Kaizen 215 - Workflow APIs - Part 3
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve joined Zylker Cloud Services as they review and improve their workflows. In Part 1, we discovered and audited their sprawling workflow landscape. In Part 2, we learned how to use the Configuration API to understand valid triggers and actions, preventing errors before they happen.
Now, it is time to take action. Zylker has identified the "VP Alert - High Value Deal" workflow as a prime candidate for an update. It is old, has never run, and its logic might be too narrow. We will also explore how to create a new workflow from scratch to handle a new business requirement.
STEP 5: Update an Existing Workflow
From our audit in Step 2, we know that the existing ‘VP Alert - High Value Deal’ workflow (id: 4876876000016390024) hadn’t triggered even once. The original $50,000 threshold missed many valuable deals. Most winning opportunities actually land above $30,000. It has never executed, suggesting the criteria are too strict.
Let us use the Update Workflow Rule API to fix it. We'll change the criteria to trigger for deals greater than or equal to $30,000 and add an additional email notification.
What you can and cannot update
When working with the Update Workflow Rule API, not every field in a workflow is open for modification. Think of it like editing an existing automation blueprint. Some foundations are fixed, while others are flexible.
You can update:
Name and Description
Trigger : You can update triggers, but only within the same trigger type. For example, you can change a Record Action trigger from create to edit, but not from a Record Action trigger to a Score-based trigger. For more details on this, please refer to our detailed help documentation here.
Conditions and Criteria : add, remove, or refine them.
Actions : add new ones, remove existing ones, or update their configuration.
Status : activate or deactivate a workflow rule.
What cannot be updated
There are a few key restrictions to remember:
You cannot change the module associated with the workflow.
You cannot switch trigger categories (e.g., from Record Action to Email Trigger).
You cannot retain unsupported actions when changing to a trigger that doesn’t support them. For instance, if you change a trigger from Edit to Delete, but keep an Assign Owner action, the update will fail, because “Assign Owner” isn’t valid for Delete triggers.
Updating an existing workflow is not about replacing everything. it is about editing precisely what needs to change.
Here is how to do it:
Fetch the workflow details using the Get Workflow Rule API. This gives the full structure, including condition IDs, action IDs, and trigger details.
Identify what needs to change.
In this case, to fix the “VP Alert - High Value Deal” workflow, we can update the Workflow rule to:
lower the threshold to $300,000
change the comparator to greater_than.
To make the workflow more useful, Zylker has also decided to add a few new actions.
But before doing that, the developers needed to confirm which actions are supported for this workflow’s trigger type. That is where last week’s Configuration API comes in handy. Since we already know this is a Record Action trigger (create_or_edit), we can refer to the configuration response we explored in Part 2 to see which actions are valid.
{ "api_name": "create_or_edit", "deprecated": false, "name": "CreateorEdit", "scheduled_actions_supported": true, "actions": [ "field_updates", "assign_owner", "add_tags", "remove_tags", "email_notifications", "tasks", "create_record", "create_connected_record", "add_meeting", "webhooks", "functions", "circuits", "flow" ] }, |
The response clearly shows that email notifications, field updates, and tags are all supported for this trigger type. With that confidence, in addition to updating the condition, we can also add a 'Priority' tag to those records that trigger the Workflow. This makes the workflow more visible and actionable across the sales hierarchy.
Sample Request:
PUT {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/workflow_rules/4876876000016390024
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "description": "Notify sales leadership and track strategic opportunities", "name": "VP Alert - High Value Deal.", "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, "criteria_details": { "criteria": { "group_operator": "AND", "group": [ { "comparator": "greater_than", // change in comparator operator "field": { "api_name": "Amount" }, "value": "300000" // Lowered threshold }, { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Stage" }, "value": "Negotiation/Review" } ] } }, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ { "type": "add_tags", "module": "Deals", "details": { "tags": [ { "name": "Priority" } ], "overwrite": true } } ] }, "id": "4876876000016390025" // id of the condition to be updated } ] } ] } |
After this update, the workflow now triggers for any deal worth more than $300,000 in the Negotiation/Review stage. Apart from sending the email notifications and adding the follow up task, it also tags these deals as Priority.
