If you need a bit more advanced reporting with detailed cost analysis or project allocation, you can set up custom fields to be assigned to bookings.
1. How it works
Custom fields can only be set up by super-admins from the configuration page. Once custom fields have been set up, your bookers can add the fields during the booking process, or managers can add these after the booking has been made. All custom field data will be available in any CSV export and from the bookings reports page as well.
There are two custom field types available:
- A fixed dropdown list (previously "labels"): great for project codes, job IDs, or other areas that you would like to allocate travel to.
- A free text field: useful for things like approval numbers, reference codes that need to be filled in and any other dynamic type of info.
2. Setting up and managing your custom fields
Go to Manage -> Custom fields and create a new custom field. When creating the custom field you'll have a few options:
- Field name: this is the label of the field that will show up during booking, in approvals and on reports
- Field type: dropdown list or free text
- Lock field: when enabled the fields can not be edited after a booking is made or requested
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Required: when enabled the booker has to fill in the field during check out
2.1. Managing dropdown lists
If you selected a free text field, there is not much else to do. However, if you created a dropdown field, you'll need to add your list items before they can be selected during check out.
You can do so by clicking on "manage list items" -> "add new" and add the list items.
3. Making and viewing booking with custom fields
When custom fields are set up and enabled from the configuration page, they will always show up in the check out process for all bookers.
For example, if I create and enable 2 custom fields, "Project code" and "Approval number" and try to make a flight booking, both fields will be visible to be filled in (in this example the approval number is required too).
On your trips page the custom fields would show like this as well.
4. Approving a booking with custom fields
When a manager is approving a booking, they will see the custom field information immediately for quick understanding of the context of the booking
Depending on the configuration (e.g. if the field is not locked), the field can still be edited by the manager.
5. Generating reports with Custom fields
Whenever bookings have custom fields attached to them, you can find them on the bookings report page (manage -> reports -> booking report). On the far right, you’ll find any custom fields added to the booking, or you can use the filter on the top bar to filter out specific labels by clicking the "more filters" button.
When exporting your bookings to a CSV file, you’ll find the custom fields in a separate column as well. Great if you want to use labels for different projects, cost allocation or budget management.