GDPR Contd. - Handling Lawful Bases for Your Customers using Zoho CRM.

GDPR Contd. - Handling Lawful Bases for Your Customers using Zoho CRM.

Hello folks,  

Continuing from our previous GDPR post, we bring to you the first cut of GDPR centric enhancements that are released for handling lawful bases for your customers in Zoho CRM. For your understanding we have split the entire process into three sections:
  1. Identifying Data Processing Basis
  2. Updating the Data Processing Basis in Zoho CRM 
  3. Consent Management in Zoho CRM
1. Identifying Data Processing Basis
The fundamental principle to handle the personal data of your data subjects is to process the data lawfully and fairly, in a transparent manner. As a data controller, based on your business requirements and the purpose of data processing, you can choose and update the Data Processing Basis from the following options : 
  • Legitimate interest
  • Vital interest
  • Public interest
  • Contract
  • Legal Obligation
  • Consent
You can choose 'Not applicable' for the records if GDPR does not apply. 

2. Updating the Data Processing Basis in Zoho CRM
The first thing you need to do is enable GDPR in your Zoho CRM account. You can do this by going to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance Settings. In the Compliance Settings page, toggle on the button for GDPR Compliance and select the modules that contain information of your data subjects. 

The Data Processing Basis for all data subjects in your CRM account will be marked as 'Not Applicable' by default. After identifying the appropriate data processing basis, you can update the same in Zoho CRM in the following ways:
  1. Update individual records manually. Once you enable GDPR in your Zoho CRM account, a new tab called "Data Privacy" will appear in the Record details page where you can manually update the Data Processing Basis.

  2. Mass update the records from custom list views.
  3. Go to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance Settings > Overview. Under the section Not applicable (since all your records are marked as not applicable), click View and you can mass update the records.

As a data controller, you can define under what Data Processing Basis you want the new records to be marked going forward. A new field called 'Source' in the record details page which will store your data sources such as Web forms, APIs, Integrations, etc. By default all records will fall under the 'Not Applicable' basis. Using this and other attributes of the record, you can write workflow rules to update corresponding Data Processing Basis before the data moves further in CRM.

Please ensure the utmost care while editing the Data Processing Basis of a record. Changing from one lawful basis to another holds its own set of rules and requirements under the GDPR. 

3. Consent Management in Zoho CRM
One of the six lawful bases to process the personal data of your customers is 'Consent'. You can opt for Consent, when none of the other five lawful bases are appropriate. Once you have chosen the data processing basis as Consent, you need to get a proper consent from your subjects to process their data lawfully. 

Please take legal precautions before getting consent from your subjects. Because, if you have obtained personal data unlawfully, it could be unlawful for you to even send an email requesting consent. You must ensure that requesting consent by email is lawful. 

A new section called Consent Details appears under the Data Privacy tab for records that are marked as 'Consent'. The status of these data subjects will be updated as 'Pending' by default. 

You can obtain consent from your data subjects in the following ways:
  1. Update Manually: When you get a consent from your subject through a call or personal email, you can update the consent status manually. 
  2. Update Automatically using Consent Form: You can obtain consent from your subjects using a consent form that you can customize inside Zoho CRM. The fully customizable consent form allows you to get consent for:
  • The purpose of data collection and processing
  • Preferred communication channel
 You can set up the consent form by going to Setup > Users and Control >  Compliance Settings > Consent Form. 

Once you have customized the consent form, you can add the form's link in an email template and send it individually or mass email it to data subjects whom you require consent. 

You can also go to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance settings > Overview. You can view the records that fall under each consent status. Click Show Records under Pending, select the records and click Send Consent Form button.

You can update the consent status for new data subjects either manually or you can set up a workflow rule to send the consent email, which can be triggered based on the source, country and other attributes of a lead or a contact. 

You can track the status of the Data Processing Basis and Consent for your Data Subjects from the Overview dashboard in Compliance settings. 

We hope that you find these timely enhancements very useful. Feel free to share your feedback or queries by commenting below. And do watch this space for more GDPR centric enhancements in Zoho CRM. 

For more reference:
The content presented herein is not to be construed as legal advise. Please contact your legal advisor to know how GDPR impacts your organisation and what you need to do to comply with the GDPR.

    • Recent Topics

    • Decimal places settings for exchange rates

      Hello, We are facing issues while matching vendor payments with banking feeds. As we often import products/services exchange rate comes into play. Currently, ZOHO allows only six digits for decimal places. We feel that conversions like JPY to INR require

    • Zoho removed ability to see all Scheduled Reports!

