Email Parser 2.0 — What's New and What has Changed
Email parser is a data extraction tool in Zoho CRM that helps an organization in various business functions such as lead generation, information updates and customer follow up activities. It is designed to automate the process of adding records to Zoho CRM by extracting information from incoming emails. The source of data is email, and the destination is your CRM modules. With the help of email parser, you can automate the addition of lead enquiries and the modification of updated lead information received via emails.
Thus far, you may have created multiple email parsers for your incoming emails to generate records under different modules. Considering the best interests of our users, we have made a handful of improvements to this functionality which we are sure will make your experience much better and easier.
In this guide, you will find useful information on how you can get onboard the new email parser flows. You will also find some key pointers on what is different about the new parser when compared with the previous version so that you can get accustomed to the new flows easily.
How is the New Parser Better Than the Old Parser?
Factor of difference | Old Parser (Before) | New Parser (After) |
1. Configuration experience | Difficult to configure. Using the delimiters correctly involved a significant learning curve | Easy to configure. The new parser involves a direct field-value mapping which is easy. |
2. Parser ID | The old parser required you to configure multiple parser IDs — one for each rule. | The new parser now has a single parser ID which is common for all parser rules. |
3. Adherence to rigid templates | The old parser required adherence to very rigid email template formats that used delimiters. This made configuration difficult and at times erroneous. | The new email parser does not require adherence to very rigid templates — in fact the configuration is made much simpler, so there is bound to be a lot fewer mistakes than before. |
4. Approved email IDs | Approved IDs are configured for each rule as the final configuration step. | Approved email addresses are configured up-front, making it easier to receive emails successfully. |
5. Custom Actions Support (NEW!) | Not available in the previous version | Email parser offers extensibility and interoperability with the help of custom actions. You can create data in more than one module (extensibility) and perform specific actions on a third party application based on parsed data (interoperability) using custom actions). |
6. New module, layout and custom field support (NEW!) | Not available in the previous version | Email parser rules can now be created for custom modules and also for specific layouts within a module. Custom field mapping is also supported in the new version of email parser. |
| 7. Parsing Metrics (NEW!) | Not available in the previous version | You will now have clear parser reports, introduced in this version |
| 8. Update Record and Send for Approval (NEW!) | Not available in the previous version. | You can update an existing record's values via email parser with the email field acting as a unique identifier. You can also send parsed records for manual approval. |
9. Reorder and Filter Rules (NEW!) | Not available in the previous version | You can reorder the parser rules to dictate the order of precedence in order to determine which rule to execute first. You may also filter rules based on their status and module. |
Comparison in Images
Configuration experience
BEFORE
AFTER
Parser ID
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AFTER
Adherence to rigid templates
BEFORE
AFTER
Approved Email IDs
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AFTER
Custom Actions Support (NEW!)
Email parser now supports execution of custom functions based on parsed data. In this case, the parser rule is not attributed to a particular module. Using custom actions helps you with extensibility and interoperability in Zoho CRM. That is, you can extend the email parser function to more than one module. You can also perform ad-hoc actions in third party applications based on the parsed data.
For example, a property management company wishes to update both Contact and Account records from an incoming email — this indicates extensibility. A property management company wishes to update the status of a listing on a third-party website based on the content of an incoming email from a customer. This suggests the need for interoperability. Once you have the required custom actions written, you can associate the required function to the parser rule and have the action executed for subsequent incoming emails.
Custom module, layout and custom field support (NEW!)
- Email parsers can now be configured for any module including custom modules.
- You can create different email parsers for different layouts in a module.
- You can also map email content to custom fields in a module.
Update Record and Send for Approval (NEW!)
Update Record is a function using which you can update the latest information pertaining to a record from an incoming parsed email. For this to work, you must have first mapped the "Email" field from the email content, which serves as the primary identifier or a "unique field" for a record. For example, assume you have mapped the email field from your template and then you receive an email from "jane@sample.com". Now if Jane is already an existing record, the fact that this is an existing record is understood by CRM using the email field— it recognizes Jane as an existing customer and so updates information rather than creating a new record, when you choose Update Record.
You can also choose to send parsed records for approval, before they become a part of the CRM system. In this case, these records need to be reviewed and approved from the Waiting for Approval tab in the selected module.
Parsing Metrics (NEW!)
In the new version of email parser, you are presented with accurate, detailed insights on the number of emails being parsed per rule, the fields extracted and a list of customized actions associated to the records created via the parser. This summary of details gives you a clear picture of how effective your rules have been and indicates the revisions you may need to make to those rules based on the insights. Detailed weekly performance reports can be sent to the creator of these rules or a custom email ID. Email reports are also sent on record creation failure, so that immediate action can be taken by the users.
Reorder and Filter Options (NEW!)
If a single email were to meet two parser rules, the rule listed first gets executed. Therefore you may reorder the rules based on order of preference. You can also filter rules by status (active/inactive) and also by module.
Overall, the new parser flows offer a much user-friendly experience with hassle-free configurations and more effective results.
Switching to the New Parser from the Old Parser — Onboarding Guidance
If you are switching to the new parser from the old parser, you need to follow the steps below.
This is an effortless and short process. This is also a one-time action only.
To switch to the "New Parser"
- Go to Settings > Setup > Channels > Email > Email Parser and click Switch to New Parser.
- Confirm the switch by clicking Switch to New Parser.
You may switch back to the old version at anytime.
Points to Remember:
- Upon switching to the New Parser, your parser rules will continue to exist and work with no hassles.
- You can create a new parser rule either from the Parser Rules page or also by clicking the Create Rule option from any of the incoming emails under the Emails Tab.
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