Channels for Your Organization and How to Use Them

Channels for Your Organization and How to Use Them

Well hello there, people!

Channels.
If you've signed into Cliq and set up your organization, you're bound to have come across this word on the left side panel.
You probably know that channels provide a space for you to carry out conversations with your fellow colleagues on any topic, but do you know that Cliq has separate channels for every type of work that you may have to take up? No, really!
 
Channels can be classified based on their levels: 
 
1. Organization
As the name suggests, organization channels are for everyone in the organization. It is open to all users and anyone can search for and join these channels.
 
2. Team
Team channels are meant for collaborations within a team as only the team members will be able to view and join these channels.
 
3. Personal 
Personal channels as the name suggests are for your personal use. Only the users added in the channel will be able to view and take part in the conversations.
 
NoteOrganization and Team channels can further be classified into "Invite only" and "Open to all" channels.
 

Channels
Open to all
Invite only
Organization


Team


Personal
-


 
How can they help? Let's find out!
To know about how to create a channel, head on over to our help guide.
 
1. Want to include the entire office in your conversation?
Say you’re part of the HR team. Wouldn't it be awesome if you can create a space that’s open to everyone from your organisation to view and join, making it easier to send any important announcements or circulars? The mentioned example, "#Announcements" is also a special type of organization channel where you can restrict the members of your organization from being able to post anything on there. This means you can send out announcements to everyone without worrying about your information getting lost in the chatter. 
A channel that is open to everyone in the organization that they can join as and when they wish to is called an organization channel. For example, the channel #General, can be used to converse with everyone in the organization.



Now, wait. It doesn't end here.
 
You might have seen while creating a channel, an option to set it as "Invite Only".
Now, say a marketing campaign is planned and it requires contribution from people from various teams and roles, say from content to design and even web developers. Wouldn't it be cool to have an exclusive workspace for these people alone to collaborate and brainstorm? This is when you turn your channels into an "Invite Only" channel. For example, "#Marketing Campaigns". Now, you have a space to collaborate and work, exclusively open to only the people involved. 



2. Want to talk to just your team?
Let's say you're part of the Sales team of your organization and you would like to discuss with your team about deals and customer requirements. What do you do? 
Create a team channel, of course! For example, "#deals-won".
 
Team channels make it so much easier to have a conversation with just your team and not worry about having other members of your organization being privy to the same.



Can I collaborate with multiple teams?
Also a valid question. Say, you're part of the HR team and you've just recruited a bunch of new people. You need help from the Administration team to onboard them. To make sure both teams are on the same page, you can simply create a multiteam channel "#onboarding" with the HR team and the Administration team. So, now you have people from both the teams collaborating in one space. Sounds neat, doesn't it?

 

Moreover, just like in organization channels, you have the option of changing the team channel settings to "Invite Only" here as well.
 
 
3. Looking for an informal space to converse with your colleagues casually? 
Want to plan a team outing? Or simply looking for a space to talk about your favourite music? 
Voila--personal channels are what you should go for. For example, "#weekend outing"
True to its name, a personal channel is for unofficial purposes where you can have just a casual conversation with your fellow colleagues. 



 But why can't I just create an Invite Only Channel?
You may wonder this because why not simply create an organization channel and mark it as “Invite Only”, right? However, it has to be noted that an Invite Only channel at any time can be converted back to an “Open to all” channel whereas a Personal channel will always remain as “Invite Only”. Imagine if your #weekend outing plans were to suddenly come to open and have everyone in your organization be able to view the same. Not cool, right? This is where personal channels come in handy.
 
 
So there you go! These are the list of channels you need to get your work flowing. Do let us know in the comments below how channels helped you with your team collaboration!
 
 
Cheers,
Divya V
Zoho Cliq








    Access your files securely from anywhere


            All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                                  Zoho Developer Community




                                                        • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                        • Digest


                                                        • Functions


                                                        • Meetups


                                                        • Kbase


                                                        • Resources


                                                        • Glossary


                                                        • Desk Marketplace


                                                        • MVP Corner


                                                        • Word of the Day


                                                        • Ask the Experts



                                                                  • Sticky Posts

                                                                  • New in Zoho Chat : Search for contacts, files, links & conversations with the all new powerful 'Smart Search' bar.

