TLDR:
Add Date/Time/Timezone form field, and be able to turn off auto timezone feature.
Allow for Zoho Voices CRM SMS Extension to be able to be added to custom modules, and cases.
Create a feature that tracks emails by tracking the email chain, rather than just bringing in all of the emails for a contact or a lead, as that is not viable with custom modules.
Create a roadmap that shows us what features are coming to Zoho CRM in the coming months.
Additionally, CRM has already had someone contact me to talk about these features which is pretty neat.
Not gonna have any karma, as I am just making this account for my company so that I can try to get these form fields and features approved.
I have been using Zoho CRM for over half a year now, and I want to highlight some key improvements that I believe would greatly benefit the system. There are three specific areas: the Date/Time form field, emails, and SMS integrations. Additionally, I believe Zoho CRM has the potential to evolve from a standard CRM into a full-fledged ERP. This transition would not be difficult if Zoho simply allowed for more customization within the CRM. I strongly propose that the CRM team focuses on maximizing customizability and, for gosh sakes, releases a public roadmap for the platform.
The Date/Time Form Field is Limited Zoho currently uses a feature where the Date/Time field automatically adjusts based on a user's local time zone. For example, if Tommy in Eastern Time enters 8 AM on 2/11/2026, Brian in Central Time sees 7 AM.
While not inherently a bad idea, this creates major issues. If my company operates strictly on Eastern Standard Time, but Brian works in Central Time, he has to do mental math. If he needs to schedule a task for Tommy at 9 AM Eastern, Brian has to enter 8 AM Central. If he forgets and enters 9 AM, the task is actually due at 10 AM Eastern.
This gets exponentially more complicated for field workers, like an electrician operating across multiple time zones. How does Zoho calculate their time zone based on phone location or zip code? For national or global companies working across all 38 time zones, checking schedules requires constant mental gymnastics. For most large companies, this alone is a dealbreaker or forces expensive custom coding.
Currently, my team is forced to use a plain text box for times just to bypass this auto-conversion. This is an absolute nightmare because we cannot pull data from a text field, and sorting is impossible. I propose that Zoho CRM and Creator add the ability to turn off this auto-conversion and introduce a dedicated Date/Time/Timezone field for users with complex scheduling rules.
Zoho Voice SMS Extension Limitations The SMS extension built by the Zoho Voice team is an awesome widget. However, I am incredibly frustrated by the support process. On September 12, I requested that this extension be made available for Custom Modules and Cases. Over the next few months, I exchanged around 50 emails and had multiple meetings with support. It was only today, on 2/19/2026, that I was informed by a CRM technician that this is actually a CRM limitation, not a Zoho Voice limitation.
I am quite upset that no one mentioned this during months of communication. This highlights a recurring issue with Zoho: the lack of public-facing roadmaps, no transparent way to track feature requests, and poor communication between departments. Having a public roadmap would not only give customers clarity but also ensure different Zoho departments understand each other's limitations.
I am requesting that the CRM team allows us to enable these widgets for Cases and Custom Modules. I know it requires more coding and field mapping on Zoho's end, but it is entirely possible. Other third-party applications can already do this, so if external tools can integrate with custom modules, why am I even using Zoho Voice?
Email Integration in Custom Modules This ties into the email conundrum. We use a Custom Module for Work Orders and want the ability to tie a specific email to that record's related list. Currently, it pulls in every single email related to the associated Contact or Lead. This is unhelpful when we are trying to use CRM as the single source of truth for all employees.
Because CRM is the most robust option in the Zoho ecosystem (aside from Creator, which struggles with complex math), Zoho is missing the secret sauce. They should build CRM as a fully customizable platform and use the rest of the stack for separate functions. This means allowing Custom Modules and all standard modules to fully integrate with standard tools like email, calendar, and SMS. Clients ultimately want to integrate their entire tech stack directly into the CRM.
For example, Zoho Inventory has been around for over a decade but is extremely limited compared to other warehouse management systems. If Zoho focused on building that functionality directly into the CRM, it would be amazing. Look at Zoho FSM, which was built using Creator. That app could easily exist within CRM with a few tweaks. But if you ask the Inventory or FSM teams to customize something, they repeatedly tell you to build it out in Creator or CRM instead. With the rise of AI and Zia, many of these auxiliary tools are going to become redundant. What can Inventory or FSM do that could not be done better and customized more within the CRM?
