Kaizen 215 - Workflow APIs - Part 3
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve joined Zylker Cloud Services as they review and improve their workflows. In Part 1, we discovered and audited their sprawling workflow landscape. In Part 2, we learned how to use the Configuration API to understand valid triggers and actions, preventing errors before they happen.
Now, it is time to take action. Zylker has identified the "VP Alert - High Value Deal" workflow as a prime candidate for an update. It is old, has never run, and its logic might be too narrow. We will also explore how to create a new workflow from scratch to handle a new business requirement.
STEP 5: Update an Existing Workflow
From our audit in Step 2, we know that the existing ‘VP Alert - High Value Deal’ workflow (id: 4876876000016390024) hadn’t triggered even once. The original $50,000 threshold missed many valuable deals. Most winning opportunities actually land above $30,000. It has never executed, suggesting the criteria are too strict.
Let us use the Update Workflow Rule API to fix it. We'll change the criteria to trigger for deals greater than or equal to $30,000 and add an additional email notification.
What you can and cannot update
When working with the Update Workflow Rule API, not every field in a workflow is open for modification. Think of it like editing an existing automation blueprint. Some foundations are fixed, while others are flexible.
You can update:
Name and Description
Trigger : You can update triggers, but only within the same trigger type. For example, you can change a Record Action trigger from create to edit, but not from a Record Action trigger to a Score-based trigger. For more details on this, please refer to our detailed help documentation here.
Conditions and Criteria : add, remove, or refine them.
Actions : add new ones, remove existing ones, or update their configuration.
Status : activate or deactivate a workflow rule.
What cannot be updated
There are a few key restrictions to remember:
You cannot change the module associated with the workflow.
You cannot switch trigger categories (e.g., from Record Action to Email Trigger).
You cannot retain unsupported actions when changing to a trigger that doesn’t support them. For instance, if you change a trigger from Edit to Delete, but keep an Assign Owner action, the update will fail, because “Assign Owner” isn’t valid for Delete triggers.
Updating an existing workflow is not about replacing everything. it is about editing precisely what needs to change.
Here is how to do it:
Fetch the workflow details using the Get Workflow Rule API. This gives the full structure, including condition IDs, action IDs, and trigger details.
Identify what needs to change.
In this case, to fix the “VP Alert - High Value Deal” workflow, we can update the Workflow rule to:
lower the threshold to $300,000
change the comparator to greater_than.
To make the workflow more useful, Zylker has also decided to add a few new actions.
But before doing that, the developers needed to confirm which actions are supported for this workflow’s trigger type. That is where last week’s Configuration API comes in handy. Since we already know this is a Record Action trigger (create_or_edit), we can refer to the configuration response we explored in Part 2 to see which actions are valid.
{ "api_name": "create_or_edit", "deprecated": false, "name": "CreateorEdit", "scheduled_actions_supported": true, "actions": [ "field_updates", "assign_owner", "add_tags", "remove_tags", "email_notifications", "tasks", "create_record", "create_connected_record", "add_meeting", "webhooks", "functions", "circuits", "flow" ] }, |
The response clearly shows that email notifications, field updates, and tags are all supported for this trigger type. With that confidence, in addition to updating the condition, we can also add a 'Priority' tag to those records that trigger the Workflow. This makes the workflow more visible and actionable across the sales hierarchy.
Sample Request:
PUT {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/workflow_rules/4876876000016390024
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "description": "Notify sales leadership and track strategic opportunities", "name": "VP Alert - High Value Deal.", "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, "criteria_details": { "criteria": { "group_operator": "AND", "group": [ { "comparator": "greater_than", // change in comparator operator "field": { "api_name": "Amount" }, "value": "300000" // Lowered threshold }, { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Stage" }, "value": "Negotiation/Review" } ] } }, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ { "type": "add_tags", "module": "Deals", "details": { "tags": [ { "name": "Priority" } ], "overwrite": true } } ] }, "id": "4876876000016390025" // id of the condition to be updated } ] } ] } |
After this update, the workflow now triggers for any deal worth more than $300,000 in the Negotiation/Review stage. Apart from sending the email notifications and adding the follow up task, it also tags these deals as Priority.