      If you are not the owner of a scheduled report, Zoho recently removed the capability to see each scheduled report. As an admin who relies on seeing all scheduled reports being sent, this is a terrible update. Now I cannot see ANY scheduled reports...even the ones I am being sent!!  This should be a setting for admins to control.  This is a bad update.

    • Please can the open tasks be shown in each customer account at the top.

      Hi there This has happened before, where the open tasks are no longer visible at the top of the page for each customer in the CRM. They have gone missing previously and were reinstated when I asked so I think it's just after an update that this feature

    • Automate Backups

      This is a feature request. Consider adding an auto backup feature. Where when you turn it on, it will auto backup on the 15-day schedule. For additional consideration, allow for the export of module data via API calls. Thank you for your consideration.

    • GCLID and Zoho Bookings

      Is there anyway to embed a Zoho Bookings signup on a landing page and pass the GCLID information? More specifically, can this be done using auto-tagging and not manual tagging the GCLID? I know Zappier has an integration to do this but is there a better

    • Merge Items

      Is there a work around for merging items? We currently have three names for one item, all have had a transaction associated so there is no deleting (just deactivating, which doesn't really help. It still appears so people are continuing to use it). I also can't assign inventory tracking to items used in past transactions, which I don't understand, this is an important feature moving forward.. It would be nice to merge into one item and be able to track inventory. Let me know if this is possible.

    • Create PO from an invoice

      We are a hardware and software sales company which receives orders over the internet. We drop ship most of our products from a warehouse outside of our company. Our orders get sync'd into Zoho from our store via onesaas as invoices. It would be great

    • Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books

      Can I implement Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books? Example, use case could be, Agent confirms from client that payment is done, but bank only syncs transactions tomorrow. in this case, Agent can update invoice status to done, and

    • Resetting auto-number on new year

      Hi everyone! We have an auto-number with prefix "D{YYYY}-", it generates numbers like D2025-1, D2025-2, etc... How can we have it auto-reset at the beginning of the next year, so that it goes to D2026-1? Thanks!

    • Delivery and handling of documents e-stamped using Zoho Sign

      Hello everyone! Zoho Sign makes it easy to pay non judicial stamp duty online and automatically attach the digitally generated e-stamp challan to electronic documents. We also manage the delivery of physical e-stamped papers. We periodically receive these

    • The Social Wall: December 2025

      Hello everyone! As we wrap up the final edition of the Social Wall for 2025, it’s the perfect time to look at what went live during December. QR code generator From paying for coffee to scanning metro tickets, QR codes are everywhere and have made everyday

    • Custom AI solutions with QuickML for Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone, Earlier, we introduced Custom AI Solutions in CRM that let you access QuickML for your custom AI needs. Building on that foundation, we’ve now enabled a deeper integration: QuickML models can be seamlessly integrated into CRM, and surface

    • Helper Functions and DRY principle

      Hello everyone, I believe Deluge should be able to use 'Helper functions' inside the main function. I know I can create different standalones, but this is not helpful and confusing. I don't want 10000 different standalones, and I dont want to have to

    • Add specific field value to URL

      Hi Everyone. I have the following code which is set to run from a subform when the user selects a value from a lookup field "Plant_Key" the URL opens a report but i want the report to be filtered on the matching field/value. so in the report there is

    • Introducing workflow automation for the Products module

      Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to Bigin's Products module. The Products module in Bigin now supports Workflows, enabling you to automate routine actions. Along with this update,

    • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

      Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient

    • Zia Formula Expression Generator for Formula fields

      Hello everyone! Formula fields are super useful when you want your CRM to calculate things for you but writing the expression is where most people slow down. You know what you want, but you’re not fully sure which function to use, how the syntax should

    • Where is the settings option in zoho writer?

      hi, my zoho writer on windows has menu fonts too large. where do i find the settings to change this option? my screen resolution is correct and other apps/softwares in windows have no issues. regards

    • CRM project association via deluge

      I have created a workflow in my Zoho CRM for closing a deal. Part of this workflow leverages a deluge script to create a project for our delivery team. Creating the project works great however, after or during the project creation, I would like to associate

    • Issue with Zoho Creator Form Full-Screen View in CRM Related List Integration

      Hi Team, We have created a custom application in Zoho Creator and integrated it into Zoho CRM as a related list under the Vendor module, which we have renamed as Consignors. Within the Creator application, there is a form named “Pickup Request.” Inside

    • Wrapping up 2025 on a high note: CRM Release Highlights of the year

      Dear Customers, 2025 was an eventful year for us at Zoho CRM. We’ve had releases of all sizes and impact, and we are excited to look back, break it down, and rediscover them with you! Before we rewind—we’d like to take a minute and sincerely thank you

    • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

      Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant

    • Customer Parent Account or Sub-Customer Account

      Some of clients as they have 50 to 300 branches, they required separate account statement with outlet name and number; which means we have to open new account for each branch individually. However, the main issue is that, when they make a payment, they

    • Drop Down Value

      Hi, May I know why Zoho Flow treat this drop down as number and not as string. If so, how can I fetch the right value for filtering. This field is from Creator, in Creator upon checking by default it is a string since it's not a lookup field.

