Cliq - Get connected with External Users

Cliq - Get connected with External Users

Scenario:
You are part of the admin team in your company and incharge of interior decor for the new block coming up. You collaborate with your furniture vendor - FurnSquare (FS) . Numerous round table meetings take place within your team to arrive at the design theme - Ethereal nature. Now you being incharge of this decor, is the mediator between your team and FS team. As always email is the mode of communication. Based on your theme, the designers in FS come up with few sample designs and send them over to you. Guess what happens next? Yup, you are jam packed with back and forth email threads of design change requests from your team to the FS designers team. To and fro round table discussions with your team and then endless emails to FS team for each tiny requirement and change, phew! You're so done.

Now let’s get down to business and analyse why this process taxes you!

# The primary mode of communication email, is not instant. At times the reply to the previous mail is after hours.
# When sharing design attachments along with the numerous existing back and forth conversations, it becomes difficult to keep up with the mail threads.
# You are the mediator between your company and FS. For a project like this, which involves major work, i.e. agreeing on a design, changes in minor details, ideas of each team member, etc... you have to convey all this to FS team.
# Each time designers from FS send you designs, you need to get to your team about it.


Throw in a few more calls and basic onsite meetings with designers from FS and you are tied up (well not literally). This whole process is demanding and leaves you with very little time for your other works.

How would you feel in a situation like the above one? You may not exactly be the mediator of a design project, but you will for sure establish communication with other people like vendors, distributors, clients etc... Would you like to go about it in the old fashioned way of sending emails to and fro or would prefer to have instant communication?

Instant communication it is!

Instant communication is achieved by Cliq - the Team messaging software within your organization, but what about the users who are not part of your Cliq organization, say your vendors, clients, etc... We at Cliq know the importance and necessity of workplace communication of our clients with external users and hence we offer External Channels and 1-1 chats. Let me brief on how this can be useful for you.

For the above scenario with FurnSquare, an external channel #vendor-furnsquare can be created. (psst.. if you are new and wondering what a channel is, then head over here ) In this channel the designers from FS can be invited as participants and your team can collaborate seamlessly in a single chat window. Through this channel, all the designs can be shared, discussions and ideas can be hosted, request for changes can be made and so on. This mode of communication is instant, easy and not taxing. Video discussions can be hosted through PrimeTime and furthermore 1-1 individual chats can also be established with the FS designers if needed.



There you go :) Hope this brief example helped you get an idea of how you can make use of our External Channels and 1-1 Chats for communication and collaboration with users from other organizations. For more info regarding this feature, please refer our help doc on External Users . You can also write to us through comments below letting us know of what you think.



Until next time!
Princy


    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

                                                              • What's new in Zoho Cliq - Our 2020 updates

                                                                Hi Everyone!  We work arduously around the clock to ensure that Cliq is constantly improving by releasing new features and updates, aimed towards enhancing user experience and productivity. Here we have put together the list of all new features and improvements to make sure that you stay up to date on what's new at our end. Remote Work - Set up your office workspace with Cliq We delved into the challenges attached with remote working and came up with a swift solution that integrates your office space
                                                              • Cliq works in Hindi across all interfaces

                                                                We're thrilled to announce that Cliq has added Hindi to the list of supported languages. Read on to know how you can localize Cliq with just a few clicks! Cliq Web & Desktop App  Tap on your display picture to open the user panel Click on My Zoho Account to land on your account set up view and click on My Profile Info In the Language field, search and select हिंदी   Save your preference!  Cliq Android  Go to Settings, then Language and input, and switch to हिंदी . Now, Cliq will adapt to the language
                                                              • Simplify and Centralize your workflows with Forms

                                                                Hello Everyone, We're thrilled to kickstart this new year with a feature release! Forms in Cliq - just got bigger and better. Forms allow you to work with multiple pieces of information at one go! Creating a survey, assigning a task in your project management software, raising a request with your IT team, or anything else that requires you to perform a multistep task, across single or multiple applications— Forms can do it all. A quick rundown of the uniquely powerful features of Forms Dynamic -
                                                              • Farewell, Zoho Chat! Welcome, Zoho Cliq!

