Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging | Feature Updates | Feb 2023

Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging | Feature Updates | Feb 2023

Hello All,

We are back with some exciting updates and feature enhancements to meet your business communication needs.
Let's take a look at what's new in the Instant Messaging module.

Multi-number support for WhatsApp users

If you have been using the WhatsApp channel to communicate with your customers, you're likely aware that, on the current WhatsApp Business platform, every WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) needs a verified phone number specifically dedicated to each channel.
Great news! We now support multiple WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) phone numbers on the WhatsApp Business platform.



Note: Multi-bot support is also available for configured Telegram channels.

Use template messages to reach out to customers—even after the 24-hour messaging window

Now that you have set up the WhatsApp Business platform, you can start creating message templates for initiating conversations with your customers.
A highly structured message (HSM) is a form of message template that is pre-approved by WhatsApp. You can use it to proactively communicate with customers by sending outbound messages through our integrated WhatsApp channel.
WhatsApp message templates help you keep customers engaged with your business, without waiting for them to initiate contact.


IM Custom Actions Gallery

Zoho Desk offers a set of functionalities to automate and simplify the customer support process. The custom actions gallery lets you add workflow actions, in addition to the alerts, tasks, field updates, skills, and custom functions available by default. All you have to do is select or specify an action and set the values to add it to your desired workflow rule.

Introducing two custom actions you can associate with workflow rules:

Notify via the Instant Messaging module: Send notifications to customers through your configured IM channels.



Reply via the Instant Messaging module: Send automatic responses to IM tickets through your integrated channels.


Enable Auto-Response for your business

Automatic response messages help give your customers the right information at the right time to show that you are invested in them around the clock. This helps give your services a personalized feel and creates brand value for your customers.


Why is Auto-Response important for your business?
Customers have always valued businesses that deliver quick responses and prompt resolutions to their problems. By enabling Auto-Response, businesses can enhance users' experiences, improve customer retention, attract new leads, and solve problems instantly.

Convert conversations to tickets in IM using one simple setting

At any time, you can update your preferences for each of your help desk instant messaging channels. Now, you can also specify how much time should pass before a conversation is converted into a new ticket.



Note: If the timer selection remains None by default, conversations will not be converted into tickets.

Manually create tickets for messages

Your Desk ticketing system creates a document that records interactions related to support and service cases. Now, you can create a ticket from a single important message within an ongoing business conversation. The ticket is shared between the agent and the customer and logs their communications in one easy-to-manage thread. Both parties can refer to the ticket for future use.


Quick deletion of a configured messaging channel

You can delete a messaging channel if you wish to stop sending or receiving messages there. The channel's existing conversations will stay intact, but the agent cannot respond, transfer, or block associated chats.


  • Once a channel is deleted, conversations associated with that channel will be listed, but agents will not be able to respond to them or receive additional messages in the channel.
  • Chat transfers and chat blocking are restricted for the deleted channel's conversations.
  • The deleted channel will be removed from your list of channels.
  • The deleted channel will no longer be listed under Tickets or the agents' Preferences.

Personalize your messaging experience

Display modes ensure that your messaging inbox responds to light conditions to prevent eye strain. Now, you can change the messaging console's interface skin to dark or light, based on your preference and needs.

Dark Mode
Dark Mode is ideal in sparse light conditions.



Pure Dark Mode

A subset of Dark Mode, this option provides an even darker background, while maintaining contrast with the text and other graphical user interface (GUI) components.


Instant Messaging on your mobile app

Carry your support desk wherever you go!
With IM, you can handle all business communications on one platform. Desk empowers customers to seamlessly integrate their most-loved apps, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE, WeChat, Instagram (coming soon), and FB Messenger (coming soon).



Try out these features and share your suggestions and feedback in the comments section.

