Response in Webhook Block
Once your webhook sends a request to an external API, it often receives a response. This is where the Response List in the webhook block becomes incredibly useful. It lets you capture and use the data that comes back from the API, right inside your Guided Conversation flow.
Let’s dive into what the Response section in a webhook block does, why it matters, and how you can use it effectively.
What is a Webhook Response?
When your webhook sends a request to a third-party API (like your Zoho Desk, CRM, billing tool, or database), that API usually sends back a reply. This reply is called a response and contains the outcome of your request.
Example
Example
For example, if your GC asks for a user’s profile from an external CRM, the API might send back something like this:
{
"user": {
"name": "Jane Doe",
"email": "jane.doe@example.com",
"subscription_status": "Active"
}
}
This response is important, and the Webhook Block’s Response section helps you capture and use this information within your conversation flow.
Two main parts of a Webhook Response
There are two parts of the response that you can work with inside the Webhook block:
Status Code
Response Values
Status Code
This is a number returned by the server that tells you if your request worked or not. It’s like a health check for your API call.
Common examples:
- 200 is Success! The request went through.
- 404 is Not found. Maybe the data doesn’t exist.
- 500 is Server error. Something went wrong on their side.
In Zoho Desk GC, you can store this status code in a variable and use it in conditional flows.
For example:
- If the status code is 200, show a success message and display user info.
- If status code is 404, show a “No records found” message.
- If the status code is 500, ask the user to try again later.
Response Values
This is the real data you asked for, like names, dates, statuses, or order details. The API can send data in many formats:
Single Value:
Example: "userName": "John"
List of Values:
Example: "orders": ["#123", "#124", "#125"]
Object (Structured Data):
Example:
"user": {
"name": "John",
"email": "john@example.com"
}
Array of Objects (Multiple Records):
Example:
"tickets": [
{ "id": "101", "subject": "Login Issue" },
{ "id": "102", "subject": "Billing Error" }
]
You can map any of these values to variables in your GC flow.
Once mapped, you can:
- Display them to users
- Use them in conditional checks
- Summarize them into one response using the Formatter block
Why the Response section is useful
Here’s why:
- Show live data like subscription status, order history, or open tickets
- Handle different API results differently using status codes
- Display data directly from your system without manual updates
- Keep your API as-is and manage formatting inside the GC flow
Response mapping is completely in the backend; users won’t see this configuration. It’s just there to help your bot know what to do with the data it receives.
Example Use Case
Let’s say your bot is checking a user’s subscription status.
Step 1: You set up a webhook to fetch details from your billing API
Step 2: The API returns:
{
"user": {
"name": "Talaash",
"subscription": "Inactive"
}
}
Step 3: In the Response section:
- Map the status code to a variable: response_code
- Map user.name to user_name
- Map user.subscription to subscription_status
Step 4: Use conditions in the GC:
- If subscription_status is “Inactive”, prompt the user to renew
- If “Active”, show appreciation and subscription expiry date
- Just like that, your bot becomes more helpful, relevant, and context-aware.
If you’re using a Formatter block in this flow, the mapping should be done based on the Formatter’s output. Learn about Formatter
Using JSON Pointers to map nested API responses
If your API response contains nested data, you can use a **JSON Pointer** to extract the exact value you need. This follows the [RFC 6901](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6901.html) standard and is supported in the webhook block.
What’s a JSON Pointer?
It’s a string syntax used to locate a value inside a JSON response. It starts with `/` and uses `/` to separate levels in the hierarchy.
Example JSON Response
Example JSON Response
```json
{
"user": {
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com",
"subscription": {
"status": "Active"
}
}
Pointer paths:
- /user/name → John Doe
- /user/subscription/status → Active
When mapping your response values:
- In Response Variable, use a JSON pointer like /user/subscription/status.
- Set the Variable Name as something like subscription_status.
In Guided Conversations (GC), do not use {{...}} syntax in the pointer. Just use the plain JSON pointer path (e.g., /user/name).
Tips
Sometimes, API responses aren’t user-friendly. You might get dates like 2025-06-01T09:00:00Z or codes like subs_001_A. That’s where the Formatter block comes in handy. Once you capture the data using the Response section, pass it to the Formatter to clean it up and make it readable.
Example:
- Turn this "2025-06-01T09:00:00Z"
- Into this “1 June 2025, 9:00 AM”
Learn more about webhooks: Introduction to Webhook Block in GC
Access your files securely from anywhere
Zoho CRM Training Programs
Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.
Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo
If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.
- Zoho Workerly Home
- Forums
- Connect With Us:
- Zoho Recruit Home
- Forums
- Connect With Us:
New to Zoho Writer?
Create. Review. Publish.
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.
New to Zoho Survey?
Zoho Sheet Resources
Zoho Forms Resources
New to Zoho Sign?
Zoho Sign Resources
Sign, Paperless!
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
New to Zoho ZeptoMail?
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
New to Zoho Workerly?
New to Zoho Recruit?
New to Zoho CRM?
New to Zoho Projects?
New to Zoho Sprints?
New to Zoho Assist?
New to Bigin?
Related Articles
Webhook Block
The webhook block is one of the four action blocks available in the Guided Conversations bot builder. This block enables the conversation flow to interact with Zoho Desk processes or other Zoho or third-party services. The webhook block uses APIs ...Multipath in Webhook Block
Not every API call ends the same way. When your chatbot interacts with external systems using a Webhook block, you often expect different types of responses. Some API calls are successful, like when the system finds a customer’s data, while others ...Request Timeout in Webhook Block
When your chatbot connects to an external service, it uses a webhook block to send a request to that service’s API. Now imagine the service takes too long to respond. What should your chatbot do? Wait forever? Give up too early? That’s exactly what ...Formatter (Deluge) in Webhook Block
Not all API responses come in the exact format you want to show to your users, and that’s where Formatter comes in. With Formatter, you can use Deluge scripting to transform your raw API response into clean, user-friendly content that fits your use ...PUT Method in Webhook Block
When you’re building a bot that interacts with external systems, like Zoho Desk, a CRM, or any other support platform, you may need to update existing records, such as changing the status of a support ticket or updating a user’s contact details. ...
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources