What is Wrong with Zoho CRM and How to Fix it -- But first the good news....
I have recently been evaluating all the major CRM platforms aimed at small to medium businesses. This has included:
The first thing that I want to say about Zoho is that it is very impressive: Fast, comprehensive, outstanding contextual gadgets for gmail, google apps integration, a very good Quickbooks accounting integration, and much much more. For the price, this solution is super powerful.
As this impression formed, I began to see more of the constellation of Zoho offerings. I could not believe the number of applications they had. It was exciting because one would assume that if there is an invoicing application, a calendar, an email, and on and on, they would all integrate very well. What I came to realize is that these were all created in what looks like island teams with some consideration toward integration, but that was not the initial approach. What started as excitement became concern and disappointment.
I am a big fan of Zoho and impressed with all they have done. I think they are inches away from being great and taking on all comers. But, to do so, is going to require a fundamentally different approach to their thinking, the market, and the powerful assets they have created. And, it has nothing to do with lack of technical expertise. I am taking the time to write this novel because I am hoping it will help Zoho focus on what is important and also help new users see the incredible line up of tools that Zoho has created, but also understand the limitations right upfront so that they can plan for them.
With that said, here is what I think Zoho should do to fix their CRM (I say fix because in the eyes of the users, these are not enhancements, they appear to be oversights or design flaws considering how well other things are done):
1. Lack of integration with Zoho Invoice: The invoicing feature of Zoho CRM is natively very simple, and not usable for most organizations. Zoho Invoice on the other hand is a very impressive tool and I have to say much better than FreshBooks or the like. It is astounding to me that Zoho and Invoice are not fully integrated at this point. You can bring account information into Invoice, but you cannot pull anything back into CRM from Invoice. This integration is noted as a high priority has been promised fro Q2 in the forums, but I have not seen any feature list to say what the integration will be.
Suggestion: Integrate all the account information from CRM into Invoice. Keep Invoice as a separate app that is accessible in CRM if you like, no problem. Put "hooks" into the CRM on things like cases so that hours can be tracked directly from those cases without the time consuming requirement to create a project first. Also, make sure you do not break the Quickbooks integration of CRM when you bring over Invoice. Figure out how to feed those invoices in there and synchronize the Invoice information with QB.
2. Lack of Calendar integration with Google Calendar: This is listed on the roadmap for the CRM. At this point, they should have a release date posted, however. Zoho has done a great job with the contextual gadgets in Gmail, so I am sure the calendar will be good. Even without all the fancy things, people are dying to have the ability to be able to see their calendars in CRM, and create an event that links to a contact or account. Even batchbook does this.
3. Lack of gadgets on the dashboard: I can't believe that there are not more options for dashboard items. Whether twitter feeds, facebook feeds, stocks, world city time/weather, or whatever. People use the CRM all the time. You WANT them to stay looking at it and the best way to do that is to give them some fun stuff and some diversity of information flow right on their dashboard. I think the best way to do this is to set up a framework for people to create these and let they go at it. Web tabs are not even close to the same thing.
4. Campaigns are a shell: One of the very surprising things I have come to realize is that the campaigns functionality at this point does not have built in email campaign capabilities where you can create a list, send a newsletter and track outcomes for example. To my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong), it does not have the ability to track any kind of email based campaign like Sugar, SF, or others. Campaigns are basically a place where you can store lists, and track what account was part of what campaign.
5. Integrations are really missing: Most CRM's today are valued on their native functionality and how well they integrate with other applications. Zoho's own applications do not yet integrate well between each other, and I cannot understand why there are not more integration options for everything from customer portals, to online marketing management, and accounting. I understand that Zoho is active in all these places, but it really makes it tough to "work online" as envisioned when you have to jump between so many applications. There needs to be a framework so that 3rd parties can add contextual features when the integration is done. Examples: "Send invoice to Xero", "Send campaign list to Mailchimp" etc. This is not just an API push/pull but the ability to integrate the workflow.
6. No functional customization whatsoever: One of the biggest challenges facing any user/admin of Zoho CRM is that you cannot add anything. No buttons, no logic hooks, no objects. You can change layouts, define workflows (which are nice), put in custom fields, but you cannot create objects and institute any kind of native functionality. A rich external API exists, but it is not the same thing. This leaves many of us severely hamstrung. In most cases, I could get past these hurdles if integration among Zoho's own apps were strong because I could find a way to "get it done" somehow. Without that, you are really stuck.
