Custom forecast categories in CRM

Custom forecast categories in CRM

Last modified on 21/04/2023: Custom forecast categories are now available for all Zoho CRM users in all DCs. Note that it was an early access feature available only upon request. As of April 21, 2023, it is rolled out for al Zoho CRM accounts. Find out more about custom forecast categories in our help doc.

Hello everyone,

We're here with an exciting enhancement for forecast categories— now add up to two additional custom categories for your open deals. Let's get into the details! 

Deals are categorized into three types, Open, Closed won, and Closed lost. The various stages that follow in between, from opening a deal to qualification, negotiations, discounts, and ultimately closing the deal, are all captured using the stage field in the Deals module.

To capture additional details on the deal status, and the possibilities of the deal closure, we have the forecast category picklist. Currently, for open deals a user can set a forecast category as follows:

  • Pipeline for open deals which is still in the sales cycle,
  • Best case if they are aware that the deal has the best chances of convergence,
  • Committed which would mean the deal is just waiting for closure,

Additionally, for closed deals,
  • If the deal is closed won, the forecast category would be Closed.
  • Also, for closed lost, it would be Omitted.

This categorization of deals also helps while setting forecast targets, users can see the various deal amounts in the different stages to decide whether to include them in the forecast.

Now, apart from the three options for open deals, businesses may want more options to describe their deal status, as well as want to rename the values to suit their business better.

For example, let's say in your business once a deal is in pipeline, you pitch your product or service to the customer, and you want to consider such deals with a separate category other than pipeline. However, the deal is not strong enough to consider as a best case. You can now create a category Launch for such deals where the customer is contacted and the solution has been pitched to them.

How to configure a custom forecast category?
You can find the two additional options for the forecast category picklist once you edit it in the deals layout. You can name them as per your business requirements, change the color of the picklist values, as well as remove them if not necessary.

Additionally, you can now change the colors for the existing system-defined forecast categories as well (exception: Closed, Omitted).
The newly added custom fields will only be available for the Open deal category.

In case you want to delete a custom forecast category, you can do so from the picklist editor. However, it is mandatory to select an alternative forecast category to transfer current deals and stages of the deleted category.


Where can you find the custom forecast categories?
The custom forecast categories along with the existing system-defined categories will be shown to users in the following places.
  • While setting up forecast targets



  • The category-wise details will also be available for viewing target achievement reports


  • Forecast details page


  • User performance pages



Points to be noted
  • System-defined forecast categories (Pipeline, Best case, Committed) can only be edited in terms of renaming, and color change. They cannot be deleted.
  • In case of deleting a forecast category, and mapping existing records for the category to a new option: only records with closing dates from the current date will be updated with the changed forecast category and so those changed records will be reflected in the forecast.

That's all about the enhancement. Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments below. 


    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





                                                              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

                                                                                                                • Not able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed Jobs

                                                                                                                  Not able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed Jobs
                                                                                                                • Dheeraj Sudan and Meenu Hinduja-How do I customize Zoho apps to suit my needs?

                                                                                                                  Hi Everyone, I'm Meenu Hinduja and my husband Dheeraj Sudan, run a business. I’m looking to tweak a few things to fit my needs, and I’d love to hear what customizations others have done. Any tips or examples would be super helpful! Regards Dheeraj Sudan
                                                                                                                • Zoho Desk blank screen

                                                                                                                  opened a ticket from my email, zoho desk comes up blank, nothing loads. our receptionist also gets the same thing under her login on her computer. our sales rep also gets same thing on zoho desk at his home on a different computer. I tried clearing cache/history/cookies,
                                                                                                                • is there any way to change the "chat with us now" to custom message?

                                                                                                                  is there any way to change the "chat with us now" to custom message? I want to change this text
                                                                                                                • Deprecation Notice: OpenAI Assistants API will be shut down on August 26, 2026

                                                                                                                  I recieved this email from openAI what does it means for us that are using the integration and what should we do? Earlier this year, we shared our plan to deprecate the Assistants API once the Responses API reached feature parity. With the launch of Conversations,
                                                                                                                • Capture Last check-in date & days since

                                                                                                                  I have two custom fields on my Account form, these are "Date of Last Check-In" and "Days Since Last Contact" Using a custom function how can I pull the date from the last check-in and display it in the field "Date of Last Check-In"? and then also display the number of days since last check-in in the "Days SInce Last Contact" field? I tried following a couple of examples but got myself into a bit of a muddle!
                                                                                                                • Why is the ability Customize Calls module so limited?

