Kaizen #22 - Connections in Zoho CRM
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!
This week, we will discuss Connections in Zoho CRM.
In this post, we will discuss the following:
- What are connections?
- Authentication types
- Creating a connection
- Using a connection
1. What are Connections?
A Connection (or a connector) is a simple authentication mechanism to connect your Zoho CRM account with a third-party app.
Zoho provides default integration support to a wide range of apps like core Google services (Contacts, Calendar, and Google Ads) and Microsoft software (MS Office, MS Outlook, etc).
However, there is no default integration with third party services like PandaDoc, SignEasy etc,. In these cases, you can use a connector to expand Zoho's third-party support. Connectors use the OAuth 2.0 or other authentication types to facilitate this integration.
You can use connections to invoke any third-party apps' REST APIs and get access to the authenticated data through your functions or widgets.
Zoho provides more than 20 connections to the most popular third-party apps, out of the box. You can also create your own connection and integrate your app with Zoho CRM.
2. Authentication types
Since different services have different methods of authentication for their service, Connections are equipped with four different modes of authentication.
a. Basic Authentication
b. API Key
c. OAuth 1.0
d. OAuth 2.0
a. Basic Authentication
This is the authentication method where the user's username and password are sent in the header, form data, or the query string in the format username:password. This method uses the Base64 encoding standard to encode the username and password.
b. API Key
This is a token that the client provides that you can send in the query string or in the header. The API key is unique to every user and stays the same for that user as long as the user uses the service.
c. OAuth 1.0
This method uses a Request Token and an Access Token to get access to the resources on the resource server. The access token does not expire until the user revokes it.
d. OAuth 2.0
This method provides an app limited access by providing an access token only to specific resources. The access token is valid only for an hour.
3. Creating a Connection
To create a new connection,
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Connections.
- Click Get Started. The Create Connection page opens.
- The Pick your Service tab lists all the connections that are already available. Choose the one that meets your needs.
- If any third-party app is not listed under this tab, you can add a new service under the Custom Service tab.
- For already existing services (under the Pick Your Service tab),
a. Select the service of your choice.
b. Enter the details of the connection such as the name and choose the scope you require from the list.
c. Click Create and Connect. The below image shows a sample connection created for the YouTube app, and you can use the code shown in the box to invoke the YouTube APIs.
- For a new service (services not listed under the Pick Your Service tab),
a. Click the Custom Service tab.
b. Enter the name of the service and choose the authentication type that the third-party service supports.
c. For services that use the OAuth1.0 or OAuth2.0 protocol, enter the following details:
Client ID and Secret you obtained from the third-party service.
The URLs to obtain the request token and the access token (OAuth1.0).
The URLs to obtain the access token and refresh token (OAuth 2.0).
You must obtain these details from the third-party service's documentation.
The below image shows a sample connection created for the third-party service "SignEasy".
- Enter the name of the connection and the required scope.
- Click Create and Connect.
- The connection will be created and the summary will be displayed.
The system also displays the code you must use in a function to invoke the connection.
The below image shows the sample connection created for the third-party service "SignEasy". You can use the code in the box to use the APIs of SignEasy.
- Where,
url: The URL that you can obtain from the third-party service.
type: The HTTP request method (GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE) that the request performs.
parameters: The parameters that the function uses to replace the dynamic values present in the API with user-specific values.
4. Using a Connection
After creating a connection, you can use them in functions to invoke them.
Let us consider a case where you want to send out newsletters through a MailChimp campaign to the contacts stored in Zoho CRM. Before you can send them the newsletters, you want to obtain their consent through a consent form stored in Google Drive.
Here, you must establish a connection between MailChimp and Google Drive and have the consent form as a button in the View page of the Contacts module in CRM.
You can choose to place this widget as a button in the View page of a contact. When the CRM user (an agent) clicks this button, the Consent form widget opens where the agent fills the details of the user.
This triggers the function where an email is sent to the customer. When the customer grants consent, the details of that contact are added to the MailChimp campaign list.
Simply put, you must
a. Establish a connection between Google Drive and MailChimp.
b. Write a function to call the APIs of both these apps.
c. Make the function available as an API.
d. Create a widget and invoke the function.
Let us now see these steps in detail.
a. Establish a connection between Google Drive and MailChimp
Follow the steps in the "Create a Connection" section, and create connections for Google Drive and MailChimp.
b. Write the function code
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions > +New Function.
- Enter details like the function name, display name, description, and choose the function category (Standalone, in our case).
- Write the code in the console as shown below. You can find the code as an attachment to this post.
What does this sample function do?
a. Invokes the MailChimp API.
b. Checks for the Campaign ID.
c. Checks for the email address. If the email already exists on the campaign list, throws the message "The member has already subscribed to the newsletter." Otherwise, adds the email to the campaign list.
d. Invokes the Google Drive API to get the link of the Consent form.
e. If the consent form exists on Google Drive, sends the form to the email address.
e. If the form does not exist, throws the error "No document found".
