Kaizen #97 - Email APIs
Howdy, tech wizards! Welcome back to another exciting post in our Kaizen series.
This week, we will explore how to leverage the power of APIs to manage and interact with emails within the Zoho CRM platform.
Consider you are the Manager of a technological company called Zylker Technologies, which uses Zoho CRM. You want to email a client using your organization's email ID and manage the reply emails within your CRM account. The first step in bringing your organization's email to your CRM account is IMAP/POP3 configuration.
Email Configuration
Zoho CRM supports email integration via Internet Messaging Access Protocol (IMAP) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3). These are email protocols that standardise the exchange of mails between the servers and clients.
|
IMAP
|
POP3
|
|
IMAP keeps emails on the server and allows you to access them from multiple devices.
|
POP3 downloads emails to a local device. You can either keep a copy of them on the server or remove them to manage the storage of your web server.
|
|
It synchronises email actions (read, delete, move) across all devices, providing a consistent email experience.
|
It does not synchronise actions across devices, making it challenging to manage emails on multiple devices.
|
|
IMAP is ideal for users who need to access their emails from different devices or prefer centralised email management.
|
POP3 is suitable for users who prefer offline email access and want to save storage space on the server.
|
Following steps will help you to integrate your email with Zoho CRM.
- Navigate to Setup > Channels > Email > Email Configuration to choose your email service.
- Under choose the protocol to configure select IMAP or POP integration based on your email service provider and business needs.
Once you configure the IMAP/POP3 mail, the
SalesInbox
tab will sync and display all your mails.
Now that we have everything ready, we will take a look at how to email your clients using APIs.
Emailing a Client using API
Request URL
: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/{module_api_name}/{record_id}/actions/send_mail
Request Method
: POST
Scope
: ZohoCRM.send_mail.{module_name}.CREATE (or) ZohoCRM.send_mail.all.CREATE
Supported Modules
: Leads, Contacts, Deals, Accounts, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Invoices, Quotes, Cases, and Custom.
Request Body
:
{ "data": [ { "from": { "user_name": "Patricia Boyle", }, "to": [ { "user_name": "Christopher Maclead", } ], "cc": [ { "user_name": "Jack Williams", } ], "org_email": true, "consent_email": true, "mail_format": "html", "subject": "Test Email", "content": "<h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">New Product Launch is on Aug 15,2023!</span></h3><h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">REGARDS,</span></h3><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">AZ</span></div><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">ADMIN</span></div>" } ] } |
You can also use other request JSON keys mentioned in
this
document to send an email. When you email a client, the email automatically gets added to the related lists of the record specified in the request url.
There are a few other conditions that you need to check while emailing a client using the Send Mail API.
(i) from Addresses
As you are sending the email from your CRM account, you should use only the IMAP/POP3 configured email IDs. To know the configured email IDs of your CRM account, make a GET API call for the
list of allowed "from" addresses
.
Request URL
: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/emails/actions/from_addresses
Request Method
: GET
Scope
: ZohoCRM.settings.emails.READ
Response
:
{ "from_addresses": [ { "default": true, "user_name": "Patricia Boyle", "type": "primary", }, { "user_name": "Jack Williams", "id": "5545974000000434026", "type": "pop", }, { "user_name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5545974000001222005", "type": "org_email", } ] } |
- The API lists the email addresses configured in the IMAP/POP3 accounts (
imap
and
pop
), the email ID used to sign in the CRM account (
primary
) and the configured organization email addresses (
org_email
). You can use any of these email addresses to email the clients.
-
The
default:true
denotes the default
from
email address configured for UI usage. This will auto populate the
from
email address while emailing a client via UI. Anyhow, you have to specify the
from address
in the send mail API.
- If the email with type:org_email in this API response is used as a from address of the send mail API, the org_email key in the same send mail request body has to be marked as true .
(ii) Modules that are Applicable for using Templates/Inventory Templates
Consider you want to send welcome emails to all of your new leads. You cannot manually draft a welcome email every time Zylker gets a new lead. Instead you can create a welcome email template and insert it to the draft.
To insert template/inventory templates while emailing a record, make a
Metadata API
call of the particular module and check for the key
inventory_template_supported
.
- inventory_template_supported: true states you can add inventory templates in the body of the mail.
-
inventory_template_supported: false
states you can add only the email templates and not the inventory templates in the body of the mail.
