What's New? - May 2025 | Zoho Backstage

What's New? - May 2025 | Zoho Backstage

Hi everyone, 

A May-zing month for you!

As summer rolls in and event season picks up the pace, we’ve been working on a set of updates in Zoho Backstage to help make your day-to-day life a little easier. This month’s improvements are all about tackling the real challenges that event professionals face daily, from complex stakeholder communications to payment processing bottlenecks.

Module-Specific Primary Contacts

May the right message reach the right inbox

Modern event management often involves multiple stakeholders managing different specialized areas. The new Module-Specific Primary Contact feature allows event organizers to assign dedicated primary contacts for each module individually, creating clearer communication pathways where registration queries reach the registration team, speaker communications connect with speaker coordinators, and sponsor-related emails land in the appropriate inbox. 

Setting up these specialized contacts is straightforward. Event organizers can navigate to Communicate, then Email, Preferences, Primary Contact, and Assign Primary Contact, where they can add and verify contact details before assigning them to specific modules, including Registrations, Speakers, Sponsors, and Exhibitors. Once configured, each module operates with its own communication pathway, improving clarity and coordination.

The system includes essential management controls such as the ability to change primary contacts, edit sender names, and unassign contacts when team structures evolve. To ensure reliable email delivery, the platform provides authentication notifications when needed, maintaining reliable communication.

These primary contacts are integrated into their respective module interfaces:
  • Registration Settings
  • Speaker Settings
  • Sponsor Settings
  • Exhibitor Settings


When changes are needed, clicking Change Primary Contact in any module provides direct access to the email management interface.

Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans


Offline payments with visuals and verification

May offline payments be crystal clear

Building on recent registration improvements, Zoho Backstage has upgraded its offline payment system with two key features: the ability to upload QR codes or instruction images, and a transaction ID verification process.

The visual enhancement allows event organizers to upload QR codes or detailed bank instruction images for each offline payment method during the setup process. Located in Registrations > Setup > Payments under the Offline Payment options, this feature includes live preview capabilities and the flexibility to replace or remove images as needed.



For attendees, this translates to a clearer payment experience. When selecting offline payment options, they see the uploaded visual guidance, enhancing clarity and reducing payment errors. After placing their order, attendees can optionally enter a Payment Transaction ID if they've completed the payment, creating a direct link between their transaction and registration. 

The organizer experience becomes more efficient with the verification process. Orders with transaction IDs enter a Payment Verification Pending status, where organizers can review the provided ID and choose to verify it or mark it as a mismatch. Verified orders are updated to Paid status, while mismatched entries trigger automated emails prompting attendees to correct their details.



The system maintains flexibility throughout the process. Attendees who initially skip the transaction ID can log in later to add or update this information, automatically triggering the verification process. Meanwhile, organizers retain the ability to manually enter transaction IDs when adding new orders, checking in attendees, or recording missed registrations, ensuring no payment scenario goes unaccounted for.

Plan availability: Included in the EssentialsPremium, and Ultimate plans


WhatsApp number change

May you change your mind—and your WhatsApp number

Zoho Backstage offers the ability to change registered phone numbers within WhatsApp integrations at any time. This enhancement provides flexibility for teams to update their communication settings as needed.

The phone number change process operates through Portal Settings > Integrations > Event Communication > WhatsApp, where organizers can click the Change button next to their current number and select any verified alternative from their WhatsApp Business account. For unverified numbers, the platform provides direct verification capabilities through OTP systems, allowing organizers to verify and switch to new numbers within the Zoho Backstage interface.
Importantly, changing phone numbers preserves all existing configurations. WhatsApp triggers, templates, and automated processes continue functioning as configured, ensuring communication continuity while providing the flexibility to adapt to changing organizational needs.


Plan availability: Included in the EssentialsPremium, and Ultimate plans


Recovering lost registrations with winback emails

May we remind you?

The Reminders for Missed Registrations feature introduces a sophisticated winback email system designed to recover potential attendees who begin but don't complete the registration process. 

The system identifies missed registrations when purchasers reach the payment page but don't complete their order within the established registration time limit. These registrations are stored for up to 180 days, creating opportunities for recovery efforts through targeted reminder campaigns.

