Zoho CRM is on its way to GDPR Compliance

Zoho CRM is on its way to GDPR Compliance

Hello folks,  

GDPR has been the talk of the hour and we would like to ensure that this GDPR fever does not come in the way of your business and selling. There are several GDPR centric enhancements in Zoho CRM that will be released in a phased manner to all our users in the following weeks. 

Designed to help you meet the privacy standards set by the European Union, these enhancements will provide a streamlined mechanism for you to collect, process and store your customer data in conformation with the GDPR. 

So what is GDPR and how will it affect your business?

GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation is a landmark policy aimed at empowering citizens of the European Union regarding their personal data. With increasingly complex flow of information across the world, GDPR aims to give EU citizens more direct control on how their personal information is being processed in addition to improved data privacy.

GDPR not only applies to companies in the EU region but to any organization that collects or processes the data of EU citizens. If you are one of those organizations who collect or process data of EU citizens, the following enhancements in Zoho CRM are for you. 

GDPR centric enhancements in Zoho CRM:

We have split GDPR requirements into Data collection, Data processing and Data Subject Rights. In the sections below, we state the GDPR requirements along with the respective enhancements in Zoho CRM that meet them.  

Note: The Organization collecting customer data is referred to as "Data Controller"/"Controller", your customers are referred to as "Data Subjects" and Zoho CRM will be the "Data Processor". 

1. Data Collection

GDPR demands that personal information collected from Data Subjects should be limited to what the Data Controller needs in order to deliver its services, and a legitimate need in case of requesting additional information must be demonstrated. It is also mandatory that you state the purpose and get clear consent when collecting personal information.  

Consent must be explicit, where Data Subjects take an affirmative action (clicking on the checkbox, so no pre-ticked check boxes). Controllers are also expected to be transparent about the duration for which the data will be processed. 

Consent Form: Consent is one of the cornerstones of GDPR, as the execution of any processing activity now depends on the consent provided by the Data Subject. So in-order to demonstrate compliance, it is mandatory that a Data Controller identifies Data Subjects who require consent and those who do not require it under criteria such as Legitimate interest, Vital interest, Public interest, Contract, Freely given consent and other basis. After identifying this, the Data Controller should get consent from Data Subjects who require consent and be able to provide proof of consent if needed. 

The fully customizable consent form in Zoho CRM allows Controllers to get explicit consent in regards to: 
  • The purpose of data collection.
  • Preferred communication channel.
  • Duration for which the data can be processed or consent duration.
  • Sharing information with connected services.
Consent from Data Subjects, in written declaration or orally obtained consent (through email or telephone) can be attached to the form using the Attachment option.  


Once the Data Subject has submitted their consent, it's stored under the Data Subject's record details page for the purpose of official record and for the Controller to know their actionable items from the data provided. For example, if a Data Subject has explicitly stated that their preferred channel of communication is email, then they are not to be contacted through any other means. 

Double Opt-in Mechanism: This is one more compliance feature which you can use when setting up webforms. Anytime a Data Subject submits their information through a webform, a double Opt-in email is sent to them to confirm their registration/sign-up.

Data source tracking: Data Subjects' information can be pushed into Zoho CRM from multiple sources which include direct sources like web-forms, and indirect sources such as imports, manual entries, APIs, and third-party integrations.

The source and additional details if any (like the URL, IP address and geo-location) will be documented in the record details page. The screenshot below shows a new section called Data Privacy, under which Data source and the respective consent details are populated. 


2. Data Processing

Information provided by a Data Subject can only be processed in a lawful basis. There is significant emphasis on the fact that all processing activities must be carried out securely to ensure that personal information is not exposed. 

Marking Personal fields - fields containing PII (Personally Identifiable Information): Data Controllers can mark fields containing personal information as Personal fields and set a sensitivity level (High and Low). Based on the privacy preference, the Controller can choose to restrict these fields from certain processing activities such as exports, APIs and connected services.

There are two cases when data is being processed via connected services:

Case 1 - Data Subject has not consented to their data being shared with any connected services. In such a case no information of theirs will be shared with any of the integrated services of Zoho CRM. 
Case 2 - Data Subject has consented to their data being shared with connected services but there is an organizational restriction in sharing PIIs. In such a case the fields with PIIs will be not be processed in APIs and connected services. 

