Using schedules and workflow functions

Using schedules and workflow functions

Hello Biginners,

In our previous forum post, we explored install and uninstall actions and learned how to trigger custom logic the moment a topping is added or removed from an organization. In this post, we'll look at how to automate actions during regular, everyday use. To achieve this, we'll explore two important features in the Bigin Developer Console: schedules and workflow functions.

Together, schedules and workflow functions allow us to build toppings that respond to record events in real time and monitor conditions over time. To understand how these features work, let's walk through a common requirement in a customer support pipeline.

The challenge: Avoiding communication gaps and idle tickets

In a customer support pipeline, clear communication and timely follow-ups are crucial. A ticket represents a customer request, and delay affects customer trust.

There are two common scenarios that help make managing support tickets smoother for teams:
  1. When a ticket is created, sending an acknowledgment email to the customer and notifying the assigned ticket owner with customized content ensures clear and immediate communication.
  2. After a ticket is assigned, setting up a structured reminder system for tickets that remain idle in the same stage helps prevent them from being overlooked and ensures timely follow-ups.
We can build a topping to handle these scenarios.

Overview of the topping

We'll build a follow-up support automation topping that handles both real-time communication and time-based monitoring.

This topping will include:
  1. A workflow function that is triggered when a ticket is created. It sends an acknowledgement email to the customer saying that their request has been received and also sends a notification to the ticket owner about the new ticket.
  2. A scheduled function that runs 24 hours after a ticket is created. If the ticket remains open beyond 24 hours, the topping sends a reminder email to the ticket owner every 12 hours until the ticket is closed, ensuring timely follow-up.
We can achieve this by building a topping using the features available in the Bigin Developer Console, like workflows, schedules, and functions.

Setting up the topping

A topping needs to be created using the Bigin Developer Center. For detailed instructions on creating a topping, refer to this post for a tutorial.

Once you've created a topping and accessed the Bigin Developer Console, the next step is to create the required service connection.

Since the topping needs to have access to the Bigin pipelines and ticket owner details, you need to create a default service connection for Bigin with the scopes ZohoBigin.modules.Pipelines.ALL and ZohoBigin.org.ALL.

For detailed instructions on creating a default service connection, refer to this post for a tutorial.

After creating the Bigin connection, you can proceed with the first part of the topping implementation, which handles newly created tickets.

Creating a workflow rule for new tickets

To configure the workflow, navigate to the Automate section in the left panel of the Bigin Developer Console and select Workflow. Create a new workflow rule in the Pipelines module.


In the workflow configuration, set the rule to execute based on a Record action and choose Create so that it triggers whenever a new ticket is created. Under conditions, select Pipelines matching certain conditions and define the condition as Pipeline is Customer Support Standard. This ensures that the rule applies only to tickets created in that specific pipeline. Under Instant Actions, you need to associate the workflow with a custom function so that it executes immediately when the workflow is triggered.


This function will fetch the ticket details, send an acknowledgement email to the customer, and notify the assigned ticket owner.

Below is the code for sending the acknowledgment emails when a new ticket is created in the customer support pipeline:

Workflow Function – WorkflowFunction.txt – Please find the attachment with the code for sending emails via workflow


Once saved and activated, the workflow will automatically send the acknowledgement email every time a new ticket is created in the support pipeline.

While workflows react instantly to events, schedules allow us to monitor records over time. In simple terms, workflows respond immediately, and schedules keep watch in the background.

Now, let's handle the second part of the topping use case: monitoring tickets that remain unresolved for too long. For that, we need to create a schedule and associate it with a function.

Let's move into the scheduler implementation.

Creating a schedule for idle tickets

A schedule is a time-based execution mechanism that allows a function to run automatically at defined intervals. Unlike workflows, which react to record actions, schedules operate independently and continuously in the background.

