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
Why the home page "Income and Expense" graph only shows some Expense Accounts but not all
I see that the graph only shows expenses from some Expense Accounts. Why and how can I change that? I'm new to Zoho Books and accounting. Thank you!Introducing Seamless Communication with WhatsApp Integration in Zoho Recruit
Hello everyone, We are thrilled to announce that we have just launched an incredible new feature in Zoho Recruit that will revolutionize your recruitment process. With the integration of WhatsApp into Zoho Recruit, you can now seamlessly connect withhow do i add a hyperlink to a ticket submitted to zoho desk via zoho forms integration?
hi there! my team uses zoho forms to collect information needed to complete a ticket. we use the zoho forms integration with zoho desk. two of the fields capture urls that the submitting teams fill out in the public facing form. when the ticket reachesIf Formula with Abs and Now included!
Hi all, Having a bit of trouble with an If formula when creating a formula field with currency return type. This is what I've got: If(Now()>=${Agreement History.Rent Review Due}, '${Agreement History.Holdover Price}', 'Abs(${Agreement History.Rent AchievedSent mail blocked because of Domain/IP Reverse lookup conflict.
Whenever we send an email through Zoho to one particular email server, all of our emails get blocked as spam because the sending domain does not match the server sending it according to the email header. I contacted the company blocking us and this is what they say: "The error is saying that your outgoing email server's IP address does not match the server name of the email server record for your domain. We do a reverse lookup on all the incoming email to make sure it is coming from a legimate source.Weekly Tips: Avoid Duplicate Email Copies with Zoho Mail
In everyday work environments, it is common to receive the same email multiple times when you're CC'd individually and also included through a group email address in the same message. This can overwhelm your inbox and make it harder to keep track of importantPlease don't remove the option to modify tax.
Hi, I saw that the option to customize tax will be removed. This is VERY PROBLEMATIC for US companies who ship to different states because each zip code in the USA has its own tax rate for a single product. This is an awful idea. Please don't take thisZoho Connect App (Android)
Hello Zoho Connect team, I've encountered a recurring issue with the Android version of the Zoho Connect app and would appreciate your assistance. I have created a group that includes both internal and external users. Everything functions as expectedZoho CMR - How can we remove Public View in any module ?
Hi Zoho How can we remove some Public View in any module (or one by one) ? I read something about hiding but that's refers to Creator and I'm not there yet. :) Thanks! RobertZohoOne suite
Hi, i am trying to set service for managed service offerings, I was wondering if there was a way to manage that? I would be the service manager and have a company I would be managing as well. any help would be much appreciated. I have seen that different連絡先リストへの表示項目表示表示
連絡先をリスト表示した際に、各連絡先に紐づく関連トピックや、配信リストをリストに表示させることはできますか？ できるのであればその方法を教えてください。Format any date to match the user's locale settings with this Client Script
A common problem in Zoho Client Script is a user's date format. On Create/Edit pages, Zoho will only accept a date if it matches the user's locale. Even if the date is in a correct format, or Zoho date format, user's can't save a record if the date formatBlock incoming emails by shared mailbox
Good morning, I will explain my problem to you At the moment I am making users open tickets only via email I would like users to send messages from their personal mailboxes and not from shared mailboxes I would also like if the ticket was generated byZoho Desk to Jira > Automatic Creation ?
I've set up the integration for Jira and Zoho Desk, but when I create a test ticket as a customer nothing is sent to Jira automatically - is this correct ? I can manually link to Jira using the "More Actions", but I was expecting the issue to be createdComparing 2 collections to make an action
Salut, I have a customer form with a main phone number, and a secondary phone number. I have another form, a calendar, with a paste of the main phone number. I want to send a SMS to both phone numbers when the calendar event happen. I use the followingAutomate Ticket Assignment to Contact or Account Owner Using Custom Action
Teltroz Inc specializes in data science, data analytics, and big data technologies. Serving a wide range of customers from large to medium-sized businesses, security has been their top priority. The firm uses Zoho Desk to enhance their business operations,how to remove email headers from Zoho Desk emails and replies from customers?