Edit vs Add:
To edit an existing condition or action, include its existing id in your update payload. Zoho CRM will recognize it as an update to that object.
To add a new condition or action, simply omit the id. CRM treats any object without an ID as a new addition.
STEP 6: Create a new Workflow Rule
With the “VP Alert - High Value Deal” workflow now fixed and performing as expected, Zylker’s sales team quickly began to see results.
But their sales team noticed that deals often stall after proposals are sent, with no systematic follow-up. Zylker has hence refined the requirements for a new Workflow.
They want to automatically trigger follow-up actions when a high-value deal (above ₹30,000) is marked “Closed Lost” due to pricing reasons. This workflow must ensure that every lost opportunity is reviewed, tagged, and re-engaged after a cooling-off period. To achieve this, they want to create a workflow to be triggered whenever a deal’s Stage is updated to Closed Lost. It must perform the following actions:
Add tags Lost due to Pricing and Re-engagement Pending.
Send an email alert to the Sales team, with the details of the failed Deal, so they can look into the reasons.
After 30 business days, automatically create another “Lost Deal - Feedback” task to remind the owner to re-contact the customer for feedback, and for future opportunities.
Before proceeding, Zylker makes an API call to the Workflow Configuration endpoint. This ensures that their chosen trigger type and actions are supported. From the response snippet below, it is clear that a field_update trigger supports scheduled actions and the required action types.
{ "api_name": "field_update", "deprecated": false, "name": "FieldUpdate", "scheduled_actions_supported": true, "actions": [ "field_updates", "assign_owner", "add_tags", "remove_tags", "email_notifications", "tasks", "create_record", "create_connected_record", "add_meeting", "webhooks", "functions", "circuits", "flow" ] } |
With these details validated, we can now move on to adding a new workflow for Zylker using the Create Workflow Rule API request.
Understanding the input JSON structure
Every workflow definition follows the same hierarchy - defining when the rule runs, what conditions it checks, and which actions it performs.
The top-level input object contains a workflow_rules array. You must include just one workflow rule object per request. Each workflow rule defines its name, trigger type, and one or more condition blocks, each with its own criteria and actions.
Here is a breakdown of what is inside a single workflow rule:
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "name": "VP Alert - High Value Deal.", //name of the workflow rule "description": "Notify leadership when high-value deals are lost due to pricing.", "module": { "api_name": "Deals" }, //module to which the workflow applies "execute_when": { ... }, //trigger configuration (e.g., on record edit, field update, etc.) "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, // order of execution. this is the first condition "criteria_details": { ... }, // condition logic (criteria group) "instant_actions": { "actions": [ ... ] }, //instant actions executed instantly cheduled_actions": [ // schedules actions executed after a delay { "execute_after": { ... }, // delay period for the scheduled action "actions": [ ... ] } ] }, { "sequence_number": 2, // second condition "criteria_details": { ... }, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ ... ] } } ] } ] } |
Associative vs. Non-Associative Actions
Every workflow rule performs one or more actions like sending an email, creating a task, or updating a field, etc. These actions fall into two broad categories: associative and non-associative.
Type | Description | Example Actions |
Non- Associative Actions | These are defined inside the workflow rule itself. They do not need to exist beforehand. You can configure their details directly within the workflow payload. | Create record, schedule a call, add a meeting, convert records, social actions, create record on email received, assign owner, |
Associative Actions | These are reusable actions created separately in CRM and referenced by their IDs. They can be used across multiple workflows and other automation tools. | Field updates, Email notifications, tasks, Webhooks, Add/Remove tags |
When you create or update a workflow via API, the associative actions require you to pass their existing action IDs. These IDs can be fetched using the corresponding Actions APIs : Field Updates, Email Notifications, Webhooks, and Tasks. In the coming weeks of Kaizen, we will take a closer look at each of these Actions APIs. We will see how to create, manage, and delete them within your workflow automation strategy.