                                                                                                                  Why can't I add additional sections? why can't I add other field types than the very limited subset that zoho allows? Why can I only add fields to the outbound/inbound call sections and not to the Call Information section?
                                                                                                                • Zoho Desk - Upsert Ticket

                                                                                                                  Hi Desk Team, It is common to request more information from end-users. Using forms is a great way to ensure all the required information is collected. It would be great if there were an "upsert" option on the Zoho Form -> Zoho Desk integration which would
                                                                                                                • CRM gets location smart with the all new Map View: visualize records, locate records within any radius, and more

                                                                                                                  Hello all, We've introduced a new way to work with location data in Zoho CRM: the Map View. Instead of scrolling through endless lists, your records now appear as pins on a map. Built on top of the all-new address field and powered by Mappls (MapMyIndia),
                                                                                                                • Enhance Appointment Buffers in Zoho Bookings

                                                                                                                  There was previously a long-standing feature request related to enhancing the way appointment buffers work in Zoho Bookings, but it looks like the original post has been deleted. I am therefore adding a new request that Zoho Bookings adjust how appointment
                                                                                                                • Subscriptions for service call

                                                                                                                  So we install products and we want to offer a service contract for the customers yearly service calls to be billed monthly. So ideally at some point we want to email them a quote for their needs. WE will choice it our end based on the equipment. It would
                                                                                                                • Connection to other user

                                                                                                                  Zoho Cliq handles sharing of Custom OAuth Connections that require individual user logins.
                                                                                                                • How to invite friends on other social media platforms to one of my group chats in arattai?

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have formed chat groups in arattai. I want to invite my friends on other social media platforms like WhatsApp/ FB to one of my groups. Different friends would be invited to different groups. How to share an invite link of one of my groups to
                                                                                                                • Cliq does not sync messages after Sleep on Mac

                                                                                                                  I'm using the mac app of Cliq. When I open my mac after it was in sleep mode, Cliq does not sync the messages that I received. I always have to reload using cmd + R, which is not what I want when using a chat application.
                                                                                                                • Creator Offline

                                                                                                                  We had online access setup and working on our iphones. We have just set it up on an 'Android Tablet' and it is not downloading all the images? We use it to show customers our catalogue. Any ideas. Offline components all setup on both devices
                                                                                                                • Optimum CRM setup for new B2B business

                                                                                                                  Can some advise the most common way to setup Zoho CRM to handle sales for a B2B company? Specifically in how to handle inbound/outbound emails. I have spent hours researching online and can't seem to find an accepted approach, or even a tutorial. I have
                                                                                                                • Facing Issues with Sites Mobile font sizes

                                                                                                                  my page renediaz.com is facing issues mobile view, when i try to lower font sizes in home page, instead of changing the size, it changes the line space
                                                                                                                • Does the Customer “Company Name” field appear anywhere in the Zoho Books UI outside of PDFs?

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how the Company Name field is actually used in Zoho Books. There is a Company Name field on the customer record, but when viewing transactions like a Sales Order in the normal UI (non-PDF view), that field doesn’t
                                                                                                                • Set expiration date on document and send reminder

                                                                                                                  We have many company documents( for example business registration), work VISA documents. It will be nice if we can set a expiry date and set reminders ( for example 90 days, 60 days, 30 days etc.,) Does Zoho workdrive provide that option?
                                                                                                                • Analytics : How to share to an external client ?

                                                                                                                  We have a use case where a client wants a portal so that several of his users can view dashboards that we have created for them in Zoho Analytics. They are not part of our company or Zoho One account. The clients want the ability to have user specific,
                                                                                                                • Automatically Update Form Attachment Service with Newly added Fields

                                                                                                                  Hi, When I have a Form Setup and connected to a 3rd Party Service such as OneDrive for Form Attachments, when I later add a new Upload Field I have to remove and redo the entire 3rd Party Setup from scratch. This needs to be improved, such as when new
                                                                                                                • Zoho Sheet for Desktop

                                                                                                                  Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?
                                                                                                                • Payroll and BAS ( Australian tax report format )