- This function takes the following parameters
listId (string) - The Campaign ID from MailChimp,
emailAddress (string) - The email ID of the contact you want to send the newsletter to,
extraDetails (string) - To capture any extra information about the contact after they grant consent such as the mobile number, address etc. - Click Save and Execute. Provide the listId, emailAddress, and extraDetails to check if the function works as expected.
- Click Close.
c. Make the function available as an API
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions.
- Choose the required function and click the Settings icon. Select REST API.
- Enable the OAuth2.0 and API key sliders and click Save.
- The function is now available as an API. You can use the URL as a webhook to trigger the function or use the API name of the function in your code to trigger it.
For more details about functions, refer to this post.
d. Create a widget and invoke the function
Since the function is now available as an API, you can use it in any widget and trigger the function based on your needs.
The HTML and the script for the below consent form is attached to this post.
You can also write your own implementation of the widget. Refer to this page to know how.
What does the sample widget code do?
a. The HTML renders the widget.
b. When the user hits the "Subscribe" button, the script invokes the connection and calls the above function (4.b.3) via JavaScript.
We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more!
Cheers!
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Shylaja S
Matt Beck
Praveen Sankar
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In thisKaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore howKaizen #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
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Zoho Desk - Event Calendar View
Hi Desk team, Are there any plans to introduce a calendar or timeline view for Events in Zoho Desk? It would be very helpful if we could see Events visually in a calendar and/or timeline. This is very helpful when desk side support activities need toPasting Images in Zoho Desk ignores cursor location
My team has reported an issue which started recently where when we paste an image into a new or existing reply or comment, the pasted image seems to ignore the current cursor location instead paste itself at the last character present in the reply/comment,Enrich your contact and company details automatically using the Data Enrichment topping
Greetings, I hope you're all doing well. We're happy to announce the latest topping we've added to Bigin: The Data Enrichment topping, powered by WebAmigo. This topping helps you automatically enhance your contact and company records in Bigin. By leveragingFinancial manger
why is transaction locking for zoho I Can't closing periodAPI usage
My application has bad implementation and code that is resulting in very high API usage. This is my first time experiencing something like this. Does anyone know how I can troubleshoot and fix this?Disabled page
Hello, When I try to to run Inventory Valuation Summary and FIFO Cost Lot Tracking reports, I get This page is disabled error. I tried everything in settings, cant find the settings to enable. Help me.Setting defaults for "Find and Merge Duplicate for..."
To remove some of the extreme tedium from Zoho's poorly implemented merge function, I would like to set defaults. Currently I am defaulted to match "ANY" when I would never do that, so I always have to click "ALL". Then it makes me click on several totally irrelevant drop boxes to turn off phone, mobile and other useless match criteria. Is there a way I can set: Match to default as "ALL" Firstname to default to "IS" Lastname to default to "IS" every other match field default to "-NONE-" This willLinux agent 2026_M05 release notes
Agent Version: 3.6.5.3 Release date: 28 April, 2026 Major Enhancement: Quick Support feature release. Security improvements and enhancement to in session features.Automated Sales Order Fulfillment Based on Inventory Availability (Allocation / Commitment Modes)
Hi everyone, I recently reached out to Zoho Inventory support regarding a workflow challenge and wanted to share both the issue and their response here for visibility. Zoho confirmed: “Zoho Inventory does not currently support automatic notificationsLinux agent 2026_M04 release notes
Agent Version: 3.6.5.2 Release date: 30 April, 2026 Code refactoring and improvements to function efficiently in minimal hardware environments.Simple Totals on all pages?
Hi there. I'm surprised this isn't implemented yet (since most other software has this by default). Can you display a simple total at the bottom of all invoice lists? ie: I click in SALES tab, select INVOICES and on that page please show us a simple total? Yes, I realize I can go the long way around and generate reports and select my date options and select the type of invoices etc...but honestly that shouldn't be necessary when just viewing a list of unpaid invoices and how much total is outstanding.Linux agent 2026_M03 release notes
Agent Version: 3.6.5.1 Release date: 27 February, 2026 Bug fixes and performance improvements for optimised session experience.Linux agent 2026_M02 release notes
Agent Version: 3.6.5.0 Release date: 26 February, 2026 Major enhancement: File Manager feature release Issue fixing of idle session timing interfering with backend activities.Linux agent 2026_M01 release notes
Agent Version: 3.6.4.8 Release date: 13 February, 2026 Optimised the unattended agent uninstallation process to properly cleanup residual files and complete uninstallation process. Fixed issues with CTRL+ALT+DEL command not functioning properly in someUsing API for multiple organizations
I am busy building an app to load data from a retailer into Zoho Books. We are planning on selling the app to multiple organizations that use this retailer. Is there a way to get a single oauth app to access multiple organizations? From what I can findMacOS agent 2026_M04 release notes
Agent Version: 3.120.0 Release date: 23 April, 2026 Retry mechanism for end users to enable Accessibility and Screen Share permissions to successfully join remote sessions. Agent stickiness on multiple desktops to avoid confusion. Improvements to audioMacOS agent 2026_M03 release notes
Agent Version: 3.117.0 Release date: 02 March, 2026 Bug fixes and performance improvements for optimised session experience.MacOS agent 2026_M02 release notes
Agent Version: 3.116.0 Release date: 23 February, 2026 Major enhancement: File Manager feature release Minor enhancement: Improved peer to peer connectivity across various network conditions. Minor enhancement: Improvements to Elevate to Admin modeMacOS agent 2026_M01 release notes
Agent Version: 3.111.0 Release date: 11 February, 2026 Major Enhancement: Quick Support feature release. Upgrades to monitoring protocols for analysing performance. Issue fixing of idle session timing interfering with backend activities.Account Unblock Request
Dear Sir/Madam, I hope you are doing well. I noticed that my account has been blocked for violation of the usage policy which I believe comes from it being associated with sending spam. I have since then removed the old keys which were compromised inKaizen #242 Enabling In-Context Order Creation from Deals Using SlyteUI
Hello everyone! Welcome to another interesting Kaizen post. Today’s spotlight is on SlyteUI, the new UI builder designed to create powerful, intuitive user interfaces in minutes. Built for speed and simplicity, SlyteUI empowers teams to deliver high-impactAuto-sync field of lookup value
This feature has been requested many times in the discussion Field of Lookup Announcement and this post aims to track it separately. At the moment the value of a 'field of lookup' is a snapshot but once the parent lookup field is updated the values diverge.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),Can't access google from toppings menu
So... When I click the manage button in toppings, nothing happens. it won't let me access the settings.Best sales insights for target accounts?
