Free tools / Template
The field map template
Before anyone connects a form to a CRM, someone should write down where every answer goes, and what happens when an answer is missing. That's a field map. It fits on one page, and it settles questions before they turn into bugs.
01The three columns
Every row is one piece of information on its way from where it arrives to where it should live.
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| From | The field in the form or email, in the words the form uses | Full name |
| Goes to | The field in your CRM or spreadsheet, spelled exactly as it appears there | Contact name |
| If missing or wrong | What the workflow does when the answer is blank or doesn't fit | Send to review |
02Write the missing-answer rule first
A connection that works with perfect answers can still break on the first blank one. So for every row, choose what happens when the answer is missing or doesn't fit:
- Send to review. A person looks before anything is saved. The safe default when you're not sure.
- Leave blank. Fine for nice-to-have details, like a phone number when email is the main contact.
- Use a default. Fill in a stated value, for example "Website" as the lead source.
- Stop and alert someone. For answers the record can't exist without.
- Always filled by the workflow. For things the form doesn't ask, like the time it arrived.
If you can't decide on a row, choose Send to review. You can relax it later once you've seen real enquiries.
03Fill in your own
Start from the example, change it to match your form and your CRM, then download it. Your entries are saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
| From (form or email) | Goes to (CRM or sheet) | If missing or wrong | Remove |
|---|
The example rows are illustrative, not from a client project. Prefer a blank file? Download the empty template (CSV).
04Six checks before you connect anything
- Map only what someone uses. If nobody reads a field in the CRM, don't copy it there.
- Keep the original message untouched. Put the full text in a notes field, so nothing is lost if a field gets split wrongly.
- Match the field types. Dates, phone numbers, and dropdown choices have to fit what the CRM accepts. A CRM dropdown usually needs the exact same wording as your form.
- Decide what counts as the same person. Same email? Same phone? Settle it before you switch on any duplicate check.
- List what the workflow fills in itself. The source and the time an enquiry arrived are easy to forget and useful later.
- Name who handles "Send to review". A review step with no named person is just a slower inbox.