    • Projects custom colors replaced by default orange

      Since yesterday, projects uploaded to Zoho, to which I had assigned a custom color, have lost the customization and reverted to the default color (orange). Has anyone else had the same problem? If so, how did you resolve it?

    • How to manage task lists in Zoho Desk?

      Hello, I use Zoho Desk for IT customer support. I have a list of standard operating procedures (SOPs), including SOPs for onboarding new users, offboarding users, losing a device, etc. These are lists of tasks to be performed depending on the situation.

    • Creating a Chart from a Report

      In Zoho Analytics, is it possible to create a chart from a Pivot View report? We are looking to use Zoho Analytics to replace Excel for Sales reports and would like to be able to show both the table and the chart together.

    • Restrict Users access to login into CRM?

      I’m wanting my employees to be able to utilize the Zoho CRM Lookup field within Zoho Forms. For them to use lookup field in Zoho Forms it is my understanding that they need to be licensed for Forms and the CRM. However, I don’t want them to be able to

    • Introducing Connected Records to bring business context to every aspect of your work in Zoho CRM for Everyone

      Hello Everyone, We are excited to unveil phase one of a powerful enhancement to CRM for Everyone - Connected Records, available only in CRM's Nextgen UI. With CRM for Everyone, businesses can onboard all customer-facing teams onto the CRM platform to

    • Unknown table or alias 'A1'

      I would like to create a subquery but i am getting the following error: Unknown table or alias 'A1' used in select query. This is the sql statement:  SELECT A1.active_paying_customers, A1.active_trial_customers, A1.new_paying_signup, date(A1.date_active_customers), 

    • in the Zoho creator i have address field based the customer lookup im selecting the addresss , some times the customer address getting as null i want to show as blank

      in the Zoho creator i have address field based the customer lookup im selecting the addresss , some times the customer address getting as null ,i want to show as blank instead of showing null. input.Billing_Address.address_line_1 = ifNUll(input.Customers_Name.Address.address_line_1,"");

    • Question about upgrade and storage space Zoho Notebook

      After upgarding my Zoho Notebook plan, I am running into the following issue. I just upgraded from a free Zoho Notebook subscription to Pro Lite after I got a notification in my Window Zoho Notebook desktop app saying that I had run out of space. However,

    • how to add email to existing organization i w

      I am already registered my organization and i have an email id. I need one more email id but i can't find anywhere .i want the cheapest email id . how to add ?

    • add zoho account

      How to add a zoho mail to previous zoho account? I have two

    • Name changed in settings for mailbox but still not changed when typed in To field

      In the email account secretary@ i have updaetd the new staff members details but the old members name still appears when I type secretary@ in the To field. I cant work out where Zoho is finding the old name from. I have deleted the browser cache. If I

    • Printing to a brother label maker

      I see allot of really old unanswered posts asking how to print to a label maker from a zoho creator app. Has their been any progress on providing the capability to create a customized height & width page or print template or whatever to print labels?

    • Sync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)

      Keeping your important files backed up and accessible has never been easier! With WorkDrive desktop app (TrueSync), you can now automatically sync specific desktop folders to WorkDrive Web, ensuring seamless, real-time updates across devices. Important:

    • Track online, in-office, and client location meetings separately with the new meeting venue option

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce meeting enhancements in Zoho CRM that bring more clarity and structure to how meetings are categorized. You can now specify the meeting venue to clearly indicate whether a meeting is being held online, at the

    • Calling the new 'Custom API' feature from within a Custom Widget

      From what I've learned it is not possible to call an endpoint from the new "Custom API" feature within a Creator Widget. The SDK's doesn't support it yet, when calling it natively you end up with CORS issues or at least I couldn't get it working even

    • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.32.0)

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Trident, which are designed to reinforce email security and protect your inbox from evolving threats. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. Deliver quarantined emails. Organization admins

    • Next Page