In our case, you want to send welcome emails to leads. So, let us check this key for the module,
Leads
.
Since
inventory_template_supported: false
for Leads, we can
add only email templates
to its records. Below is the request body of the send mail API with welcome template,
{ "data": [ { "from": { "user_name": "Patricia Boyle", }, "to": [ { "user_name": "Carissa Kidman", }, { "user_name": "Felix Hirpara", }, { "user_name": "Kayleigh Lace", } ], "cc": [ { "user_name": "Jack Williams", } ], "mail_format": "html", "subject": "Welcome to Zylker", "template": { "id": "5545974000000640001" } } ] } |
Associate an Email with a Record
Though Zoho CRM supports email Integration, sometimes you may want to import emails from a different email service provider and add them to certain records. You can use this API for adding only particular emails to a record without completely synchronising or integrating the email service provider with Zoho CRM.
Request URL
: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/{module}/{record_id}/actions/associate_email
Request Method
: POST
Scope
: ZohoCRM.modules.emails.ALL (or) ZohoCRM.modules.{module}.ALL
Supported Modules
: Leads, Contacts, Quotes, Invoices, Sales_Orders, Purchase_Orders, Deals, Accounts and Custom.
Request Body
:
{ "Emails": [ { "from": { "user_name": "Patricia Boyle", }, "to": [ { "user_name": "Christopher Maclead", } ], "cc": [ { "user_name": "Jack Williams", "email": "jack.williams@zylker.com" } ], "subject": "Test Email", "content": "<h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">New Product Launch is on Aug 15,2023!</span></h3><h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">REGARDS,</span></h3><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">AZ</span></div><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">ADMIN</span></div>", "mail_format": "html", "date_time": "2023-07-27T22:24:12+05:30", "sent": true, "linked_record": { "id": "5545974000002858070", "name": "Mega Deal", "module": { "api_name": "Potentials", "id": "5545974000000002181" } }, "original_message_id": "000146" } ] } |
This sample input JSON is for linking an email to a record in Deals.
The
original_message_id
key is the unique ID provided by any email service provider after sending an email. To avoid adding an already existing email to a record, this unique ID has to be specified while adding an email to a record.
Now as a manager, you may want to associate the sales reps' emails with the corresponding records they have handled. To achieve this, add the record owner's ID to the owner key in the request body. Only users with admin profile can perform this action.
The API extends its horizon to associating emails with the inline images to a record. For this, you have to upload the image to Zoho File System using the
Upload files to ZFS API
. Ensure you specify the parameter
"type":"inline"
while uploading the inline images to the ZFS.
The ID provided in the response of this API has to be specified in the content key of associate email to a record API as follows:
"content": "<h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">New Product Launch is on Aug 15,2023!</span></h3><h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\"><img class=\"ZCrmImage\" src=\"crm\/img_id:c5afdcdbe17cd7bcee305c1a23067169caf522cbf76ed9d1c9c06408b22888ee\"></span></h3><h3><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">REGARDS,</span></h3><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">AZ</span></div><div><span style=\"background-color: rgb(254, 255, 102)\">ADMIN</span></div>" |
Zoho CRM also offers API support to fetch all the
emails of a record
, list the users with whom a
record's emails are shared
, and download
email attachments
and
inline images
. They help us to streamline email-related processes, enhance communication, and maximize the efficiency of email management.
We hope you found this post useful and engaging!
If you have any queries, feel free to drop them in the comments section below or reach out to us directly at
support@zohocrm.com
. We eagerly await your thoughts and feedback on this!
Keep an eye out for more valuable insights on our developer space!
Cheers!