Ultimately, this is a request for these features to be expanded in Zoho CRM. Zoho is a fantastic, highly affordable application, but it needs to allow customers to build unlimited use cases within this environment. Right now, Zoho CRM operates like a light ERP. With a few more tweaks, it could easily outstrip tools like NetSuite or SAP. By combining Zoho Flow, Analytics, CRM, and Creator, you can build almost anything, but the lack of native CRM customization creates unnecessary roadblocks. Zoho One is already trying to be an ERP; you just need to allow for more customization and publish a public-facing roadmap.
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with this. Even getting a simple Date/Time/Timezone form field would drastically improve our processes.
Recent Topics
Editing the Ticket Properties column
This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I cannot figure out how to configure/edit the sections (and their fields) in this column: For example, we have a custom "Resolution" field, which parked itself in the "Ticket Information" section of this
"Total Hours" on Employee Attendance Report
I'm learning that in Zoho jargon, "total hours" does not include paid breaks. Or at least not the way that my setup is working. That seems a little weird to me, since most jurisdictions in the US don't differentiate between time spent on paid break and
Integration with...
Dear Zoho Commerce team, Please could you consider the integration within Zoho Commerce / Inventory and Qapla'? (https://www.qapla.it/en/) This app is better than Aftership in many ways: - Aftership integration require PRO plan and price start from more
Generate leads from instagram
hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead
Adding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base
Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionality
Create case via email
Good Afternoon, I have just registered and am taking a look around the system. Is it possible to create a case via email. I.e. an employee/client/supplier emails a certain address and that auto generates the case which then prompts a member of staff
Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks
Hello Zoho, Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks to search across all transactions in our books of accounts. Please do the needful Thanks
Locked Notebook
Hi, I hadn't used my Notebook in some time and was refamiliarizing myself with it. I clicked a lock icon and now I can't unlock. When I hit the information or unlock icons I'm taken to a page with the notebook icon and a keyboard. When I type, nothing
Hide fields only for creation
Hello, I'd like to hide some fields only during the creation of a contact in Zoho CRM. In fact I have some fields that are automatically calculated thanks to an automation, so when my users create a contact I don't want them to fill those fields. I know
Issues with Zoho Sheet in Mac
I have downloaded the Zoho App from App Store but It is failing to Save As, Open & Download Operations. App Store
Weekly Sales Summary
Is it possible to generate a weekly report in Zoho Books to show -$$ amount of estimates generated -# of estimates generated by Salesperson -$$ amount of Sales Orders created -$$ amount of Invoices generated
OpenAPI Specs are just plain wrong
The provided yml files for generating the OpenAPI specs are absolutely riddled with errors and inconsistencies. From missing fields on the objects, to just incorrectly named resource objects. I'm having to go through and manually changing the spec to
Add Account column to Invoice screen
Please show the account column on Invoice creation screen. It is an unnecessary step to have to click add additional info and then select the account for line item. Example : on the bill creation screen when entering description we can easily code it against an account. On the invoice screen it requires additional click. Adding the column on the Invoice screen will make it faster to enter transactions. We currently have 5-6 different accounts that we code line items against, You can imagine the extra
Custom Footer – Zoho Writer Document
Hello everyone, I’m having an issue adding a custom footer in a Zoho Writer document. I would like to insert my company information (including a logo + address) in the footer. The problem is that when I add these elements, the main content of my pages
Report grouping
I have added a grouping in a report but it is not working how i had expected. I wanted to group a summary on a field named Size but when i add the grouping the report is still showing me each record and making a summary at the bottom of the report. What
Social Media Simplified with Zoho Social: Preview your Instagram grid before posting
For a platform like Instagram that relies on visual appeal, it's important that you plan your image and video content in a way that holds your audience's attention. Planning your grid ahead of time gives you the benefit of understanding how your posts
Error code 1000
Can you please tell me why the following, occasionally causes this error via the api, not every time ?... zoho.books.updateRecord("salesorders",organizationID,salesorderID,{"template_id":"#################069","custom_fields":[{"label":"DelDate","value":"Tuesday,
VAT rates - exempt and out of scope
Good Evening, UK based company here. I am a bit confused in respect of setting up VAT rates for exempt goods and services; at present I am simply leaving the VAT rate blank in the transactions in order to prevent any VAT appearing in the VAT return. When
How to loop through Multiple Upload and Display Actual File Name
I have been reading the help on the File Upload Control and reviewed the Deluge help on files and I can not figure out how to loop through the uploaded files and do anything but get the automatically created file names. The code below will run but each
abou arattai
I want to use the Arattai app for business purposes, so please convert my account to a business account.I have my own invoice app, and I want to link it with the Arattai app for direct messaging.