For our use case, we need to monitor tickets after they're created and ensure they aren't left unresolved for long periods. This means the system should periodically check existing records, evaluate their status, and take action if certain conditions are met. Since this requirement is based on time rather than a user-triggered event, a schedule is the best solution.

To implement this, navigate to the Schedules section in the Bigin Developer Console and create a new schedule. Once you provide a name, choose Writing Function for the Function to be executed option.


You'll be redirected to the deluge editor to implement the reminder logic.

In this function, you need to implement the reminder logic that evaluates each ticket and determines whether follow-up action is required. The function should retrieve the necessary ticket details, compare the ticket’s created time with the current time, verify that the ticket isn't already resolved, and then trigger a reminder email to the assigned owner if it's been longer than the set time.

The code below implements the logic for scheduled reminder:

Scheduler Function – SchedulerFunction.txt – Please find the attachment with the code for sending emails via schedule

Once you save the script, you’ll be redirected to the scheduler configuration page.

Here, provide a schedule name and choose an upcoming date and time for the Execution Start Date, since schedules must begin in the future. Under Frequency, select Hourly and configure it to run every 12 hours to match the reminder requirement. In the Ends section, choose Never because we want the schedule to continue running without stopping.


After saving, the scheduler will automatically execute the function at the defined intervals.

At this point, everything for the topping is in place. You can now test and publish it.

Once the topping is published, whenever a new ticket is created in the Customer Support Pipeline, an acknowledgment email will be sent to the customer and a notification email will be sent to the ticket owner.




If the ticket remains in an unresolved stage for more than 24 hours, the scheduled function will trigger and send a reminder email to the ticket owner every 12 hours until the ticket is resolved.


In this post, we explored how to use workflows and schedules together to automate real-time actions and time-based monitoring in a Bigin topping. The workflow sends emails when a ticket is created, and the schedule checks tickets periodically to send reminders if they remain unresolved. This approach helps ensure consistent follow-up without manual monitoring.

Stay tuned for more posts where we'll dive deeper into additional features and best practices for developing powerful toppings in Bigin.

    • Recent Topics

    • What is Resolution Time in Business Hours

      HI, What is the formula used to find the total time spent by an agent on a particular ticket? How is Resolution Time in Business Hours calculated in Zohodesk? As we need to find out the time spent on the ticket's solution by an agent we seek your assistance

    • Check & Unchecked Task Segregation in Export

      It must have a feature to represent checked and unchecked tasks as [ ] and [✅] respectively when exporting it to Arratai or WhatsApp ; as Keep Notes by Google contains…

    • WorkDrive Download Issue

      My client has been sending me files via WorkDrive, which generally has worked fine. Recently files won't download at all. If you try and individually select and download a file, a popup will appear in the bottom right saying it's preparing and then it

    • Resolution Time Report

      From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports What are time-based reports? Time-based reports are valuable tools that help us understand how well things are going by breaking down key metrics over specific periods. By tracking, measuring,

    • Add RTL (Right-to-Left) Text Direction Button in Zoho Cliq

      Greetings Zoho Team, We would like to request the addition of an RTL (Right-to-Left) text direction button in Zoho Cliq, similar to what is already available in other Zoho apps like Zoho Desk. Currently, while using Zoho Cliq with the English interface,

    • Enable Backgrounds and Video Filters for 1:1 Cliq Calls Across All Zoho Entry

      Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related specifically to 1:1 video calls in Zoho Cliq. Current Behavior Zoho Cliq currently provides background and video filter options in the following scenarios:

    • Zoho Flow: Stripe a Zoho Marketing Automation

      Hola! Quiero hacer un flujo con Zoho Flow, para que cuando se haga un pago en Stripe, añada el lead en Zoho Marketing Automation. Lo he configurado, configurando el disparador como "Payment created" y mapeando el campo de Stripe "Receipt email address".