7. Is Creator the answer? Creator is an online database application that is gaining steam. Zoho has now allowed builders of these applications (users) to access information from the CRM package to build little apps in Creator. This is great news. The bummer, though is that no inverse integration has been announced as of yet. This means that you can't use Creator to build a module (for you SugarCRM users) or an Object (for you salesforce peeps) to expand functionality based upon a new entity of any kind.
8. Evangelism: Sounds fancier than it really is. Zoho is a massive set of applications. There is a tremendous amount of work to do to help users understand how the pieces can be used.... together or independently. I would strongly suggest some "Solution experts" that listen carefully to what the customer is trying to accomplish (not the specifics) and then provide them with options on ways they could do that with Zoho. This kind of relationship with existing and prospective clients would be so much more effective than what currently happens. Most of my contact with Zoho support resources have been very binary. I explain an issue to them, and they tell me they can or can't do that. Rarely does the individual attempt to own/understand my issue, they never commit to a timeframe on any pending features, and do not seem to have an organized place where a user can get updates (frequently) on hot topics through a moderated forum. I find the same questions I have asked over and over again in different ways, but there is usually not a good single place where that topic is discussed (like the lounge does) with some updates given along the way. I found a few threads where the forum moderator asked the users what they wanted in an upcoming release of Invoice. That was great.
So, what are my top requests of Zoho?
Get Started. Write Away!
- SugarCRM
- ZohoCRM
- Batchbook
- CapsuleCRM
- Landslide
- Salesforce
- Solve360
- and at least 5 others
The first thing that I want to say about Zoho is that it is very impressive: Fast, comprehensive, outstanding contextual gadgets for gmail, google apps integration, a very good Quickbooks accounting integration, and much much more. For the price, this solution is super powerful.
As this impression formed, I began to see more of the constellation of Zoho offerings. I could not believe the number of applications they had. It was exciting because one would assume that if there is an invoicing application, a calendar, an email, and on and on, they would all integrate very well. What I came to realize is that these were all created in what looks like island teams with some consideration toward integration, but that was not the initial approach. What started as excitement became concern and disappointment.
I am a big fan of Zoho and impressed with all they have done. I think they are inches away from being great and taking on all comers. But, to do so, is going to require a fundamentally different approach to their thinking, the market, and the powerful assets they have created. And, it has nothing to do with lack of technical expertise. I am taking the time to write this novel because I am hoping it will help Zoho focus on what is important and also help new users see the incredible line up of tools that Zoho has created, but also understand the limitations right upfront so that they can plan for them.
With that said, here is what I think Zoho should do to fix their CRM (I say fix because in the eyes of the users, these are not enhancements, they appear to be oversights or design flaws considering how well other things are done):
1. Lack of integration with Zoho Invoice: The invoicing feature of Zoho CRM is natively very simple, and not usable for most organizations. Zoho Invoice on the other hand is a very impressive tool and I have to say much better than FreshBooks or the like. It is astounding to me that Zoho and Invoice are not fully integrated at this point. You can bring account information into Invoice, but you cannot pull anything back into CRM from Invoice. This integration is noted as a high priority has been promised fro Q2 in the forums, but I have not seen any feature list to say what the integration will be.
Suggestion: Integrate all the account information from CRM into Invoice. Keep Invoice as a separate app that is accessible in CRM if you like, no problem. Put "hooks" into the CRM on things like cases so that hours can be tracked directly from those cases without the time consuming requirement to create a project first. Also, make sure you do not break the Quickbooks integration of CRM when you bring over Invoice. Figure out how to feed those invoices in there and synchronize the Invoice information with QB.
2. Lack of Calendar integration with Google Calendar: This is listed on the roadmap for the CRM. At this point, they should have a release date posted, however. Zoho has done a great job with the contextual gadgets in Gmail, so I am sure the calendar will be good. Even without all the fancy things, people are dying to have the ability to be able to see their calendars in CRM, and create an event that links to a contact or account. Even batchbook does this.
3. Lack of gadgets on the dashboard: I can't believe that there are not more options for dashboard items. Whether twitter feeds, facebook feeds, stocks, world city time/weather, or whatever. People use the CRM all the time. You WANT them to stay looking at it and the best way to do that is to give them some fun stuff and some diversity of information flow right on their dashboard. I think the best way to do this is to set up a framework for people to create these and let they go at it. Web tabs are not even close to the same thing.