                                                                    With the newly revamped 'Smart Search' bar in Zoho Chat, we have made your search for contacts, chats, files and links super quick and easy using Search Quantifiers.   Search for a contact or specific conversations using quantifiers, such as, from: @user_name - to find chats or channel conversations received from a specific user. to: @user_name - to find chats or channel conversations sent to a specific user. in: #channel_name - to find a particular instance in a channel. in: #chat_name - to find
                                                                  • New in Zoho Chat: Threaded conversation at its finest best

                                                                    Perform effective team communication in Zoho Chat with our new 'Reply' option.   Converse and stay focussed on the parent conversation, rather than getting entangled in the web of several, never-ending sub threads.   To reply to a certain message, all you need to do is hover to the left hand side of the message. Then, click on the three dots to open a pop up menu. Here, click on the Reply button and type the reply to the message in the compose box and press Enter.   Voila, that was pretty simple. 
                                                                  • Changes in Cliq iOS app notification due to iOS 13 and Xcode 11

                                                                    Hello everyone! With the iOS 13 update, Apple has updated its policy on usage of VoIP push notifications. Over the past few months, we tried our best to provide a similar experience with the updated policy.  Changes in iOS 13:  With iOS 13, Apple mandates all VoIP push notifications to be reported to the CallKit framework as a new call. If a VoIP push notification is not reported to the CallKit within a designated time window, iOS will terminate the app. If enough VoIP push notifications are not
                                                                  • What's new in Zoho Cliq - June 2020 updates

                                                                    Hello again, everyone! I'm back to share with you the recent feature improvements and updates that we've pulled together for enhancing your experience in Cliq. Here's what's new this June for you all in Cliq's web and iOS app! New on Cliq Web: Drag and drop files to a chat in your left side panel   Now you can drag and drop attachments from your open conversation window to a specific chat or channel in the left side menu without opening it. Swift up actions and collaborate efficiently with Cliq's
                                                                  • 4 Things You Should Do Once You Get Started with Cliq

                                                                    Hey there, new user!  You've successfully logged in and set up your organization and you're all set to start working. What's next? Buckle up because here are 4 essential things you need to do first in order to get the most out of your Cliq experience:   1. Invite your colleagues   Now that you've set up your Cliq for business, you need to bring in all your employees, of course, because how else can you collaborate with them?   To invite your colleagues to Cliq, head on over to the Admin Panel which


                                                                  Manage your brands on social media



                                                                        Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                            Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                              Zoho Books Resources


                                                                                Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                                  Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                                    Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                      Qntrl Resources


                                                                                        Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                            Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                            • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                              CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                            • Kaizen

                                                                                              Kaizen

                                                                                            • Functions

                                                                                              Functions

                                                                                            • Meetups

                                                                                              Meetups

                                                                                            • Kbase

                                                                                              Kbase

                                                                                            • Resources

                                                                                              Resources

                                                                                            • Digest

                                                                                              Digest

                                                                                            • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                              CRM Marketplace

                                                                                            • MVP Corner

                                                                                              MVP Corner









                                                                                                Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                                Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                                Get Started Now


                                                                                                  Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                    Zoho Writer

                                                                                                    Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                    Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                      Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                        Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                            ご検討中の方





                                                                                                                      • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                      • Drop Down Menu - Adding up values

                                                                                                                        I have a form that has 22 drop down fields each having a value of 0-10 to choose from. Is it possible to have it add up the total value of those selected numbers and have it tally it up in another field at the end? So example: if each of the 22 fields
                                                                                                                      • Is Zoho Assist Secure Connect even practical for 1 person shop?

                                                                                                                        I was gun ho with Zoho Assist to replace my existing Remote Access product I have been using but I need to implement MFA on each unattended connection. Right now each of these connections in my other product has a rotating token that I have enter off
                                                                                                                      • Change Last Name to not required in Leads

                                                                                                                        I would like to upload 500 target companies as leads but I don't yet have contact people for them. Can you enable the option for me to turn this requirement off to need a Second Name? Moderation update (10-Jun-23): As we explore potential solutions for
                                                                                                                      • [Webinar] Conversational AI: The new paradigm for agentic analytics

                                                                                                                        From hard coding to powerful agents, data and analytics is undergoing a tectonic shift, and conversational agents are at the forefront of this transformation. This goes beyond democratizing business intelligence; it's about accelerating the path from
                                                                                                                      • Setting checkbox value on template in Sign from Creator

                                                                                                                        Good day, Please help me understand how do I set a tick from a checkbox in Creator into a checkbox on a Sign template. Below is the only values on the Sign template and the code from Creator, "field_boolean_data": {}, "field_date_data": {}, "field_radio_data":
                                                                                                                      • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                                        Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
                                                                                                                      • How to Delete, Disable, or Remove Streams from the Mail App?