Additional Reading
- Email Configuration for IMAP/POP3
- GET Modules API
- Emails of a Record
- Shared Details of an Email
- Download Email Attachments
- Download Inline Images of an Email
Access your files securely from anywhere
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
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 areKaizen #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
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
Company Multiple Branch/ Location Accounting
Hi All, anyone know whether company can maintain their multiple Branch Accounting in Zoho Books. It will be chart of Accounts & Master Data will be same but different report available as per per Branch. Thanks & regards, Vivek +91 9766906737Zoho Books Invoices Templates
It would be really helpful to have more advanced features to customise the invoice templates in Zoho Books. Especially I´m thinking of the spacing of the different parts of the invoice (Address line etc.). If you have a sender and receiver address inEmail Administrators! Join our tips & troubleshooting series
Greetings to all the admins out there! This announcement is exclusively for you. As we step into the New Year, we’re excited to start a dedicated series of admin-specific tips curated to support you. These posts will help you overcome everyday challengesDeprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector
Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connectorFree Webinar : Unlock AI driven business insights with Zoho Inventory + Zoho Analytics
Are you tired of switching between apps and exporting data to build customized reports? Say hello to smarter & streamlined insights! Join us for this exclusive webinar where we explore the power of the Zoho Inventory–Zoho Analytics integration. LearnImport Function: ONLY update empty fields
When setting up an import from a spreadsheet to CRM, there is a checkbox "Don't update empty values for existing contacts" (see screenshot below). While I see some limited benefit from this functionality, I think there should also be an "ONLY update emptyBegin the year with best practices in the Zoho Desk mobile app : Part 2
In focus: Optimizing collaboration and supervision Let's begin 2026 with Part 2 of our tips series on driving your ticketing operations at your fingertips. In Part 1, we explored streamlining operations within tickets. This helped individuals at OmniserveHow to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records
Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, JonathanJWT Token authentication problem that sometimes generates infinite redirect loops
Description : Nous proposons un bouton sur notre plateforme permettant de rediriger l'utilisateur vers le portail ZohoDesk via un jeton JWT pour une authentification transparente. Cependant, il arrive que certains utilisateurs soient pris dans une boucleZOHO Work Drive Back Up
I am looking for a ZOHO Work Drive backup solution. Something that is cloud based. There's lots of these kinds of options for Google Drive and other providers, but I have not seen anything for WorkDrive. Any suggestions?ZOHO Reports - Filter Logic?
Hi, I need a way to apply filter logics such as ((1 AND 2) OR 3). All I can see as of now is a way to enter different AND filters in the respective filter column. But how can I add an OR filter? Any advice would be highly appreciated. MarkScanned Doc - selecting Item overwrites Rate
I have a Vendor Invoice which was uploaded to Documents. I select Add To > New Bill. The OCR is actually quite good, but it is reading an Item Description instead of an Item Number. I remove the description and select the correct Item Number... and itRecruit API search
Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",Saving reading position + Keep screen on
While Zoho Notebook is excellent for saving and annotating articles, its utility is severely limited by the lack of reading progress synchronization. On the Android app, if a user exits a long note after reading 50%, the app fails to save the position.Multiple Vendor SKUs
One of the big concerns we have with ZOHO Inventory is lack of Vendor Skus like many other inventory software packages offer. Being able to have multiple vendor skus for the same product would be HUGE! It would populate the appropriate vendor Sku forZoho LandingPage is integrated with Zoho One!
Greetings to the Zoho One users out there! We're delighted to let you know that Zoho LandingPage is available in Zoho One too! With Zoho LandingPage, you can host custom-made landing pages, and persuade the visitors to dive deeper by making further clicks,Android app sync problem - multiple devices have same problem
Hello, I am having a problem with synchronization in the Android app. When I create a drawing, the data does not sync correctly—only a blank note is created without the drawing. I tested this on multiple devices, including phones and tablets, and theHow can i resend a campaign to only one of the recipients on the original campaign
How can i resend a campaign to only one of the recipients on the original campaign ? Sincererly, MikeHow to show branch instead of org name on invoice template?
Not sure why invoices are showing the org name not the branch name? I can insert the branch name using the ${ORGANIZATION.BRANCHNAME} placeholder, but then it isn't bold text anymore. Any other ideas?Marketing Automation Requirements Questions
I would like to set up a multi-email drip campaign- please see the structure below and confirm if I can achieve this set up in Zoho marketing automation. Where applicable, highlight gaps and workarounds. Thanks Drip email campaign- Can I create one driphow to change the page signers see after signing a document in zoho sign
Hello, How can I please change the page a signer sees after signing a document in Zoho Sign? I cannot seem to find it. As it is now, it shows a default landing page "return to Zoho Sign Home". Thanks!Question about using custom_fields in Storefront Add-to-Cart API (error 2003 – required details)
Hi everyone, I’m working with the Zoho Commerce Storefront API, specifically the Add to Cart endpoint: POST /storefront/api/v1/cart According to the documentation, this endpoint supports a custom_fields parameter for adding line-item custom data. I’mCan a project be cloned?
