Use tags to organize contacts
Upper uses custom fields as tags. Create a Contacts field like Zone, Customer Type, or Priority, then filter and build routes by it.
Upper doesn't have a separate "tags" feature. Custom fields fill that role. Create a Contacts custom field for the way you want to group customers — Zone, Customer Type, Priority — fill it in consistently, and you can filter your address book and build routes by that value, which is exactly what tags are for.
Why this matters
Tags are how teams keep an address book navigable. A long contact list is hard to work with beyond name and address. A custom field gives you a structured label you can filter on and use when selecting contacts for a route.
Before you start
- Where it lives — Custom fields are created in Settings > Customization > Custom Fields, under the Contacts category. Each category (Stops, Contacts, and others) keeps its own separate set of fields.
- How many you can have — Up to 10 custom fields, with 5 shown by default. To enable the remaining 5, contact support@upperinc.com.
- Pick a consistent value scheme first — Decide your labels before you start entering them. Inconsistent values ("Commercial" vs "Commerical") split one group into two and break filtering.
Custom fields stay in the category where you create them. A field you create under Contacts lives on contacts only — it appears on stops or the route plan only if the same field also exists in that category.
Create a tag-style field
Open Custom Fields
Go to Settings > Customization > Custom Fields and select the Contacts category.
Add a field
Create a new field and give it a clear name — for example "Zone", "Customer Type", or "Priority". Choose the field type. Confirmed types are Text, Numeric, and Yes/No. For a tag-style label, a Text field works well: type the same value (such as "North" or "Commercial") on every contact in that group.
Mark it required if you want it on every contact
Each field has an Is Required? option. Turning it on means the value must be filled in when a contact is added or edited, so no contact is left untagged.
Save
Save your changes. The field is now available on the Add/Edit Contact form, under the Other Info tab.
Examples of tag-style fields
| Field name | Example values you'd type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Zone | North, South, East, West | Territory grouping |
| Customer Type | Residential, Commercial, Industrial | Segmentation |
| Priority | High, Medium, Low | Service priority |
| Service Day | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | Recurring schedule |
Type values exactly the same way every time. With a free-text field, "Commercial" and "Commerical" are treated as two different labels, which splits your group and breaks every filter built on it.
Use your tags
Once a contact custom field has values, you can put it to work:
- Filter your contacts. The Filter dropdown on the Contacts page adds one section per contact custom field, where you can multi-select the values you want. This is how you pull "all North customers" or "all Commercial accounts" in one step.
- Add it as a column. Custom fields can be added to the contact table through Customize Columns, so you can see and sort by the value alongside name and address.
- Build routes by group. Filter to the contacts you want, select them, then use the bulk + menu to Create New Route or Add To Existing Route.
A workspace may show "Technician/Service" labels (Assign Technicians, Proof of Service) instead of the default driver/delivery labels. These terms are configurable per workspace; the steps above are the same either way.
Troubleshooting
Related
Sync contacts with external systems
Keep Upper contacts aligned with a CRM, ERP, or spreadsheet using CSV export and import, or connect an external system through the Upper API.
Validate and clean contact addresses
Verify your Upper contact addresses from the red alert icon, filter by Not Found, Need To Review, or Duplicate, run Verify All, then fix flagged contacts.