Cheers,
Kavya
The Zoho Desk Team

    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



                                                          • Sticky Posts

                                                          • Zoho Desk Partners with Microsoft's M365 Copilot for seamless customer service experiences

                                                            Hello Zoho Desk users, We are happy to announce that Zoho Desk has partnered with Microsoft's M365 to empower customer service teams with enhanced capabilities and seamless experiences for agents. Microsoft announced their partnership during their keynote
                                                          • WhatsApp pricing changes: Pay per message starting July 1, 2025

                                                            Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is shifting from conversation-based pricing to per-message billing. That means every business-initiated message you send will count. Not just the first one in a 24-hour window. Pricing updates on the WhatsApp Business Platform
                                                          • Live Webinar - Work smarter with Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace integration

                                                            Hello customers! Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace are coming together for a webinar on 14th May, 2024. Zoho Workplace is a suite of productivity apps for email, chat, docs, calls, and more at one single place. Zoho Desk is closely integrated with a few tools
                                                          • Apple iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates for Zoho Desk users

                                                            Hello Zoho Desk users! Apple recently announced the release of iOS 17 and iPad OS 17. These latest OS updates will help you stay productive and efficient, through interactive and seamless user experiences. Zoho Desk has incorporated the updates to help
                                                          • Zoho Desk Cheat Sheet For The Year-End

                                                            Check out these Zoho Desk best practices to end this year on a high and have a great one ahead! #1 Set Business (Holiday) Hours - If you have limited working hours, please make sure you restrict your business hours or set them as holidays for the coming days. Let your customers know when you will, and won't, be available. #2 Update the Annual Holiday List - Check the holidays for the new year and update the holiday schedule. Usually, holidays from the current year will be carried over for the next


                                                          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

                                                                                                          • Custom order for Current Stage (Blueprint field)

                                                                                                            Hi! I suggest adding the option to set a custom order in reports for the Blueprint field ‘Current Stage’. Currently, these fields can only be sorted in ascending or descending order. Thanks!
                                                                                                          • CRM E-mail Sync from Outlook

                                                                                                            We are exploring Zoho as a possible new solution for our company. We are trying to understand further on how e-mail sync works. We use outlook. Our current CRM logs anytime we e-mail a customer so we can see in the CRM the message sent to the customer.
                                                                                                          • Run your help desk on your schedule

                                                                                                            In business, time is of the essence. This is especially true in a function like customer service, where KPIs such as response time and agent availability are the measures of success. Perhaps the most crucial consideration one needs to make about time is your hours of operation. These set expectations for your customer and for employees. To make communicating this information easier, we've revamped the way business hours and holiday lists work in Zoho Desk.   In order to accommodate teams that work
                                                                                                          • The Customer Happiness REST API is broken

                                                                                                            1. We are unable to extract the customerHappiness ( https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#CustomerHappiness#CustomerHappiness_ListallcustomerHappiness) object using the ticketNumber criteria. We keep getting HTTP 429 even when we limit to 60 calls per
                                                                                                          • Can the Product Image on the Quote Template be enlarged

                                                                                                            Hello, I am editing the Quote Template and added ${Products.Product Image} to the line item and the image comes up but it is very tiny. Is there anyway that you can resize this to be larger? Any help would be great! Thanks
                                                                                                          • Automatic Department and Employee Sync Between Zoho One and Zoho People

                                                                                                            Dear Zoho Support, I'm writing to propose a valuable feature request that would streamline data management and improve user experience within the Zoho ecosystem: automatic synchronization between departments and employees in Zoho One and Zoho People.
                                                                                                          • Zoho Expense and Chase Bank Visa credit cards - Direct Feed?

                                                                                                            Our company uses JP Morgan Chase Visa credit cards. We can't be the first to try and use a combination of Zoho Expense + Chase Bank + Visa Credit Cards --- anyone successful with this combination? 1. The direct feed automation isn't working. When I go
                                                                                                          • Impossibile inviare il messaggio;Motivo:554 5.1.8 Indirizzo del mittente bloccato

                                                                                                            " Impossibile inviare il messaggio;Motivo:554 5.1.8 Indirizzo del mittente bloccato" Hi need to send email, how can fix this? Thanks, Alice
                                                                                                          • Image inputed in Zoho Form were displayed to small in exported version

                                                                                                            Good evening, my name is athallah, i am a trainee in government office Right now, i use Zoho form to digitalize an airfield monitoring form. my problem is, the image were to small to displayed in exported version. it really bad for formal presentation
                                                                                                          • API. How do I get responses submitted to the form?