Edit vs Add:
To edit an existing condition or action, include its existing id in your update payload. Zoho CRM will recognize it as an update to that object.
To add a new condition or action, simply omit the id. CRM treats any object without an ID as a new addition.
STEP 6: Create a new Workflow Rule
With the “VP Alert - High Value Deal” workflow now fixed and performing as expected, Zylker’s sales team quickly began to see results.
But their sales team noticed that deals often stall after proposals are sent, with no systematic follow-up. Zylker has hence refined the requirements for a new Workflow.
They want to automatically trigger follow-up actions when a high-value deal (above ₹30,000) is marked “Closed Lost” due to pricing reasons. This workflow must ensure that every lost opportunity is reviewed, tagged, and re-engaged after a cooling-off period. To achieve this, they want to create a workflow to be triggered whenever a deal’s Stage is updated to Closed Lost. It must perform the following actions:
Add tags Lost due to Pricing and Re-engagement Pending.
Send an email alert to the Sales team, with the details of the failed Deal, so they can look into the reasons.
After 30 business days, automatically create another “Lost Deal - Feedback” task to remind the owner to re-contact the customer for feedback, and for future opportunities.
Before proceeding, Zylker makes an API call to the Workflow Configuration endpoint. This ensures that their chosen trigger type and actions are supported. From the response snippet below, it is clear that a field_update trigger supports scheduled actions and the required action types.
{ "api_name": "field_update", "deprecated": false, "name": "FieldUpdate", "scheduled_actions_supported": true, "actions": [ "field_updates", "assign_owner", "add_tags", "remove_tags", "email_notifications", "tasks", "create_record", "create_connected_record", "add_meeting", "webhooks", "functions", "circuits", "flow" ] } |
With these details validated, we can now move on to adding a new workflow for Zylker using the Create Workflow Rule API request.
Understanding the input JSON structure
Every workflow definition follows the same hierarchy - defining when the rule runs, what conditions it checks, and which actions it performs.
The top-level input object contains a workflow_rules array. You must include just one workflow rule object per request. Each workflow rule defines its name, trigger type, and one or more condition blocks, each with its own criteria and actions.
Here is a breakdown of what is inside a single workflow rule:
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "name": "VP Alert - High Value Deal.", //name of the workflow rule "description": "Notify leadership when high-value deals are lost due to pricing.", "module": { "api_name": "Deals" }, //module to which the workflow applies "execute_when": { ... }, //trigger configuration (e.g., on record edit, field update, etc.) "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, // order of execution. this is the first condition "criteria_details": { ... }, // condition logic (criteria group) "instant_actions": { "actions": [ ... ] }, //instant actions executed instantly cheduled_actions": [ // schedules actions executed after a delay { "execute_after": { ... }, // delay period for the scheduled action "actions": [ ... ] } ] }, { "sequence_number": 2, // second condition "criteria_details": { ... }, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ ... ] } } ] } ] } |
Associative vs. Non-Associative Actions
Every workflow rule performs one or more actions like sending an email, creating a task, or updating a field, etc. These actions fall into two broad categories: associative and non-associative.
Type | Description | Example Actions |
Non- Associative Actions | These are defined inside the workflow rule itself. They do not need to exist beforehand. You can configure their details directly within the workflow payload. | Create record, schedule a call, add a meeting, convert records, social actions, create record on email received, assign owner, |
Associative Actions | These are reusable actions created separately in CRM and referenced by their IDs. They can be used across multiple workflows and other automation tools. | Field updates, Email notifications, tasks, Webhooks, Add/Remove tags |
When you create or update a workflow via API, the associative actions require you to pass their existing action IDs. These IDs can be fetched using the corresponding Actions APIs : Field Updates, Email Notifications, Webhooks, and Tasks. In the coming weeks of Kaizen, we will take a closer look at each of these Actions APIs. We will see how to create, manage, and delete them within your workflow automation strategy.