                                                                                                                  Hello , I am evaluating Zoho Books and I find the interface very intuitive and straight forward. My company is currently using Quickbooks Premier the Australian version. Before we can consider moving the service we would need to have the following addressed : 1.Payroll 2.BAS ( business activity statement ) for tax purposes 3.Some form of local backup and possible export of data to a widely accepted format. Regards Codrin Mitin
                                                                                                                • Zoho Desk API - Send Reply to CUSTOMERPORTAL

                                                                                                                  Hello! I'll try to send a reply to Customer Portal, But the response is 500 (INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR in service response). {"Error":"{\"errorCode\":\"INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR\",\"message\":\"An internal server error occurred while performing this operation.\"}"}
                                                                                                                • Python - code studio

                                                                                                                  Hi, I see the code studio is "coming soon". We have some files that will require some more complex transformation, is this feature far off? It appears to have been released in Zoho Analytics already
                                                                                                                • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with
                                                                                                                • Zoho Books Payroll

                                                                                                                  How am I supposed to do payroll and pay my employees with Zoho Books? I think it's pretty strange that an accounting software doesn't have the ability to perform one of the most common functions in business; paying your employees. Am I missing something,
                                                                                                                • Layout Rules Don't Apply To Blueprints

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho the conditional layout rules for fields and making fields required don't work well with with Blueprints if those same fields are called DURING a Blueprint. Example. I have field A that is used in layout rule. If value of field A is "1" it is supposed to show and make required field B. If the value to field A is "2" it is supposed to show and make required field C. Now I have a Blueprint that says when last stage moves to "Closed," during the transition, the agent must fill out field A. Now
                                                                                                                • validation rules doesn't work in Blueprint when it is validated using function?

                                                                                                                  I have tried to create a validation rule in the deal module. it works if I try to create a deal manually or if I try to update the empty field inside a deal. but when I try to update the field via the blueprint mandatory field, it seems the validation
                                                                                                                • Sort Legend & stacked bar chart by value

                                                                                                                  I'd love to see an option added to sort the legend of graphs by the value that is being represented. This way the items with the largest value in the graph are displayed top down in the legend. For example, let's say I have a large sales team and I create
                                                                                                                • Is It Possible to Convert a Custom Module to a Quote?

                                                                                                                  I recently created a custom module in our CRM environment for RFQs so that our sales team can submit quote requests directly in Zoho rather than by email/phone. This allows for a cleaner overall process, minimizing potential errors and potentially encouraging
                                                                                                                • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                                                                                                  The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest update
                                                                                                                • How can Data Enrichment be automatically triggered when a new Lead is created in Zoho CRM?

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have a pipeline where a Lead is created automatically through the Zoho API and I've been trying to look for a way to automatically apply Data Enrichment on this created lead. 1) I did not find any way to do this through the Zoho API; it seems like
                                                                                                                • Client Side Scripts for Meetings Module

                                                                                                                  Will zoho please add client side scripting support to the meetings module? Our workflow requires most meeting details have a specific format to work with other software we have. So we rely on a custom function to auto fill certain things. We currently
                                                                                                                • Proposal: Actionable API Error Messages to Reduce Support Ticket Volume

                                                                                                                  I've encountered a long-standing frustration with how Zoho Creator's API communicates errors to developers, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. This issue has persisted for over 9 years based on community discussions, and
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM - Option to create Follow-Up Task

                                                                                                                  When completing a Zoho CRM Task, it would be very helpful if there was an option to "Complete and Create Follow-Up Task" in the pop-up which appears. It could clone the task you are closing and then show it on the screen in edit mode, all the user would
                                                                                                                • Dynamic Field Folders in OneDrive

                                                                                                                  Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the same
                                                                                                                • Drag 'n' Drop Fields to a Sub-Form and "Move Field To" Option

                                                                                                                  Hi, I would like to be able to move fields from the Main Page to a Sub-Form or from a Sub-Form to either the Main Page or another Sub-Form. Today if you change the design you have to delete and recreate every field, not just move them. Would be nice to
                                                                                                                • File Conversion from PDF to JPG/PNG

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have a question did  anyone every tried using custom function to convert a PDF file to JPG/PNG format? Any possibility by using the custom function to achieve this within zoho apps.  I do know there are many third parties API provide this with
                                                                                                                • Allocating inventory to specific SO's

                                                                                                                  Is there a way that allocate inventory to a specific sales order? For example, let's say we have 90 items in stock. Customer 1 orders 100 items. This allocates all 90 items to their order, and they have a back order for the remaining 10 items which could
                                                                                                                • Next Page