Event organizers can configure up to five reminder intervals through Communication > Reminders, setting triggers based on minutes, hours, or days after abandonment. A typical strategy might include an immediate 30-minute follow-up, a one-day reminder, and a final three-day appeal, though the system accommodates various timing strategies to match different event types and audience behaviors.



The reminder system includes intelligent safeguards for optimal communication. Only the most recent missed registration per purchaser receives reminders, and all automated emails conclude when the event ends. For events requiring more than five reminder intervals, limits can be increased upon request, ensuring the system scales with various event marketing strategies.

Plan availability: Included in the EssentialsPremium, and Ultimate plans


Directly convert approval requests to orders

May your approvals turn into orders instantly

Event planning frequently involves various payment methods and approval processes. This new feature provides organizers with direct transformation of approval requests into confirmed orders.



This enhancement proves invaluable for managing offline payments made through bank transfers, cash transactions, or other non-digital methods. Organizers can efficiently convert approved, pending, or rejected requests into active orders with complete payment details recorded in the system.

The process is simple: organizers locate the relevant request in their Registration Approval requests section, click the Convert to Order option, and complete the process by recording offline payment details. This direct conversion capability ensures that all registration records remain current and accurate within Zoho Backstage.

Plan availability: Included in the EssentialsPremium, and Ultimate plans


Looking ahead together

May these be the foundation for what's next

These May 2025 updates are all about making everyday event planning simpler, smoother, and more connected. Whether it’s clearer communication, easier payment tracking, or smarter follow-ups, each new feature is designed to solve real challenges you face while managing events.

We know how fast things move during event season. That’s why we’ve focused on updates that blend seamlessly into your existing workflows, helping you stay in control without adding complexity.

We hope these improvements make a meaningful difference for you and your team. As always, we’re here to support you—and we can’t wait to share what’s coming next.

Info
All the features and enhancements mentioned in this article are available across all Zoho Backstage-supported data centers.
For additional assistance or questions regarding these new features, contact support@zohobackstage.com. Stay tuned for continued updates designed to enhance your event management capabilities.

    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

                                                                                                              • Zoho Sign - Zoho CRM extension upgrade

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, We've updated Zoho Sign extension for Zoho CRM with significant internal changes. Impact on existing Zoho Sign extension users Users using the extension without customization If you are using the integration without implementing Zoho Sign's
                                                                                                              • Consultant-Only Booking Page

                                                                                                                Zoho Bookings does not allow for Meeting Type OR Workspace-Wide booking pages to be turned off. This is detrimental to organizations that have territory-based or assigned accounts, because if prospects can go to these booking pages and either select the
                                                                                                              • Start 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 & approve
                                                                                                              • Request for Auto PO - Min–Max based Automated Purchase Feature

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho POS Team, I’m writing to request a feature enhancement that would significantly streamline inventory management for businesses using Zoho POS — particularly supermarkets, FMCG retail, and multi-store operations like ours. Feature Requested:
                                                                                                              • Masters in UK – Experiences, Universities, and Career Outcomes

                                                                                                                This forum discussion is for students who are planning or considering a Masters in UK and want to gain practical insights beyond official university websites. The UK attracts international students due to its globally recognized universities, diverse
                                                                                                              • Export your notes from Notebook!

                                                                                                                Dear users, The long awaited feature is now live. Yes, you can now export your notes from Notebook app in bulk. But the feature has just started with web app alone for now. You can try the export feature as mentioned below: Go to our web app, https://notebook.zoho.com Go to 'Settings' > 'Export' Now, select the format: You can select either ZNote or HTML Once done, you can use the same to import or can have this a local backup of your notes. Note: Export for other platforms are in development and
                                                                                                              • Prepopulating 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 = picklist
                                                                                                              • Unable to sort as Descending order

                                                                                                                Trying to change the sort order for a lookup field (checkboxes) from Ascending to Descending and keep getting an error in Deluge that the order must be Ascending Did anyone ran into this? Thanks Eyal
                                                                                                              • Export Invoices to XML file

                                                                                                                Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities
                                                                                                              • Can I change the format of the buttons in the email templates?

