Zoho CRM Community Digest - December 2025 | Part 1

Zoho CRM Community Digest - December 2025 | Part 1




Hello Everyone! 

In the first half of December, Zoho CRM rolled out auto-invite for portals, smarter CPQ with Zia suggestions and price rules, and Query Workbench for faster query building. We also highlight other noteworthy conversations you shouldn’t miss.

Product Updates:

Auto-Invite Users to Portals Based on Conditions

Automatically grant portal access in Zoho CRM by triggering invites when predefined conditions are met. Customize invitation languages based on customer location or preferences, with optional checks like subscription status, and track failures with detailed logs to resolve invite issues quickly. Read the full post to see how this simplifies portal onboarding at scale.

CPQ Gets Smarter with Zia Suggestions and Enhanced Price Rules

Zoho CRM CPQ now leverages Zia to recommend Product Configurator rules by spotting frequently used product combinations in past quotes. This helps sales teams quote faster and more accurately while reducing manual setup and ensuring pricing applies only to the right line items. Admins can review, refine, or activate AI-generated suggestions as sales patterns change. Read the full post to see how these updates bring smarter quoting and greater control.

Query Workbench Brings a Faster Way to Build Queries in Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM introduces Query Workbench, a unified interface that lets developers build, execute, and validate queries, all in one workspace without switching panels. With instant query execution, response previews, and a cleaner guided layout, users can reduce errors, work faster, and gain confidence while building complex queries. The Workbench enhances the classic query experience and lays the foundation for upcoming support for external databases and cloud data sources. Check out the post to see what’s next with expanded data sources and other enhancements.

Quick Wins:

Handling Duplicate Account Names with Variations

@Dale Wilson needed a way to prevent duplicate customer records in Zoho CRM when names differed only by suffixed like LTD or PLC. @Bhoomi Joshi suggested using a validation rule with a Function or Client Script to check the base name and alert users if a duplicate exists. The solution worked perfectly, keeping Dale's customer records clean and consistent. Check out the post to see how this logic can be implemented in your CRM.

 

Lead Reports Made Complete: Including Converted Leads

@Sahal Akel asked how to include converted leads in Lead reports. @Ishwarya SG explained how to build a single report by combining filters for both converted and non-converted leads using an OR condition. This straightforward setup helps teams get a complete view of their lead data in one place. Check the full conversation in the post to know more.

HTML Tags Showing in Report Exports

@Marshall raised an issue where HTML tags appeared in exported reports when Notes included rich text formatting. @Ishwarya SG clarified that reports now support exporting rich text as plain text for Excel and CSV, and shared how to enable this option. This is a helpful reference for teams working with formatted notes and report exports. Check the post to see where to turn on this setting.

Kaizen:

Kaizen #219: Getting Started with Webhooks in Zoho CRM

This Kaizen post explains how Webhooks in Zoho CRM enable real-time data sharing with external systems using workflows. Using a high-value lead validation use case, it walks through configuring webhooks via the UI and APIs, covering headers, body formats, and HTTP methods. The post shows how CRM data is pushed instantly when conditions are met. Read the full post to see the step-by-step setup and what’s coming next in Part 2.

Kaizen #220: Managing and Testing Webhooks with Zoho CRM APIs

This follow-up Kaizen explores managing Webhooks using GET, PUT, and DELETE APIs, and shows how to associate them with workflow rules. It demonstrates end-to-end testing by triggering a webhook through record creation and validating real-time data delivery to an external system. A practical continuation of Part 1, focused on control, updates, and live execution. Read the post to see each step in action.

 

And that’s a wrap for this fortnight’s Zoho CRM Community Digest. Caught something cool we missed? Or have a favorite from this edition?

 

Drop it in the comments! We’d love to hear from you. We’ll be back in two weeks with more updates and community gems. Until then, stay tuned!


    • Sticky Posts

    • How to reach the official Zoho Support channels and avoid fake ones.

