Gmail Integration | Zoho Vertical Studio Help

Vertical Studio - Gmail Integration

Gmail integration allows you to send and receive emails directly within your Vertical Studio application using your Gmail account. This integration uses IMAP or POP3 protocols to synchronize your Gmail inbox with Vertical Studio, keeping all customer email communication centralized and automatically associating emails with the correct lead or customer records.
This feature is available only in subscriber organizations, not in the Developer Console. You control your own email integration settings, including the sync protocol (IMAP or POP3), sync period, email sharing permissions, and folder mapping.

Prerequisites

Before you can activate Gmail integration, ensure:
  1. Your super administrator has completed the Google Integration Setup and configured OAuth credentials.
  2. You have a Google Workspace account with an email address from the same domain as your organization.
  3. You have the necessary permissions in your Vertical Studio application to configure email integration.
  4. Your profile includes Email & Chat Settings permissions (unless the admin has disabled this).
Info
Note: Gmail integration requires its own redirect URI in the Google Cloud Console. During the Google OAuth setup, your super administrator must add https://gadgets.zoho.com/tpa/serviceapps as an authorized redirect URI. This is separate from the redirect URI used for Calendar and Contacts sync, and is required specifically for Gmail. If this URI is missing, users will get an error when trying to configure Gmail integration.

Activating Gmail Integration

To activate and configure Gmail integration:
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Email > Email Configuration.
  2. In the Email tab, click Get Started.
  3. Select Gmail from Popular Email Service.
  4. Under Choose the protocol to configure, select IMAP (recommended) or POP and click Configure.

  5. You will be redirected to the Google sign-in page. Sign in with your Google account.
  6. On the consent screen, review the requested permissions and click Allow.
  7. After authorization, configure your email settings:
  8. Email Sharing Settings: Choose who can view your emails in Vertical Studio. This option is only editable if the admin has granted User Choice permissions.
    1. Private: Visible only to you.
    2. Public: Shared with all users in your organization.
    3. Custom: Record-level sharing based on your configuration.

  9. More From Address: Optionally, click Add Email Address to add a sender address. Enter a Display Name and Email Address.

  10. Server Details: Incoming and outgoing server settings are automatically populated for Gmail. You can click Server Details to view them if needed.
  11. Click Update.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Gmail account and need to set up Gmail using custom IMAP/POP3 configuration, you must generate an app-specific password:
To generate an app-specific password:
  1. Sign in to your Google Account.
  2. Navigate to Security > 2-Step Verification > App passwords.
  3. Select the app (Vertical Studio) and device.
  4. Click Generate.
  5. Copy the app-specific password (displayed only once).
  6. Use this password when configuring IMAP/POP3 (not your regular Gmail password).
  7. Enter the password without any spaces.
The app-specific password provides access to your Gmail without compromising your main account password.

Email Sync Behavior

Understanding how email sync works helps you manage communication effectively within Vertical Studio.

Sync timing and organization

  1. Initial sync: Emails are synchronized when you first activate the integration.
  2. Related lists: Emails sent to primary and secondary email addresses of leads and contacts appear in the Emails related list.
  3. Automatic association: Sent emails are automatically associated with the correct lead or customer record.

Email visibility

  1. Viewing other users' emails: You can view email conversations from other users' inboxes in your organization, provided those users have set their email sharing to Public or have shared access with you through a Custom sharing setting.
  2. Shared inboxes: Useful when you need email viewing access but have sensitive information in your own inbox.

Managing Gmail Integration

After activation, you can view sync status and manage your email integration.

Viewing email configuration

Navigate to Setup > Channels > Email > Email Configuration to view the configuration details.n

Deactivating Gmail integration

To deactivate Gmail integration:
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Email > Email Configuration.
  2. Locate your Gmail account in the list.
  3. Click Deactivate or remove the integration.
If you are an admin, you will be prompted to choose whether to retain folders, filters, and labels.
When you deactivate Gmail integration:
  1. Email sync stops immediately.
  2. Existing emails remain in Vertical Studio.
  3. You can choose to keep or remove folders, filters, and labels (admin decision).

Revoking Google authorization

In addition to deactivating within Vertical Studio, you can revoke authorization directly from your Google account:
  1. Sign in to https://accounts.google.com/.
  2. Navigate to Linked apps.
  3. From the list of applications, select the relevant app.
  4. Click Delete all.
This removes Vertical Studio's permission to access your Gmail data.

Sample Use Case

Consider a sales representative at an automotive dealership using a Vertical Studio application. The representative uses Gmail for all customer communication and needs to keep emails centralized:
Scenario 1: New lead inquiry
  1. A potential customer sends an email inquiry to the representative's Gmail account.
  2. With Gmail integration enabled, the email automatically syncs to Vertical Studio.
  3. The system recognizes the sender's email address and associates the message with the existing lead record.
  4. The representative responds directly from Vertical Studio, and the sent email is stored in both systems.
Scenario 2: Email thread tracking
  1. A customer emails back and forth with the representative about financing options.
  2. All email messages in the thread appear in the customer's record in Vertical Studio application.
  3. The sales manager can review the complete email history without asking the representative for updates.
  4. The communication history is preserved even if the representative is unavailable.
Scenario 3: Mobile access
  1. The representative receives an urgent email while away from their desk.
  2. They respond using the Gmail mobile app on their phone.
  3. The response syncs to Vertical Studio application automatically.
  4. The email appears in the customer record, maintaining a complete communication timeline.
The result is centralized email management where all customer communication flows through Gmail but remains fully accessible and organized within the Vertical Studio application.
For additional guidance, refer to Google Integration Setup for super admin configuration steps.