                                                                Hello all,   As the heading says, Zoho Chat is now Zoho Cliq with power packed features that will keep you hooked. Cliq is designed to provide you with topnotch collaborative services that will keep you connected at all times.  Let me list a few features outlining it's functions:  Audio & Video calls: The calls are available in 1-1 Chats. Get connected instantly with your contacts and colleagues from anywhere.  Commands and Bots: You can now create Commands and Bots to integrate your internal tools


                                                              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

                                                                                                                • Disable Smart Filters By Default

                                                                                                                  The smart filters "feature" is causing confusion for Zoho Mail users. New emails should be delivered to the inbox unless they have specifically opted to redirect them somewhere else. People don't understand that new emails might be waiting in a random
                                                                                                                • ME SALE ESTE ERROR: No fue posible enviar el mensaje;Motivo:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked

                                                                                                                  Ayuda!! Me sale este error al intentar enviar mensajes desde mi correo electronico de Zoho! Tampoco recibo correos pues cuando me envia rebotan. Ayuda, Me urge enviar unos correo importantes!! Quedo atenta MAGDA HERNANDEZ +5731120888408
                                                                                                                • Client Script | Update - Client Script Support For Custom Buttons

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! We are excited to announce one of the most requested features - Client Script support for Custom Buttons. This enhancement lets you run custom logic on button actions, giving you greater flexibility and control over your user interactions.
                                                                                                                • Zoho Mail not working

                                                                                                                  Zoho Mail not working
                                                                                                                • I can't add a new customer in Zoho invoice? Anyone had this issue before?

                                                                                                                  Ive been using Zoho invoice for over 6 years. Today I wanted to add a new customer to send an invoice to but it doesn't save when I try to access it from the pulldown menu when you go to send a new invoice.
                                                                                                                • Spreadsheet View click & focus issue in Arabic (RTL) localization

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Support Team, I am facing an issue in Zoho Creator Spreadsheet View when using Arabic localization (RTL). Scenario: My app supports English (LTR) and Arabic (RTL). I created a Spreadsheet View for a form. In English, everything works correctly.
                                                                                                                • Customer address in Zoho Bookings

                                                                                                                  Hello,  Is it possible to add customer address information to the Zoho bookings appointment screen? Or have it pull that information automatically from the CRM? We are wanting to use this as a field management software but it is difficult to pull the address from multiple sources when it would be ideal to have a clickable address on the appointment screen that opens up the user's maps.  It would also be advantageous for the "list view" to show appointment times instead of just duration and booking
                                                                                                                • Ghost email notification on a form

                                                                                                                  Hello, We have recently encountered an error where I can not see a email notification set up for a form which I am currently the owner, although neither the form nor the notification were created by me. However, neither can the Super Admin access the
                                                                                                                • bulk edit records and run internal logic

                                                                                                                  hi there is few logics in manner "it this than that" logics work well when i edit entry openning it one by one (via workflow "on add/edit - on success" , for custom field "on update/on user input") but when i try bulk edit records - logic does not work.  how can i turn on logic to work as programmed - for mass editing records via bulk edit?
                                                                                                                • Limitations on editing a message in Cliq

                                                                                                                  Hi I've checked the documentations and there's no mention of how many times a message can be edited. When trying with code, I get various numbers such as ~1000 edits or so. Please mention if there's a limit on how many times one can change a message via
                                                                                                                • email address autocomplete

                                                                                                                  Is there a way to eliminate certain addresses from showing up in auto complete when entering an address? Many old and unused addresses currently show up, many of which I would like to get rid of. Thanks
                                                                                                                • How to use MAIL without Dashboard?

                                                                                                                  Whenever I open Mail, it opens Dashboard. This makes Mail area very small and also I cannot manage Folders (like delete/rename) etc. I want to know if there is any way to open only Mail apps and not the Dashboard.
                                                                                                                • How can i download and secure all my mails from the archive folders?

