1. At first we could not access any Sales Orders
2. After a while, we could access the module - but now, when we want to create a new one, everything connected to the Products section in the Sales Order has changed!

Apparently, Zoho does not have a grasp on the concept of Customer Service or the impact changes have on it's customers. In our view, you "should not and cannot" make unannounced changes to business processes without advance notification.

Here is what happened today in our call center and our business. 

• Customers called in to place orders - our agents could NOT take their orders because we could not access or create any new Sales Orders
• Customers called in and our agents could NOT access any data on orders already placed and therefore we could not make any changes
• When the system finally came back on line, customers called in, and our agents were dumbfounded on how to take an order - because the layout of the Products Section had been changed. Yes, they did figure it out, but we all were embarrassed because they had to hesitate, put customers on hold, etc. until they could find out what to do. 

I had to contact Tech Support today to find out there had been changes and at this point there is no announcement or documentation from Zoho about the change. In addition, based on past history, I am sure we will be subjected to a series of surprises over the next few days that will lead to more embarrassment, confusion and order errors, that we will have to endure, and ultimately pay for. 

There is no doubt the Inventory related sections of ZCRM  needs to be updated, there are serious flaws that have been documented in the forums for several years. However, sometimes Zoho behaves like a group of amateurs that comes up with a great idea, and then just dumps it on their user community, without any notice, and hopes they will like it.  And then, after they have surprised everyone, they decide to reveal, and ultimately try to put a positive spin on the changes with late marketing messages.  This is unacceptable. 

We have been a loyal Zoho CRM customer for over 5 years. We have conducted several million dollars of business, using ZCRM. But in order to survive, we have to treat our customers with respect, deliver the products and services we committed to,  and provide good customer service. If we don't, our customers will find another supplier that does.

Change is inevitable and necessary but Zoho, you need think about us, your customers, before you make changes. 

The proper process would have been at least 2 week advance notice, with complete documentation, and firm change over time commitment. This would have allowed us the time to review our processes, make changes to software links to other programs, train our users, and develop contingency plans to deal with issues. However, because of no advance notification, we are scrambling to train people on the fly and  we don't even know if there is more changes coming. And to top it off, your tech support folks are going to be flooded with calls & chats, so your customer service to your customers is going to suffer. 

We are very disappointed.