Kaizen #163 - Extension Widgets in Zoho CRM

Kaizen #163 - Extension Widgets in Zoho CRM



Hello Developers! 

Welcome back to a new week of Kaizen.

This week, we are diving into the significance, types, and practical uses of Extension Widgets in Zoho CRM. It helps in boosting business efficiency and creating customized CRM experiences.

What is an Extension Widget?

 An Extension Widget is a customizable User Interface (UI) element that can be integrated into applications for operational efficiency and enhance user experience. It allows you to embed unique functionalities within the Zoho CRM environment, streamlining operations and facilitating seamless interaction. 

While Zoho CRM offers standard widgets, extension widgets add another layer of flexibility to the customization and integration. It allows businesses to extend CRM functionalities to align with specific business requirements. This distinction allows organizations to tailor their Zoho CRM experience more closely to their specific requirements and workflows. 

Extension Widget Types

Extension widgets are available in various types designed to suit diverse business needs. Here are the extension widget types available for integration, each configured within the respective sections of Zoho Developer Console:
  1. Business Card
  2. Custom Button
  3. Custom Actions
  4. Related List
  5. Settings
  6. Telephony
  7. Web Tab
Refer to this help document to learn more about setup and configuration details. 

Among these, the Custom Button, Related List, and Web Tab widgets serve similar purposes as the native widgets of Zoho CRM. Below, we’ll explore the remaining widget extension types, its specific functionalities, and some of the most effective use cases for each.

Telephony Widget

The Telephony Widget Extension allows users to embed telephony services directly within the application's interface. It enables seamless communication by integrating voice calling capabilities, allowing sales and support teams to make and receive calls without leaving the Zoho CRM environment.

Streamlined Communication: Users can effortlessly make calls directly from Leads or Contacts module records with a single click, reducing the need to switch between applications. 

Automatic Call Logging: It can automatically log call details, including duration and outcomes, under the relevant record, saving time on manual entries.

Enhanced Customer Interactions: Users can easily access the customer information, previous interactions, and notes in real-time within the particular record. 

With all these key-benefits, this extension widget type can help you in the following scenarios:
  1. Sales representatives can use the telephony widget to make outbound calls directly from lead records.
  2. Support agents can handle customer inquiries efficiently by accessing relevant customer history during calls. 
  3. Sales managers can make use of the call analytics to evaluate team performance and implement targeted training programs.

Settings Widget

The Settings Extension Widget allows users to manage configuration settings for extensions integrated into Zoho CRM. This widget provides a centralized interface where users can define how external data sources interact with Zoho CRM, ensuring seamless integration and functionality.

Data Mapping and Configuration: Users can specify how data from third-party applications should be mapped to fields within Zoho CRM. This is particularly useful when creating records using data from external sources. 

User-Friendly Interface: It features an intuitive interface that guides users through the setup process, reducing the complexity often associated with configuring integrations.

Following are a few scenarios where this type of widget can be effectively used:
  1. With the settings panel, you can easily configure rules and conditions for automating lead assignments or triggering tasks when records are created through any extension.
  2. By using the common settings panel, categorize imported leads with specific tags to help sales and marketing teams filter and prioritize leads from various sources.

Business Card Widget 

The Business Card Widget Extension allows users to display and manage contact information in a visually appealing format. This widget enhances the user experience by providing a quick overview of important details related to records within Zoho CRM.

Improved User Experience: It provides an intuitive interaction with CRM data. Users can easily locate and view record details, which enhances productivity during customer interactions.

Quick Access to Information: Users can customize the fields displayed in the Business Card Widget according to their business needs. This flexibility ensures that the most relevant information is readily available during calls or meetings.

Customization Options: Users can have infographic elements to the business card widget summarizing the history of a particular record, which makes the sales team to make informed decisions. 

Following are a few scenarios where you can use Business Card Widget Extensions in Zoho CRM:
  1. Support agents can utilize the Business Card Widget to view customer details while addressing inquiries or issues. It can help in quicker resolutions and better service.
  2. Sales teams can display infographics or progress indicators related to a client’s journey or project status. This can help them track milestones and engage customers based on their status.

