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







                            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

                                                                                                              • Desktop app doesn't support notecards created on Android

                                                                                                                Hi, Does anybody have same problem? Some of last notecards created on Android app (v. 6.6) doesn't show in desktop app (v. 3.5.5). I see these note cards but whith they appear with exclamation mark in yellow triangle (see screenshot) and when I try to
                                                                                                              • Approval Button in Subform

                                                                                                                Hi Team, I’m working on a subform-based requirement where users will submit requests, and these requests must go through approval by multiple team managers. Each line item in the subform needs to be individually approved or declined based on the user's
                                                                                                              • 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":
                                                                                                              • Zoho Projects - Unread Comment Icon

                                                                                                                Hi Projects Team, It would be great if there was a notification I con on the comments icon so it's easy to see which tasks have new comments. Something like a red circle with a number of unread comments would be great. Thanks for considering my feed
                                                                                                              • Zoho Projects - Update Feed via API

                                                                                                                Hi Projects Team, Please consider adding an API to allow update and retrieval of messages to the Feed. Thank you
                                                                                                              • Automated log-out/session end

                                                                                                                I'm concerned about security of our data. Is it possible to set an automatic time-out for user sessions on Zoho CRM, after a certain period of inactivity or when the session reaches a certain duration (12 hours perhaps)? 
                                                                                                              • Subform auto populate values

                                                                                                                Hi Team, I’m trying to retrieve values from Zoho People using API functions and dynamically populate them into a subform. For example, I’ve created a form with several fields that users will fill out. Based on their input, I need to fetch records from
                                                                                                              • What is New in CRM Functions?

                                                                                                                What is New in CRM Functions? Hello everyone! We're delighted to share that Functions in Zoho CRM have had a few upgrades that would happen in phases. Phase 1 An all new built-in editor for better user experience and ease of use. ETA: In a couple of days.
                                                                                                              • Gantt Chart - Zoho Analytics

                                                                                                                Are there any plans to add Gantt Charts capabilities to Zoho Analytics?
                                                                                                              • WhatsApp Calling Integration via Zoho Desk

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho Desk Team, I would like to request a feature that allows users to call WhatsApp numbers directly via Zoho Desk. This integration would enable sending and receiving calls to and from WhatsApp numbers over the internet, without the need for traditional
                                                                                                              • Identify long running sync jobs/tables

                                                                                                                My sync process causes strain on my production database and I'd love some tools/alerts to help me identify which tables are taking the longest. The current screen only shows 3 tables at a time and truncates the last fetch time so that it is very cumbersome
                                                                                                              • Temporarily rate limited due to IP reputation.

                                                                                                                We have suddenly started receiving the following Mail Delivery Status Notification: Diagnostic-Code: 4.7.650 The mail server [136.143.184.12] has been temporarily rate limited due to IP reputation. For e-mail delivery information, see https://aka.ms/postmaster
                                                                                                              • Automatically CC an address using Zoho CRM Email Templates

                                                                                                                Hi all - have searched but can't see a definitive answer. We have built multiple email templates in CRM. Every time we send this we want it to CC a particular address (the same address for every email sent) so that it populates the reply back into our
                                                                                                              • Solution to Import PST File into Office 365.

                                                                                                                MailsDaddy OST to Office 365 Migration Tool is an outstanding solution to recover OST files and migrate them into Office 365 without any hassle. Using this software users can multiple OST files into Office 365 with complete data security. It offers users
                                                                                                              • Best-practice setup in Zoho One for managing combined candidate pools and exporting anonymised CVs

                                                                                                                We are new users of the Zoho One bundle and operate a consulting and engineering company. Our workforce model includes a mix of permanent employees, active job applicants, and freelance/independent consultants. All three groups need to be searchable,
                                                                                                              • Associate emails from both primary and secondary contacts to deal

                                                                                                                We need to associate emails from multiple contacts to a deal. Please advise how this can be achieved. At present, only emails from primary contacts can be associated. Thanks
                                                                                                              • New integration: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                Hey there! We’re excited to announce the brand-new Zoho Sign integration for Zoho Projects! With this integration, users can now send documents for signatures, track their progress, and manage approvals—all without leaving Zoho Projects. This bridges
                                                                                                              • Update to attachment display in ticket threads

                                                                                                                This enhancement will provide faster access for support teams and end-users, significantly boosting productivity for everyone. Get ready for a more efficient and satisfying experience! Immediate benefits Faster ticket rendering reduces wait times and
                                                                                                              • Narrative 15: Blueprint - Automate, guide, and transform your support processes

                                                                                                                Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 15: Blueprint - Automate, guide, and transform your support processes Even organizations that deliver quality products and services can face low customer satisfaction when their
                                                                                                              • Different MRP / Pricing for same product but different batches

                                                                                                                We often face the following situations where MRP of a particular product changes on every purchase and hence we have to charge the customer accordingly. This can't be solved by Batch tracking as of now so far as I understand Zoho. How do you manage it as of now? 
                                                                                                              • Batch/lot # and Storage bin location

