[Early-access] Introducing Zoho's CommandCenter - Cross-Zoho business process automation

[Early-access] Introducing Zoho's CommandCenter - Cross-Zoho business process automation

 

Resources to help

Webinar recording | Documentation 

Feature Restrictions

Currently available on early-access only for US data center accounts

Features Role

CommandCenter as a Service uses signals across Zoho services to propel the movement of records through different stages of a business process


Note: CommandCenter was introduced as a feature within CRM in 2020. Zoho's CommandCenter is a standalone service that operates across Zoho platforms. 

For the sake of clarity, please note that in this post, we will refer to CommandCenter feature in Zoho CRM as "Zoho CRM's CommandCenter", and "CommandCenter as a Service", as "Zoho's CommandCenter"

CommandCenter is powered by signals. Signals are events performed in various arenas of Zoho applications that can be used to trigger the transition of a record to its next state. 

Signals serve as the backbone of the CommandCenter builder., Let's understand a little more about them. 

When you want to connect various customer touchpoints together, and build your customer journey end-to-end, there are many, touchpoints involved. 

Let's consider a real estate business powered by Zoho One end-to-end. .This company uses the following modules for their operations:
  •  Zoho CRM for client management
  • Zoho Finance for bookkeeping
  • Zoho Desk to provide support to clients
  • Zoho Meeting to setup online sessions with prospective clients 
- In their business process, each customer record moves through different stages in each of these services. For example, a lead moves from a "needs assessment" stage to a "needs assessed". 
- Here, for the record to move, it must transition through a stage of "assessment" where "type and budget" details are captured. This transition is fuelled by certain actions which we will configure. 
- In this example, we will configure the transition based on a trigger that the company brochure is downloaded or that a query is submitted on the website.

Each of the actions of updating these fields serve as a trigger for the movement of one or more record(s). We call these actions, "Signals".  At the backend, Signals route the events to multiple destinations. Signals can be setup for several Zoho services, including Zoho CRM. CommandCenter is setup such that any signal can be captured from other Zoho Apps to trigger the movement of a record to its next state.

Default signals - Default signals available in Zoho CRM, Desk, Survey, and Webinar are supported now. Default signals from other Zoho services, and third-party integrations will be supported down the line. 

Custom signals - API triggers or custom signals allow your system to use ANY event as your trigger, besides the readily available signals. Custom signals broaden CC's capabilities by allowing transition of records based on custom events that are specific to your business, making your mapped customer journey that much more accurate.

CommandCenter as a service ties together every single touchpoint of a record, mapping the whole customer journey with all its bits and pieces in ONE space. . Right from capturing information and creating leads, to the final stage, anything that can be automated is mapped within CC. Many of us are familiar with Zoho CRM's CommandCenter that runs and manage an entire business-process end-to-end. CRM's CommandCenter not only allows you to map your customer journey across multiple modules in a single space, but also guides and automates every action in a single space. Zoho's CommandCenter isn't an alternative to this, but an avenue to use and tie together your business processes, across multiple Zoho services. It uses triggers to execute different actions through different Zoho apps, at different stages (states) of a customer lifecycle. 

The main components of this tool are: 

States - The building blocks of a CC flow. They signify the state/stage a record is stationed at that point of the process. In our real estate example, we have many states. Pre-approval,  Funds processing, Inspection completion, Loan approval, etc

Transitions - The process initiating the movement of a record to its next state. A "Documents verification in progress", between the "Waiting for approval" and "Documents verified" states. 

Triggers - Triggers are our signals that propel the transition of records. Any default or custom signal can be used as a trigger for a transition.

Actions - At every stage, automated actions that are configured such as email alters, field updates, task creation, or any custom action.
Here's a quick overview on how Zoho's CommandCenter adds to the existing automation options. 



