Kaizen 231 - Embedding Zoho Desk Tickets in Zoho CRM
Hello, CRM Wizards!
We will use the Zoho Request Client inside a Related List widget to display open Zoho Desk tickets directly within the Contact record in Zoho CRM. This integration allows Sales and Support teams to access active support issues without switching applications.
Business Problem
At Zylker, a manufacturing company that manages high-value distributors and enterprise buyers, sales operations run in Zoho CRM while customer support manages warranty claims and service issues in Zoho Desk.
This separation creates operational friction during critical customer interactions.
1. Lack of visibility into open support tickets
Sales representatives cannot see ongoing support tickets when interacting with customers in CRM. This results in:
- Sales conversations happening without awareness of active complaints.
- Poor customer experience when unresolved issues surface unexpectedly.
- Reduced productivity due to frequent system switching between CRM and Desk.
2. No Controlled Escalation Mechanism
There is no structured way to initiate ticket escalations from within Zoho CRM.
Solution
This week we will focus on solving the visibility gap.
We will embed a related list widget within Contact detail page and provide real-time visibility of open tickets.
Prerequisites
2. A two-way sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk is required to keep Contacts and Accounts consistent across both applications.
With this support, any change made to a Contact or Account in either application is automatically reflected in the other.
Additionally, each record in Zoho Desk stores the corresponding Zoho CRM record ID. This allows you to reference the CRM record directly and perform further customizations or integrations using that unique ID.
Follow the steps to create the two-way sync:
- Log into Zoho Desk.
- Go to Settings > Integration > Zoho.
- Choose Zoho CRM and click Integrate.
- On the Authentication page:
- Enter your email address.
- Choose the CRM organization you want to integrate with.
- Click Authorize.
- Once authenticated, the sync configuration page opens.
- Select the sync type as Two-way Sync.
- Map the fields of Accounts and Contacts modules between Zoho Desk and Zoho CRM.
- Click Start Sync to initiate the integration.
Refer to the Integrating Zoho Desk with Zoho CRM help page for more details.
3. Create a Zoho Desk connection in Zoho CRM with Desk.tickets.READ and Desk.contacts.READ scopes.
Refer to the Connections help doc for more information. Store the Connection Link Name to use while making API calls.
4. Create a local project folder for widget using Zoho CLI as mentioned in Creating your First Widget help guide.
Step-by-Step Implementation
In the widget project directory, code the following logic in the widget.html file.
Step - 1: Get the Current CRM Contact ID
On page load, you can capture the entity ID with the help of PageLoad event listener.
Also create a reusable ZRC instance configured with the Zoho Desk base URL and OAuth connection name.
// Initialize the embedded app ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", async function(data) { console.log("PageLoad data:", data); // Step 1: Get the entity (module) and entity ID (Contact record ID) if (data && data.Entity && data.EntityId) { entityModule = data.Entity; entityId = data.EntityId; console.log("Entity:", entityModule); console.log("Entity ID (CRM Contact ID):", entityId); // Create reusable ZRC instance for Zoho Desk API deskZrc = zrc.createInstance({ baseUrl: 'https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1', connection: 'desk_oauth_connection' }); await loadTickets(); } else { showError("No contact context found"); } }); ZOHO.embeddedApp.init(); |
Step - 2: Fetch Desk Contacts and Match the CRM Contact ID
Make a GET Contacts API call to the Zoho Desk API using the ZRC instance. Loop through the returned contacts and find the one whose zohoCRMContact.id matches the current CRM Contact ID.
// Step 2: Make GET contacts API call to Desk using ZRC const contactsResponse = await deskZrc.get('/contacts', { params: { limit: 100 } }); console.log("Desk Contacts Response:", contactsResponse); if (contactsResponse && contactsResponse.data) { // Parse the response data const contactsData = typeof contactsResponse.data === 'string' ? JSON.parse(contactsResponse.data) : contactsResponse.data; // Find the object where zohoCRMContact.id matches Contact record ID if (contactsData && contactsData.data && Array.isArray(contactsData.data)) { const matchingContact = contactsData.data.find(function(contact) { return contact.zohoCRMContact && contact.zohoCRMContact.id && contact.zohoCRMContact.id === entityId; }); if (matchingContact) { // Pick the id (Desk contact record ID) const deskContactId = matchingContact.id; console.log("Desk Contact ID:", deskContactId); // Proceed to fetch tickets await fetchTickets(deskContactId); } else { showEmptyState("No Desk contact found linked to this CRM contact"); } } } |
Step - 3: Fetch Open Tickets and Filter by Desk Contact ID
Make a GET Tickets API call to Zoho Desk with the following parameters:
- Specify status with Open value to retrieve only open tickets.