Custom Actions Widget 

The Custom Actions Widget Extension allows users to create personalized actions that can be executed within the Zoho CRM environment. This extension leverages the Deluge Functions and helps users define custom workflows and automate tasks.

A few use cases where you can find this widget type useful are listed here.
  1. Custom actions defined in the widget can help users automate workflows and handle complex workflow rules. 
  2. When working with real-time updates, Deluge functions help keep CRM data in sync by running background tasks that update records. 
We hope you found this post beneficial and engaging!

We will meet you next Friday with another useful topic to discuss. If you have any queries, reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or let us know in the comments section. 

Cheers! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    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

                                                            • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

                                                              Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.
                                                            • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

                                                              Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are
                                                            • Kaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms

                                                              Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achieved
                                                            • Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script

                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.
                                                            • Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI

                                                              Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the


                                                            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

                                                                                                              • Links in Instagram

                                                                                                                Hi there, I have been using Later for a while now but keen to come back to Zoho Social as Later doesn't offer tagging of pages on Facebook but they offer something Zoho doesn't. You can add a link to your bio which opens up your profile feed where images
                                                                                                              • Tracking Snippet not working in Zoho Marketing Automation!

                                                                                                                First off, the fact that you have to wait about 12-24 hours for every response is terrible. How are we supposed to conduct business? Second, we have been trying for several days to get the Tracking Code Snippet in marketing automation to work, to no avail.
                                                                                                              • email moderation issue when email is sent in the name of a mail group

                                                                                                                Symptom: an email that is sent by a mail group moderator in the name of a moderated mail group is held back for approval. Reproduction: Create a moderated mail group with members and moderators. Allow that mails can be sent in the name of the group (extended
                                                                                                              • Is there any way to send an Excel received by email to Dataprep?

                                                                                                                Every day I receive an email alert with an Excel file that I want to process through a Dataprep pipeline. To do this, I need to: -Save the file to disk -Open the pipeline -Run the pipeline -Update the source -Several clicks to select and open the saved
                                                                                                              • Recruit paid support?

                                                                                                                Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting to
                                                                                                              • Hotmail is blocking the zoho mail IP

                                                                                                                Greetings, Since last Tuesday (5 days ago today) I wrote to Zoho support and I still haven't received a single response (Ticket ID: 2056917). Is this how you treat people who pay for your email service? I am making this public so that those who want to
                                                                                                              • Read webpage - MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP

                                                                                                                I have the following VBA script, put together from various sources (mainly zoho forum/help/support, so it once worked, I guess): private Sub GetListOfSheets() Dim url As String Dim xmlhttp As Object Dim parameters As String Dim html As String range("B1").value
                                                                                                              • Zoho Creator Form Search

                                                                                                                I'm new to Zoho Creator and so far i do like it but im shocked there seems to be no easy way to add a search function and/or navigation to there forms as this readily available in every platform i have used in the past. Anyway i have a form which i have
                                                                                                              • How to setup DKIM / SPF in Zoho Mail

                                                                                                                Hello there! I'm having a hard time understanding how to setup the TXT records for SPF and DKIM with Zoho Mail. I'm following the instructions here: https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/help/setup-spf-dkim.html Specifically, when it comes to the value for the
                                                                                                              • Mass update cant trigger a workflow?

                                                                                                                Hello there, Is this a normal Creator behaviour? In a report, if I manually edit each data row, it will pass those changes to all other reports. However, if I perform a Mass Update on a few data rows at once, the new data is not pushed to other reports.
                                                                                                              • Exciting Updates to the Kiosk Studio Feature in Zoho CRM!