Comparison 1 - Workflows 
Comparison 2 - Blueprint
Feature
Help automate any set of actions within a module



Automation rules
Mandates certain actions from the user's end (manual) before a record is transitioned. (includes workflow functionalities in actions)

Internal process application tool
Use-case achievable
During the document verification process, we need to automate the "Document submitted" field in the Contact page, based on a rule that a Webform is filled. 
Business process steps that can be included in Blueprint. 
Collateral Assessment| Documentation Check| Document first release| Legal Verification | Release of loan | Loan closure/rejection (based on approval/denial)

Comparison 3 - Zoho CRM's CommandCenter
Comparison 4 - Zoho's CommandCenter
Feature
Allows the entire business process from your CRM to be created end-to-end, within a single space across modules

Cross-module online journey orchestration tool in Zoho CRM
Builds an online replica of your business process with the various entries of the records and signals across all Zoho services in ONE space
Cross-Zoho online replica of a business process
Use Case achievable
All the steps under Comparison 2. Additionally, we will be able to map the following steps of our business process in CRM. 
Pre-approval | Manual approval | Document verification | Loan rejected | Address verified | Loan rejected (if address proof is not submitted) | Loan approved | Funds processing initiated | Loan sanctioned | Loan closed | Loan settled | Overdue (in case of payment failure) | Overdue proceedings in due | Overdue proceedings settled (After legal proceedings are initiated)
All the steps under Comparison 3. Additionally, it will be able to include the following signals as triggers

- Filling of a customized survey used during home inspection process

- Booking of slots using Zoho Meeting to schedule a call with the realtor to understand requirements

- During the loan process, closing of customers' tickets created on Zoho Desk is used as a trigger to fully end their purchase

What's new with Zoho's CommandCenter 
- Advanced reporting for CommandCenter allows for tracking and measuring customer journeys, noting and rectifying pain points as the journey progresses.The new Pivot Charts in reports is noteworthy. 
- Unifies data across multiple apps, but also for multiple orgs across each application. 
- Custom signals or API triggers to flexibly trigger a transition based on any event from other Zoho services. 

Note - We've enabled CommandCenter early-access   to our EA community. Do try it out, let us know what you think as comments to this post. We request that you post any issues you face, feedback and suggestions for improvements, and what you like about it. Our CommandCenter team is all ears and will love to join in on the discussion. 

Access it at commandcenter.zoho.com

Pricing details - CommandCenter will be included in Zoho One when it is ready for public launch. It will be charged based on a Fair Usage Policy, where the base free limits will vary based on the number of users purchased. Post this, they will be charged for additional usage. We'll let you know the exact limits and pricing details closer to the public launch date

Pricing
Free edition
Enterprise Edition (post free usage)
Transitions
300/day
$0.0002/transition
Actions
250/day
$0.0003/action
Journeys
3
$5/journey/month (bonus of 1 free user)
Users
3
$2/additional user/month

    • Recent Topics

    • Integrating Chatbot with Zoho Creator Application

      Is it possible to integrate a chatbot with a Zoho Creator application?
    • How to reduce programmatically the image uploaded by user?

      I need a function that will automatically reduce the pixel dimension to 800 x 600 pixels / 180 resolution or (approx. 1.37MB) of image uploaded by user from digital camera, for example, 2271 x 1704 pixels /180 resolution or approx. 11.1MB. After the user selected the image, the function will able to detect if pixels is above 800x600, process the photo (crop/ reduce) and resume upload. Need help...  
    • Dark mode for Zoho Creator / Zoho CRM Code editor

      Hi Team, Is there any plans for Dark mode in Zoho creator / Zoho Crm code editor and development pages in pipeline?
    • Is there a way to make a button scroll down?

      Looking to have a button on a landing page scroll down to another section on the page. Any recomendations outside of coding?
    • Collective-booking event not added to all staff calendars

      We assign two staff to certain events. When the client books this event, it adds it to one staff calendar (the 'organiser') but not the other. How can I ensure all staff assigned to a collective booking get the event in their calendar? (A side note: it
    • ZOHO Android Client

      Hi, I installed the Android app, but it had an issue, so I reinstalled it. I was able to add multiple accounts, but now when I add the next account, it just duplicates the one I already have and will not even allow me to enter the info for another account.
    • I'd like to suggest a feature enhancement for SalesIQ that would greatly improve the user experience across different channels.