                                                                                                                Hi I want to ask for a feature on Zoho inventory I own a warehouse and I've gone through different management software solutions with no luck until I found Zoho, it has been a game changer for my business with up to the minute information, I'm extremely happy with it. It's almost perfect. And I say Almost because the only thing missing for me (and I'm sure I'm not alone) is the need of being able to identify the lot number of my inventory and where it is located in the warehouse. Due to the nature
                                                                                                              • ZOHO BOOKS - RECEIVING MORE ITEMS THAN ORDERED

                                                                                                                Hello, When trying to enter a vendor's bill that contains items with bigger quantity than ordered in the PO (it happens quite often) - The system would not let us save the bill and show this error: "Quantity recorded cannot be more than quantity ordered." 
                                                                                                              • Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift

                                                                                                                Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activities
                                                                                                              • 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:
                                                                                                              • Writer update results in BitDefender blocking it as malware

                                                                                                                After updating Writer to latest update, Bitdefender blocked the app and writer no longer runs.
                                                                                                              • Refresh frequency

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho Team, I really, truly appreciate that Zoho Books gets frequent updates. As a matter of fact this is how a good SaaS company should stay on top. However, I feel that I have to hit refresh almost every day. This was exciting at the beginning but
                                                                                                              • Refund

                                                                                                                My plan expired today, and I updated my payment details with a new credit card. At the same time, I wanted to downgrade, but the system wouldn’t allow the downgrade until the payment details were updated. As a result, I was charged for the same plan before
                                                                                                              • Calling Function via REST API with API Key gives 401 using Zoho Developer

                                                                                                                Hi, I created a couple of functions using the one month trial of Enterprise edition, which I was able to call using the API Key method from Postman and from an external site. Now that my trial has expired, I have created the same functions in the Developer
                                                                                                              • Error due to - 'Internal Exception' when uploading Sign-generated PDF file to workdrive via Deluge in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                Hi I wasnt getting this error a few days ago and my code had not changed, so I'm wondering if there's a Zoho bug somewhere? I am downloading a PDF file from a Zoho Sign url using invokeurl and then uploading it to a Workdrive folder using zoho.workdrive.uploadFile.
                                                                                                              • Embed CRM record images in email templates

                                                                                                                I have email templates that I want to embed dynamic images in their body - not as an attachment. For the context, the image is a QR code individual to each contact. So there are couple of challenges for which I think there is no solution in CRM: 1/ I
                                                                                                              • Assign multiple departments to multiple helpcenters

                                                                                                                Hi there! I have a reseller company for a software and I'm using Zoho Desk as my helpcenter and ticket management system. The software is great and I would like to make a suggestion! With multi-branding activated, your departments that visible in help
                                                                                                              • Zoho Desk Training

                                                                                                                Hello, We've had Zoho desk for a while now, but we run into issues occasionally, and I was wondering if there was a customer who currently uses it and really enjoys the functionality, that would be wiling to chat with us?
                                                                                                              • Edit default "We are here to help you" text in chat SalesIQ widget

                                                                                                                Does anyone know how this text can be edited? I can't find it anywhere in settings. Thanks!
                                                                                                              • PO Based Advance payment to Vendor

                                                                                                                We recommend to introduce a provision at PO to make advance payment to vendors and auto apply that advance paid later at the time of Vendor Bill submission for that PO. This will help us track PO-wise Total Payments.
                                                                                                              • Converting Customer Invoice to Purchase Bill

                                                                                                                Hi, In my service-based business, I sometimes create the customer invoice first, and later I receive the purchase bill from the vendor for the same job. Is there any option in Zoho Books to: Convert a customer invoice into a purchase bill, or Link/associate
                                                                                                              • Getting Project Template List using the REST API

                                                                                                                I am trying to confirm that I can use the REST API to create a project using a project template. The API documentation indicates this is possible by providing the Template ID, but it is not clear at all how to get a list of available Project Templates
                                                                                                              • How to get Quickbooks Desktop Info into Zoho?

                                                                                                                Our team has used Quickbooks desktop for years and is looking at switching to Zoho books in 2026. I want to bring all old sales history over since we use Zoho CRM. I can export Item sales history and generic sales orders from Quickbooks desktop. How do
                                                                                                              • ZeptoMail API Request

                                                                                                                We tried to send mail using ZeptoMail using Django. Following is my payload {'from': {'address': 'abc@abc.com'}, 'to': [{'email_address': {'address': 'xyz@xyz.in', 'name': 'Bhavik'}}], 'subject': 'Report Name', 'htmlbody': '<p>Test</p>'} Following is
                                                                                                              • Zoho Inventory - Allow Update of Marketplace Generated Sales Orders via API

                                                                                                                Hi Inventory Team, I was recently asked by a client to create an automation which updated a Zoho Inventory Sales Order if a Shopify Order was updated. I have created the script but I found that the request is blocked as the Sales Order was generated by
                                                                                                              • Mass import of documents into Zoho Writer

                                                                                                                I'm using Google's word processor at the moment but feel that Zoho does a better job (on the online apps market). Iwant to move my documents (about 50-70) to Zoho but it seems to me that I have to import them seperately. Is it already possible to upload several documents at a time or is this a forthcoming feature? Cheers Rolli :?:
                                                                                                              • Next Page