      Dear Customers, Thanks a lot for choosing Zoho! Our applications are built to help achieve your day-to-day business goals. We are committed to engaging with you, to understand and develop solutions that enhance your productivity.  We are happy and ready to help you use our services effectively. Understanding and avoiding fake support Just like using popular bank names and financial applications for phishing purposes, using Zoho and claiming to be providing Zoho Support or services with false numbers
    • Function #35: Close all tasks associated with a lead and create a new task.

      Welcome back everyone! Last week, we learnt how to close all tasks of a deal depending upon the deal stage. This week, let's look at a custom function that lets you close all of the tasks associated with a lead while simultaneously creating a new task, like when you need to halt all progress towards a lead while the lead is not available at the moment but create a reminder task. Business scenario: The success of a company, in one way or another, is determined by the leads it gets. Each lead is just
    • Zoho CRM Webinar - Redesigning Daily User Experiences with Canvas

      <br> Your users across roles use the CRM for day-to-day tasks that are necessary. Whether they perform their tasks on time, the right way, or at all depends on a lot of factors, including User Experience. Many businesses struggle with rigid layouts,
    • Join us at the Canada ZUG Meetup: What’s New in Zoho CRM

      Hello Zoho Community! Start your year with fresh insights into Zoho CRM’s latest updates and tools. Whether you're a CRM beginner or a experienced user, this meetup is crafted to help you optimise your processes and leverage new features. Explore practical
    • CRM Hack #2: Automate sending of birthday greetings to your customers.

        Hello everyone! What sets you apart as a sales person is your ability to add that personal touch to your business relationship with your customers. Sending a gift on a special day, or leaving a note wishing them on their birthdays, are small, yet significant actions that show your customers that you care. And these are actions done without any expectations :) You must be engaging with a lot of customers and it is highly unlikely that they all are your friends on Facebook or some social channel,
    • Recent Topics

    • Automation #6 - Prevent Re-opening of Closed Tickets

      This is a monthly series where we pick some common use cases that have been either discussed or most asked about in our community and explain how they can be achieved using one of the automation capabilities in Zoho Desk. Typically when a customer submits
    • Select CRM Custom Module in Zoho Creator

      I have a custom module added in Zoho CRM that I would like to link in Zoho creator.  When I add the Zoho CRM field it does not show the new module.  Is this possible?  Do i need to change something in CRM to make it accesible in Creator?
    • New 2026 Application Themes

      Love the new themes - shame you can't get a little more granular with the colours, ie 3 different colours so one for the dropdown menu background. Also, I did have our logo above the application name but it appears you can't change logo placement position
    • Zoho Expense - Bi-Weekly Report Automation

      Hi Zoho Expense Team, My feature request is to please include an option to automate creation of reports bi-weekly (every 2 weeks)
    • PDF Generator Upgrade

      Hi Team, What will happen if I don't make any changes for existing template. Zoho just ask us upgrade but haven't tell the benefit. Zoho Corporation
    • 500 internal server error on opening an iframe through a deluge script

      Hi Team I am trying to open an external url in an iframe through my deluge script which is associated to a custom button . By doing this i am getting an "Internal Server Error" . Please can you help me with this.
    • Zoho CRM Quotes – Subform and PDF/Writer Limitations

      Hello, I am encountering the following limitations in Zoho CRM Quotes: Custom product images cannot be uploaded in the subform – the image upload field cannot be added; only the file upload field is available. File upload placeholders cannot be used in
    • Strange behavior in CRM Number Field – Characters allowed but not "e"?

      Hi everyone, Has anyone faced this strange issue in Zoho CRM? In a Number field, it is possible to type some characters, but the character "e" cannot be entered. This was really surprising to me. Normally, a number field should restrict all characters
    • No background for video recordings, no playback speed, can't even playback longer recordings - have to download…

      Hi. We utilize heavily video messages on Slack, but wanted to migrate to Cliq with Zoho One, however very basic yet very frequently used feature is missing: backgrounds for video recordings and playback speed. We were not happy with Slack's 5 minute limits
    • Support inefficiency

      We have been asking for support for a minor adjustment for 12 days now and we haven't got a single viable resolution from support team despite there are 19 emails going between our HR team and various support emails from Zoho. 1. they do not understand
    • Can I export to PDF in Zoho Learn

      I have seen help pages where export to pdf options are available but I do not see that option available from the application. I see that exprt is available in my free trial version but that is only to html pages. I need to be able to export my manuals
    • I need help to take Reports for tickets moved between departments.