Sample Request:
POST {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/workflow_rules
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "execute_when": { "details": { "trigger_module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "criteria": { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Stage", "id": "4876876000000002565" }, "type": "value", "value": "Closed Lost" }, "repeat": false, "match_all": false }, "type": "field_update" }, "module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "description": "Triggers tasks, tags, and follow-up reminders for high-value deals lost due to pricing", "name": "Lost Deal due to Pricing - Follow Up", "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ { "name": "Lost Deal - Feedback", "id": "4876876000016794047", "type": "tasks" }, { "details": { "module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "over_write": false, "tags": [ { "name": "Lost due to Pricing", "id": "4876876000016794071", "color_code": "#658BA8" }, { "name": "Re-engagement pending", "id": "4876876000016794075", "color_code": "#879BFC" } ] }, "type": "add_tags" }, { "name": "Deal Lost Alert", "id": "4876876000016794062", "type": "email_notifications" } ] }, "scheduled_actions": [ { "execute_after": { "period": "business_days", "unit": 30 }, "actions": [ { "name": "Lost Deal - Feedback", "id": "4876876000016794047", "type": "tasks" } ] } ], "criteria_details": { "criteria": { "group_operator": "AND", "group": [ { "comparator": "greater_equal", "field": { "api_name": "Amount", "id": "4876876000000002557" }, "type": "value", "value": "30000" }, { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Reason_For_Loss__s", "id": "4876876000002440001" }, "type": "value", "value": "Price" } ] } } } ] } ] } |
The execute_when defines when the workflow should fire.
type = field_update means this rule runs when a field’s value changes.
criteria : Stage = Closed Lost so the rule triggers whenever the Stage field is updated to Closed Lost.
repeat = false ensures it will not trigger multiple times for the same record.
In simple terms: “Whenever a deal is marked as Closed Lost, run this workflow.” The criteria_details section refines the trigger. The workflow only runs when the Amount ≥ ₹30,000 AND Reason for Loss = Price.
The instant_actions section inside the conditions array has the actions to be executed immediately when the criteria are met.
Add Tags : labels the record for easy filtering and reporting.
Send Email Alert : notifies the sales team instantly about the lost deal.
The scheduled_actions defines what happens after some time has passed. In this case, after 30 business days. Here, the workflow automatically creates a “Lost Deal - Feedback” task, reminding the deal owner to follow up with the customer to get feedback, and for future opportunities.
- The Amount is greater than or equal to ₹30,000, and
The Reason for Loss is “Price.”
By combining these elements, this workflow achieves a full closed-loop follow-up system.
Conclusion:
Zylker’s updated and new workflows make their automation smarter and more responsive. They are now able to spot key deals and ensure lost opportunities are revisited.
We hope you are now well on your way to mastering Workflow APIs. Share your thoughts in the comments or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.
Additional Reading:
- Workflow APIs - Part 1 - Auditing Workflows
- Workflow APIs - Part 2 - Find out what actions and triggers are supported for each module
Topic Participants
Anu Abraham
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes areKaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms
Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over theKaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.
Recent Topics
Paid Support Plans with Automated Billing
We (like many others, I'm sure) are designing or have paid support plans. Our design involves a given number of support hours in each plan. Here are my questions: 1) Are there any plans to add time-based plans in the Zoho Desk Support Plans feature? TheAgent name Alias
I am seeing that Full name of my staffs are written on every ticket response which is not good for some reasons. It is possible to user like this: Manny P. (First Name with Last Name's First Letter) or Manny (First Name) This is want we want to showUnable to add attachments to tickets through Desk API
I able to use the Desk API to generate tickets. However when I try to use the tickets/{ticketId}/attachments endpoint, I always get an Unauthorized error. My app has Desk.Tickets.ALL included in its scope so this should not be an issueWhat's wrong with this COQL?
What's wrong with this COQL? Code returns "invalid operator found". SELECT id, Name, Stage, Account, Created_Time, Tag FROM Production_Orders WHERE (Account = '4356038000072566002' AND Stage NOT LIKE '%customer%') ORDER BY Created_Time DESC LIMIT 200[Feature Request] Add support for internationalized top-level domains mail hosting
This is an important request to add support for internationalized domains mail hosting to https://www.zoho.com/mail/ In this case, that is only limited to domain name/mail address however currently it's already possible for us send mails etc using belowAdd Enable/Disable to Field Rules and other Rules
Hi, Sometimes I have rules setup for fields, and until I want to enable them for use, I can set the fields to Hidden but rules still show them, today you have to delete rules and then recreate them again, would be nice to have a toggle for Enabled/DisabledSyncing stuck for days
Hello when I made an account a few days ago and synced all my notes to it, it is still syncing. My app is only 400mb so I do not know why it is taking so long. Please helpWorkflow runs on every edit despite not ticking the field repeat this workflow whenever a parent is edited.....
