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
Allow reconciliation for bank acct with no transactions for month
Is there a way to allow a bank reconciliation to take place when there are no transactions for the month? I am unable to create a reconciliation for the month because there are no transactions to select. I want to be able to attach the bank statementerror while adding a domain
I am adding a domain to admin console but they're showing this kind of error! pls help me with this.Multiple barcodes and sku aliases
Hi, It would be great if you could add the following features: Allocating multiple barcodes to a product as sometimes different barcodes are in circulation in a particular market. As well as different barcodes, sometimes, different SKUs are used by differentVideo Interview features
I tested the video interview feature. It's supported only on desktop version of chrome/firefox. Most of the times, the candidates are available on their cellphone. Need to have this for mobile devices too.Different Domain Name Sync AD Password to Zoho Mail
Hello, may I ask if how to configure or is possible to sync AD password to Zoho mail? Example AD domain name is xaxis.net and zoho mail domain name is yaxis.net.Announcing New Features in Trident for macOS (v.1.19.0)
Hello everyone! Trident for macOS is here with interesting features and enhancements to elevate your workplace communication. Let's take a quick look at them. View and manage .pst files. A .pst (Personal Storage Table) file is an Outlook Data StorageUser manual as PDF
Hi, on the User Manual pages (for CRM, Support and other Zoho Apps) is a print button, but mostly the pages contain only links to other pages. So, printing the manual is of no use. Is there any PDF version of the FULL manual? Or any other source whereDisable fields in multiple subform rows
Hello everybody! I have an odd one here. I have a subform that collects hours of operation. It contains these fields: Days, Type, Open, and Closed. On load of the form I add 7 rows with Mon - Sun in the Days field. I then disable that field and the add/deleteDeal Product reference
Hello All, I'm trying to use Zoho Writer to dynamically create a statement of work document. Our statement of work is heavily dependent on what products are included in the deal. As such, I need to be able to add or remove sections of text depending onHow to record the Customer Payment received against previous year invoice
Hi . How to adjust the receipt of this payment in customer account statement received for previous year invoices, which are not there in the statement with us. Because it is showing as prepaid expenses or unearned revenue Advise Thanks radhaDiscripency in inventory adjustment value and FIFO cost lot tracking report report
In zohobooks, I have added 200 bag of itemA with unit rate is Rs.1408 as opening stock on Apr01/2025, after that i make a inventory adjustment for 100 bag that I transfer to stock in process account, after that I make a purchase bill for the same itemHow do I add todays date to merge field
I don't see any selection of todays date when creating a letter. Surely the date option of printing is standard? JohnZoho FSM API to search Zoho FSM Assets by Asset_Number?
How can I search or otherwise retrieve an Asset from the Assets module in Zoho FSM using the Asset_Number? The API docs seem to say that the only field that can be searched is the Asset Name. Is this true? https://www.zoho.com/fsm/developer/help/api/search-records.htmlSync Creator form submissions to WorkDrive folder
I've made 10 Creator applications, and need to sync my each application's submissions into a WorkDrive folder. I need the form submissions to be PDF file type and sync to a specific folder for documentation purposes. I have tried to use a workflow, butAdd Voting Polls Feature Similar to WhatsApp to Zoho Cliq
Hi Zoho Cliq Team, Hope you're doing well. We are using the Voting Polls feature in WhatsApp (see: WhatsApp Voting Polls FAQ), and we believe a similar functionality would be extremely valuable in Zoho Cliq. Currently, when our teams want to quickly gatherZML Snippet: Auto Refresh Section
Is there a way that I can set an auto refresh on each of the ZML snippet only and not the entire page? Just wondering..Availability of the Custom Sort Order feature for Windows and Mac platforms??
Notebook Team, I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to inquire about the current status and planned updates for the Custom sort order feature within your application. A year ago, it was mentioned that this feature is supported on iOS,Have you checked your Email headers for DKIM Failure?
Have you taken a look at your email headers for DKIM failures even with DKIM set up properly? I've had DKIM successfully set up for many months. My account currently shows Email Verified and Authenticated. Big green check marks. Email Relay is also showingWizard Form
I would like the option to create a wizard that works when you create a record and contacts that are already in the CRM captured with a web 2 lead form (field data inserted in to the wizard). Having the option to create up to 3/4 segments per screenPivot Table - Zoho Analytics
I'm creating a Profit and Loss chart in Zoho Analytics using the Pivot Chart feature. While Net Profit can be calculated using the total value, I also need to calculate and display the Gross Profit/Loss directly within the chart. To do this, I need toFetch function not working for CRM Contacts
I've created a flow that checks if a contact exists in CRM (based on form input), and if it does, then it updates one of the fields for the contact. In my test, the fetch function correctly identifies that a contact exists (based on email address), butClone a project
To whom it may concern, I did a quick search of the forum and found nothing relating to this idea, so am posting fresh. The service that our company provides means that we follow an essentially identical process for each new job, and this includes the time frames for each stage. Ideally we would have a complete "template" project, with all the task lists and tasks in place with associated start dates, due dates (and by extension, duration) and - most importantly - the dependencies between tasks soAdd Sequential Processing Option in Zoho Flow
Hi Zoho Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request a new feature for Zoho Flow: the ability to configure a flow to run in Sequential Processing mode — meaning, each instance of the flow waits until the previous execution is fully completedZoho Sign URL cannot be embedded in an iframe on the React side.