                                                                                                            Hi, I'm trying to retrieve a list of form responses via the API. I've created a Self Client application in API Console. What scoup should I enter? What are the endpoints? Is there documentation on this anywhere? I've wasted a lot of time searching. GPT
                                                                                                          • Question about Zoho CRM Professional plan users

                                                                                                            Hello! I have a question about the Zoho CRM Professional plan. Is the pricing charged per user or per organization? Are there any free users included in this plan, or do I need to pay for each additional user separately? Thank you!
                                                                                                          • Communicating with emojis

                                                                                                            On July 17, we celebrate World Emoji Day! We're a bit late 😐 sharing insights about this day. But we just couldn't let it pass without a mention 😊 because emojis have a meaningful connection with customer service 💬 🤝. We do not want to miss out on
                                                                                                          • Changing the Default Search Criteria for Finding Duplicates

                                                                                                            Hey everyone, is it possible to adjust the default search criteria for finding and merging duplicate records? Right now, CRM uses some (in my opinion nonsensical) fields as search criteria for duplicate records which do nothing except dilute the results.
                                                                                                          • Is it possible to create a word cloud chart in ZoHo Analystics?

                                                                                                            Hi there, I have a volume of transaction text that I would like to analyse using word cloud (or other approcah to detect and present word frequency in a dataset). For example, I have 50,000 records describing menu items in restaurants. I want to be able
                                                                                                          • Help integrating Aircall into Zoho CRM

                                                                                                            Hi all, We are need to get better AirCall integration into Zoho. We have configured in the Aircall dashboard but we have not done the Zoho side. We cannot see Zoho CRM information on incoming calls. And we calls and text's are not being logged. Specifically
                                                                                                          • Shopify Extension no longer working in CRM

                                                                                                            Zoho CRM and Extension are no longer working properly. We have used Shopify Basic for years. All of the sudden it stopped working, then started working again, and now no longer working again. There are several ways for Personal Information to sync from
                                                                                                          • How to keep track of bags, cans, drums of inventory?

                                                                                                            We buy and sell products that are packaged in bags 🛍️, cans🥫, drums🛢️, etc. with batch numbers. When we get a shipment of one of the products, how do we track we received (say) 10 cans each of 5L of a product and maybe we received 10 cans of another
                                                                                                          • Easy third party collaboration: Zoho Flow Integration

                                                                                                            Third-party integrations extend your project functionality with improved workflow, and data processing. With Zoho Flow integration you can include multiple third party actions into your project or task automation. Add Zoho Flow action in Workflow rules
                                                                                                          • Zoho Inventory - How to pay a supplier up front then receive multiple deliveries

                                                                                                            How do we manage situations where we pay a supplier up front, then the receive the products in increments? Example Workflow: Create Purchase Order > Receive Bill for full amount > Receive Items 2 or more deliveries. Currently, once a Bill is created against
                                                                                                          • Introducing Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) in Zoho CRM | Public early access 2023

                                                                                                            Greetings Customers! We're excited to announce that the CPQ feature will soon be available in Zoho CRM and accessible to all accounts using the Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. We've opened this feature to select customers, and it'll be
                                                                                                          • how to edit the converted lead records?

                                                                                                            so I can fetch the converted leads records using API (COQL), using this endpoint https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v5/coql and using COQL filter Converted__s=true for some reasons I need to change the value from a field in a converted lead record. When I try
                                                                                                          • Zoho Bookings <> CRM integration

                                                                                                            Hello Zoho community! We are enabling our Zoho Bookings <> CRM integration. What is the workflow if the integration detects that the contact already exists in the CRM? Does it create a duplicate record? Overwrite the record? Merge the record? (in this
                                                                                                          • Cannot reject empty expense report

                                                                                                            Hello, We are currently having issues with two empty expense reports where if we try to reject them, either manually or through the REST API, we get error 114016, which says some of the expenses have already been billed and must be removed. I'd appreciate
                                                                                                          • Use of Zia within Forms

                                                                                                            I have noticed that recently you have added Zia to help create forms from scratch. Would it be possible to add Zia functionality to free text fields for form submissions or if this is already on the roadmap an ETA for this please? We have a lot of field
                                                                                                          • Default in fields on Form B based on the user selection in Form A

                                                                                                            Hi Everyone, I have added an action button to a form report to bring up a new form based on user selection, see it indicated in red below: Then when the ne form loads, I want to default in some of the fields based on the record the user was selected on.
                                                                                                          • Auto-sync field of lookup value

