Hello everyone!

The first half of September brought subform-level workflow rules, emoji reactions on notes, and the new zoho-crm skill for AI-assisted CRM development. Given how much there is to it, we've followed the announcement with two Kaizens: one on installing and configuring the skill, and one showing it build a complete workflow through the CRM APIs. The Functions and Client Scripts section has three discussions worth bookmarking too.

Let's get into it!

Product Updates:

Workflow rules can now be triggered from subform row actions

Workflow rules in Zoho CRM used to stop at the module level, which meant changes inside subform rows had to be tracked manually. Now you can trigger a rule directly from a subform row action, whether a row is added, modified, or deleted, with conditions set at both the row and parent record level. Actions include field updates across the subform row, parent record, and any linked lookup module at once, plus email and SMS notifications, webhooks, and functions.

A new SKILL.md for Zoho CRM and an updated OAS repository

If you build on Zoho CRM APIs, functions, widgets, or COQL using AI coding tools, the new zoho-crm skill is worth installing with npx skills add zoho/crm-skills. Describe your use case in plain language and it picks the right approach across REST APIs, Deluge, Client Scripts, widgets, COQL, Queries, and Connections, generates the solution, and validates it before handing it back. It works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or any compatible AI harness. Server-side functions are Deluge only for now, with Java, Node.js, and Python not yet supported. The OAS (OpenAPI Specification) repository has also been restructured for LLMs and agents to navigate.

Notes gets reactions and a cleaner interface

You can now react to notes in Zoho CRM with an emoji instead of adding another note just to say you've seen it. Each user gets one reaction per note, the top three show by default, and hovering shows who reacted. The Notes interface is also refreshed, with record details, author information, and timestamps moved to the top. Currently live in the SA and JP data centres and rolling out to others in phases, though reactions aren't in the mobile app yet.

Functions and Client Scripts:

Standardise phone number formats automatically

Phone numbers typed in every format imaginable, when you need clean E.164 (the international format, like +31612345678)? For manually entered numbers, Haiku Technical Support pointed to zoho.ai.parsePhoneNumber(), a built-in Deluge task that parses a number against a country code and hands back the E.164 version directly. Attach it to a Client Script on field change and numbers get normalised as they're entered, with no regex to maintain.

DateTime across timezones in Deluge: what actually works

Deluge DateTime behaving oddly across timezones? Haiku Technical Support explained why: CRM returns values on a GMT baseline adjusted for the current user's locale, which in a backend function means the function owner's, and asking a Date object for its timezone gives you the data centre's. Kay then tested it and found toString() converts the clock time correctly but can still report the wrong offset. The safer pattern: convert to Unix epoch to compare, use toDateTimeString() with a named timezone for display since it handles daylight saving, and write back in ISO 8601 with an explicit offset.

How to set a lookup field value in SlyteUI

Building with SlyteUI's crm-field component and need to pre-populate a lookup? Passing the record ID as a plain string doesn't work, and nor did the object format Jeff first tried. Sunderjan came back with a working sample showing the exact syntax, so you can copy the structure rather than guess at it.

Kaizen:

(Kaizen #258) - Getting Started With zoho-crm SKILL.md

We covered the zoho-crm skill announcement earlier in this edition. If you've been meaning to try it, this Kaizen is where to start. It walks through installing with the Skills CLI, choosing which agent gets the skill and whether it's project or global, keeping it updated, and pinning versions for team or CI environments. There's a manual alternative too, if Node.js isn't available.

(Kaizen #259) - Working With Zoho CRM APIs Using the zoho-crm Skill

Now that the skill is installed, this Kaizen puts it to work on a real lead management scenario: using plain-language prompts to generate cURL requests for a field update, a task, and a webhook action, then wiring all three into a workflow rule that fires when a lead is qualified. It also makes a wider point, that you can treat the skill as a Zoho CRM expert to consult while you build, asking which API suits a requirement and why, not just asking it to generate code.

That's your September Part 1 CRM Digest. Got a question, or something you'd like to see covered? Drop it in the comments, and we'll see you in Part 2!