The Zoho Sign URL cannot be embedded inside an iframe within a React application (or any web application) because Zoho enforces a Content Security Policy (CSP) that explicitly prevents iframe embedding from external origins. When attempting to load theZoho CRM Developer Series - Queries
Hey everyone! We’re excited to invite you to our next Zoho CRM Developer Series focused on Zoho CRM Queries, happening on June 5, 2025 and June 26, 2025. Whether you're working on CRM customizations, integrating with third-party services, or just curiousCan Clients have Access to their record Attachments in Client Portal
Is there a way to have allow clients access to attachments in their client portal? Attachments is currently hidden in the client portal and I cannot find a way to allow client access. Thank you!Canvas: how can I edit theme?
This says "Theme Colours", and I would like to edit theme colors (and styles ala CSS). How can I edit these "Theme Colours"? I'm a software developer, so just point me in a direction where I can alter code if needed.CRM For Everyone - Bring Back Settings Tile View
I've been using CRM for Everyone since it was in early access and I just can't stand the single list settings menu down the left-hand side. It takes so much longer to find the setting I need. Please give users the option to make the old sytle tile vieware Zoho Meeting and Zoho Webinar two separate products?
hey all, i'm new to Zoho One and I'm trying to figure out what's the best platrofrm to do a Webinar for my subscribers. I see that Meeting have a Webinar option, but i see there's also a separate product (?) called Zoho Webinar. Are these two actuallyVery Worst Experience = Screen sharing was Awful. There is a huge lag. I switched to Google meet, with same network speed, there is no lag at all.
Very Worst Experience = Screen sharing was Awful. There is a huge lag. I switched to Google meet, with same network speed, there is no lag at all. Requesting you to work on your improvements. Otherwise this will give a very poor experience. Thanks,Enable Native Zia Integration in Zoho Mail Without Requiring OpenAI API Key
Hello Zoho Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request a feature enhancement for Zoho Mail's integration with Zia, specifically concerning the AI-powered capabilities like: Auto-complete sentences Generate email content Summarize email Currently,Email policy not working?
Hi, I created an email policy called "default", under which I created a "default" entry for the access items (the third icon with the key). I've set everything to "ON" (POP, IMAP, ActiveSync, etc.). But then when I create a new user and check it in MailOne notebook is on my Android phone app, but not on Web or PC app.
This problem started in stages. At first my phone was occasionally failing to sync. Then I noticed two things added to my Phone App. One was an existing notebook had a new cover, and the other was a new Note Card with an odd text in it. These were onlyAdmin Training
Hello, I would like to get admin training on Zoho Projects. Has anyone had success in finding a class or resource for something like this? Are there any partners out there that offer this kind of training?Why can't we change or delete the first page of a Zoho PDF?
I've noticed that it's not possible to move or delete the first page of a Zoho PDF, why is that?Latência
Estou com bastante latência 200ms em São Paulo Brasil para o endereço mail.zoho.com, e email demora para carregar as vezes trava como está por ai ? segue print sabem se é normal ? pingHow to change the module for contact sync from Accounts to Accounts & their Contacts?
Hi, My ZOHO CRM integration is broken and pushing the errors for sales orders and invoices, the error message is: "The customer associated to this record is not linked to module chosen in the current contact sync configuration." So, Now I'm trying toTop Menu Disappeared from Blog Page
Hi, Our top menu disappeared at Blog Posts page. However, it's still visible any other page on the website. I attached two screenshots, so it can be understood clearly. How can we bring back top menu? Thanks, K.VOIP integration
I emailed this question to rishi but never got a response. I notice when I mouse over phone number it has a link to launch into SKYPE. We dont use SKYPE we use Xlite SIP client. Is it possible to change that link to launch our client API? If so how? If not any plans to make that VOIP integration customizable?Add "Ask Zia" Functionality for Report Creation in Zoho Desk
Hi, How are you? We’ve noticed that Zoho CRM offers a very useful feature called "Ask Zia", which allows users to enter natural language prompts to generate reports quickly and easily using Zia's AI capabilities. Currently, Zoho Desk does not supportNext Page