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 #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 achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the
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
Pipeline in Custom Modules
I love the way the Sales Pipeline looks and functions with reports. I would like to add the save pipeline features and visualization to a custom module, however, I only see that these pipelines are only available for the Deals module. Is there a way to add pipelines to custom modules?Duplicate customers being created in Desk
Hi I've trying to work out why I've getting duplicated customers being created in my desk. I have an external booking system that generates an email when I get a customer booking a job. A booking email gets sent to Desk where I manage the booking andTip #53- Remote Billing: Your End-to-End Billing Solution in Zoho Assist- 'Insider Insights'
Manual invoicing, after every remote support session, can be time-consuming and often error-prone. As an MSP, IT admin, or even a freelance support technician, it may become overwhelming to keep track of session time, service rates, and client invoices.Record history and ticket interaction tab in contacts and accounts
Hello everyone! We have improved the History tab to help users trace updates in the interaction activity logs of the Contacts and Accounts detail pages in the Customer Module. This enhancement make it easier to get clear details about who made each update,sync views to sheet
Im looking to sync my views aka reports in analytics to zoho sheets, when data is updated in analytics it also should be updated in sheets, till now zoho sheets only offer raw data connection and it is not enough as these reports are difficult to re-doIs there an API to "File a Ticket" in Desk
Hi, Is there an API to "File a Ticket" in Desk to zoho projects?Keyboard UX for Assemblies
The new Assembly module has a counter-intuitive behavior that ought to be corrected. When an Assembly is ready to be entered, there are two options given, the blue-highlighted "Assemble" and the gray "Save as Draft". This correctly implies that the normalMapping a new Ticket in Zoho Desk to an Account or Deal in Zoho CRM manually
Is there any way for me to map an existing ticket in Zoho desk to an account or Deal within Zoho CRM? Sometimes people use different email to put in a ticket than the one that we have in the CRM, but it's still the same person. We would like to be ableCliq 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 ? RegardsHow to Move Behavior, Acquisition, Polls & Forms Data from Zoho PageSense to Zoho Analytics?
Hi Zoho Community, I'm looking for a way to transfer data from Zoho PageSense to Zoho Analytics, specifically: Behavioral data (clicks, scrolls, heatmaps, etc.) Acquisition data (traffic sources, campaigns, etc.) Polls and forms data As far as I can tell:Why can't I see images uploaded by other users in the Library for Campaigns
We are several users of zoho Campaign. I have uploaded visuals of our company, but my team members can't see them.zoho sheet stuck
I Need help. ZOHO sheets stuck on the loading screen. I've already deleted the system cache and cookies of my browser (google chrome) but it's still not opening.Tip of the Week #78 – Cut response time with multichannel shared inboxes
If you’ve ever felt your team juggling between multiple email accounts, social pages, and chat apps just to reply to customers, you’re not alone. Managing conversations in multiple channels can quickly turn messy. Important messages across inboxes, repliesNeed a way to run a client script longet than 10 seconds
By The Grace of G-D. Hi, Currently, Client Scripts are Timing out at 10 seconds. We have complex logics that needs more time. Can you add a feature request to increase the timeout?Exciting Updates to the Kiosk Studio Feature in Zoho CRM!