                                                                                                                        Is there a way to remove Streams from the mail app sidebar? I get too many notifications, it doesn't add any value to Zoho's functionality (especially since you can just make comments inside an email), and is distracting. I do not want notifications/alerts
                                                                                                                      • Remove the mandatory Name Card buttons (or at least make them optional)

                                                                                                                        Please remove the mandatory Name Card buttons (or at least make them optional) A recent change to the Name Card in Zoho SalesIQ (currently affecting WhatsApp) introduced mandatory buttons before a visitor can provide their name. I believe this change
                                                                                                                      • Zoho Wont Login

                                                                                                                        Can anyone tell me why my password stops logging in all the time? Is it a ploy to make you change your password? I have to use OTP all the time. I dont want to change passwords all the time. Over the last couple of years I've found myself using Zoho (as
                                                                                                                      • Frustrated with Zoho Assist QuickSUpport

                                                                                                                        Trialling Zoho Assist and I have a variety of clients. A lot are computer illiterate. Some have poor vision. The current support sessions are using apps which have desktop icons for the appropriate apps. I either connect on demand then the client approves
                                                                                                                      • What's New in Zoho Inventory | April & May 2026

                                                                                                                        Hello users, We're excited to roll out the latest Zoho Inventory updates for April and May 2026. These enhancements are designed to make your daily operations smoother and more efficient, from advanced inventory management and flexible pricing to automated
                                                                                                                      • Gemini Action - Add "inineData" Support

                                                                                                                        Thank you guys for adding a Gemini action. I like Gemini models for the "grunt work" of AI, as they have the cheapest tokens of the trustworthy providers One thing that's missing in the action, though, is the ability to pass file data. If you pass a base64-encoded
                                                                                                                      • HR Helpdesk Cases

                                                                                                                        We have Zoho One Enterprise. I'm trying to find HR Helpdesk Cases, but my UI does not match the documentation. I'm not sure how to move forward.
                                                                                                                      • CRM x WorkDrive: We're rolling out the WorkDrive-powered file storage experience for existing users

                                                                                                                        Release plan: Gradual rollout to customers without file storage add-ons, in this order: 1. Standalone CRM 2. CRM Plus and Zoho One DCs: All | Editions: All Available now for: - Standalone CRM accounts in Free and Standard editions without file storage
                                                                                                                      • Zoho CRM Copilot Connector

                                                                                                                        Hello, Are there plans to release a connector for Zoho CRM and Copilot? I'm in the early research stages of potentially switching our CRM solution to Microsoft Dynamics because of its out of the box integration with Copilot. The advantage being that we
                                                                                                                      • Zoho Projects - Will there ever be a send email feature in Zoho Project?

                                                                                                                        Hi team, Are there plans to or will there ever be a sendemail feature in Zoho Projects, brining it in line with other similar platforms like Asana, ClickUp and Monday? I know that you can add comments via email to a specific task, but I believe this only
                                                                                                                      • Introducing Microsoft Word Integration in Zoho Contracts

                                                                                                                        We are excited to announce a new feature that brings contract authoring and negotiation in your familiar environment — the Microsoft Word Integration. What This Integration Brings The Microsoft Word Integration connects Zoho Contracts with the Microsoft
                                                                                                                      • Share Video Response Card ion Zobot

                                                                                                                        I am using the zobot codeless bot builder in SalesIQ. I want to share a video but delay the next response card until after the video has finished playing or has been stopped. Is this possible?
                                                                                                                      • Customer image field

                                                                                                                        I created a custom image field for estimates, and it works as expected. The only issue I have is that I want to be able to place the custom image field in the estimate invoice. Is there a way I can do that, the field does not give the option to display
                                                                                                                      • Sub Folders

                                                                                                                        It would be great if there could be sub-folders in reports. We have a ton of individual reports and folders that would be easier to navigate this way 
                                                                                                                      • Goals API - Zoho People

                                                                                                                        Hi Team, I would like to get the API details for retrieving organisation-wise Goals from Zoho People. Currently, I am able to retrieve individual employee goals using the following API: https://people.zoho.com/api/v3/performance/goal/{emp_id} However,
                                                                                                                      • Question and responses disapear

                                                                                                                        I have a form where several people have had issues where the questions, responses or submission simply disappear when trying to complete the form. It seems to be random with no pattern of question, browser or OS. Hopefully there is a fix in the platform
                                                                                                                      • Unable to send message;Reason:553 Relaying disallowed. Invalid Domain

                                                                                                                        Hi, Now when I try to reply to an email, I see the Unable to send message;Reason:553 Relaying disallowed. Invalid Domain voicemessagedownloader.com error. I tested sending an email when I set it up in the past and it worked. I have checked the Zoho Organization
                                                                                                                      • Guide customers to the right booking page with routing forms

                                                                                                                        Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We're excited to introduce Routing Forms in Zoho Bookings. Routing forms let you collect information from customers before they schedule an appointment and automatically direct them to the most appropriate booking
                                                                                                                      • Analytics Dashboard User Filters Default Value

                                                                                                                        User Filters on Dashboard do not allow Unknown to be set as a default filter value. I have to include NULL values in my dashboard among other values but I can't include NULL/Unknown by default in Dashboard User Filters.
                                                                                                                      • Horrible download speed

                                                                                                                        Using a trial of Zoho Assist and downloading a 316 MB file on a 500/500 fibre connection to a remote computer on the same network took 7 mins to complete. On AnyDesk it took 1 min or so.
                                                                                                                      • How to Backup Zoho to PST?

