give it its own Object. For a longer walkthrough, see a simple workflow set up end to end in Planfix. New to Planfix? Sign up to try it.
This video was featured in What’s New in Planfix: July 2026.
