Kaizen #88 Assignment Rules

Kaizen #88 Assignment Rules

Hello everyone!
This week, we will discuss the use cases of assignment rules in inserting, updating, and upserting records.

What are Assignment Rules?

The effectiveness of sales is closely tied to a sales representative's daily tasks, such as promptly following up with leads and providing quick responses to customers. A crucial aspect of achieving this lies in implementing a well-structured and carefully planned lead assignment process that takes into account the diverse requirements of leads originating from different sources. Manual assignment may not be efficient, as leads should not be assigned randomly, but rather based on specific criteria like regional experience or product knowledge. "Assignment Rules" automates the lead assignment process by applying predefined rules that consider factors such as territory and product interest, thereby saving time and reducing errors.

Advantages of Assignment Rules 

Zoho CRM's Assignment Rule helps you,
  • To filter records based on the given conditions and assign corresponding owners.
  • To implement an automated system, the time taken to assign leads manually/records that meet the defined criteria can be significantly reduced, thereby making the assignment process more efficient.
  • To assign the filtered records to the specific team in your organization so that they act efficiently to convert leads into contacts and increase your business growth at the earliest possible time.

Where can we create assignment rules on the web UI?

To create an assignment rule, go to Zoho CRM > Setup > Automation > Assignment Rules.

List the Assignment Rules

To list the available assignment rules in your organization.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/automation/assignment_rules
Request Method: GET

Sample Response

 {
    "assignment_rules": [
        {
            "created_time": "2023-05-10T00:00:00-07:00",
            "modified_time": "2023-05-30T22:10:53-07:00",
            "default_assignee": {
                "name": "Logged in User",
                "id": "${CURRENTUSER}"
            },
            "module": {
                "api_name": "Leads",
                "id": "5725767000000002175"
            },
            "name": "Leads from India",
            "modified_by": {
                "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001",
                "zuid": 808233918
            },
            "description": "Leads from India",
            "id": "5725767000000526437", //ID of the rule(Leads from India)
            "created_by": {
                "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001",
                "zuid": 808233918
            }
        }
    ]
}

Apply the rule while creating new records using the ID of the corresponding assignment rule.

Assignment rules on records insert 

While inserting records in a module, you need to specify the ID of the assignment rule which you want to execute, in the request body of the API under the json key "lar_id".
 
Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/Leads
Request Method: POST

Sample Input

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Last_Name":"Smith",
            "Country":"India",
            "Company":"A Technology",
            "Email":"smith@aaa.com",
            "Phone":"+91 87654321**"
        },
        {
            "Last_Name": "Shane",
            "Country": "Pakistan",
            "Company":"B Technology",
            "Email":"shane@bbb.com",
            "Phone":"+9230012345**"
        },
        {
            "Last_Name": "Taqi",
            "Country": "Sri Lanka",
            "Company":"C Technology",
            "Email":"taqi@ccc.com",
            "Phone":"+947123456**"
        },
        {
            "Last_Name": "Kane",
            "Country": "USA",
            "Company":"D Technology",
            "Email":"kane@ddd.com",
            "Phone":"+112345678**"
        }
    ],
    "lar_id": "5725767000000526437"
}

Sample Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "Modified_Time": "2023-05-31T02:24:11-07:00",
                "Modified_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                },
                "Created_Time": "2023-05-31T02:24:11-07:00",
                "id": "5725767000000619002",
                "Created_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                },
                "$approval_state": "approved"
            },
            "message": "record added",
            "status": "success"
        },
        .
        .
        .
        }
    ]
}

Now, we have applied the rule to the new records and assigned them to their respective owner. To verify whether the records have been assigned to the owner specified in the rule, you can make an API request to GET Records API with the ID of the record. Alternatively, you can perform the verification on the web UI.


Assignment Rules on records update

Zoho CRM provides the flexibility to execute an assignment rule while updating records through its Update Records API.
In the sample request, Kane, a lead from the USA, was initially handled by John. However, Kane has now to moved to India, so Lee will become his new owner.
To achieve this, send the assignment rule ID in the 'lar_id' json key of the request body of the API as below.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v4/Leads/{record-id}
Request Method: PUT

Note:
It is mandatory to specify the record ID of Kane to update the fields. 