With regards to Zoho connected services (Zoho products like Books, Desk, Campaigns, etc.) consent provided in one product will apply across all integrated Zoho products.  

Encryption At Rest (EAR): Enterprise users have the option of Encryption At Rest for Personal fields. 

Audit log and timeline for customer records: The Data Controller can monitor the processing activities done on a Data Subject's personal information. 

Consent Management: The consent management system helps the Controller to keep track on the consent status of their Data Subjects. The system helps users identify Data Subjects who are yet to provide consent and immediately allows for sending an email with the consent form link. Consent can be obtained through webforms, consent form, portals and offline consent (Email or phone call). 

The screenshot below is a consent dashboard showing the various consent statuses. Clicking on them will get you a list of all Data Subjects with their particular consent status.   


3. Data Subject Rights

GDPR comes with a slew of rights which EU Data Subjects can exercise at any time which must be addressed in a month's time. The data request management in Zoho CRM lets the Controller keep track of all data requests to address them in a timely manner. The data requests raised is also maintained under each Data Subject's record details page so that the Controller is informed on any pending requests. 


The Data Subject can exercise their rights through the consent form, portal, or offline through email and phone calls.


Zoho CRM helps Controllers address these data requests through the following options: 

Access (Right to View): Using Zoho CRM's email feature, a template consisting of all customer information fields can be quickly created, which can then be sent to your customer upon request.
Rectify (Right to Rectify): Customer specific information can be exported and sent to the customer for rectification and the same can be updated.
Export (Right to Portability): Customer specific information can be exported, attached to an email and sent to a customer in a machine readable format, all without being downloaded on to your device.
Stop Process (Right to Stop Processing): Once a customer exercises this right, the corresponding record will be locked preventing further processing.
Erase (Right to be forgotten): Once exercised, the customer's record will be locked for the duration of the retention period defined in the Data controller's terms of service, after which the controller has the option to delete the customer information. Once deleted, the record will be moved to a blocklist and the re-entry of the same data will be prevented.

All of these enhancements will be made available for you in Zoho CRM in a phased manner. So watch this space for more updates!

    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

                                                                                                          • Turning off the new UI

                                                                                                            Tried the new 'enhanced' UI and actively dislike it. Anyone know how to revert back?
                                                                                                          • Zoho Sprints Android v2.0.4 app update: Item reminders, archive Epics, Kanban projects, Epic progress

                                                                                                            Hello everyone! In the latest version(v2.0.4) of the Zoho Sprints Android app update, we have introduced various new features. Let's take a look at what's new! Item Reminder Stay organized and never miss an important date with the all-new Item Reminder
                                                                                                          • Credit Management: #3 Setting Credit Limit for Customers

                                                                                                            Think about that one familiar customer of yours who always buys on credit. They usually pay on time, maybe a little late here and there, but not alarming. So, you are fine saying, "Sure, pay later." Then, one day, they place a significantly bigger order
                                                                                                          • Canvas View in Zoho Recruit

                                                                                                            Is it possible or would it be possible to have the new 'Canvas View' in Zoho Recruit?
                                                                                                          • Adding Reports to Portals

                                                                                                            Is there a way to add Reports to portals so only the user can see report templates relevant to them?
                                                                                                          • Update on the client portal URL for Guest users

                                                                                                            We’re updating the way Guest users access their Connect network. As part of this change, all client organization portals used by Guest users will now be accessible through a dedicated domain specific to each data center. The access URLs mentioned here
                                                                                                          • Preserve Ticket Issue Mapping When Migrating from Jira to Zoho Projects

                                                                                                            Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We are currently exploring a full migration from Jira to Zoho Projects, and we identified a critical limitation during the migration process involving Zoho Desk integration. Current Situation: We use
                                                                                                          • Enhancements to Zoho Maps integration tasks

                                                                                                            Hello everyone, We're excited to announce enhancements to the Zoho Maps integration tasks in Deluge, which will boost its performance. This post will walk you through the upcoming changes, explain why we're making them, and detail the steps you need to
                                                                                                          • Unable to see Zoho contacts in Zoho app on ios

                                                                                                            Hi Support Team, I am a new user, I have created my account and installed zohomail app on iOS 16 which works. I was also able to import my Gmail contacts into Zoho Contacts, which I can see. The problem is that I can’t see these imported cobalts in Zohomail
                                                                                                          • Task Due Date greater than 10 years.

