Using the Clear Fields Action in Company Workflows
Overview
The Clear Fields of Company or Associated Contact action is a powerful tool for data management within your CRM. When used in a workflow that is triggered by a company record, this action allows you to automatically remove the values from specific fields. You can choose to clear data from the company record itself or from the contact records associated with that company. This is essential for maintaining data integrity, such as wiping outdated information or resetting statuses when a business relationship changes.
Action Details
Selecting the Record Type
First, you must specify which type of record you want to clear fields from. You have two options:
- Company: Clears the selected fields on the company record that triggered the workflow.
- Associated Contact: Clears the selected fields on the contact records that are linked to the company.
Choosing Fields to Clear
After selecting the record type, use the dropdown menu to pick the specific fields you want to clear. You can select any editable field, including standard system fields and custom fields you have created. To clear more than one field, use the + Add Field option to include additional selections.
Understanding the Clear Behavior
When the workflow runs, the action will reset the chosen fields, leaving them empty. It's important to note that this action only removes the values from the fields; it does not delete the record or any of its associations. If you select Associated Contact and there are no contacts linked to the company, the action will simply be skipped without causing an error.
Saving the Action
Once you have configured the record type and selected all the fields you wish to clear, click the Save Action button to add it to your workflow.
Important Notes
This action is exclusively available in workflows that are triggered by a company record. If you need to clear fields on a company record from a contact-based workflow, you should use the separate Clear Associated Company Fields action instead. If a company has multiple associated contacts, the action will clear the selected fields for every linked contact.
Example Use Cases
Example 1: Resetting Contact Statuses
Scenario: You want to automatically clear the status field for all contacts when their associated company is marked as inactive.
- Workflow Trigger: Company record is changed, and its status is set to "Inactive".
- Action: Clear Fields of Company or Associated Contact.
- Clear From: Associated Contact.
- Fields to Clear: Contact Status.
When the company becomes inactive, the workflow runs and removes the status value from every contact linked to that company.
Example 2: Clearing Expired Contract Details
Scenario: After a company's contract expires, you need to reset related custom fields on the company record.
- Workflow Trigger: Company record is changed, and the contract expiry date is reached.
- Action: Clear Fields of Company or Associated Contact.
- Clear From: Company.
- Fields to Clear: Renewal Date, Contract Value, Tier.
Once the contract expiry date passes, the workflow executes and clears the specified custom fields from the company's record.