Good afternoon, greetings. I would like to ask if it's possible to clone a project in Microsoft Project. I found a way to do it using templates, but I'm not sure if there's a direct way to clone a project. Thank you in advance for your attention, andTimesheet Tasks in Zoho Books: associate to service item
How do we associate a service item to timesheet tasks in Zoho Books? For example: Joe spent 5 hours on project:task1 which is Service Item#1 (Income:Service1). When the invoice is issued thru the Project Invoice section, this is not available. When theTask/Activity indicator in SalesPipeline overview has disappeared
I Just logged in my ZOHO CRM first 2026 checking my salespipeline overview , Every record card used to show an indication that there was an open task (Yellow if the expiry date was close, red if the expiry date was today and grey when it had expired).Tip #56- Accessibility Controls in Zoho Assist: Hearing- 'Insider Insights'
As we begin the new year, it’s a great time to focus on making our tools more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Remote support often involves long hours in front of screens, varying lighting conditions, and users with diverse accessibility needs.Zoho Desk Android app update: Table view for All Departments view, custom button
Hello everyone! In the latest version(v2.9.25) of the Zoho Desk Android app update, we have introduced Table view for the 'All Departments' view in the ticket module. We also have supported an option that allows tickets in the Table view to be sortedWhat's New - December 2025 | Zoho Backstage
In December, Backstage introduced a focused set of updates that improve how you manage registrations, communicate with attendees, and track participation. These enhancements are designed to give organizers greater flexibility and clearer control acrossProblem with CRM Connection not Refreshing Token
I've setup a connection with Zoom in the CRM. I'm using this connection to automate some registrations, so my team doesn't have to manually create them in both the CRM and Zoom. Connection works great in my function until the token expires. It does not refresh and I have to manually revoke the connection and connect it again. I've chatted with Zoho about this and after emailing me that it couldn't be done I asked for specifics on why and they responded. "The connection is CRM is not a feature toAdd multiple users to a task
When I´m assigning a task it is almost always related to more than one person. Practical situation: When a client request some improvement the related department opens the task with the situation and people related to it as the client itself, the salesmanA Roundup of Zoho Sprints 2025
Sorting Custom Date in API isn't working w pagination limit
How can we sort a custom field with DATE using pagination? Starting at page=1 then moving to page=2 with a limit of 10 each, its all messed up and even shows some of the same records as page 1? https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/INVOICE_MODULE/search?criteria=(FM_Contact_ID:equals:1234)&sort_by=Invoice_Date&sort_order=desc&per_page=10&page='SAP Business One(B1) integration is now live in Zoho Flow
We’re excited to share that SAP Business One (B1) is now available in Zoho Flow! This means you can now build workflows that connect SAP B1 with other apps and automate routine processes without relying on custom code. Note: SAP Business One integrationEnhancement in Role and Profile mapping of agents in Sandbox
Hello everyone! We have brought in a modification in the way users are mapped to a particular role and profile in Sandbox. What has changed? When agents are copied from production to Sandbox: If a user's current role and profile is available in Sandbox,The 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 digitalDecimal places settings for exchange rates
Hello, We are facing issues while matching vendor payments with banking feeds. As we often import products/services exchange rate comes into play. Currently, ZOHO allows only six digits for decimal places. We feel that conversions like JPY to INR requireZoho removed ability to see all Scheduled Reports!
If you are not the owner of a scheduled report, Zoho recently removed the capability to see each scheduled report. As an admin who relies on seeing all scheduled reports being sent, this is a terrible update. Now I cannot see ANY scheduled reports...even the ones I am being sent!! This should be a setting for admins to control. This is a bad update.Automate Backups
This is a feature request. Consider adding an auto backup feature. Where when you turn it on, it will auto backup on the 15-day schedule. For additional consideration, allow for the export of module data via API calls. Thank you for your consideration.GCLID and Zoho Bookings
Is there anyway to embed a Zoho Bookings signup on a landing page and pass the GCLID information? More specifically, can this be done using auto-tagging and not manual tagging the GCLID? I know Zappier has an integration to do this but is there a betterMerge Items
Is there a work around for merging items? We currently have three names for one item, all have had a transaction associated so there is no deleting (just deactivating, which doesn't really help. It still appears so people are continuing to use it). I also can't assign inventory tracking to items used in past transactions, which I don't understand, this is an important feature moving forward.. It would be nice to merge into one item and be able to track inventory. Let me know if this is possible.Next Page