Question for all the sales power-users out there: I would like to gain insights from Zoho CRM for a rotating list of target accounts. Each Outside Salesperson has 5 target accounts, and they can change these targets quarterly with management approval.Emails Disappearing From Inbox
I am experiencing the unnerving problem of having some of the messages in my inbox just disappear. It seems to happen to messages that have been in there for longer than a certain amount of time (not sure how long exactly). They are usually messages that I have flagged and know I need to act on, but have not gotten around to doing so yet. I leave them in my inbox so I will see them and be reminded that I still need to do something about them, but at least twice now I have opened my inbox and foundCadence not stopping on reply (in some cases) – anyone else?
Hi everyone, we’ve noticed that in a few cases, Cadences don’t stop even though the contact replied (setting “stop on reply” is active). It works fine most of the time, but occasionally the reply is visible in CRM without stopping the Cadence. Our assumptionIssue with Resume Parsing and Storage Limit in Zoho Recruit
Hello Team, We are currently facing an issue with resume parsing in Zoho Recruit. While parsing resumes, we are receiving a message indicating that the storage is full. We would like to delete multiple old resumes from the system to free up storage space.BUG: Related List Buttons with Client Script action now erroring
There appears to have been a bug introduced over the last few days with Related List buttons that invoke a Client Script action. Button configuration: Configured Client Script: Results: The default loader is presented at the top of the page, and an errorSalesIQ Email Delivery Issues to Microsoft
Is anyone else having delivery issues to Hotmail, Outlook, and Live inboxes when sending transcripts and replies via email from SalesIQ? We’ve detected that emails sent from SalesIQ to these accounts aren't arriving—they don’t even bounce back; they simplyIntroducing the revamped What's New page
Hello everyone! We're happy to announce that Zoho Campaigns' What's New page has undergone a complete revamp. We've bid the old page adieu after a long time and have introduced a new, sleeker-looking page. Without further ado, let's dive into the mainMultiple Pipelines
Is it possible to create multiple candidate pipelines?Insert Template not inserting
I have been using the "Insert Template" feature for years and I use it every single working day. Yesterday it was working fine. Today, on two different browsers (Chrome and Edge), I can select "Insert Template", select the template I want to insert, butDefault ticket template in helpcenter
Hello, I have a web form and a ticket template created. How can I make that my default ticket template? If an user clicks New ticket or create a ticket, I want that template to be the default one. Thank you for the time and info.Zoho Books bill pay option not available with zoho one
Why isn't Zoho Books bill pay add-on not available for Zoho one customers not even as a purchasable option. I think this is very inconvenient for companies wanting to use this feature all in one systemAccess images from form submission in power automate
Images from form submission show up as links in power automate. How do I access the image data?Add personal Facebook to Zoho Social
Hi. is there any way i can post to my business and personal Facebook and Instagram at the same time when I make or schedule a post?Need help to evaluate if Commerce is good for me
Hi, I just want to quickly check if Zoho Commerce can fulfill my needs. Here is what I am looking for: - Multi-vendor plateform : We will be 3-4 different farms that will offer similar products (ex. tomatoes) to few selected customers (retaurants). AllSmart Feature Compatibility Indicators for CRM Field
Zoho CRM offers a wide range of field types and advanced customization options. However, several field types have feature-specific limitations that are currently documented only in help articles. For example, while configuring a Rich Text field, adminsAsk the Experts: A Live Q&A Session
Session Closed We've locked this post as the session has ended. We'll see you again in the next session! We’re back with another exciting edition of the Ask the Experts series, this time exclusively for our Zoho Recruit users from the USA & Canada regions!Next Page