Hello Everyone, We are here again with a series of new enhancements to Kiosk Studio, designed to elevate your experience and bring even greater efficiency to your business processes. These updates build upon our ongoing commitment to making Kiosk a powerfulFSM Improvement Idea - Show an Import button when there is no data
I am setting up FSM for a client and I noticed that there is no option to import data, see screenshot below. Even when you click Create Contact there is only an option to Import from Zoho Invoice. It is only after you add at lease 1 record that the ImportUnable to Send Different Email Templates for Different Documents in Zoho Sign
Hello Zoho Community, I am facing a limitation with Zoho Sign regarding email notifications sent to customers when a document is sent for signing. Currently, whenever I send any template/document for signing, the email notification that goes to the customerTimeline Tracking Support for records updates via module import and bulk write api
Note: This update is currently available in Early Access and will soon be rolled out across all data centers (DCs) and for all editions of Zoho CRM. The update will be available to all users within your organization, regardless of their profiles or roles.UI Improvement - Ability to Collapse Flow
The UI for Flow is generally pretty good. However, when multiple decision trees are used, the layout can get pretty convoluted and hard-to-follow (see one of my Flows below): In these cases, even the auto-arrange fails to make this something that a normalTasks Statuses
Hi, The task status "Completed" is a final status which closes the task. We need to have a status "Cancelled". However, when the status is set to "Cancelled", the task prompt still has a blue button to Close Task. When the customer clicks that and closesAdd Lookup Field in Tasks Module
Hello, I have a need to add a Lookup field in addition to the ones that are already there in the Tasks module. I've seen this thread and so understand that the reason lookup fields may not be part of it is that there are already links to the tables (Create New Tasks Layout in CRM
I am able to do this in Leads, Contacts, Meetings, Calls - every other module, but cannot create a new layout in tasks. I have the appropriate access but it's simply not appearing as an option. Only "Standard" option shows. Please help!Whatsapp Connection Status still "Pending" after migration
Hello, I migrated my WhatsApp API to Zoho from another provider a day ago. So far the connection status is still “Pending”. There is a problem? How long does it usually take?Using IMAP configuration for shared email inboxes
Our customer service team utilizes shared email boxes to allow multiple people to view and handle incoming customer requests. For example, the customer sends an email to info@xxxx.com and multiple people can view it and handle the request. How can I configureAuto-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.Zoho Recruit Subscription
Hello Zoho Recruit Team, Good day! I would like to inquire about your recruitment subscription plans and would also like to verify the current subscription our company is enrolled in under Zoho Recruit. Thank you, and I look forward to your response.Keyboard shortcut M key
I'm trying to customize my keyboard shortcuts and assign the "m" key. But it says the key is already assigned. I've looked through all my shortcuts and can't see any assigned "m". When I select an email and press the M key, nothing happens. What is theIs it possible to create a meeting in Zoho Crm which automatically creates a Google Meet link?
We are using Google's own "Zoho CRM for Google" integration and also Zoho's "Google Apps Sync" tools, but none of them provide us with the ability to create a meeting in Zoho CRM that then adds a Google Meet link into the meeting. Is this something thatEnsure Consistent Service Delivery with Comprehensive Job Sheets
We are elated to announce that one of the most requested features is now live: Job Sheets. They are customizable, reusable forms that serve as a checklist for the services that technicians need to carry out and as a tool for data collection. While onAutomatic Portal invite
We have numerous customers we move through a blueprint in deals, when they get to a certain point we need to give them portal access, how can this be done through deluge or a workflow? Latest Update (December 2025): The option to automate portal invitationsMarketer's Space: Why mobile optimization deserves a place in your email strategy
Hello Marketers, Welcome back to Marketer's Space! Today, we'll talk about the importance of creating mobile-friendly email designs. While mobile phones were once used only to make phone calls, today they're used for almost everything, including texting,Enhancements in Canvas
Dear All, Greetings! Canvas lets you design the record details page to suit your brand or business preferences. We are glad to introduce the following enhancements to uplift your design experience. Reusable Components Style Presets Let's go! ReusableIntroducing Dark Mode / Light Mode : A New Look For Your CRM
Hello Users, We are excited to announce a highly anticipated feature - the launch of Day, Night and Auto Mode implementation in Zoho CRM's NextGen user interface! This feature is designed to provide a visually appealing and comfortable experience forABN with Legal Entity Name
Hi, How can I execute this? The ABN number is entered in Accounts Module and ideally, it should display or suggest the correct Legal Entity Name based on the ABN lookup. ex. Account Name: JPG Resources ABN Number: 65 067 761 871 Legal Entity Name: (autoZoho Cliq not working on airplanes
Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantlyPrepopulating Fields
Hello, I have a form (Assets) with 2 lookup fields: Client (from Clients) Site (from Client Sites) I modified the code (highlighted in red below), so the Site dropdown shows the list of sites related to the Client. must have Client_Site ( type = picklistUnify Overlapping Functionalities Across Zoho Products
Hi Zoho One Team, We would like to raise a concern about the current overlap of core functionalities across various Zoho applications. While Zoho offers a rich suite of tools, many applications include similar or identical features—such as shift management,Detailed Account Reports - Add Running Balance
When one clicks into an account from a report (say P/L or Balance Sheet), the default reports have the Debit, Credit, and then the Amount. The Amount column (last one) is duplicate information. It would be far better and fit more peoples' use cases ifStart Workflow from Deluge Script
I have developed a customized process from our CRM that leverages a deluge script to create a statement of work document. Once the document has been created via the merge and store function, I would like the ability to start a workdrive review & approveIssue: Ticket Export Does Not Include Ticket Threads
Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to bring to your attention that the current ticket export feature in Zoho Desk does not seem to include the ticket threads or conversation history. When exporting tickets, only the summaryNext Page