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, We are here again with a series of new enhancements to Kiosk Studio, designed to elevate your experience and bring even greater efficiency to your business processes. These updates build upon our ongoing commitment to making Kiosk a powerful
                                                                                                              • search and Smart Bar both missing in Mail

                                                                                                                One of the users on my account does not have the search bar at the top right or the Smart Bar at the bottom left of the desktop Mail app. Any ideas how to get those back?
                                                                                                              • "Wrong password or login" Problem to configure Zoho on MAIL App on my Macbook

                                                                                                                Hi, I'm having problems to configure my e-mail on my MAIL App(Macbook pro). My e-mail is hari@trespontoum.net Actually was working perfectly, and still working on my Iphone. My MAIL App prompt me that my login or password is wrong. I tried to change 3
                                                                                                              • Remote Control Functionality During Screen Sharing in Zoho Cliq

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We would like to request the addition of remote control functionality during screen sharing sessions in Zoho Cliq. Currently, while screen sharing in Cliq is very useful, it lacks the ability for another participant to take control
                                                                                                              • Let us add Lookup fields in the Blueprint Transitions

                                                                                                                We are unable to add Lookup Fields in the blueprint transitions in Zoho Desk, we wanted to make it a requirement for our workflow but since it's not available in the transition we cannot. The lookup field exists in the Layout: But it cannot be added/selected
                                                                                                              • Zoho Projects API Scope for Issue Attachments

                                                                                                                I try to download issue attachments via the API, unfortunately I always get the following error code when trying to download the file from the supplied URL: {"ERROR_MESSAGE":"INVALID_OAUTHSCOPE","ERROR_CODE":401} indicating an auth scope error. I've tried
                                                                                                              • How to fetch custom fields for time entries in Zoho Project API v3

                                                                                                                In the previous Zoho Projects REST API, we were able to retrieve custom field details for time entries, including picklist options, using the endpoint: GET /restapi/portal/[PORTAL_ID]/timesheetcustomfields In the new Zoho Projects API v3, we tried using
                                                                                                              • Zoho Survey Enhancements

                                                                                                                We love Survey. We use it a ton. It needs some enhancements. Maybe some of these are already on the roadmap? API - this is crucial. We have some complex surveys that take place and need to update records, trigger other functions/automations, etc. I would
                                                                                                              • Images Don't Display on Blog

                                                                                                                Hi, I've just posted a new blog entry, but regardless of format (png or jpeg) Images that display in Preview mode do not display on any browser in the published post.  I've not done anything different with this post than others regarding images, please advice. Thanks! Edit:  I've discovered that moving the image files from a my sub directory folder "Pics for Blog" to the top level of the "Files" folder on my site allows the images to display live.  This, even though my other blog posts are correctly
                                                                                                              • Checkbox Field Mapping Zoho Forms to Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                I have an application that will be filled out via Forms that I am mapping into a PDF Filler on Zoho Sign. I need to have a series of checkboxes mapped to the corresponding fields in Sign and I only see single checkboxes available via the mapping, though
                                                                                                              • MCP > Creator connection failing with Claude

                                                                                                                I'm trying to get claude to access any of my Zoho Creator apps and it keeps failing. I have enabled all tools for creator and ensured in claude settings that everything is authorised. Here is what claude says : Unfortunately, the error messages I'm receiving
                                                                                                              • Books P&L by Customer

                                                                                                                Lately, we have found that the Customer field filter for the Profit & Loss report in Zoho Books is no longer available. We have several projects with the same customer and look at the P&Ls by project AND by Customer (overall). Can you please add back in this field selection alongside the Project field to the P&L report filter? Thanks! -Gina
                                                                                                              • Sent mail sort by date disappeared

                                                                                                                Hello, We used to be able to sort the emails by date in the sent folder, but this feature has recently disappeared. Can we bring it back?
                                                                                                              • I cannot check out to Zoho People.

                                                                                                                When I tried to check out today, there's prompt that inhibits me to check out: To add entry in Attendance, log time for any of your jobs
                                                                                                              • Pricing Strategies: #2 Plan your Service Offerings using Plans

                                                                                                                Meet Harvey & Mia, hailing from the same Tech school, carrying the dream of setting up their own IT maintenance firm in their location. They drew up a clear business plan and put their business in motion on New Year's Eve. They had great reception right
                                                                                                              • Open a record to edit based on another form being edited

                                                                                                                Hi all, I am trying to edit a record based on another record being edited. It works out like this: When I create a Monthly_Update and then submit I open the Monthly_Levels form and pass the ID from the Monthly_Update to a field called mu. I want it to
                                                                                                              • Problem with signature on zoho survey

                                                                                                                Hello, I'm trying to export individual responses with signatures on zoho survey. But the signatures on some of my surveys are not exported as the original image, but as a generic image, same for all (screen joins). Is there a solution to have the signatures
                                                                                                              • Change in Zoho CRM API?