      Hi, I need help to take Reports for tickets moved between different departments. Pls guide Shyam
    • Zia capabilities now available in the Professional edition announcement

      Hello all! The Professional edition now supports a broader set of Zia capabilities, enabling teams to bring AI into more of their everyday CRM work. From writing assistance and summaries to setup support, predictions, and recommendations, Zia can now
    • Where Do I set 24h time format in Cliq?

      Where Do I set 24h time format? Thanks
    • This will be long, Please bear with me - Next Gen Layout - Search

      In general, I think that Zoho are going in the right direction with the Next Gen UI. The latest update brings some nice improvements and all-in-all from a user's perspective I think the improvements are generally very good. However, there are some areas
    • Selecting all notes in a notebook

      In Windows11, I select a notebook and I get a list of notes, but only 30 notes. If I scroll down to the end, I get an additional 30 notes (and at the top it now shows 60 notes). I can keep doing this to eventually see all my notes but this is a real pain.
    • Update latitude & longitude address field API

      How do I update the coordinates of an address field from a widget? I can't modify the latitude and longitude of the address field. I think the problem is how I'm writing formdata variable. zoho_init.then(function (data) { var queryParams = ZOHO.CREATOR.UTIL.getQueryParams();
    • Filter Records in CRM API

      Hi Team, I’m currently working on a task to retrieve expired deals from the CRM. By “expired deals,” I mean deals where the closing date has already passed and the stage is not “Closed Won” or “Closed Lost” (i.e., all other stages). I tried using both
    • User Name in Zoho Cliq Not Updating Across Apps?

      We updated the name of a user in Zoho. (From Sue to Taylor) Her name has not been updated in Cliq on all apps. When in Zoho One, if I go to Cliq directly, it is correct, but if I am in another app, and the Cliq bar pops up on the bottom, it will be the
    • Ability to Use Both AND and OR When Creating Rules (Advanced Conditions)

      I'd like to be able to use more complicated logic when setting up rules. E.g. in Zoho Mail, I can choose "Advanced conditions (AND/OR) to create a rule that can be applied to multiple subject lines from the same sender. But in Zoho TeamInbox, I will have
    • Attaching files to emails within CRM Deals.

      Hello, We have recently started using the extension "Workdrive for CRM" (Related List) to view/store our documents for each Deal, instead of using Attachments. Overall it feels like a better way to go but the user experience is not so great when it comes
    • Why I can't map Account Name from lead module to Account module?

      When I qualify a lead in the bluerprint, I use automated conversion in Blueprint to automatically create Contact, Account and Deal. the Deal record and contact record has been successfully created automatically as I expect, but I can't see any account
    • Pause(1);

      I'm using scheduler to invoke an interaction via http post with an external service. The schedule code uses a for-each loop that runs so fast my external application's log files get messed-up (they are named by date-time stamp). What I'm suggesting is
    • Release Notes | February 2026

      We have rolled out another set of enhancements in Vertical Studio during February 2026, bringing improvements to Canvas customization, reporting capabilities, and data access controls. Here is a summary of what was released during February 2026: Canvas
    • Agentic Engineering with Zoho: The Next Evolution of Intelligent Systems

      The concept of Agentic Engineering is reshaping how modern systems are designed. It introduces a new layer to the way we think about artificial intelligence and system architecture. For years, most software systems have operated in a reactive way — responding
    • Engenharia Agêntica e as soluções da Zoho

      O conceito de engenharia agêntica impacta diretamente como os sistemas são projetos. Este tema inseri mais uma camada a nossa idéia de inteligência artificial. Antes o desenvolvimento de sistemas operavam de forma reativa e dependente de comandos diretos,
    • Effective project and task customization with CodeX