                                                                                                                        I'm looking for a simple way to backup Zoho Mail emails to PST format. I tried the IMAP method with Outlook, but it seems slow and complicated for large mailboxes. I need a solution that can: Export Zoho emails to PST Preserve attachments and folder hierarchy
                                                                                                                      • Zoho Books | Product updates | August 2026

                                                                                                                        Hello users, July has been an exciting month for Zoho Books! This month, we're excited to introduce HTML PDF Templates, Placeholders as Pills, expanded approval workflows for Sales Returns and Journals, and significant compliance updates across the India,
                                                                                                                      • Action required: WhatsApp now uses BSUID as the primary identifier

                                                                                                                        Important If your support team uses WhatsApp to engage with customers, there is an important platform change you need to know about. BSUID support is now mandatory for all WhatsApp Business Platform partners and businesses. WhatsApp is introducing usernames,
                                                                                                                      • Tip #83- Give Customers a Faster Way to Reach You with the Quick Support Plugin – 'Insider Insights'

                                                                                                                        Hello Zoho Assist Community! Think about the last time a customer needed urgent support. They emailed in, waited for a response, got a session link, couldn't find it in their inbox, called back, and by the time the session actually started, a good chunk
                                                                                                                      • Final Notice: Migrate Your ASAP Mobile SDK by August 31

                                                                                                                        Alert August 31, 2026 is the deadline. After this date, older ASAP Mobile SDK versions will no longer work with the ASAP Help Widget. If your app hasn't been migrated to a supported SDK version, users will no longer be able to access the ASAP Help Widget
                                                                                                                      • Approval Process configuration is now more flexible and fully customizable

                                                                                                                        Hello everyone! Zoho CRM's Approval Process is back with a better user experience that makes it easier to add rules to your processes. This enhancement includes some UI updates that help you create highly structured approval stages—and more. Let's look
                                                                                                                      • Kaizen #255 - Building a Real-Time Operational Dashboard with Zoho CRM Queries

                                                                                                                        Hello Everyone, Welcome back to another edition of the Kaizen series, where we uncover powerful ways to extend and customize Zoho CRM. In the previous Query Kaizens, we explored how Queries can retrieve CRM data, invoke REST APIs, and even update CRM
                                                                                                                      • 【Zoho CRM】キオスクに「ループ機能」が追加|同じ処理を繰り返し実行可能に

                                                                                                                        ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。 コミュニティグループの中野です。 Zoho CRMのキオスクに、同じ処理を繰り返し実行できる「ループ機能」が追加されました。 これまでは、同じ処理を複数回実行したい場合、同じ設定を繰り返し作成する必要がありました。 ループ機能を使うと、処理を一度設定するだけで、指定した回数や 取得したデータ数に応じて自動的に繰り返すことができます。 目次 ループ機能とは 設定方法 注意点 1. ループ機能とは ループ機能を使うと、キオスク内の画面や処理を指定した条件に応じて繰り返し実行できます。
                                                                                                                      • Es posible cambiar el lenguaje de los modulos del ASAP?

                                                                                                                        Es posible cambiar el lenguaje de estos textos? Tengo Zoho configurado en español pero aun así me muestra estos textos en ingles:
                                                                                                                      • Where do I edit the "Welcome to [portal name]" message

                                                                                                                        I am looking for a way to edit the "Welcome to" part of the message that is seen on the landing page (ex: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/home). When I use the French interface, it doesn't make sense... I want to change it from "Bienvenue chez" to" Bienvenue au". Thanks!
                                                                                                                      • Zoho ERP | Product updates | July 2026

                                                                                                                        Hello users, We're back with another round of updates to help you streamline your operations. This month's release brings new features and enhancements designed to help you work more efficiently. Read on to discover everything that's new in Zoho ERP this
                                                                                                                      • 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.
                                                                                                                      • Shared Snippets Everyone

                                                                                                                        Hi, Now that the Shared Snippets have been released and I think will be the most used feature implemented in 2023 :) Creating and Using Snippets in Ticket Responses - Online Help | Zoho Desk Maintain consistency in ticket responses with shared snippets
                                                                                                                      • Multi-currency and Products

                                                                                                                        One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support. However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK. However, we maintain different price lists for each. There
                                                                                                                      • Next Page