Sample Request:
POST {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/workflow_rules
{ "workflow_rules": [ { "execute_when": { "details": { "trigger_module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "criteria": { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Stage", "id": "4876876000000002565" }, "type": "value", "value": "Closed Lost" }, "repeat": false, "match_all": false }, "type": "field_update" }, "module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "description": "Triggers tasks, tags, and follow-up reminders for high-value deals lost due to pricing", "name": "Lost Deal due to Pricing - Follow Up", "conditions": [ { "sequence_number": 1, "instant_actions": { "actions": [ { "name": "Lost Deal - Feedback", "id": "4876876000016794047", "type": "tasks" }, { "details": { "module": { "api_name": "Deals", "id": "4876876000000002181" }, "over_write": false, "tags": [ { "name": "Lost due to Pricing", "id": "4876876000016794071", "color_code": "#658BA8" }, { "name": "Re-engagement pending", "id": "4876876000016794075", "color_code": "#879BFC" } ] }, "type": "add_tags" }, { "name": "Deal Lost Alert", "id": "4876876000016794062", "type": "email_notifications" } ] }, "scheduled_actions": [ { "execute_after": { "period": "business_days", "unit": 30 }, "actions": [ { "name": "Lost Deal - Feedback", "id": "4876876000016794047", "type": "tasks" } ] } ], "criteria_details": { "criteria": { "group_operator": "AND", "group": [ { "comparator": "greater_equal", "field": { "api_name": "Amount", "id": "4876876000000002557" }, "type": "value", "value": "30000" }, { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Reason_For_Loss__s", "id": "4876876000002440001" }, "type": "value", "value": "Price" } ] } } } ] } ] } |
The execute_when defines when the workflow should fire.
type = field_update means this rule runs when a field’s value changes.
criteria : Stage = Closed Lost so the rule triggers whenever the Stage field is updated to Closed Lost.
repeat = false ensures it will not trigger multiple times for the same record.
In simple terms: “Whenever a deal is marked as Closed Lost, run this workflow.” The criteria_details section refines the trigger. The workflow only runs when the Amount ≥ ₹30,000 AND Reason for Loss = Price.
The instant_actions section inside the conditions array has the actions to be executed immediately when the criteria are met.
Add Tags : labels the record for easy filtering and reporting.
Send Email Alert : notifies the sales team instantly about the lost deal.
The scheduled_actions defines what happens after some time has passed. In this case, after 30 business days. Here, the workflow automatically creates a “Lost Deal - Feedback” task, reminding the deal owner to follow up with the customer to get feedback, and for future opportunities.
- The Amount is greater than or equal to ₹30,000, and
The Reason for Loss is “Price.”
By combining these elements, this workflow achieves a full closed-loop follow-up system.
Conclusion:
Zylker’s updated and new workflows make their automation smarter and more responsive. They are now able to spot key deals and ensure lost opportunities are revisited.
We hope you are now well on your way to mastering Workflow APIs. Share your thoughts in the comments or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.
Additional Reading:
- Workflow APIs - Part 1 - Auditing Workflows
- Workflow APIs - Part 2 - Find out what actions and triggers are supported for each module
Topic Participants
Anu Abraham
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes areKaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms
Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the
Recent Topics
Weekly Tips : Stay in loop with Conversation View
You receive a series of emails back and forth with a client regarding a project update. Instead of searching through your inbox for each separate email, you would want to see the entire email conversation in one place to understand the context quicklyIntroducing Zoho PDF Editor: Your free online PDF editing tool
Edit your PDFs effortlessly with Zoho PDF Editor, Zoho's new free online PDF editing tool. Add text, insert images, include shapes, embed hyperlinks, and even transform your PDFs into fillable forms to collect data and e-signatures. You can edit PDFsRSC Connectivity Linkedin Recruiter RPS
It seems there's a bit of a push from Linkedin Talent Solutions to keep integrations moving. My Account Manager confirmed that Zoho Recruit is a Certified Linkedin Linkedin Partner but does not have RSC as of yet., (we knew that :-) She encouraged meWater-Scrum-Fall approach for finance institutions with Zoho Projects Plus
Finance is a highly regulated sector with strict rules and compliance requirements. Handling sensitive client data and complex transactions like multi-currency deals requires elaborate workflows and precise management. Implementing project managementGet instant summaries of your notes with the help of Zia
Hello all, We've added a simple yet powerful feature to Zoho CRM that we're excited for you to try: Zia Notes Summary. It's designed to make the daily lives of a CRM user a bit easier by giving you quick summaries of your CRM notes. Whether it's a glanceZoho one web page are not available
Why I am not able to enter to zoho one web page?Zoho People > Onboarding > Candidate do not view all the data field on the Employee Onboarding
Hello In my onboarding portal I do not see all the fields that i want the candidate to fill in In my Employee Onboarding Form These details i can see In the work information, i have enable the Company View but in the Employee Portal i do not see I haveHas anyone implemented a ""switch"" to redirect emails in production for testing?