Sample Input

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Last_Name": "Kane",
            "Country": "India",
            "Company":"D Technology",
            "Email":"kane@ddd.com",
            "Phone":"+9188255172**"
        }
    ],
    "lar_id": "5725767000000526437"
}

Sample Response

{

    "data": [

        {

            "code": "SUCCESS",

            "details": {

                "Modified_Time": "2023-05-31T05:46:51-07:00",

                "Modified_By": {

                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",

                    "id": "5725767000000411001"

                },

                "Created_Time": "2023-05-31T03:19:19-07:00",

                "id": "5725767000000619110",  //ID of the record

 

                "Created_By": {

                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",

                    "id": "5725767000000411001"

                }

            },

            "message": "record updated",

            "status": "success"

        }

    ]

}

To ensure that the record owner has been changed, verify the same using GET Records API.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/Leads/{record-id}
Request Method: GET

Sample Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Owner": {
                "name": "Lee",
                "id": "5725767000000583018",
                "email": "lee@mail.com",
            },
            "Company": "D Technology",
            "Email": "kane@ddd.com",
            .
            .
            .

            "Country": "India",
            "Created_By": {
                "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001",
                "email": "patriciaboyle@zoho.com",
            },
           .
           .
           .

            "Phone": "+9188255172**",
            .
            .
            .

        }
    ]
}

Alternatively, you can check the updated changes on the web UI.

Assignment Rules on records Upsert

Apply assignment rules during Upsert Records API.

Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/{version}/{module_api_name}/upsert
Request Method : POST

Sample Input

{
    "data": [
        {
            "First_Name":"James",
            "Description":"Checking Assignment rules",
            "Last_Name": "DJ",
            "Country": "Sri Lanka",
            "Company":"D Technology",
            "Email":"james@mail.com", //system-defined duplicate check field for Leads Module
            "Lead Source":"Cold Call",
            "Phone":"+9188255172",
            "Annual Revenue":"20000"
        }
    ],
    "lar_id": "5725767000000526437"
}

Note:
  • Provide the email (a system-defined mandatory field ) for the Leads module. If the record already exists, the system will check for matching data and update the record. If the record does not exist, a new record will be created.
  • Provide the assignment rule ID that you want to execute while upserting the record.
Sample Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "duplicate_field": "Email",
            "action": "insert", //No existing records were found. So, the system created a new record.
            "details": {
                "Modified_Time": "2023-05-31T12:02:32-07:00",
                "Modified_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                },
                "Created_Time": "2023-05-31T11:57:15-07:00",
                "id": "5725767000000627046", //ID of the record 
                "Created_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                }
            },
            "message": "record added",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to bring you another insightful guide in next week's Kaizen.
Feel free to post your queries in the comment section below or write to us at support@zohocrm.com 

Cheers!

Further Reading 









    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





                                                          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

                                                                                                          • Custom function return type

                                                                                                            Hi, How do I create a custom deluge function in Zoho CRM that returns a string? e.g. Setup->Workflow->Custom Functions->Configure->Write own During create or edit of the function I don't see a way to change the default 'void' to anything else. Adding
                                                                                                          • Filter Based API request in Zoho Books using POSTMAN

                                                                                                            How do I GET only specified CONTACTS based on created time or modified time in Zoho Books using POSTMAN. In the api documentation, it is written we can apply filters but I need a sample request.
                                                                                                          • URL validation

                                                                                                            We use an internal intranet site which has a short DNS name which Zoho CRM will not accept.   When attempting to update the field it says "Please enter a valid URL". The URL I am trying to set is http://intranet/pm/ Our intranet is not currently setup with a full DNS name and given the amount of links using the shortname probably isn't a feasible change for us.
                                                                                                          • Has anyone been experiencing slow issues?

                                                                                                            Dear all, I just want to ask if anyone has been experiencing slow issues with Zoho Creator in the past two weeks? I worked with the ISP to improve network quality by changing routes and upgrading bandwidth, but nothing changed. I am in Vietnam.
                                                                                                          • Zoho Projects Roadshows 2025 - USA

                                                                                                            Dear Users, After an amazing response to our roadshows in 2024, we are excited to be back for the second year in a row! Join our team of experts as they walk you through the most-used features in Zoho Projects, explore powerful automation capabilities,
                                                                                                          • Billing Management: #6 Usage Billing in SaaS

                                                                                                            Imagine a customer shuffling across multiple subscriptions, a streaming service, a music app, cloud storage, and a design tool. Each one charges a flat monthly fee, regardless of how much or how little they use. Some months, the customer barely opens
                                                                                                          • Is there anyone who has been experiencing issues regarding the Zoho Creator Certification Website in the past 2 weeks?