                                                                                                            We use recurring tasks in Projects where every week, month, year etc Some of our projects are greater than 10 years and we are unable to set a new due date because the difference between start date and due date is greater than 10 years. As an example
                                                                                                          • External User onboarding for zoho connect is not really intuitive.

                                                                                                            So the external user is sent an invite, which has a button that directs them to login to zoho to view the invite, but if they don't have a zoho account, they cannot access that invite, which seems kinda silly, as there is not real way on for them to create
                                                                                                          • Hosting external websites on Zoho?

                                                                                                            How can I host my external website on zoho? Do we have that option? I am currently with hostinger and am looking to switch to zoho. Kindly help. Thanks.
                                                                                                          • How to Add Time Formula Duration (hh:mm)

                                                                                                            Hi everyone — I’m trying to create a formula field in Zoho CRM that calculates the difference between a “Call Start Time” and “Call End Time” and displays the duration in HH:MM format (for example: 1:04 for one hour and four minutes). My current setup
                                                                                                          • How can I calculate the physical stock available for sale?

                                                                                                            Hey Zoho Team,  I've tried to calculate the physical stock on hand in various ways - but always receive a mismatch between what's displayed in Zoho Inventory & analytics.  Can you please let me know how the physical stock available for sale is calculated?
                                                                                                          • Set Custom Icon for Custom Modules in new Zoho CRM UI

                                                                                                          • Live Webinar: Getting Started with Zoho WorkDrive - A Complete Overview

                                                                                                            Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar! Discover how to set up your team, bring in your data, and make the most of WorkDrive’s collaboration, organization, AI, and security capabilities. This session is perfect for anyone
                                                                                                          • Marketing Tip #4: Build your email list early

                                                                                                            Email marketing has one of the highest returns on investment. Don’t wait until later; start collecting subscribers now. When you've got their attention, you can send them emails about offers, new product launches, seasonal greetings, and more. Try this
                                                                                                          • Is anyone else having trouble saving a custom image in their email signature, or is it just me?

                                                                                                            When I try to save the image I get an error that says "Operation Failed" I opened a support ticket two weeks ago and received a response that it would be debugged, but it still isn’t working
                                                                                                          • Unify 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,
                                                                                                          • Zoho Desk Domain mapping / Cloudflare CNAME not recognized

                                                                                                            Hello, my website is behind Cloudflare and SSL. From the Cloudflare control panel I added a CNAME record such as support.mydomain.com pointing to desk.cs.zohohost.com but I'm stuck with the message "Make sure you've mapped the CNAME entry..."
                                                                                                          • Power of Automation :: Quick way to associate your Projects with Zoho CRM

                                                                                                            A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate complex tasks and
                                                                                                          • Create an Eye-Catching Announcement Widget for Your Help Center

                                                                                                            Hello Everyone! In this week’s edition, let’s explore how to keep your customers updated with exciting news in the Help Center. See how ZylkerMobile wowed their customers by bringing updates right to their portal. ZylkerMobile, the renowned brand for
                                                                                                          • I want to add my other zoho account in same pc

                                                                                                            why does zoho restrict me doing many things as i also want to add my second mail account bit its not allowing me to do that
                                                                                                          • Search in Zoho Community Not Working

                                                                                                            I realize this is a bit of a meta topic, but the search for the various Zoho Communities appears to not be working. I'm under the impression that they run on some version of the Zoho Desk platform, so I'm posting this here.
                                                                                                          • Capture Stripe’s Customer ID

                                                                                                            Does anyone know of a way to capture Stripe’s customer ID that is created when the form/payment is processed? I would like to have the customer ID stored in our CRM so we could utilize in some custom functions down the road.
                                                                                                          • Custom Modules - Where are Comments??