      Hello Zoho Team, Current Limitation: When I enable the pre-chat form under Brands > Flow Controls to collect the visitor’s name and email, it gets applied globally across all channels, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. This doesn't quite align
    • Enhance Barcode/QR Code scanner with bulk scanning or continuously scanning

      Dear Zoho Creator, As we all know, after each scan, the scanning frame closes. Imagine having 100 items; we would need to tap 100 times and wait roughly 1 second each time for the scanning frame to reopen on mobile web. It's not just about wasting time;
    • Non-depreciating fixed asset

      Hi! There are non-depreciable fixed assets (e.g. land). It would be very useful to be able to create a new type of fixed asset (within the fixed assets module) with a ‘No depreciation’ depreciation method. There is always the option of recording land
    • Managing Rental Sales in Zoho Inventory

      I am aware that Zoho Inventory is not yet set up to handle rental sales and invoicing. Is anyone using it for rentals anyway? I'd like to hear about how others have found work arounds to manage inventory of rental equipment, rental payments, etc. Th
    • Megamenu

      Finally! Megamenu's are now available in Zoho-Sites, after waiting for it and requesting it for years! BUT ... why am I asked to upgrade in order to use a megamenu? First: Zoho promised to always provide premium versions and options for all included Zoho-applications
    • Zoho Flow to Creator 3001 Respoonse

      I have updated my Flows with the new V2 connection to Zoho Creator, but now some Flows do not work. They take in data from a Webhook and are supposed to create a record in Creator, however creator returns a 3001 message along with a failure, but I cannot
    • File Upload to Work Drive While Adding Records in Zoho Creator Application

      Hi I am trying to set a file attachment field in zoho creator form, to enable the user to upload a scanned document from their local pc. The file should be uploaded to zoho workdrive and not to the default zoho creator storage. The file link should be
    • Why not possible to generate?

      Using this https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#TicketCount#TicketCount_Getticketcountbyfield on my ZML script url :"https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/ticketsCountByFieldValues?departmentId=XXXXXXXXXXX&accountId!=XXXXXXXXX&customField1=cf_country_1:XXXXXX&field=overDue"
    • email

      Hi My crm email is not working, can you check, I have zoho one account.
    • Need option to see Mass Emails & Cadences in Gmail Outbox OR a dedicated Zoho Outbox

      Hi everyone, Right now, when we send 1:1 emails from gmail (with gmail API connected to Zoho CRM), those emails appear both in gmail's sent folder and in Zoho CRM. That works well. But when we send Mass Emails or Cadence emails form Zoho CRM, they are
    • I can't found API for Sales Receipts

      Hello May you please help me to find an API document for Sales Receipts to get data and retrive a custom fields like Invoice and credit notes Regards
    • Kaizen #205 - Answering Your Questions | Managing Picklists and Enabling History Tracking via Zoho CRM APIs

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series. In this post, we will look at how you can manage picklist fields in Zoho CRM using APIs. This topic was raised as feedback to Kaizen #200, so we are taking it up here with more details.
    • Multiple Vendor SKUs

      One of the big concerns we have with ZOHO Inventory is lack of Vendor Skus like many other inventory software packages offer. Being able to have multiple vendor skus for the same product would be HUGE! It would populate the appropriate vendor Sku for
    • Internally created tickets

      Hi there When tickets are created internally on-behalf of customers - there is nothing to show that the ticket was created by an internal agent. This means, that it's easy for our agents to confuse tickets which were created by internal team members and
    • Automatically change website passwords

      Hi everyone, We just switched to a Professional package to also use the "Automatically change website passwords" function. But I cannot find anything about it, how to use it, anywhere. Does anyone know how I can use this function? Best, Caspar
    • Change Invoice Prices for an Effective Date

      Hi, It would be a really good feature to be able to change the prices on invoices/recurring invoices from an effective date in the event of price increases. For instance, I am in the process of increasing prices that will be effective from a specific
    • "Other Current Asset" accounts as "Paid Through" accounts in Expense

      It would be incredibly useful to be able to assign accounts of type Other Current Asset as Paid Through accounts in Expense. Currently, Other Current Liability are permitted as Paid Through Accounts. This makes sense, as Credit Cards are current liabilities.
    • Multi column open text questions that allows respondents to add rows for additional information