                                                                                                            Dear all , I just wanted to ask is there anyone who was planning on taking the Zoho Creator Developer Certification Test in the past 2 weeks and have been facing errors stating that the website is under maintennance and also not allowed to access the
                                                                                                          • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

                                                                                                            Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant
                                                                                                          • Allow syncing Activities from other applications

                                                                                                            Marketing Automation could be a much more powerful platform if you were able to sync activities into the platform (e.g. purchase, donation, etc) outside of a user doing something on your website. I'd love it if you could sync Custom CRM Modules as activities,
                                                                                                          • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

                                                                                                            Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple
                                                                                                          • Global Sets for Multi-Select pick lists

                                                                                                            When is this feature coming to Zoho CRM? It would be very useful now we have got used to having it for the normal pick lists.
                                                                                                          • Integración Books para cumplir la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu)

                                                                                                            Hola: En principio, en julio de 2025, entra en vigor la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu). ¿Sabéis si Zoho va a cumplir con la ley para cumplir con la facturación electrónica conectada a Hacienda? Gracias
                                                                                                          • Ask the Experts #1

                                                                                                            Hello everyone! It’s time to transform how you manage projects. Define the processes. Automate the tasks. Streamline the workflows. Let us dive into automation in Zoho Projects — from configuring workflows and custom functions to building triggers, using
                                                                                                          • How to overcome Zoho Deluge's time limit?

                                                                                                            I have built a function according to the following scheme: pages = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}; for each page in pages { entriesPerPage = zoho.crm.getRecords("Accounts",page,200); for each entry in entriesPerPage { … } } Unfortunately, we have too many entries
                                                                                                          • Checking if Creator has Change History

                                                                                                            Like zForms - whenever an entry was updated there's an option to attached change history to email notif. Trigger -> Successful form submission
                                                                                                          • how to use validation rules in subform

                                                                                                            Is it possible to use validation rules for subforms? I tried the following code: entityMap = crmAPIRequest.toMap().get("record"); sum = 0; direct_billing = entityMap.get("direct_billing_details"); response = Map(); for each i in direct_billing { if(i.get("type")
                                                                                                          • Adding contact role to a specific deal js sdk malfunctioning

                                                                                                            i was trying to add the contact role to a specific deal contact but repeatedly i am getting this error: { "code": "SUCCESS", "details": { "statusMessage": { "code": "INVALID_DATA", "details": { "expected_data_type": "jsonobject" }, "message": "body",
                                                                                                          • Q3 Updates from Bigin!

                                                                                                            Hey Biginners, Hope you’re doing great! As we approach the end of 2025, we truly hope Bigin has been a part of helping you build your dream business this year! We've been busy working behind the scenes to bring you features that make running your business
                                                                                                          • New Series Announcement - Ecommerce Marketing Tips

                                                                                                            Running an online business is more than just having a website. It’s about getting the right customers to discover you, trust you, and keep coming back. To support your growth journey, we’re launching a weekly Marketing Tips series right here on Zoho Commerce
                                                                                                          • Client Script | Update - Introducing Subform Events and Actions

                                                                                                            Are you making the most of your subforms in Zoho CRM? Do you wish you could automate subform interactions and enhance user experience effortlessly? What if you had Client APIs and events specifically designed for subforms? We are thrilled to introduce
                                                                                                          • {"errors":[{"id":"500","title":"Servlet execution threw an exception"}]}

                                                                                                            Here's the call to move a file to trash. The resource_id is accurate and the file is present. header = Map(); header.put("Accept","application/vnd.api+json"); data = Map(); data_param1 = Map(); att_param1 = Map(); att_param1.put("status",51); data_param1.put("attributes",att_param1);
                                                                                                          • Converting Sales Order to Invoice via API; Problem with decimal places tax

                                                                                                            We are having problems converting a Sales Order to an Invoice via API Call. The cause of the issue is, that the Tax value in a Sales Order is sometimes calculated with up to 16 decimal places (e.g. 0.8730000000000001). The max decimal places allowed in
                                                                                                          • Zoho Canvas - Custom templates for related lists