4. Campaigns are a shell: One of the very surprising things I have come to realize is that the campaigns functionality at this point does not have built in email campaign capabilities where you can create a list, send a newsletter and track outcomes for example. To my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong), it does not have the ability to track any kind of email based campaign like Sugar, SF, or others. Campaigns are basically a place where you can store lists, and track what account was part of what campaign.
5. Integrations are really missing: Most CRM's today are valued on their native functionality and how well they integrate with other applications. Zoho's own applications do not yet integrate well between each other, and I cannot understand why there are not more integration options for everything from customer portals, to online marketing management, and accounting. I understand that Zoho is active in all these places, but it really makes it tough to "work online" as envisioned when you have to jump between so many applications. There needs to be a framework so that 3rd parties can add contextual features when the integration is done. Examples: "Send invoice to Xero", "Send campaign list to Mailchimp" etc. This is not just an API push/pull but the ability to integrate the workflow.
6. No functional customization whatsoever: One of the biggest challenges facing any user/admin of Zoho CRM is that you cannot add anything. No buttons, no logic hooks, no objects. You can change layouts, define workflows (which are nice), put in custom fields, but you cannot create objects and institute any kind of native functionality. A rich external API exists, but it is not the same thing. This leaves many of us severely hamstrung. In most cases, I could get past these hurdles if integration among Zoho's own apps were strong because I could find a way to "get it done" somehow. Without that, you are really stuck.
7. Is Creator the answer? Creator is an online database application that is gaining steam. Zoho has now allowed builders of these applications (users) to access information from the CRM package to build little apps in Creator. This is great news. The bummer, though is that no inverse integration has been announced as of yet. This means that you can't use Creator to build a module (for you SugarCRM users) or an Object (for you salesforce peeps) to expand functionality based upon a new entity of any kind.
8. Evangelism: Sounds fancier than it really is. Zoho is a massive set of applications. There is a tremendous amount of work to do to help users understand how the pieces can be used.... together or independently. I would strongly suggest some "Solution experts" that listen carefully to what the customer is trying to accomplish (not the specifics) and then provide them with options on ways they could do that with Zoho. This kind of relationship with existing and prospective clients would be so much more effective than what currently happens. Most of my contact with Zoho support resources have been very binary. I explain an issue to them, and they tell me they can or can't do that. Rarely does the individual attempt to own/understand my issue, they never commit to a timeframe on any pending features, and do not seem to have an organized place where a user can get updates (frequently) on hot topics through a moderated forum. I find the same questions I have asked over and over again in different ways, but there is usually not a good single place where that topic is discussed (like the lounge does) with some updates given along the way. I found a few threads where the forum moderator asked the users what they wanted in an upcoming release of Invoice. That was great.
So, what are my top requests of Zoho?
- Fully integrate Zoho Invoice and allow for time tracking within the CRM so that we can bill for it.
- Give us a fully functional calendar in the CRM, syncrhonized with google calendar.
- Provide some great gadgets (dashlets) for the dasbhoard and a framework for others to make more
- Step up the integration push: Xero, Saasu, MailChimp, and other popular packages. I am not sure I am okay with the "intermediary" cloud connector services that are popping up. Examples are onesaas and the like. Better that my data goes from Zoho to Xero and nowhere in between.
- Beef up the campaign module or integrate with a strong contender like MailChimp (directly)
- Put out some roadmaps, even if only feature lists 60 days in advance of release. Help us plan for the future. We are basically betting on Zoho for our businesses.
- Last but not least, change the approach to selling and supporting this powerful and wide set of software solutions.