- Specify include with value set to contacts fetch each ticket details with its associated contact details.
Filter the API response with the matched Desk Contact ID and render the results.
async function fetchTickets(deskContactId) { try { // Step 3: Make GET Tickets API call using ZRC const ticketsResponse = await deskZrc.get('/tickets', { params: { include: 'contacts', status: 'Open', limit: 100 } }); console.log("Tickets Response:", ticketsResponse); if (ticketsResponse && ticketsResponse.data) { const ticketsData = typeof ticketsResponse.data === 'string' ? JSON.parse(ticketsResponse.data) : ticketsResponse.data; // Filter tickets where contact matches deskContactId if (ticketsData && ticketsData.data && ticketsData.data.length > 0) { const matchingTickets = ticketsData.data.filter(function(ticket) { return ticket.contact && ticket.contact.id === deskContactId; }); if (matchingTickets.length > 0) { renderTickets(matchingTickets); } else { showEmptyState("No open tickets found for this contact"); } } else { showEmptyState("No open tickets found"); } } } catch (error) { console.error("Error fetching tickets:", error); showError("Failed to fetch tickets: " + (error.message || error.toString())); } } |
Step - 4: Validate and Pack the Widget
Follow the steps given in the Widget help page to validate and package the widget. A complete working code sample is provided as attachment at the end of this post.
Creating a Related List Widget
1. Go to Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Hub > Widgets and click Create New Widget.
2. Fill in the required details such as:
- Name: Zoho WorkDrive
- Type: Related List
- Hosting: Zoho
- File Upload: Upload the ZIP created in the dist folder within the widget project directory after packaging in the Step 4.
- Index page: /widget.html
3. Go to Customization > Modules and Fields > Contacts > Standard > Detail View. Then, create and associate the related list widget.
Refer to the Customize Related Lists help page for more information on creating a related list.
Try it Out!
Let us look at the output from the Contacts detail page in Zoho CRM.
Key Points to Remember
- Two-way sync is mandatory to link Desk contacts with CRM contacts.
- Connection setup in Zoho CRM for Desk is mandatory with Desk.tickets.READ and Desk.contacts.READ scopes. Ensure to replace the connection name in line 21.
- If the account has a large number of contacts or tickets, implement pagination using from and limit parameters to ensure all records are evaluated.
- Ensure to replace the Desk URL to ticket in line 181 with your portal name and company name.
We hope this Kaizen helps your sales team to see active issues instantly. Next week, we will look at how to establish a ticket escalation mechanism from Zoho CRM.
Have questions or suggestions? Drop them in the comments or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.
On to Better Building!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Reading
1. Widgets - An Overview, CLI Installation, Working with Widgets, ZRC Methods, Mobile Compatibility of Widgets and Kaizens
2. Connections - An Overview
3. CRM Customizations - Related Lists
4. Desk APIs - GET Tickets API and GET Contacts API
5. Desk Customizations - Integrate Zoho Desk with Zoho CRM
5. Desk Customizations - Integrate Zoho Desk with Zoho CRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen: Smart Discount-Based Quote Approvals Using CRM Functions and Approval Process | Kaizen Collection: Directory
Access your files securely from anywhere
Zoho FSM Video Tutorials
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
Kiruthiga G
Sticky Posts
Announcing the new SKILL.md for Zoho CRM and the updated OAS repository!