                                                                                                            Hi, I see that the example pages load always one of our related lists in a custom template, but I dont know how to work with that:  1) How can i make my own custom templates for related lists?  2) Where and how can i check out existing custom templates?
                                                                                                          • Kaizen #147 - Frequently Asked Questions on Zoho CRM Widgets

                                                                                                            Heya! It's Kaizen time again, folks! This week, we aim to address common queries about Zoho CRM Widgets through frequently asked questions from our developer forum. Take a quick glance at these FAQs and learn from your peers' inquiries. 1. Where can I
                                                                                                          • open word file in zoho writer desktop version

                                                                                                            "How can I open a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file in Zoho Writer if I only have the file saved on my computer and Zoho Writer doesn't appear as an option when I try 'Open with'? Is there a way to directly open the .doc file in Zoho Writer?"
                                                                                                          • Zoho PDF editor has a lot of issues.

                                                                                                            Zoho PDF editor needs a lot of work. It hangs and glitches a lot. Deletes annotations and clearings randomly.
                                                                                                          • Zohom mail

                                                                                                            Plz resolve the problem . I hope u understand .
                                                                                                          • Zoho sheet desktop version

                                                                                                            Hi Zoho team Where can I access desktop version of zoho sheets? It is important as web version is slow and requires one to be online all the time to do even basic work. If it is available, please guide me to the same.
                                                                                                          • ZOHO SHEETS

                                                                                                            Where can I access desktop version of zoho sheets? It is important to do basic work If it is available, please guide me to the same
                                                                                                          • Zoho Books - France

                                                                                                            L’équipe de Zoho France reçoit régulièrement des questions sur la conformité de ses applications de finances (Zoho Books/ Zoho Invoice) pour le marché français. Voici quelques points pour clarifier la question : Zoho Books est un logiciel de comptabilité
                                                                                                          • Using Zoho Flow to create sales orders from won deal in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                            Hi there, We are using Zoho Flow to create sales orders automatically when a deal is won in Zoho CRM. However, the sales order requires "Product Details" to be passed in "jsonobject", and is resulting in this error: Zoho CRM says "Invalid input for invalid
                                                                                                          • Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?

                                                                                                            Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?
                                                                                                          • Zoho pdf suit

                                                                                                            Pl. design products with following feature: 1. Please add all features given in Ilovepdf website to work on pdf files. It is mandatory to use pdf in court work. 2. Courts have prescribed New Times Roman, pl. add this font as well 3. Indexing, signature
                                                                                                          • Bharat

                                                                                                            a
                                                                                                          • how to disable staff selection Zoho Booking integrated to SalesIQ?

                                                                                                            currently there is only one Consultant in my Zoho Bookings like this I integrate Zoho Bookings into Zoho SalesIQ to create a chatbot. Unfortunately, even though I only have one consultant for a consultation, the user have to pick the consultant. It will
                                                                                                          • Zoho Bookings No Sync with Outlook

                                                                                                            Zoho Bookings appointments are showing on my Outlook Calendar but Outlook events are not showing on Zoho Bookings. How do I fix this?
                                                                                                          • End Date in Zoho Bookings

                                                                                                            When I give my appointments a 30 minutes time I would expect the software not to even show the End Time.  But it actually makes the user pick an End Time.  Did I just miss a setting?  
                                                                                                          • Custom confirmation message

                                                                                                            How can I change the message that users see after they submit the booking form? I have to confirm some details before their appointment is officially "confirmed", so I want to change it where it doesn't say their appointment is "confirmed" but rather
                                                                                                          • Issue showing too many consultations in my workspace link.

                                                                                                            Hi Team, I’ve set up two Workspaces to track meetings from different sources. So far, this has been working well, and the two Workspaces are differentiated without any issues. However, when I navigate to Consultations and share the link to my personal
                                                                                                          • Deluge sendmail in Zoho Desk schedule can't send email from a verified email address

                                                                                                            I am trying to add a scheduled action with ZDesk using a Deluge function that sends a weekly email to specific ticket client contacts I've already verified the email address for use in ZDesk, but sendmail won't allow it in its "from:" clause. I've attached
                                                                                                          • Next Page