Configurable Zoho Cliq Notifications for Zoho People Alerts
Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho People notifications, enabling a native delivery via Zoho Cliq with admin-level control, similar to the notification settings available
Looking back at Zoho Calendar in 2025
Hello Zoho Calendar Community, As we step into a brand-new year, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for being an active and valued part of the Zoho Calendar community. Your trust, feedback, and continued engagement motivate us to keep evolving and
There was an error while connecting to GSTN
I am trying to file GSTR1. Everything flows smoothly until I reach the final step of filing the return. After I enter the PAN and OTP for filing it raises the error "There was an error while connecting to GSTN"
Zoho Books Extension: What Happens If Custom Fields Already Exist?
When developing Zoho Books extensions, what happens if the target Zoho Books organization already has a custom field with the same API name as one defined in the extension? I’m asking because we originally created an on-Books version of this functionality,
Internal Server Error (500) When Attempting to View Banking Transactions
I am experiencing an Internal Server Error (500) when attempting to view transactions across all of my banking accounts. Despite multiple attempts to resolve this, I have received little more than runaround from support, and the issue remains unresolved.
How do I add a blank line to the Organisation Address Format?
I'd like to have my VAT number, for example, shown prominently by having a clear gap between it and the address block above, but any blank lines in the address format get ignored in PDF outputs.
Automatic Invoice Number generation for createRecord
Hello, while testing some custom Buttons in my Zoho Books application, I noticed that I get an error that previously did not occur. After some further digging I found that the automatic transaction numbering of invoices no longer work in my organization.
Adding number of days to an estimate.
I need both QTY of item and "number of days hire" in my estimates at the line item level. Any clues as to how this is done would be greatly appreciated. It needs to calculate. Thanks J
Books Api: listing expenses created after certain dates
Is there any parameter I can add to the List Expenses endpoint that will let me look up expenses by when they were created?
Why can't we change the Account type from an Expense to an Asset?
Like the question. Why in QuickBooks for example if I mistakenly created an account as an expenses and I already captured information in those accounts, I can just change the account type from expense to asset
Is it possible to do validation for the Actions added to Reports?
We have an all-around On Validate function that checks all the possibilities before the Created/Edited form submissions. We want to have a button in the report view, so we can change records without entering. We are able to add this button, and it does
[Free Webinar] Environments in Zoho Creator - Creator Tech Connect
Hello Everyone, We’re delighted to kick off the 2026 edition of the Zoho Creator Tech Connect Series and are excited to continue this learning journey with you. The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar featuring deep-dive technical sessions
Zoho Voice API SMS
I made a post request in Zapier to try to send an SMS. Authentication appears to be configured correctly. I followed the documentation and I'm getting a 400 Error "Internal Server Error". Not helpful at all. Anyways, I could not find any information on
How do I change (error) display messages
Hi! I would like to edit display messages like "invalid entries" and "enter a value for Nome" and so on into Italian language messages. How can I do that? Already tried on Validate on form submit. Where I am failing? Thanks in advance.
Record Overseas Transactions Along with CC charges
Hi All, We receive payments via stripe in multiple currencies and stripe takes around 2.5% fees. The amount is settled in INR into our local bank. What should be the currency of the income account used for Stripe payments? Here is a sample flow that we
Easier onboarding for new users with stage descriptions
Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a recent enhancement we've made to Bigin. You can now add descriptions to the stages in your pipeline. Previously, when creating a pipeline, you could only add stages. With this update,
Pieds de page personnalisé - Document Zoho Writer
Bonjour à tous, Je rencontre un souci avec l’ajout d’un pied de page personnalisé dans un document Zoho Writer. Je souhaite insérer les informations de mon entreprise (notamment un logo + adresse) dans le pied de page. Le problème, c’est que lorsque j’ajoute
Credit card transactions are backwards after importing statements
I am new to Zoho Books so I'm importing my firm's bank and credit card statements in. My credit card statements have a single column with negative numbers so that is the option I chose. But when I went to categorize the credit card transactions, I can
Permissions on Views
Having the option of any agent creating custom views is firing back and got a situation where there are a hundred different views across the team and tickets are not being dealt in the most efficient of ways. Tickets seems to be missed by some agents,
Function #8: Add additional charges to invoices
Here goes one of the highly sought-after custom functions in Zoho Books. If you find yourself needing to apply additional charges to customers on their invoices (say credit card surcharges, or fuel charges applicable to customers from a certain region,
Next Page