Workflow Rules for Calls | Zoho CRM - Help

Workflow for Calls

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Workflow rules for calls allow you to perform certain actions automatically whenever a call is received, made, missed or scheduled. It significantly reduces manual effort of updating or adding details about the individual call.

For example, you can send a notification to the supervisor whenever a call is missed so that they can quickly tend to it. In some businesses, agents make multiple cold calls in a day and to prevent overlaps they schedule the calls at regular intervals. You can either create a workflow to update the call status as completed once the call ends or right when the call is answered by the recipient. The latter will help prevent repetitive calls to the customer due to oversight.

Similarly, for organizations that have set up an escalation for calls that are overdue by 30 min can benefit for false alerts if they update the call status while its ringing. As soon as the agent makes a call the call status will be updated to "contacted" to prevent false alarm.   

Creating Workflow Rules

Creating and configuring a workflow rule consists of the following parts:

  • Part 1 - Basic Details  - Details about the record type for which the rule applies, Rule Name, and Description.
  • Part 2 - Rule Trigger  - Specifies when the rule should be triggered based on the type of call.
    • Incoming and Outgoing call  -  Triggers when an incoming call is completed, ringing, attended, modified, and logged or modified.
    • Scheduled Call  - Triggers only for scheduled calls in Zoho CRM. You can specify when the rule should be triggered when:
      • A scheduled call is  Created  or  Modified
      • A scheduled call is Modified
      • A scheduled call is  Overdue
      • A scheduled call is  Rescheduled
      • A scheduled call is  Reassigned
      • A scheduled call is  Deleted
    • Deleted call  - Rules can be triggered when a call log is deleted from Zoho CRM
    • Any of the Above  - Rules can be triggered irrespective of the type of call.

Notes
  1. The Modified trigger is available only for Incoming Calls, Outgoing Calls, and Scheduled Calls. When the modified option is selected, workflow can be triggered whenever the record gets edited or when a particular field is modified . The modification can either be manual or due to an automatic update because of telephonic integration. For example, a note addition from the integrated call service like Zoho Voice, can modify the record and trigger the workflow.
  2. For Incoming and Outgoing calls, the options ringing and attended will be displayed only when a Telephony provider is integrated. That is, the workflow will be triggered only if the call is made via CRM.
    To know more about the telephony providers click here.
  • Part 3 - Workflow Conditions  - Multiple conditions can be created in a workflow rule. The conditions can be set based on:
    • Call Fields (Call Duration, Call Purpose, Call Result, etc.)
    • Caller (Leads, Contacts, Accounts, Unknown).

    You can apply the workflow rule to:

    • All modules (leads, contacts, accounts, or unknown)
    • Selected module
    • Records in a module which matches the specified conditions.

  • Part 4 - Instant Actions  - Specify the actions to be performed for records that meet the specified criteria. You can automate email notifications, task additions, field updates, webhooks, and custom functions so that they will be triggered immediately when a rule is executed.

Enter basic details of the rule

To enter basic details

  1. Go to Setup  > Automation > Workflow Rule .
  2. In the Workflow Rules  page click  + Create Rule .
  3. In the Create New Rule  popup, select Calls from the drop-down list.
  4. Enter the Rule Name and Description of your Workflow Rule.
  5. Click Next.

Specify Rule Trigger

To specify rule trigger

  1. Select the type of call you want to apply the workflow rule to.
  2. Choose when the rule should be triggered from the drop-down list.This applies only if Incoming Call, Outgoing Call, or Scheduled Call is selected. 
  3. If you select Modified, choose either of following options:

    1. Any field(s) gets modified

    2. Specific field(s) gets modified - Select this to trigger workflow when a specific field gets modified. Provide the field trigger conditions.

  4. Check Repeat whenever a call is modified if required.
  5. Click Done.

Create Workflow Conditions

To create workflow conditions

  1. Check Yes if you want to set conditions for call properties.
  2. Specify the conditions based on which workflow will be triggered.
    For example, you can apply a workflow rule for calls that are  Logged manually from CRM  and have  Demo  as their  Call Purpose .
    You can apply this rule to records matching  all  or  any  of these conditions.

  3. Choose the module to which you want to apply this rule (Leads, Contacts, Accounts, or Unknown).
    Callers whose information is not available in CRM will fall under the Unknown  category.

  4. Apply the rule to all modules, or selected module, or records in a module which matches the specified conditions.
    For example, if the condition is set to "Leads in the city of Boston," then the workflow will be triggered only for leads in Boston.

Add or Associate instant actions

To add or associate instant actions

  1. Click  Instant Action and select the action from the drop-down list.

  2. In the pop-up, select the actions that are listed or click  New [Action]  to create one and then associate.
  3. Click  Associate  if you want to associate an action that already exists.
  4. Click Save .

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