                                                                                                                  Hi, i would like to download all my mails from my archive folders and secure it on my external HDD. Is this possible? Thx. amir
                                                                                                                • How to open filtered report in popup using Zoho Creator Deluge?

                                                                                                                  First report: There is so many records in Report, If I click one record, pop up is occur. Second report (Pop up): there is also so many record data, and this pop up is also Report, not Form. First report: It has got "Sales Order" field. when I click any
                                                                                                                • Can you default reports/charts to report the current week?

                                                                                                                  Our data table maintains two years of data. Management wants certain report to automatically filter the report to the latest calendar week. I know I can do this manually with filters but I want the report to automatically default to the latest calendar
                                                                                                                • Rendering PDF to view on page

                                                                                                                  My company upload lots of PDF files onto Zoho. But every time we open it, it downloads the file instead of viewing it on the web page. Does Zoho allow uploaded PDF files to be rendered to view on web page yet? I've been trying to use <embed> or <object> but it cannot be loaded.  (similar thread: https://help.zoho.com/portal/community/topic/how-to-open-a-pdf-file-of-a-view-in-preview-mode)
                                                                                                                • Overlapping Reports in Dashboards

                                                                                                                  It's rare, but occasionally it would be a good feature if I were able to overlap reports, either fully or partially in the Dashboards. Also, then having the ability to move objects to the front or rear, or make them transparent/translucent would be good
                                                                                                                • Feature request - pin or flag note

                                                                                                                  Hi, It would be great if you could either pin or flag one or more notes so that they remain visible when there are a bunch of notes and some get hidden in the list. Sometimes you are looking for a particular name that gets lost in a bunch of less important
                                                                                                                • Admin guide: Handling Mailbox Settings for better user management

                                                                                                                  Managing day-to-day email scenarios, such as supporting users with multiple email addresses, ensuring uninterrupted email access during employee absences, enabling secure mailbox sharing, and enforcing organizational security and compliance, can be challenging
                                                                                                                • Cisco Webex Calling Intergration

                                                                                                                  Hi Guys, Our organisation is looking at a move from Salesforce to Zoho. We have found there is no support for Cisco Webex Calling however? Is there a way to enable this or are there any apps which can provide this? Thanks!
                                                                                                                • Designing a practical Zoho setup for a small business: lessons from a real implementation

                                                                                                                  I recently finished setting up a Zoho-based operating system for a small but growing consumer beauty business (GlowAtHomeBeauty), and I wanted to share a practical takeaway for other founders and implementers. The business wasn’t failing because of lack
                                                                                                                • DKIM (Marketing emails) UNVERIFIED (Zoho One)

                                                                                                                  I'm having a problem with Zoho One verifying my Marketing Email DKIM Record for MYFINISHERPHOTOS.COM. I have removed and re-entered the ownership, DKIM (Transactional emails), SPF and Marketing DKIM and all of them come back verified except the DKIM (Marketing
                                                                                                                • Zoho Recruit Community Meet-up - India

                                                                                                                  Namaste, India. 🙏🏼 The Zoho Recruit team is hitting the road—and we 're absolutely excited behind the scenes. Join us for the Zoho Recruit India Meet-up 2026, a morning designed to make your recruiting life easier (and a lot more effective). Date City
                                                                                                                • Generate a Zoho Sign link

                                                                                                                  From time to time I get a response "I never received your you e-document for electronic signature" is there a way to generate a Zoho Sign link to share.
                                                                                                                • Is it possible to create a word cloud chart in ZoHo Analystics?

                                                                                                                  Hi there, I have a volume of transaction text that I would like to analyse using word cloud (or other approcah to detect and present word frequency in a dataset). For example, I have 50,000 records describing menu items in restaurants. I want to be able
                                                                                                                • How to Fix the Corrupted Outlook 2019 .pst file on Windows safely?