We are introducing a new zoho-crm skill to make working with Zoho CRM Developer tools (like APIs, functions, widgets, client scripts, queries etc) easier and faster, with the help of AI in your preferred AI harness like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VSCodeKaizen #256 - Build an Arrival Readiness Web Tab in Zoho CRM
Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Kaizen series! In the post, we discuss a use case in hospitality industry: how an Arrival Readiness web tab widget can be used to let reception staff identify and resolve issues before arrival of guests. Use case In theKaizen #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 how
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Billing 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
Cliq iOS can't see shared screen
Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? RegardsIntroducing Smart Fields in Zoho Forms
Hello form builders! We are excited to introduce Smart Fields in Zoho Forms - a faster way to add calculations to your forms without writing formulas. Instead of creating multiple fields and configuring complex calculations yourself, you can now dragCheckbox not displaying correctly in subform
Greetings: I have shared my app (wv) with support. I am having problems with a checkbox field not displaying correctly in a subform. The main form is called volunteers and the subform is called volunteers_subform. The field in question is called roles. When you access the subform by itself the checkbox lookup displays as checkboxes. But when you view it in the main volunteers form, it displays as a multi-select dropdown instead. I have attached jpegs showing the difference. Any thoughts?Unbundle feature for composite items
We receive composite items from our vendors and sell them either individually or create other composite items out of them. So, there is a lot of bundling and unbundling involved with our composite items. Previously, this feature was supported in formThe reason I switched away from Zoho Notebook
My main reason for switching to Zoho was driven by three core principles: moving away from US-based products, keeping my data within India as much as possible, and supporting Indian companies. With that intent, I’ve been actively de-Googling my digitalLookups and Custom Modules
I created a Custom Module that I'm calling "Item Purchasing Group". This module will store information for groups of Items that must be purchased together (including minimum overall quantities and/or values, etc.). This will have a one-to-many relationshipValid characters for use in email addresses using Zoho's apps/APIs
We have found an issue with the + sign character in zoho subs - we are allowed to create a customer with an email address that has a plus sign but the API doesn't allow the + so the billing portal is not created. We are going to prevent users from usingExpand Zoho Analytics Spatial Capabitlities
Dear Analytics team Thanks for the great product - I'm a big fan on Analytics and the monthly release highlights is one of my favourite emails to receive. I'd like to request expansion and improvement of Zoho Analytics spatial data capabilities, namely:Automate customer follow-ups with Sequences in Bigin
Greetings, We hope you're all doing well! We're happy to announce a new feature that we've added to Bigin. Following up with every lead at the right time can be challenging, especially when your team is managing multiple conversations across emails, calls,Dashboards for Customers
Is it possible to build dashboards for each customers in the community for their tickets?Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view
Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter thatAdding Custom Status Options in Work Order Action Menu
Hello FSM Team, We would like to inquire if it is possible to add more custom options in the Work Order action/status dropdown (e.g., Cancel, Terminate, Non-Billable, Void, etc.). Currently, the available options are limited, and we are unable to customizeCan we have an automated TDS Receivable Recon with Form 26AS of Income Tax Portal ?
Can we have an automated TDS Receivable Recon with Form 26AS of Income Tax Portal ?Tag Limi?
is there any way to create more than 20 tags?prefill_data for Creator + Merge & Sign
Hello, Is there an option to use prefill_data for signer fields from creator? I see the option for CRM but it will not work with creator? I have tried passing the value in the signer data, and that also does not work. Alternatively, is there a way toDelug script
I have been looking at auto-update a amount (home currency) field from another module. Zoho native multicurrency was used in the other module (we have 4 here). Custom script was input with no error, but the field was not updated on trigger. Script asCan I Build a Gaming Website Using Zoho? Need a Quick Roadmap
Hi Dear Members, I want to create a gaming website using Zoho. Is it possible? My goal is to build a sleek, unique, easy-to-navigate, and fast-loading website for a gaming project. I want the site to look professional, user-friendly, and optimized forRemove Due Date from Statements
Is it possible to remove the Due Date on the Invoice transation line on statements? I have figured work arounds to get the Invoice detail on the Statement but cannot work out haw to simplify the stament by removing the "- due on xx/xx/2026" - it reallyWhat Should an Agent-Native Project Workspace Look Like
AI is moving beyond assistants that simply answer questions. With tools like MCP, agents can now interact directly with project data and perform actions. That makes me wonder: what should an agent-native project workspace actually look like? For me, itunable to join meeting due to speaker issue
unable to join meeting due to speaker issueHow to add formatting in zoho.cliq.postToUser(...) message?