    • Zoho email

      I need a list of email addresses of all contacts on my zoho

    • Shift-Centric View for Assigning and Managing Shifts in Zoho People

      Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding the shift assignment and management view in Zoho

    • Add Ticket button in Home view

      When I go to the My Tickets or the Knowledge Base view in our Help Centre, the Add Ticket button is available, but not in the Home view. I would really like for it to be displayed in the Home view as well. Is this possible? Thanks.

    • Problem using Zoho Desk API

      Goodmorning, I am trying to use the Zoho Desk API to create a dashboard in Grafana, but I am having a problem. Following the instructions in the API documentation, I created the API Console application (server-based application). Then I created the string

    • How to print a label from zoho creator app?

      Hello, I would like to print a label from zoho creator app record similar to attached one. Size 74mm x 102mm. I tried record template. It leaves plenty of space around the content and also I couldn't set the height of the page. So it is not printing properly. Could someone please direct me to right direction for this requirement?

    • City field suggestion in Zoho Books

      Hi team, We are using Customers module in Zoho Books. In the Address section, we want to understand whether the City field can show suggestions while typing using any API or built-in feature. For example, if a user types “Mum”, can the system suggest

    • Non-responsive views in Mobile Browser (iPad)

      Has anyone noticed that the creator applications when viewed in a mobile browser (iPad) lost its responsiveness? It now appears very small font size and need to zoom into to read contents. Obviously this make use by field staff quite difficult. This is not at all a good move, as lots of my users are depending on accessing the app in mobile devices (iPads), and very challenging and frustrating. 

    • How can I check all announce?

      Hiii, May I ask how can I check all the announce based on broadcast date instead of reply date based So that I will not will miss out any new function

    • Cannot connect to imap.zoho.eu on iOS26

      Hey, I recently migrated to another iPhone and since then use iOS26. Every since then, I was not able to connect to "imap.zoho.eu" from Apple Mail. I tried deleting the account and adding it again, did not work. I tried creating an app password, didn't

    • Personalize your booking pages with Custom CSS

      Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re introducing Custom CSS for Zoho Bookings, designed to give you complete control over the look and feel of your booking pages. With this new feature, you can upload your own CSS file to customize colors, fonts,

    • Marketer's Space: Plan smarter with Zoho Campaigns' Calendar

      Hello Marketers, Welcome to another post! Today, we'll talk about a discreet yet significant feature that's neatly tucked inside Zoho Campaigns: the calendar. It might look like an optional but somewhat unnecessary feature that you can use occasionally,

    • Accounting for Territories

      We have different territories i.e. Europe and US and although we can manage the sales process for each and allocate different currencies in the CRM - we want to keep the accounting separate for each territory as there are different reporting and accounting requirements - is there any way to do this?   We want to avoid having two separate instances of zoho.

    • User

      If user is already part of manage engine endpoint central , what hapens when i try to add them to another Zoho org / directory? Are these users added as external users?

    • Outlook - Zoho CRM Calendar Integration

      I'm facing an issue integrating Outlook with Zoho CRM. Has anyone successfully connected their Outlook to Zoho, and are all your meetings and emails being captured correctly in the CRM? Any insights or troubleshooting tips would be appreciated

    • 【Zoho CRM】ポータル機能のアップデート

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、ポータル機能のアップデートをご紹介します。 ポータル管理の新機能「自動招待」により、Zoho CRMからポータルへの招待を自動化できるようになりました。これまで必要だった、ユーザーごとの手動設定は不要になります。設定した条件に基づいて、対象ユーザーに自動で招待が送信されます。 ポータルの新機能 条件に基づく自動招待：指定した条件を満たすユーザーに、自動で招待を送信 招待設定：招待メールの言語を選択し、言語ごとに条件を設定可能

    • Contact data removes Account data when creating a quote

      Hi, Our customer has address fields in their quote layout which should be the address of the Account. They prefill the information, adding the account name - the address data is populated as per what is in the account - great. However when they then add