                                                                                                                  There are multiple reasons to get corrupted PST files (due to a power failure, system crash, or forced shutdown) and several other reasons. If You are using this ScanePST.EXE Microsoft inbuilt recovery tool, it only supports the minor corruption issue
                                                                                                                • [Webinar] A recap of Zoho Writer in 2025

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Writer users, We're excited to announce Zoho Writer's webinar for January 2026: A recap of Zoho Writer in 2025. This webinar will provide a recap of the features and enhancements we added in 2025 to enhance your productivity. Choose your preferred
                                                                                                                • How to drag row(s) or column(s)?

                                                                                                                  Hi. Selecting a row or column and then dragging it to a new position does not seem to work. Am i missing something or this is just not possible in Zoho Sheet? Cheers, Jay
                                                                                                                • Building Toppings #5 - Creating and configuring custom service connections in Bigin Toppings

                                                                                                                  Hello Biginners, Integrating Bigin with external applications extends its capabilities and enables customized functionalities. In our last post, we saw how to create a default service connection. Today, we'll see how to create a custom service connection
                                                                                                                • Optimising CRM-Projects workflows to manage requests, using Forms as an intermediary

                                                                                                                  Is it possible to create a workflow between three apps with traceability between them all? We send information from Zoho CRM Deals over to Zoho Projects for project management and execution. We have used a lookup of sorts to create tasks in the past,
                                                                                                                • Marketing Tip #15: Rank better with keyword-rich URLs for product pages

                                                                                                                  Your product page URL is a small detail that can make a surprisingly big difference. Clean, readable URLs help in two ways: They’re easier for customers to trust and remember (no one likes clicking a link that looks messy or random). They help search
                                                                                                                • Conditional fields when converting a Lead and creating a Deal

                                                                                                                  Hi, On my Deal page I have a field which has a rule against it. Depending on the value entered, depends on which further fields are displayed. When I convert a Lead and select for a Deal to be created as well, all fields are shown, regardless of the value
                                                                                                                • ATE Session on Payment Gateways: Our experts are live now. Post your questions now!

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, Our experts are all excited to answer all your questions related to payment workflows. Please feel free to join this session and learn more about this topic. If you have a query at anytime, please post them here.
                                                                                                                • Upload data deleted all Zoho form data that we manage

                                                                                                                  Good morning. Let me introduce myself, I'm Iky from Indonesia. I'm experiencing an error or problem using Zoho Forms. I manage Zoho Forms, but I previously encountered an error when I misclicked the delete button in the upload format. It apparently deleted
                                                                                                                • ZOHO FORMにURL表示ができない

                                                                                                                  初心者です。 ZOHO FORM で宿泊者名簿を作っています。 ゲストが、URLをクリックするとStripeで支払いができるようにURLを表示をしたいのですが、 上手くできません。 やり方が分かる方、ぜひ教えてください。
                                                                                                                • Custom module - change from autonumber to name

                                                                                                                  I fear I know the answer to this already, but thought I'd ask the question. I created a custom module and instead of having a name as being the primary field, I changed it to an auto-number. I didn't realise that all searches would only show this reference.
                                                                                                                • No Automatic Spacing on the Notebook App?

                                                                                                                  When I'm adding to notes on the app, I have to add spaces between words myself, rather than it automatically doing it. All my other apps add spacing, so it must be something with Zoho. Is there a setting I need to change, or something else I can do so
                                                                                                                • Holidays - Cannot Enter Two Holidays on Same Day

                                                                                                                  I have a fairly common setup, where part-time employees receive 1/2 day's pay on a holiday and full-time employees receive a full day's pay. Historically, I've been able to accommodate this by entering two separate holidays, one that covers full-time
                                                                                                                • Campaigns set up and execution assistance

                                                                                                                  Hello Community, Can someone recommend a professional who can assist with the completion of my set up and deployment of Campaigns? Looking for a person or company that is not going to ask for big dollars up-front without a guarantee of performance to
                                                                                                                • Zobot with Plugs

                                                                                                                  Hello, I am having a problem with Zobot using Plugs. Here is my current flow: When I run the flow, I should immediately see the messages from the initial cards (Send Message cards), then after running the plug, and finally, see the messages after the
                                                                                                                • Next Page