                                                                                                                Hi all! We have been working hard trying to brand our email templates, and have some way to go yet. One of the things we can't seem to edit is the green ${Cases.CUSTOMER_PORTAL_BUTTON} button and the font of the View Ticket text. Is there any way of doing
                                                                                                              • issue with deluge script

                                                                                                                i used chat gpt to build this script and I am getting 2 errors which I cannot figure out how to fix: void monthly_sales_order_generation() { try { // ---------------- CONFIG ------------------- analytics_url_1 = "https://analytics.zoho.com/api/<workspaceID>/report/<reportID1>/data";
                                                                                                              • Introducing LinkedIn Apply Connect for Zoho Recruit

                                                                                                                Attract up to 3x more qualified candidates and hire more efficiently with LinkedIn Apply Connect. Let candidates fill-in job applications without any redirections, gain deeper insights with applicant highlights within Zoho Recruit, and keep candidates
                                                                                                              • Recruit paid support?

                                                                                                                Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting to
                                                                                                              • Introducing Dedicated Modules for Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing

                                                                                                                We’ve enhanced the way you manage Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing. Previously, all three grouped together under Subscription Items. Now, each one has its own dedicated module, giving you a cleaner and more intuitive experience. This update
                                                                                                              • Ticket Status email

                                                                                                                Good day, This was discussed in the past, but it would be helpful if we could have the system assign a custom response to a status. We have various statuses for tickets, e.g. "closed due to no response", or "Pending Status", it would be helpful for the
                                                                                                              • Customer ticket creation via Microsoft Teams

                                                                                                                Hi all, I'm looking to see if someone could point me in the right direction. I'd love to make it so my customers/ end users can make tickets, see responses and respond within microsoft teams. As Admin and an Agent i've installed the zoho assist app within
                                                                                                              • Holidays

                                                                                                                Hi; For defining Holidays, you need to add logic to handle the year as well as the month & day. We need to be able to enter Holidays for the next year. I need to add a holiday for January 2, 2017, but I can't until January 1st, which is a Sunday and we
                                                                                                              • Can I use a Standalone CRM Function as the Callback URL For Async Export Data API?

                                                                                                                I am creating an export job using this API https://www.zoho.com/analytics/api/v2/bulk-api/export-data-async/create-export/view-id.html There is a "callbackUrl" key in the CONFIG object. I tried copying the URL for a standalone function in CRM which can
                                                                                                              • Future Orders - Due Date

                                                                                                                Hi In my role, I can receive tickets where the work required is requested months in advance. Using a Future Orders option, which I believe was setup under the On Hold status type, hides the Due Date, in all views/ticket etc. Whilst I understand the reasoning
                                                                                                              • Introducing Withdrawal Reasons for Offers

                                                                                                                We’re excited to introduce a new enhancement to the Offer module that brings more clarity and accountability to every withdrawn offer. The Withdrawal Reason update ensures that each withdrawal — manual or automatic — is backed by a clear explanation,
                                                                                                              • Zoho Creator customer portal users

                                                                                                                Hi, I'm in a Zoho One subscription with our company. I'm running a project now that involves creating a Zoho Creater application and using the Zoho Creator Customer Portal.  At most we need 25 customer portal users. In our Zoho One plan we only get 3
                                                                                                              • GPS tracking only or Check out facility

                                                                                                                Dear Team, Zoho CRM is quite robust CRM but till date i was waiting for the feature of having GPS tracking of Sales employees which is a common demand by all customers for thier field sales executives. We cover them by saying that CRM provides Checkin
                                                                                                              • HTML Tags added to Reports with Notes

                                                                                                                Recently Zoho added the ability to markup text within notes. That way, users can change font size, colors, etc. It's a great change. However, since the change, reports that include a column for "Note Content" are printing HTML tags within the report.
                                                                                                              • In App Auto Refresh/Update Features

                                                                                                                Hi,    I am trying to use Zoho Creator for Restaurant management. While using the android apps, I reliased the apps would not auto refresh if there is new entries i.e new kitchen order ticket (KOT) from other users.   The apps does received notification but would not auto refresh, users required to refresh the apps manually in order to see the new KOT in the apps.    I am wondering why this features is not implemented? Or is this feature being considered to be implemented in the future? With the
                                                                                                              • Appraisals on Employee Information Profile

                                                                                                                Is it possible to show completed appraisals on each employee's "Employee Information" page? I would presume at the bottom - similar to the "Related Lists" concept in Zoho CRM. Obviously view access would be limited to employee and appropriate other roles
                                                                                                              • AI Interview Insights: Turn Recorded Interviews into Quick Transcripts & Summaries