In a CRM Deluge function, I'm trying to use the message formatting guidelines given here: https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/cliq/posting-to-zoho-cliq.html#message-formats My message is: message: #Title text. The result in Cliq is: #Title text. (no largeMarketing Tip #50: Sell digital products and use them to grow your store
Physical products need packaging, shipping, and stock management. Digital products need none of that. Once created, they can be sold an unlimited number of times, delivered instantly, and never go out of stock. What counts as a digital product? A digitalTurn off Mobile Optimize
Hello is it possible to stop the automatic mobile optimization of my site as it looks much better on a mobile in full site format rather than mobile format. ThanksHow to select from pricebook when creating a salesorder or quote
I am creating a sales order and when selecting the Products I do not see any where to select from pricebooks. How do i associate this to my orders?API - Available Stock Definitions
Okay, Zoho team... your copywriters fell down on the job for this one :) I think these warrant a bit more explanation as to what they include and what they don't.Cross-application Deluge calls fail when application link name starts with a number
I encountered an issue when calling a custom function in another Zoho Creator application within the same account. The target application’s URL/application link name began with a number, similar to: 27_example_application The following cross-applicationTransformez vos webinaires en opérations automatisées
Organiser un webinaire, c’est bien plus que passer en direct. Il faut gérer les inscriptions, suivre les participants, envoyer les enregistrements, mettre à jour le CRM… et s’assurer que chaque étape se déroule au bon moment. L’automatisation des workflowsMarketing Tip #1: Optimize item titles for SEO
Your item title is the first thing both Google and shoppers notice. Instead of a generic “Leather Bag,” go for something detailed like “Handcrafted Leather Laptop Bag – Durable & Stylish.” This helps your items rank better in search results and instantlyHow can I filter inactive/disable agent tickets?
Hello, We have an user-agent that left the company and we inactive/disabled his agent. So, now I can no longer filter or search tickets that he is the current owner, or even create a rule to reassign tickets to another person when the ticket is reopen.How do i move multiple tickets to a different department?
Hello, i have several tickets that have been assigned to the wrong department. I am talking about hundreds of automatically generated ones that come from a separate system. How can i select them all at once to move them to another department in one go? I can select them in "unsassigned open tickets view" but i can't find a "move to another department" option. I also can't seem to assign multiple tickets to the same agent in that same view. Could somebody advice?Add Reauthentication Option for Zoho Bug Tracker Integration in Zoho Desk
Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Bug Tracker integration within Zoho Desk. Current Limitation: At the moment, there is no option to reauthenticate the Zoho Bug Tracker integration inCreate Package From A Picklist
Dear Zoho, Can it be made possible to create a package from a picklist? The reason our company makes a picklist is for that to become a package Our sales orders have 600-1000 items I hope that makes it clear that it's hard to delete 990 items when weMigrating from Zoho Checkout to Zoho Billing
I have an active Zoho Checkout account where I'm charging customers for subscriptions. Now I'm looking to upgrade and only use Zoho BIlling, in which my account in on read only mode at the moment. I can see is also tracking the customers and its payments.Step up your lead generation game with online forms
Hello fellow form builders, Generating leads for your sales team gets easier when you integrate your CRM with online forms. To help show you how to use forms as part of your lead generation strategy, we have exclusive tips and tricks on how to collect, update and prioritize lead information in Zoho CRM based on form responses. 1. Create new leads If CRM software is designed to help you handle your business easily, that means getting data into it should also be easy. Check out the article on howAPI - Bank Accounts | Reconciliation Discrepancy
Unless I'm reading it wrong, the documentation for the Bank Reconciliations API is inconsistent with itself. https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/bank-accounts/#create-a-bank-reconciliation The text definition says that the transaction_id should be a string,another little issue
So to get over showing prices with VAT we used the price lists and made the prices inclusive. The problem is now on the items it wants to show the orginal retail value which makes no sense. Ideas pleaseHandle Leading Zeros in a Number Field
Hi, If I use a Number Field, set with Min 7 Digits and Max 7 Digits, and enter 0000001, it will result in 1 and an error as it removes the leading zeros, the same with entering 0012340 will result in 12340 and error. So I have to use a Text Field andcan't access zoho account
I can't log in to my zoho account, can you help meHTML PDF Templates / Build From Scratch option not visible for Custom Modules
Hi everyone, I am working with Zoho Books Custom Modules and trying to create a custom 4x4 package label PDF template using HTML/CSS. According to the official Zoho Books documentation for HTML PDF Templates, there should be an option like: Settings →Virtual Option for Fields
Hi, I would like to be able to choose another option other than Read-Only or Disabled, such as Virtual. And with Virtual, the field is shown on the form and avilable in rules, but NOT saved to the Database. A use case is having multiple Large Lists ofNext Page