Hi, It is my understanding that this workflow should only trigger once. Why is this triggering on every edit of the field? Based on another support query - directly from Zoho, If i tick the box 'repeat this workflow whenever a parent is edited' it shouldHow do you add or update tags on Zoho CRM records via n8n? (Workarounds or best practices?)
Hi all, I’m running into some limitations with the Zoho CRM node in n8n and was wondering how others have handled this: From what I see, the standard Zoho CRM node in n8n doesn’t allow you to add or update tags when creating or updating contacts/leads.API PARAMETER FOR TICKET CLOSED TIME
Hi, Is there a parameter for filtering tickets by closed time in zoho api, i can see closed time in the API response i get, but can't get tickets by that field while calling. Regards, Anvin AliasReply to email addresses wrong.
I have setup my Zoho mail account using my main domain and I also have an Alias setup from a different domain. In Settings - Mail - Compose I have selected to the option "For replies, send using The same email address to which the email was sent to".Meeting integration with Otter.ai
Would love for an integration with an AI transcription service like Otter.ai to be integrated with Zoho Meeting. ThanksHow to close/delete a free creator account?
I have a free zoho creator account associated with my email address that is not being used. I want to become a user of another paid zoho creator account but I can not associate with the paid account with the same email. I assume if I can close or delete the free account I will be able to use the paid account. I have emailed support but no response. Suggestions?Zoho books and zapier causes Invalid data provided
I have been using zoho books with zapier for over 2 years now, everything was working fine. On September 13th my zaps stopped working. Now on step create sales invoice in zoho books i get an error: Failed to create a create_invoice_v2 in Zoho Books TheCRM report
Is it possible to pull a contacts report that also includes the company industry, as well as the company name? I’m having trouble combining company and contact fields – any help is appreciated. Thank you, SamEarly Payment Discount customize Text
Hi, I’m currently using Zoho Books and am trying to customize the standard “Early Payment Discount” message that appears in the PDF invoice template. I’ve reviewed the documentation here: https://www.zoho.com/books/help/invoice/early-payment-discount.htmlEnhancements to Client script?
Hi Zoho CRM, I've been extensively using Client Scripts to enhance our Deal form experience, particularly for real time validations and auto updating fields based on specific logic. However, I've encountered a challenge regarding permission boundaries.Add views to new CRM UI navigation + Unlimited Webtabs
Zoho CRM is so close now to being the ultimate business application with the new UI, as soon as this one feature is added. This is probably where Zoho is headed but if it's not I want to BEG for this to be incorporated. What we need is to be able to putE-Mail Distribution List
How do I create an e-mail distribution list in Zoho Mail?Custom "create meeting" button with more functionality than Zoho currently has?
