Need to bring in up-to-date information from another system during a conversation, like checking a user’s order status, booking details, or product availability?
The GET method in the Webhook block helps your bot fetch real-time data from external tools such as Zoho Desk, CRMs, order systems, or knowledge bases, without modifying any data. It’s perfect for showing the most current information to your agents or customers during a support interaction.
Let’s go step by step and see how this works.
What is the GET Method?
The GET method is used to retrieve data from another system through an API.
Think of it like asking a question:
“Hey, can you give me the latest info about this user?”
The system then sends back the requested data, which your bot can use in the conversation. You’re not sending or changing any data, just asking for information.
Common uses of the GET Method:
Here are some practical examples of what you can do with the GET Method:
- Track a customer’s order using their reference number
- Check booking status based on the user ID or email
- View past support tickets from Zoho Desk
- Fetch product details or availability from inventory
- Pull relevant articles from your knowledge base
When should you use it?
Use the GET method whenever you need to:
- Display user details from your Zoho Desk or CRM
- Show the latest shipping status from your order management system
- Retrieve booking confirmations or travel itineraries
- Fetch help content or product data from an external database
It’s ideal for support scenarios where having up-to-date information makes conversations smoother and more helpful.
Example Use Case
Let’s say a customer wants to know the status of their recent order. You can use a GET request to retrieve that data and display it directly in the conversation.
GET https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/tickets/1892000000143237?include=contacts
Sample Response
{
"subCategory" : "Sub General",
"statusType" : "Open",
"subject" : "Hi. There is a sudden delay in the processing of the orders. Check this with high priority",
"dueDate" : "2016-06-21T16:16:16.000Z",
}
Understanding the differences between Webhook HTTP Methods
GET
Primary Purpose
| Typical Use Cases
| Request Body
| Example Scenario
|
Retrieve data from a server
| - Fetch user details
- Get ticket history
- Retrieve knowledge base articles
| No
| Display a user’s subscription status based on their email.
|
POST
Primary Purpose
| Typical Use Cases
| Request Body
| Example Scenario
|
Submit data to create a new resource
| - Create a support ticket
- Submit a form
- Log user feedback
| Yes (e.g., JSON)
| Create a new ticket in Zoho Desk with user information.
|
PUT
Primary Purpose
| Typical Use Cases
| Request Body
| Example Scenario
|
Update or replace an existing resource
| - Update ticket status
- Modify user contact details
- Change subscription plan
| Yes (full resource)
| Change the priority of a support ticket to “Urgent”
|
PATCH
Primary Purpose
| Typical Use Cases
| Request Body
| Example Scenario
|
Apply partial modifications to a resource
| - Update ticket priority
- Change the user’s phone number
- Modify specific fields
| Yes (particular data)
| Update only the status field of a ticket to “In Progress”.
|
DELETE
Primary Purpose
| Typical Use Cases
| Request Body
| Example Scenario
|
Remove a resource from the server
| - Delete a support ticket
- Unsubscribe a user
- Remove a customer record
| Optional
| Delete a user’s support ticket upon request. |
Benefits of using the GET Method
- Safely fetch information without changing any data.
- Always show the latest details from your external system.
- Use retrieved data to guide branching logic in your bot. (e.g., “If order status is ‘shipped’, show tracking info”)
FAQs
Yes. GET requests only read data. They don’t change data, which makes them safe and repeatable.
Any REST API that supports GET, including Zoho Desk, CRMs, order systems, databases, or SaaS tools.
Absolutely. Most APIs let you pass filters as parameters like?email=
user@example.com.
Tips
- Use dynamic variables like {{user.email}} or {{user.id}} to personalize requests.
- Always refer to the API docs for the right parameters and structure.
- Save values (like orderStatus) to use later in your flow.
- If your request fails, double-check the URL and parameters.
- Testing the API in tools like Postman first can help debug easily.