Hi everyone, In our production Zoho CRM we have a fairly complex setup with multiple Blueprints and Deluge functions that send emails automatically — to managers and internal staff — triggered by workflows. We’re looking for a way to *test changes safely*,Restrict Access/Shared Access
Sometimes access to documents that go out from Zoho Sign need to be restricted or shared. For example: 1) HR department send out employment contracts. Any Zoho Sign admin can view them. Access should be restricted to those that HR would allow to viewTip#44: Integrate with Xero to manage your financial operations
Managing your project finances becomes more efficient with Xero integration in Zoho Sprints. With this integration, you can sync your Zoho Sprints data with Xero. Once you sync them to Xero, you can easily create invoices in Xero. This feature significantlyZoho People Onboarding Unable to Convert to User
Hello All I need help in this onboarding of candidate Currently at this stage the candidate is just being offered and we are filling in his details however not all information are fill up. The candidate is still using his/her personal email When i tryIntegration with SharePoint Online
Is there an integration where we can add a Zoho Sign link to the context menu of a document in the SharePoint document library. Then, we could directly initiate a workflow of sending a document for signature from a document library in SharePoint onlWhite screen when connecting Zoho Cliq and Zoho People for birthday notifications
Hi everyone, I'm new to Zoho and I'm trying to set up the employee birthday notifications, following this guide: Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq But when I try to connect Zoho Cliq with Zoho People, I just get a white screen andWord file is messed up when i upload it to zoho sign
Hi. I am trying to upload a word file to zoho sign and when i do that it ruins the file, It adds spaces and images are on top of each other. What can i do? Thanks.Annotate widget?
Is there something in creator or any zoho app that allows me to have an image markup field item in the form? I need to be able to complete a form that also allows the user to mark up a preloaded image. Other compay's call this an image markup field orDashboards / Home Page - Logged In User
Lots of the dashboards that we use reference the Logged In User. We also set up Home Pages for specific roles, where the Logged In User is referenced within the custom view. As an admin, that means that these views are often blank when customizing andI'm pissed as fuck
What the hell Zoho! Always the same goddam problem. It takes time because the simplest things just don't fucking work. Today it just took me 3 hours to complete and send a 1page privacy letter to a client. And you know what 99% of the document was alreadyConfigure Notifications for API Limit
Hello developers, APIs are essential for businesses today as they enable seamless integration between different software systems, automate workflows, and ensure real-time data sync. To ensure that admins are notified well in advance before APIs reachIntroducing Blueprints for Custom Modules!
Hello developers, We've added a new feature called Blueprints in Custom Modules. Blueprints are the online representation of a business process. In Zoho Books, you can use Blueprints to design a process flow using states and transitions. Developers canCampaign Links Blocked as Phishing- Help!
We sent a Campaign out yesterday. We tested all of the links beforehand. One of the links is to our own website. After the fact, when we open up the Campaign in our browser, the links work fine. The links in the emails received, however, opened in a newZoho Tables July 2025 Update: Smart Creation, Smarter Automation
We’re excited to introduce a powerful set of updates across Web, Android and iOS/iPad apps. From AI-assisted base creation to advanced automations and mobile enhancements, this release is packed with features to help you build faster, automate better,Zoho Voice est désormais en France !
Nous avons des nouveautés très intéressantes qui vont transformer la façon dont vous communiquez avec vos clients. Zoho Voice, la solution de téléphonie d'entreprise et de centre de contact basée sur le cloud est arrivée en France ! Vous pouvez enfinNumbers in MA
I have an issue rationalising the various numbers around MA2. Not convinced that any are truly accurate. However have a specific problem in that i have a list with 1301 records in the list view. When i come to email there is only 1289 Then have anotherAndroid mobile app unable to log in
When I open the mobile up for zoho mail it asks me to sign in, but when i push the sign in button nothing happens. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling still not workingPie chart in Zoho Analytics shows ridicoulous numer of decimals of a percentage.
Is there a way to set the number of decimals of a percentage value in the Pie chart? Now it displays 15 decimals instead of a round-off value. The value is a count and percentage calculated in the chart, so there is no number of decimals that can be specifiedZoho People > Leave Management > Unable to import balance leave
Hello Zoho I am unable to import balance leave into the system I have follow the steps It show only 5 fields - the date field i am unable to select from date and to date Error Date in excelsheetNarrative 4: Exploring the support channels
Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 4 - Exploring the support channels Support channels in a ticketing system refer to the various communication methods that customers use to contact a business for assistance. TheseTip of the Week #65– Share email drafts with your team for quick feedback.
Whether you're replying to a tricky customer question or sharing a campaign update, finding the right words—and the right tone—can be tough. You just wish your teammates could take a quick look and give their suggestions before you send it. Sometimes,How to Initiate WhatsApp Message on SalesIQ?
I've just activated a Business WhatsApp phone number through SalesIQ because of its touted omnichannel chat approach. Sounds exciting. I understand that when a customer sends me a WA message, I can reply to it on SalesIQ and keep the chat going, perfect.Episode IV:Handling User Inputs in custom functions
Hi Everyone, We've been exploring custom functions which help in performing advanced automation tasks. Custom functions enable you to achieve possibilities based on your organization's requirements. Custom functions require user inputs that allow theSet a lead as non-marketing if they opt out of email marketing
I'm gathering Lead data via an enquiry form and wish to give them the option to opt out of marketing emails (which we send from Marketing Automation) whilst retaining the ability to send them non-marketing emails - so the email opt-out field doesn't work.Set up multiple IMAP email addresses
Hi, I just started using CRM and its great, but I just found out I can only add one imap email address for incoming mail in the included salesinbox ...this is ridiculous. All companies have different email such as sales@domain, info@domain , personal@domainZoho Recruit to Zoho People integration
In the mapping of field from Zoho Recruit to Zoho People i am unable to map all fields What can i doZoho Recruit > Career Site > Customisation
Hi All I have created multiple career site to represent my different organization In my Quanta Media career site > I set it with the with Quanta Malta view In my job opening : Quanta Malta view 2 job opening In my URL for quanta media https://lri.zohorecruit.eu/jobs/Quanta-MaltaFormatting Blueprint Stages (buttons)
Is there a way to format Blueprint transition buttons in Creator like background colour, text colour etc.Disable Default Value in Multi-Select field
Hello, Is there a way to disable the default value feature when setting up a custom Multi-Select field? When creating tickets I would like it so there isn't a value pre-selected in the multi-select custom field that was created.How to set custom business hours for different teams in Zoho Desk?
Hi Zoho Team and Community, I’m trying to set different business hours for multiple departments in Zoho Desk. For example, our tech support team works 24/7, while our billing team is only available from 9 AM to 5 PM (Mon–Fri). Is there a way to assignZia Auto Tag Keyword Clusters
Is there a way to remove a keyword from a keyword cluster? We're finding that Zia auto-tag is tagging things incorrectly based on some words that don't really make sense.Centralized Domain Verification in Zoho CRM Plus
Hi Team, I have a suggestion regarding Zoho CRM Plus. It's quite frustrating to verify the same domain separately for each application within the suite. It would be really helpful if you could introduce a centralized admin console—similar to what's availableHOw do I make a refund?
I have a client that needs a refund. I see a refund history in the Report area... but where do I go to make a refund?Next Page