I'm looking for a little help/direction in how to do this. Even just some general high level pointers on how this might be able to be done. The current Zoho Meeting Activity functionality is not ideal for my org's workflow. I'd like to try and createError Code 4: Invalid value passed for JSONString
Okay, I want to start by saying I know I'm a terrible scripter, so sorry if this is a dumb mistake. I just can't figure it out, even with LLM help. Here's my code: // --- Input Variables --- customer_id = salesorder.get("customer_id"); so_id = salesorder.get("salesorder_id");Organizing contacts/members by company
I work for a membership organization (representing businesses) and am trying to use Zoho CRM more effectively for managing the points of contact for our members. Currently, our members are listed in our CRM by the primary point of contact's name, butUnable to search in Zoho Email
I've started using Zoho Email (free version) recently and realized that it doesn't have email search functionality. Am I missing anything here? I've gone through the Zoho tutorial which does show the search bar on the right top of the Zoho UI. But inResponse Time Report
From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports Every organization that interacts with its customers should have an established timeframe for how soon an agent is expected to send the first response and any reply to any follow-up messages.Problem : Auto redirect from zoho flow to zoho creator
Hi there, I've been waiting for zoho team to get back on this for last couple of days. Anyone else have the problem to access zoho flow? everytime I click on zoho flow it redirects me to zoho creator. I tried incognito mode but it still direct me to zohoZoho - Outlook plugin
Does anyone know if there is a way to modify the autofill in the Zoho plugin in outlook? When we create a contact, it enters the correct email address and name, but then pulls information from our own signature line to add phone number, address, etc.Zoho Books - Sales Person Information
Hi Team, On Invoices, Quotes, etc... I can include the Sales Person, but it only shows their name and not their email or phone number. It would be great to have place on invoice templates where we can manage what sales person information should be showsOffline working in Zoho Creator portal
Zoho's help says that offline working is only available in the Creator mobile app and not in the portal app. But I can see offline options in the portal app too and it seems to work when I test it. My portal users are often in areas where there is poorFetch Records using Dynamic Criteria
Hi, I have a form that builds a filter based on user input. I need to fetch the records based on dynamic criteria. How would I accomplish this as there is no eval function? For example: desiredRecord = Form1[dynamicCriteria];Url filter Report date (pivot chart)
Hello. Is it possible to filter the data in pivot char using parameters in the url? I'm trying but I should not doing very well. Something like: https://creator.zoho.com/.../....../#Report:MyPivotChartReport?MyDate=01-Jan-2012;31-Jun-2012;MyDate_op=58 SaludosSending gmail to a particular person fails because the address gets changed to "gmaill", with a second "l" typo somewhere
I send to bob@gmail.com (example) and get an error sending to bob@gmaill.com, only for this one person. Note the extra "l" in the email the system tried to send to, which was not in the address I entered. Can't find a typo in the contact or anywhere elseEmoji Support in Bigin CRM
We request the implementation of emoji support across Bigin CRM. This feature should allow users to seamlessly use emojis in text fields, headlines, and deals. It would enhance communication, improve the visual appeal of records, and bring more personalizationBigin Booking Pages enhancements
I would like to ask for several enhancements for the brand new (and promising) Booking feature. 1. Add "Contact/Mobile" Field to Booking form We use Mobile as key (id), but unfortunately it is missing from the Booking form, only Home Phone is available.Amount in words in Indian format
Hi, I had coded the following code to convert amount in words. But in the code in the format of US like million. But i need in Lakh and Crore. So pls suggest ideas r post corrected code string Num2Words(int val) { val_s = input.val.toString(); th = {"", "thousand", "million", "billion", "trillion"}; // uncomment this line for English Number System // th = {"","thousand","million", "milliard","billion"}; dg = {"zero", "one", "two", "three", "four", "five", "six", "seven", "eight",What are people using to send Service based emails?
Zoho Campaigns is for marketing. Users can unsubscribe from these emails. Service based emails need to be delivered and can without the worry of Can-spam act. What are people using to send service based emails? My mailing list is derived from a databaseStandalone LMS tool
Will Zoho release a standalone LMS (Learning management System) than can be used by external parties (guest)?Announcing Kiosk 1.1 - Customize screen titles, configure new fields & actions, use values from your Kiosk to update fields, and more.
Hello all We are back again with more enhancements to Kiosk. So what's new? Enhancements made to the Components Add titles for your Kiosk screens and adjust its width to suit your viewing preferences. Three new fields can be added to your screen: Percentage,An Overview of Dario Schiraldi Deutsche Bank Executive
Hello Community, Dario Schiraldi is an executive at Deutsche Bank, focused on advancing the firm’s financial services and crafting its global strategic vision. With 20 years of expertise in leadership roles, he has spearheaded successful market acquisitionsEmailing a document to WorkDrive
Does WorkDrive include the ability to upload a document by sending an attachment to an email address? (Books and Expenses include this functionality) If it doesn't is it under consideration? on the Road Map?Allow Changing Appointment Status from "Completed" to "No Show" or Other Valid States
Hi Zoho Bookings Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request regarding appointment status management in Zoho Bookings. 🎯 Use Case Sometimes, an appointment is mistakenly marked as Completed, but later we realize that theNext Page