      Dear users, Beyond Task Lists is a series of articles aimed at showcasing the various customization capabilities of Zoho Projects. We'll discuss real life project management scenarios, use cases, and requirements that needs combining multiple features.
    • Set expiration date on document and send reminder

      We have many company documents( for example business registration), work VISA documents. It will be nice if we can set a expiry date and set reminders ( for example 90 days, 60 days, 30 days etc.,) Does Zoho workdrive provide that option?
    • Debit opening balances of vendors

      Dear colleagues: I am looking at the trial balance as on 31st March 2024, and punching opening balances (1st April 2024) in Zoho Books. Vendors have credit balances, by its nature, but some of our vendors have debit balances as well (e.g., we have paid
    • Zoho Books emails suddenly going to Spam since 11 Nov 2025 (Gmail + now Outlook) — anyone else?

      Hi everyone, We migrated to Zoho Books in July 2025 and everything worked fine until 11 Nov 2025. Since then, Zoho Books system emails are landing in customers’ Spam (first Gmail, and now we’re seeing Outlook/Office 365 also starting to spam them). Impacted
    • Client Portal ZOHO ONE

      Dear Zoho one is fantastic option for companies but it seems to me that it is still an aggregation of aps let me explain I have zoho books with client portal so client access their invoice then I have zoho project with client portal so they can access their project but not their invoice without another URL another LOGIN Are you planning in creating a beautiful UI portal for client so we can control access to client in one location to multiple aps at least unify project and invoice aps that would
    • The Social Wall: February 2026

      Hello everyone, This month, we’re bringing you a mix of exciting toolkit enhancements and a few improvements across the web and iOS app, all designed to make your social media management simpler and smoother. File converter Images come in different formats,
    • Zoho Mail and SalesInbox doesn't link to CRM record using Reply-To

      Hi, I've just set up SalesInbox, with the intention of using it for sales enquiries (instead of Desk, which I have been using until now). I've noticed that, unlike Desk, SalesInbox only uses the 'From' email address to attempt to link to a CRM contact
    • Service line items

      Hello Latha, Could you please let me know the maximum number of service line items that can be added to a single work order? Thanks, Chethiya.
    • Poor Search Results on Zoho CRM

      The search on Zoho CRM is quite poor. Salesforce has now published a new search, when will get this on Zoho? https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=data.c360_a_hybridsearch_index.htm&type=5
    • How to use filters on all products page? Or even a category page?

      Hello, I am trying to create some filters so users can use filters to find products they are looking for. So what i am trying is to create a filter according to price lets say. So if i define it this way i am expecting to see this filter option on category
    • Capture Last check-in date & days since

      I have two custom fields on my Account form, these are "Date of Last Check-In" and "Days Since Last Contact" Using a custom function how can I pull the date from the last check-in and display it in the field "Date of Last Check-In"? and then also display the number of days since last check-in in the "Days SInce Last Contact" field? I tried following a couple of examples but got myself into a bit of a muddle!
    • Archiving Contacts

      How do I archive a list of contacts, or individual contacts?
    • Every time an event is updated, all participants receive an update email. How can I deactivate this?

      Every time an event is updated in Zoho CRM (e.g. change description, link to Lead) every participant of this meeting gets an update email. Another customer noticed this problem years ago in the Japanese community: https://help.zoho.com/portal/ja/community/topic/any-time-an-event-is-updated-on-zohocrm-calendar-it-sends-multiple-invites-to-the-participants-how-do-i-stop-that-from-happening
    • 3/18 オンライン勉強会のお知らせ Zoho ワークアウト (無料)

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 3月開催のZoho ワークアウトの開催が決定しましたのでご案内します。 今回はZoomにて、オンライン開催します。 ▶︎参加登録はこちら(無料) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/BoNTN7zYR8OvOPGShqBY0A ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Zoho ワークアウトとは? Zoho ユーザー同士で交流しながら、サービスに関する疑問や不明点の解消を目指すイベントです。
    • Next Page