                                                                                                            This feature has been requested many times in the discussion Field of Lookup Announcement and this post aims to track it separately. At the moment the value of a 'field of lookup' is a snapshot but once the parent lookup field is updated the values diverge.
                                                                                                          • Last activity time is acting like last modified time

                                                                                                            When i edit the description or any field in the potential, account, contact and lead, the Last Activity Time is being updated like the Modified Time. This is messing all workflows and reports and we are unable to track real last time of activities like
                                                                                                          • Enhancements to the formula field in Zoho CRM: Auto-refresh formulas with the "Now" function, stop formula executions based on criteria, and include formulas within formulas

                                                                                                            Dear Customers, We hope you're well! By their nature, modern businesses rely every day on computations, whether it's to calculate the price of a product, assess ROI, evaluate the lifetime value of a customer, or even determine the age of a record. With
                                                                                                          • HEX/RGB Color Input in Visual Editor

                                                                                                            Hello Zoho Pagesense Team, We hope you're doing well. We’d like to submit a feature request to improve the color selection options in the Pagesense popup editor. Current Limitation: Currently, to set text colors, users must move the color slider manually.
                                                                                                          • Add Comprehensive Accessibility Features to Zoho Writer

                                                                                                            Hello Zoho Writer Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to enhance Zoho Writer with a full set of accessibility tools, similar to the accessibility options already available in the Zoho Desk agent interface. 🚧 Current
                                                                                                          • CRM and Campaigns- tags not integrating?

                                                                                                            Hi! I am setting up an automation in zoho campaigns and it says the crm is integrated...but when I want to use a trigger of a certain tag I created for people in the crm to denote those who purchased, it doesnt have that tag available as an option in
                                                                                                          • Maximum limit of rows exceeded

                                                                                                            I am trying to add a row to a spreadsheets that has fewer than 60 rows. I keep getting an error message that says I have exceeded the maximum limit of 65,536 rows. Any ideas out there?
                                                                                                          • Can't change form's original name in URL

                                                                                                            Hi all, I have been duplicating + editing forms for jobs regarding the same department to maintain formatting + styling. The issue I've not run into is because I've duplicated it from an existing form, the URL doesn't seem to want to update with the new
                                                                                                          • 【参加無料】今年最後のZoho ユーザー交流会|東京・大阪・名古屋で開催! 活用事例&ユーザー同士の情報交換

                                                                                                            ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 11月に東京、大阪、名古屋の3都市でZoho ユーザー交流会を開催します! 毎回ご好評いただいている本イベントでは、実際の Zohoユーザーによるリアルな活用事例の共有や 参加者同士でノウハウを交換し合うグループワークを予定しています。 「他社の活用を参考にしたい」「Zoho をもっと使いこなしたい」方にぴったりの場です。 初参加の方もぜひお気軽にご参加ください! ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
                                                                                                          • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

                                                                                                            Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child
                                                                                                          • Tip #7: 5 formas de mantener tus listas de correo electrónico

                                                                                                            Tips and Tricks #7, adaptado de Susmit Sen ¡Hola, comunidad! Esta semana volvemos con nuestros Tips and Tricks para Zoho Campaigns. En esta ocasión, voy a darte algunos consejos para mantener limpias tus listas de correo electrónico, y empezar el 2021
                                                                                                          • Mail Merge related Lists

                                                                                                            When I try to merge an associated list the fields do not have a checkbox to choose them as it does in the tutorials. Am I missing something? Any ideas would be appreciated.
                                                                                                          • create-a-purchase-receive API issues

                                                                                                            Hello all, I'm trying to use the create a purchase receive inventory API documented here (https://www.zoho.com/inventory/api/v1/purchasereceives/#create-a-purchase-receive) however when I do am getting the following error {"code":9,"message":"The purchase
                                                                                                          • Zoho Pagesense really this slow??? 5s delay...

                                                                                                            I put the pagesense on my website (hosted by webflow and fast) and it caused a 5s delay to load. do other people face similar delays?
                                                                                                          • Heatmap: Missing Content Elements - Zoho Page Sense

                                                                                                            Hi there, I'm trying out Zoho Page Sense to generate heatmaps for my Wix pages. My problem: Some parts of my Wix pages don't show on my heatmap, the heatmap is just empty there. Maybe Wix default lazy loading setting causes this error? Is there a way
                                                                                                          • Next Page