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
lushtech
Sridhar Vembu
Raymond Vardanega
Neale
Sticky Posts
Wrapping up 2025 on a high note: CRM Release Highlights of the year
Dear Customers, 2025 was an eventful year for us at Zoho CRM. We’ve had releases of all sizes and impact, and we are excited to look back, break it down, and rediscover them with you! Before we rewind—we’d like to take a minute and sincerely thank youGood news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift
Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activitiesPresenting ABM for Zoho CRM: Expand and retain your customers with precision
Picture this scenario: You're a growing SaaS company ready to launch a powerful business suite, and are looking to gain traction and momentum. But as a business with a tight budget, you know acquiring new customers is slow, expensive, and often deliversCreate and populate a record in an instant: Introducing zero-shot field prompting to Zia's ICR
A couple of months ago, we upgraded our in-house AI image detection and validation tool, Zia Vision, with intelligent character recognition (ICR). By training Zia with sample images, you could create and enrich CRM records with data extracted from standardIn-person ZUG Meetups for Real Estate Professionals - US Q1 2026
The Real Estate Zoho User Group is going on a multi-city, in-person meetup tour across the US, and we’d love to see you there! These meetups are a great opportunity to: Connect with fellow real estate professionals using Zoho Share challenges and discover
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
Zoho Survey reminder settings are extremely confusing
Hi, I just want to set 3 reminders, one week apart from the first email out. Your form is too confusing and I don't understand. Can you simplify and be more specific regarding the language used on the form ?Add deluge function to shorten URLs
Zoho Social contains a nice feature to shorten URLs using zurl.co. It would be really helpful to have similar functionality in a Deluge call please, either as an inbuilt function or a standard integration. My Creator app sends an email with a personalisedAdd specific field value to URL
Hi Everyone. I have the following code which is set to run from a subform when the user selects a value from a lookup field "Plant_Key" the URL opens a report but i want the report to be filtered on the matching field/value. so in the report there isform data load issue when saving as duplicate record is made
Hello. I have a form with a lookup when a value is selected the data from the corresponding record is filled into all of the fields in the form. But the form is loaded in such a state that if any value is changed it will take all of the values pre loadedRecurring Tasks and Reminders in Projects
Recurring tasks are tasks that are created once, and then recreated automatically after a designated time period. For example, the invoice for your billable tasks is due every week. You can set that task to recreate itself every week. Also, the futureUnable to remove the “Automatically Assigned” territory from existing records
Hello Zoho Community Team, We are currently using Territory Management in Zoho CRM and have encountered an issue with automatically assigned territories on Account records. Once any account is created the territory is assigned automatically, the AutomaticallyTrack online, in-office, and client location meetings separately with the new meeting venue option
Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce meeting enhancements in Zoho CRM that bring more clarity and structure to how meetings are categorized. You can now specify the meeting venue to clearly indicate whether a meeting is being held online, at theGoogle Fonts Integration in Pagesense Popup Editor
Hello Zoho Pagesense Team, We hope you're doing well. We’d like to submit a feature request to enhance Zoho Pagesense’s popup editor with Google Fonts support. Current Limitation: Currently, Pagesense offers a limited set of default fonts. Google FontsImproved Contact Sync flow in Google Integration with Zoho CRM
Hello Everyone, Your contact sync in Google integration just got revamped! We have redesigned the sync process to give users more control over what data flows into Google and ensure that this data flows effortlessly between Zoho CRM and Google. With thisCRM Canvas - Upload Attachments
I am in the process of changing my screens to Canvas. On one screen, I have tabs with related lists, one of which is attachments. There doesn't appear to be a way to upload documents though. Am I missing something really obvious? Does anyone haveCustom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder
Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities ifImproved Functionality PO Bill SO Invoice
Hello, I need to enter over 100 items, it's frustrating to scroll a few item rows and wait for more to load, then scroll again. It would be nice to have buttons that scroll to the top or bottom with one click. Furthermore, these items I'm adding are VATCamera access
My picture doesn't appear in a group discussion. (The audio is fine.) The guide says "Click the lock icon on address bar," but I can't find it. Advise, pleaseWishes for 2026
Hello, and a happy new year 2026! Let's hope it's better for everyone. I'd like to share some thoughts on Zoho One and what could be useful in the short, medium, and long term. Some things are already there, but not applied to Zoho One. Others seem likeHow to Integrate Zoho Books with Xero (No Native Connection Available)
Hi everyone, I’m currently facing an issue with integrating Zoho Books invoices with Xero, as I’ve noticed Zoho does not provide a native integration with Xero at this time. I would like to ask: What are the common or recommended solutions for syncingHow to install Widget in inventory module
Hi， I am trying to install a app into Sales Order Module related list, however there is no button allow me to do that. May I ask how to install widget to inventory module related list?Picklist field shows "none" as default
Hello, Is there an option to avoid showing "none" as the default value in a picklist field? I also don't want to see any option displayed. My expectation is to have a blank bar, and then when I display the drop-down list, I can choose whichever I waerror while listing mails
I can't access email in any of my folders: Oops, an error occurred - retry produces the second error response: error while listing mails (cannot parse null string). I've signed in and out of Zoho, restarted my iMac.Unlocking New Levels: Zoho Payroll's Journey in 2025
Every year brings its own set of challenges and opportunities to rethink how payroll works across regulations and teams. In 2025, Zoho Payroll continued to evolve with one clear focus: giving businesses more flexibility, clarity, and control as they grow.CRM project association via deluge
I have created a workflow in my Zoho CRM for closing a deal. Part of this workflow leverages a deluge script to create a project for our delivery team. Creating the project works great however, after or during the project creation, I would like to associateZoho Browser??