      I need to create a question that has 2 columns with open text, but I also need to allow respondents to click a "+" button, or something similar, so that they can add additional information if they choose to. I've tried using the Multiple Textboxes type
    • Bot Filtering & Apple Mail Privacy Protection Compliance in Zoho Campaigns

      Dear Campaigns Users, The wait is over! We’re excited to announce that the enhanced bot filtering feature is now live in Zoho Campaigns. This update brings greater accuracy to your email campaign reports by distinguishing real user engagement from automated
    • Découvrons les détails qui simplifient vos journées de travail avec Trident

      Nous nous installons dans des routines efficaces et rodées avec le temps. Chaque matin, nous ouvrons nos e-mails, passons aux messages, consultons notre agenda, puis attaquons nos tâches. Ce processus nous semble maîtrisé, mais est-il réellement optimisé
    • Issue with Purchase Rate Showing as “0” After Importing Items List

      Dear Zoho Books Support Team, Good day. I’m reaching out regarding an issue I’m facing while importing my items list into Zoho Books. Despite mapping all fields correctly and including the purchase price for each product in my Excel file, the Purchase
    • API for Task Entity in Zoho Books

      I’m working on automating task creation in Zoho Books via a custom button in the Bills Module. The goal is to create a task in the Tasks Module and assign it to the Finance Team, so they can track progress efficiently. While reviewing Zoho Books documentation,
    • create invoice in zoho books from the zoho forms

      Is there a native way to have create invoice in zoho books, when zoho form is completed?
    • Email undelivered

      GOod Day I am always receiving an uncategorized-bounce to my email. I am not sure why this is happening.
    • Add inventory_valuation_method to items endpooints

      To ensure consistent item creation it would be helpful to have the inventory_valuation_method (FIFO vs WAC) be able to be set at item creation or as an update (consistent with current behavior where it is not allowed for items with existing transactions)
    • Use Zoho to send sales receipts for Gocardless transactions

      I've been using gocardless for years and have d/d mandates set up on there. Each week we get bulk payments from customer d/d's. However, we need to send sales receipts to these customers. So I know I can sync mandates into Zoho, and then I can set up
    • Zoho - Gocardless sales receipts

      I've been using gocardless for years and have d/d mandates set up on there. Each week we get bulk payments from customer d/d's. However, we need to send sales receipts to these customers. So I know I can sync mandates into Zoho, and then I can set up
    • Introducing Rollup summary in Zoho CRM

      ------------------------------------------Moderated on 5th July'23---------------------------------------------- Rollup summary is now available for all organizations in all the DCs. Hello All, We hope you're well! We're here with an exciting update that
    • Introducing Connected Workflows in Zoho CRM for Everyone : Free Your Teams to Focus on What Matters

      Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to introduce the next big evolution in Zoho CRM for Everyone -- Connected Workflows. This new feature builds on our commitment to deliver a CRM that’s truly inclusive, adaptable, and designed for consistent collaboration
    • Cooling-off Period Just Got Better: More Coverage, More Control

      We’ve enhanced the Cooling-off Period feature in Zoho Recruit to give you more control over repeat applications and referrals. This helps you maintain a cleaner, more efficient recruitment pipeline. With this enhancement, you can: Prevent duplicate candidate
    • Revenue Management: #7 Revenue Recongition in Construction & Real Estate Industry

      If you are in the construction or real estate business, you are used to long project timelines and progressive invoicing to keep up with your billing. But when does revenue get recognized? Will it happen when the contract gets signed? At different milestones
    • TikTok (and other social platform) Messages and comments of the past

      When I link a social channel, Zoho will show in "Inbox", "Messages" and "Contact" sections the interaction done in the past? (comment, messages...)
    • Email Integration - Zoho CRM - OAuth and IMAP

      Hello, We are attempting to integrate our Microsoft 365 email with Zoho CRM. We are using the documentation at Email Configuration for IMAP and POP3 (zoho.com) We use Microsoft 365 and per their recommendations (and requirements) for secure email we have
    • Restrict Employee mail deletion

      Dear Zoho, Is there a way where i can restrict my employees to delete any mails from their account
    • Next Page