                                                                                                                Hello, I am using the Zoho API trough the PHP SDK v2.1 Since few days, I noticed that I have to change the way I pass the data to the API when I create, update, or upsert a record. Dates Before I was passing a PHP date object to "$record->addKeyValue(...)",
                                                                                                              • MTA - BAD IP reputation by outlook/hotmail

                                                                                                                Messages to Microsoft email servers are bouncing back due to poor reputation. Message: 4.7.650 The mail server [136.143.188.206] has been temporarily rate limited due to IP reputation. For e-mail delivery information see https://postmaster.live.com (S775)
                                                                                                              • QuickBooks Extension for Zoho CRM - Advanced Features -2025

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, We’re happy to announce the latest version of our QuickBooks Extension for Zoho CRM, now officially live on the Zoho Marketplace! This release introduces one-click data sync, a user-friendly UI, enhanced performance, and a powerful set
                                                                                                              • Changing Department often causes the Firefox tab to freeze

                                                                                                                Title, it doesn't seem to happen with neither Opera nor Chrome. And even in Firefox, sometimes it just lets me change the department I'm in no problem, even to All Departments which is probably the most, like, resource heavy? But most of the time, the
                                                                                                              • Need to integrate Zoho Mail Mobile app with Zoho Meeting Mobile App for Android and Apple

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Team, Please bring integration of Zoho Mail Mobile app with Zoho Meeting for Android and Apple Thanks
                                                                                                              • ¡Muchas gracias por participar a los Meetups de Usuarios de Zoho! Y Novedades del ecosistema Zoho

                                                                                                                ¡Hola Comunidad de Zoho en Español! 👋 Después de un breve lapso de tiempo, volvemos con una nueva edición de nuestro Community Digest, donde te contamos las novedades de los productos de Zoho en los últimos meses. Estas mejoras se centran en nuestros
                                                                                                              • Anyway to move mail from one account to another yet?

                                                                                                                Hello, Is there any way to move email from one mailbox account to another mailbox account in zoho yet? Thanks, Ryan.
                                                                                                              • Using a CRM Client Script Button to create a Books Invoice

                                                                                                                Hello, I need help handling error messages returned to my client script from a function. The scenario I have setup a client script button which is available from each Deal. This CS executes a crm function, which in turn creates an invoice based on the
                                                                                                              • Building Toppings #2 - Learn how to use Bigin's Developer Console to build toppings

                                                                                                                Hey Biginners, In our last post, we discussed what toppings are, why they're essential to extending Bigin's capabilities, and how the Bigin Developer Center serves as the starting point for building them. As a cloud platform, the Developer Center empowers
                                                                                                              • Proposal for Creating a Unique "Address" Entity in Zoho FSM

                                                                                                                The "Address" entity is one of the most critical components for a service-oriented company. While homeowners may change and servicing companies may vary, the address itself remains constant. This constancy is essential for subsequent services, as it provides
                                                                                                              • Links are incorrect when sent out

                                                                                                                I'm adding in hyperlinks into my eDM. When I send a test email, it's all correct. However, when I send out the eDM, all the hyperlinks jump up one space so none of the links are opening to the correct page. Why is this happening and how can I fix it?
                                                                                                              • Tip of the week #16 - Search and filter threads based on criteria

                                                                                                                Zoho TeamInbox lets you search and filter threads with any information that you have about the thread. You just have to input the criteria and Zoho TeamInbox will list all the threads that match the condition.   Firstly, there is a global search you can
                                                                                                              • Introducing recipient authentication via Stripe Identity in Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                Hi everyone! It's important to authenticate your recipient's identity before they access and sign important documents to ensure the highest level of compliance. Zoho Sign already helps businesses do this with various authentication methods: SMS OTP Email
                                                                                                              • Next Page