                                                                                                            In the standard ticket module and in the tasks module, we have an interactive comment box that we can post important details/notes and can tag others if needed. Where is this functionality for Custom Modules? Ideally, custom modules would have very similar,
                                                                                                          • Dynamic Signature - Record owner

                                                                                                            Hi everyone, I’m using Zoho Writer merge templates from Zoho CRM and have two questions: Owner signature: How can I automatically insert the CRM record owner’s signature in the merged document? I’m not sure where this signature is stored or how to reference
                                                                                                          • PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) INDIA - NOT AVAILABLE IN BANKING

                                                                                                            Dear sir, Kindly fix it. PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (INDIA) is available but PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) is not available. Kindly enable this banking since we need to categorize the entries. Regards, Sanjay Jena email id/ user id : travewithmerchant@
                                                                                                          • Amazon invoice in Zoho Books

                                                                                                            I have just made my first few sales on Amazon India. Amazon Seller account generates invoices for the sales made on Amazon. These invoices are sent to customers also. Now when I was only making offline sales, I used to create Invoices in Zoho Book. Now
                                                                                                          • CUSTOM FUNCTION GIVE ERROR #EVAL!

                                                                                                            CUSTEM FUNCTION CREATE KYA ZOHOSHEET ME US FUNCTION KO USE KIYA LEKIN DATA TO SAHI HAI LAKIN DATA SHEET ME NAHI LAG LAHA HAI KRUPYA SOLVE KARE MY CODE IS float ADDTWO_TWO(float NO1, float NO2) { ADD = NO1 + NO2; return ADD; }
                                                                                                          • Zoho ShowTime: Certificates of Completion - Award your learners with a sense of achievement

                                                                                                            In our increasingly competitive market, professional trainers need to differentiate themselves if they are to survive. One way to do this is to focus on innovation and deliver an ideal learning experience. By developing a renowned certificate program that provides learners with a specialized skill set for a particular industry, both trainees and future prospects will recognize the trainer's leadership in that field. This can help with long-term growth, revenue generation, and even marketing and branding.
                                                                                                          • IMAP Migration from Gmail

                                                                                                            I have been trying to import my email from a Gmail server and keep receiving the following error. I have reduced the security, activated imap and no improvement. The link to the Google support item has not helped. Unable to connect to your account. Please
                                                                                                          • Your Incoming has been blocked and the emails will not be fetched in your Zoho account and POP Accounts Click here to get unblocked.

                                                                                                            When entering my account, this error is thrown at me, and I deleted a good part of my deleted messages, but I still can not unblock it, I would appreciate your help. reservas@lineasperutravel.com
                                                                                                          • Request for Creating Multiple Email Accounts on One Mobile Number

                                                                                                            Dear Zoho Team, I am planning to shift all my work-related communication to Zoho Mail because of its reliability and features. For my work, I need to create 3–4 separate email accounts for different purposes. Could you please confirm if it is possible
                                                                                                          • Signature issue

                                                                                                            Problem: The signature does not appear when replying or forwarding an email. solve issue: settintgs/Signature Check option place a signature above the content with quotation marks
                                                                                                          • mail admin not loading

                                                                                                            i am trying to login to mailadmin ... gears keeps rotating forever... its not a password issue whats so ever ... not cookies issues whatsoever from android app i can login but there so few things to do from there .. i changed ip address the same... i
                                                                                                          • Unify All Zoho Video Meeting Experiences into One Standardized Platform

                                                                                                            Hi Zoho Team, We would like to share an important user experience concern regarding the current state of video meeting functionality across the Zoho ecosystem. The Problem Within Zoho, there are multiple ways to initiate or schedule a video meeting: Zoho
                                                                                                          • Changing Account in Quote form does not update address information.

                                                                                                            I am trying to update the address information in a quote I've created. I corrected the address in the "Account" but that did not change in the quote. If I re-enter the Account Name in the Quote form, nothing updates. How do I fix this?
                                                                                                          • Zoho One Backup of entire account

                                                                                                            Hello, When using Zoho one is there a way to backup your entire account of all apps that you are using \ activively using in a single step or do you have to backup each applications data individually? Thanks,
                                                                                                          • ZIA in Zoho Cliq

                                                                                                            Is It possible to use the ZIA feature from Zoho Analytics in the Zoho Cliq?
                                                                                                          • Next Page