    • Export all of our manuals from Zoho Learn in one go

      Hi, I know there's a way to export manuals in Zoho Learn, but I want to export everything in one go so it won't take so long. I can't see a way to do this, can I get some assistance or is this a feature in the pipeline? Thanks, Hannah

    • Automation#31: Automate Splitting Names for New Contact Records

      Hello Everyone, This week, we present to you a custom function, which allows you to split the first and last names from the user's email ID based on the separator used in the ID. Having grown into a large firm, Zylker Techfix aims to optimize its processes,

    • Automatically remove commas

      Team, Please be consistent in Zoho Books. In Payments, you have commas here: But when we copy and paste the amount in the Payments Made field, it does not accept it because the default setting is no commas. Please have Zoho Books remove commas autom

    • Project Change Orders and Additions

      We are in the process of migrating from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. We have Zoho One and like the ability to sync all of our data across everything. And I like that projects work in a way that's less dumb than QuickBooks. I'm trying to figure out

    • ZOHO Desk - Description of slave ticket disappeared after Merge

      Dear Support, On Zoho Desk the description of a ticket disappeared after merging two ticket. The one which was the slave one completely disappeared. The problem that in this description there was an image which i had only on Desk in that ticket. Could

    • How do I insert a cross-reference link to a different section within one Knowledge Base article using Zoho Desk?

      I would like to insert a link within a Knowledge Base article to a different section of that same article. The section I want to link to is formatted with the Heading 3 style and is displayed within my TOC. However, I do not see any way to add a link

    • Problem Adding Facebook Account

      Hi, I'm new here, I'm having trouble setting up my Facebook account as a social channel. I think the issue is down to how my Facebook is set up, which is pretty confusing. I have a personal Facebook account (let’s called it A) which is my main Facebook

    • Zoho Desk Teams App is not loading

      Hi Zoho Desk support. Need an assistance on the Zoho Desk Teams app. Once I click View Ticket, it isn't showing anything. Kindly refer to attached: ZohoDesk Teams App_View Ticket Error.jpg For our Dashboard, we are still experiencing the same issue. Kindly

    • Mapping a new Ticket in Zoho Desk to an Account or Deal in Zoho CRM manually

      Is there any way for me to map an existing ticket in Zoho desk to an account or Deal within Zoho CRM? Sometimes people use different email to put in a ticket than the one that we have in the CRM, but it's still the same person. We would like to be able

    • Which WhatsApp API works seamlessly with Zoho CRM?

      I’m exploring WhatsApp API solutions that integrate seamlessly with Zoho CRM for customer communication, lead nurturing, and automation. I would love to hear insights from those who have successfully implemented WhatsApp within Zoho CRM. My Requirements:

    • Allow people to sign a zoho form by using esign or scanned signature

      Allow people to sign a zoho form by using esign or scanned signature

    • Button to Reapply Filters on Sheet(s)

      I wrote a macro that I attached to a button to reapply the filters on all my sheets and it says it works, but it doesn't actually do anything. What is wrong with it? Is there another way? Or even make it work for one sheet? Sub UniversalFilterRefresh()

    • Zoho OAuth Connector Deprecation and Its Impact on Zoho Desk

      Hello everyone, Zoho believes in continuously refining its integrations to uphold the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of this ongoing improvement, the Zoho OAuth default connector will be deprecated for all Zoho services

    • How do I add todays date to merge field

      I don't see any selection of todays date when creating a letter. Surely the date option of printing is standard? John

    • Tracking Emails sent through Outlook

      All of our sales team have their Outlook 365 accounts setup with IMAP integration. We're trying to track their email activity that occurs outside the CRM. I can see the email exchanges between the sales people and the clients in the contact module. But

    • Whats that

      Price?

    • The same Contact associated to multiple Companies - Deals

      Hi, I would like to know if there is an option to associate the same contact with multiple companies (two or more) deals, using the same contact details for all. This is because we have contacts who are linked to different companies or branches of the

    • Next Page