hai guys, this sounds awkward but can v get a ZOHO BROWSER same as zoho writer, etc. where i can browse websites @ home and continue browsing the same websites @ my office, as v have the option in Firefox, once i save and close the browser and again when i open it i will be getting the same sites. If u people r not clear with my explanation, plz let me know. Thanks, SandeepSync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)
Keeping your important files backed up and accessible has never been easier! With WorkDrive desktop app (TrueSync), you can now automatically sync specific desktop folders to WorkDrive Web, ensuring seamless, real-time updates across devices. Important:MCP no longer works with Claude
Anyone else notice Zoho MCP no longer works with Claude? I'm unable to turn this on in the claude chat. When I try to toggle it on, it just does nothing at all. I've tried in incognito, new browsers, etc. - nothing seems to work.Enable History Tracking for Picklist Values Not Available
When I create a custom picklist field in Deals, the "Enable History Tracking for Picklist Values" option is not available in the Edit Properties area of the picklist. When I create a picklist in any other Module, that option is available. Is there a specific reason why this isn't available for fields in the Deals Module?Ability to Edit YouTube Video Title, Description & Thumbnail After Publishing
Hi Zoho Social Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Social that enables users to edit YouTube video details after the video has already been published. Your team confirmed that while Zoho Social currently allows editing theFree 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. LearnCritical Issue: Tickets Opened for Zoho Support via the Zoho Help Portal Were Not Processed
Hi everyone, We want to bring to your attention a serious issue we’ve experienced with the Zoho support Help Portal. For more than a week, tickets submitted directly via the Help Portal were not being handled at all. At the same time no alert was postedHide/Show Subform Fields On User Input
Hello, Are there any future updates in Hide/Show Subform Fields "On User Input"?Cloning Item With Images Or The Option With Images
Hello, when I clone an item, I expect the images to carry over to the cloned item, however this is not the case in Inventory. Please make it possible for the images to get cloned or at least can we get a pop up asking if we want to clone the images asArchiving Contacts
How do I archive a list of contacts, or individual contacts?Custom validation in CRM schema
Validation rules in CRM layouts work nicely, good docs by @Kiran Karthik P https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm/customize-crm-account/validation-rules/articles/create-validation-rules I'd prefer validating data input 'closer to the schema'Adding Default Module Image into mail merge field
As with most people finding their way to these forums i have a specific requirement that doesn't seem to be supported by Zoho I have created 2 custom modules to suit my purpose 1 is an inventory type module that lists aluminium extrusions, and all relevantIs it possible to roll up all Contact emails to the Account view?
Is there a way to track all emails associated with an Account in one single view? Currently, email history is visible when opening an individual Contact record. However, since multiple Contacts are often associated with a single Account, it would be beneficialFree Training - Explore What’s New in Zoho One 2025
Greetings! We hope you have all had a chance by now to get hands-on with the new features and updates released as part of ZO25. Yes, we understand that you may have questions and feedback. To ensure you gain a comprehensive understanding of these updates,Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift
Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activitiesEdit default "We are here to help you" text in chat SalesIQ widget
Does anyone know how this text can be edited? I can't find it anywhere in settings. Thanks!Quick way to add a field in Chat Window
I want to add Company Field in chat window to lessen the irrelevant users in sending chat and set them in mind that we are dealing with companies. I request that it will be as easy as possible like just ticking it then typing the label then connectingHow to create a two way Sync with CRM Contacts Module?
Newbie creator here (but not to Zoho CRM). I want to create an app that operates on a sub-set of CRM Contacts - only those with a specific tag. I want the app records to mirror the tagged contacts in CRM. I would like it to update when the Creator appZoho Sheet for Desktop
Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?Where is the settings option in zoho writer?
hi, my zoho writer on windows has menu fonts too large. where do i find the settings to change this option? my screen resolution is correct and other apps/softwares in windows have no issues. regardsNext Page