Enhancements to finance suite integrations

These enhancements are currently live for all users across all DCs.

Last modified on: March 13, 2024

Hello everyone!

We're delighted to announce some enhancements we've recently made to the finance suite integration with Zoho CRM. These improvements focus primarily on two major integrations:

Zoho Books
Zoho Subscriptions

We've implemented these updates carefully based on the valuable feedback we've received to ensure that the user experience is smoother. So without further ado, let's dive into the details!

Enhancements to the Zoho Books integration

We've refined some of the integrated features between Zoho CRM and Zoho Books to address previous challenges and enhance user interactions.

What were the challenges?

Users were unable to send emails using their email addresses.
Zoho Books sometimes generated inaccurate reports during audits because records created from Zoho CRM weren't being updated with the correct user names in Zoho Books.
User-level permissions, field-level permissions and processes such as the Approval process in Zoho Books weren't being properly handled in Zoho CRM.
Users who did not have proper authorization to use Zoho Books were able to create transactions from CRM by using admin's permissions.

All of these challenges arose because the integration operated exclusively via the integration owner/admin's authentication (only the admin-level permissions in Zoho Books are handled, while other user-level permissions are not accounted for), which meant that any actions performed in CRM were recorded under the name of the admin in Books.

What have we enhanced?

1. Introducing Integration users

Sales personnel typically manage tasks up to the estimates stage in a sales process. Therefore, CRM users who have primarily worked on estimates modules and have not engaged in subsequent activities like invoices can now be added as Integration Users from CRM to Zoho Books without the need for new licenses in Books. In other words, integration users in Zoho CRM are standard CRM users whose admins can grant specific permissions to carry out certain tasks within the Estimates module, as required.

What permissions do integration users have?

After being added, integration users can perform all operations, including creating, viewing, and editing records within the Estimates module.
However, they can only access other modules, such as Invoices, Sales Orders, and Purchase Orders in view mode.
Integration users will not have direct access to Zoho Books.
When integration users are part of multiple finance suite products, their permissions are collectively applied within CRM.

2. Unified permissions between Zoho CRM and Zoho Books

For users with access to both Zoho CRM and Books, the integration will now ensure proper management of permissions, covering all aspects. This means if a user is restricted from certain actions or features in Zoho Books, these restrictions will be consistently applied in CRM as well. Previously, users could access and interact with features in CRM that they were not authorized for in Zoho Books, leading to discrepancies. This enhancement will eliminate such inconsistencies, ensuring uniform permission management and preventing unauthorized access or actions across both platforms.

Migration for existing users

For the integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho Books to function seamlessly, and to maintain uniform user permissions,existing users have the option to migrate immediately.
Alternatively, they have a three-month window to complete the migration. After this period, users will be automatically added as 'Integration Users' based on their utilization of the finance module.
To facilitate this, select the "Migrate Users" option to view and manage users common to both systems. Upon clicking "Save," the backend migration initiates. Following this, the integration adheres to each user's designated scope and permissions.
Users can migrate up to 1,000 integration users initially. If they need to migrate more, they can contact the support team for additional help.
Users who are already part of Zoho Books can't be added as integration users.

Please note that for new sign-ups, 'Integration users' will be available by default and they can set it up during the initial integration setup process.

Enhancement to the Zoho Subscription integration

Currently, when Zoho Subscription is integrated with CRM, it automatically adds Zoho Subscription as a related list in the Contacts and Accounts modules. You can view subscription details in a pop-up (iframe). Although users can create new subscriptions, there is a limitation on creating subscription-based reports and dashboards.

Now let's take a quick look at the enhancements made to the Zoho Subscription integration.

1. Introducing the Zoho Subscription Module

Zoho Subscriptions will now be available as a module in CRM, accessible to users with appropriate permissions. With this update, users now can generate reports based on Zoho Subscriptions data.

Hereafter, Zoho Subscriptions will be displayed both as a related list and as a module. Users with subscription permissions can currently create and view records in related lists; however, moving forward, they will be able to view and create records from the subscription module as well. Additionally, users will also have the option to view subscription records based on the pre-defined custom views.

2. Reports and analytics for subscriptions

Zoho CRM offers report and analytical dashboard presets that users can adjust as needed to create personalized reports. In turn, this allows users to gain a better understanding of their customers and track key performance metrics, enabling them to make more informed decisions.

To try out system-defined reports based on Zoho Subscriptions, you can navigate to the Reports module and select any of the reports available under the Zoho Subscription Reports folder.

However, for analytics, we're providing two dashboards: Zoho Subscription Overview and Zoho Subscription Insights. You can navigate to the Analytics module and find these dashboards by default on the left panel.

3. Streamlined user permissions

The integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho Subscriptions, which used to be controlled by integration owner/admin permissions, will now operate based on the current users' scope. This guarantees uniformity in user permissions across both platforms, preventing users from accessing CRM features that they do not have authorization for in Zoho Subscriptions.

That's all we have for the enhancements in this edition. We'll keep you posted on further updates. Please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

Resources: Zoho Finance Suite Knowledge Base

Release Plan:

These enhancements are being rolled out in phases and are now available to all users across all data centres, with the exception of the US DC, where they are currently available only to organizations on editions below Enterprise.

Thanks!

Nizamuddin

P.S. We would like to acknowledge the significant contributions and ongoing recommendations provided by our MVP, @Kevin Flynn. His insights – shared in the community forum – have been instrumental in addressing challenges related to users experiencing difficulties in sending emails with their addresses, as well as issues concerning user and field-level permissions.

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