                                                                                                                Evaluating interviews shouldn’t require replaying long recordings or taking manual notes. With AI Interview Insights, you can now review complete transcripts and AI-generated summaries of your One-way (Recorded) interviews right inside Zoho Recruit. This
                                                                                                              • Kaizen #220: Actions API - Webhooks APIs - Part 2

                                                                                                                Hello all!! Welcome back to the follow-up Kaizen post of Kaizen #219: Actions API - Webhooks APIs - Part 1. In the previous week, we covered how to configure a basic Webhook and how to include Headers, Body, and URL Parameters using both the POST Webhook
                                                                                                              • Standard Payment Term is not pulled from account to quotation

                                                                                                                Hey Team There seems to be something off. I do have "Net 30" as my default payment term in Zoho Books for my customers. If, from the customer overview or quote section, I create a new Quotation, the payment terms field stays blank and doesn't get the
                                                                                                              • Canva Integration

                                                                                                                Hello! As many marketing departments are streamlining their teams, many have begun utilizing Canva for all design mockups and approvals prior to its integration into Marketing automation software. While Zoho Social has this integration already accomplished,
                                                                                                              • Manage your invoices from Bigin's mobile app (iOS)

                                                                                                                Hello everyone! We're happy to announce that users can now integrate Zoho Books with the latest version of Bigin's iOS app. Zoho Books can be integrated with Bigin only via the web application. Users can view the Zoho Books tab in the detail pages of
                                                                                                              • HubSpot CRM to Zoho Creator Integration

                                                                                                                I'm trying to create an integration between HubSpot CRM and Zoho Creator with HubSpot being the push source (if a contact is created or updated in HubSpot, it pushes the information to Zoho Creator). I have two questions: 1- Is it best to use Zoho Flow
                                                                                                              • Systematic SPF alignment issues with Zoho subdomains

                                                                                                                Analysis Period: August 19 - September 1, 2025 PROBLEM SUMMARY Multiple Zoho services are causing systematic SPF authentication failures in DMARC reports from major email providers (Google, Microsoft, Zoho). While emails are successfully delivered due
                                                                                                              • Accessibility controls and multilingual captcha authorization for Help Center users ​

                                                                                                                Hello everyone, As part of our ongoing effort to improve user experience, we are excited about the accessibility controls and predefined accessibility personas added in the Help Center, similar to what is already available in Zoho Desk. Help Center users
                                                                                                              • Gain control over record sharing with portal users through our new enhancement: criteria-based data exposure

                                                                                                                Dear Customers, We hope you're well! Portals is a self-service avenue through which your clients can access and manage their direct and related data in Zoho CRM. This empowers them to be more independent and enables them to experience a sense of transparency
                                                                                                              • Zoho Sign + Zoho CRM : la solution pour simplifier vos accords de vente

                                                                                                                La conclusion d’un contrat de vente nécessite de nombreuses étapes : préparation de documents, validations successives et collecte des signatures. Les équipes commerciales passent souvent par plusieurs cycles de collaboration et de révision, tout en assurant
                                                                                                              • Zoho Desk Limitations

                                                                                                                Good day, all, I would like to know whether others share my frustration with some of Zoho's limitations. Don't get me wrong, I like Desk (and I also have a subscription for Analytics), I have been with them for close to 10 years, and unfortunately, I
                                                                                                              • Item/service subtotal

                                                                                                                Just discovered & really pleased that we can drag to re-order the line items in Sales orders & Invoices, a very nice feature which doesn't seem to be documented? It would be nice to be able to insert a subtotal as a line item to complete this great feature
                                                                                                              • Converting Sales Order to Purchase Order

                                                                                                                Hi All, Firstly, this code works to convert a sales order(SO) to a purchase order (PO) via a button, however I am running into an issue when I convert the SO where the values from the line items are not pulled across from the SO to the PO. The ones in
                                                                                                              • how to Solve Conflict Invoices in Zoho POS

                                                                                                                Hello Team, I am facing a repeated issue in Zoho POS while saving a sale that contains service-based items. My products are intentionally created as Service (Non-Inventory) items because I do not want to track stock for them. However, every time I try
                                                                                                              • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                                                                                                The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest update
                                                                                                              • Next Page