I'm testing Zoho Desk at the moment ant noticed some very annoying with the emails that go back and forth, the email headers are always included on the conversation in the web interface and the customer also receives emails with these readers showingFile Upload and Add via API
I've been attempting to upload to via the Files api and I have been hitting the wall with actually getting the file to attach. What type is the API expecting ? Base64 Encoded ? When I do I get a 414 Error. I would appreciate your help as I am currentlyAdd Pinned Tickets to top of queue
As an IT Helpdesk, we have some tickets where they will need to be looked at daily over a week or 2, and the ability to pin a ticket to the front/top of the queue would be handy as we can be reminded to take a look, rather than placing them on hold andHolding Shift to keep selected tickets
It is annoying trying to change the category of tickets and then closing them. You have to select them one by one, no way to 'hold down left click and drag your mouse down to select multiple'. Once you have selected them and you change the category, youFormula Module how to convert to percentage
Hello There, I have create a formula field and i want the outcome to be in percentage how do i do that This is my formula ${Deals.Forecast Revenue Per Year}/${Deals.Annual Processing Volume} I have try ${Deals.Forecast Revenue Per Year}/${Deals.AnnualExisting subform data is being changed when new subform entries are added
I'm having trouble with existing subform data being changed when new subform entries are created. I have the following setup to track registrations for a girl scout troop: Main Form: Child Subform: Registrations The data are a one-to-many relationship where each Child record has many Registrations (new Registration will be created for each year the child is in the troop.) Per the instructions, I have created the subfom, added it to the main form, gone back to the subform and created the bi-directionalHow to add a contact ID to contacts I'm importing with migration
New user, business owner here, not a data specialist. I'm attempting to migrate import data from my old CRM, Daylite, via a .csv file. I feel like I've mapped the columns in the .csv file, however when I click save and next, I get a message saying theFSM Job Sheets data to CRM
Hello, is there anyway of getting the data collected in the job sheets into the CRM. We are collecting inspection data which we were using zoho forms for but the job sheets in fsm seem like a lot better way to collect it but we need to be able to getFooter in PDF template doesn't stay at the bottom of the page
When setting up a PDF template there is an option for a header / footer. The header stays at the top of the page however the footer does not. It appears the footer actually serves no purpose as it seems to rise up to underneath the header (see image). Is there a way to lock the footer to the bottom of the page? Otherwise what is the point of it? Image demonstrating what I mean. https://ibb.co/cJY1xZ4Hiring Staff Accountant in San Diego with ZohoBooks Experience
Hello, We are a San Diego, CA company looking for an experienced Staff accountant or controller that has ZohoBooks experience for a full-time position. Please reach out if interested. Best, BenThird party apps for my mail
Hello im new here and i have a very important issue. A third party company uses one of my emails to send invoices to our customers. My problem is that cannot connect to zoho mail server. my imap settings are corrent imappro.zoho.eu 993 smtppto.zoho.euOutage?
Is there an outage? Everytime I try to access Zoho FSM (web, as admin) I get a blank screen.Zoho chat module for prestashop doesn't work
Zoho chat module for prestashop doesn't workIMPORTRANGE Spreadsheets
I am trying to importrange a spreadsheet into another, but an error keep appearing saying NOT LINKED. Noting that I've linked it. I've tried to publish both sheets and re-apply the formula many times but nothing is working. I don't know what can I doHow to create Comparison across Period chart in a dashboard?
Hi all How can I create this chart in a custom dashboard? The issue for me is that this chart is very small. The CRM module (unlike Projects module) has no ability to expand a chart. I want to make it larger, but also want to include it in a custom ForecastTrouble fetching custom fields from Zoho Booking
I'm following the instructions from here : https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/flow/user-guide/app-specific-documentation/articles/zoho-bookings#1_Problem_with_accessing_custom_fields But I can't get this to work. Here is the result of a test booking :How to change an employee mail id
Hi, Does the administrator have the rights to edit an employees mail id.Tip of the Week #56 – Analyze performance with analytics reports.
Wondering how well your team is managing communications in shared inboxes? It’s time to stop guessing and start knowing — with Analytics Reports! As an admin, you get a broader view of your team's performance by tracking important metrics such as responseZoho Sprints is now AI empowered
Enhance the quality of your work with the power of generative AI tools in Zoho Sprints. These tools help you write precise descriptions, summarize content, analyze sentiment and tone, and translate content into your preferred language, and write and explainZoho CRM's V8 APIs are here!
Hello everyone!!! We hope you are all doing well. Announcing Zoho CRM's V8 APIs! Packed with powerful new features to supercharge your developer experience. Let us take a look at what's new in V8 APIs: Get Related Records Count of a Record API: Ever wonderedThreads view for email sent from Cases module in CRM
Hello all, Following the previous announcement regarding the support for the Send Email functionality from within the Cases module, the Email thread view is now available for emails sent from the Cases module. This enhancement is for better readabilityCustom view placeholders
Hi all, On some occasions it would be great to have placeholders setting up a custom view. Example in our case we have a field for a year. We would like to have a placeholder like $.{CurrentYear} that will insert the current year 2025 e.g. Now we haveLanguages in Zobot
Hello, I have found a list of supported languages for the Zobot. The information specifies the languages are supported in the following 3 features: SalesIQ supports 34 different languages in the following features. Resources (Articles, FAQs, Small Talks)USA Military addresses
When we have a client with a US military address adding them to the CRM, or having them fill in a form is a problem. Zoho Forms and CRM doesn't seem accommodate them correctly. It doesn't make sense for me to have to create a secondary data model forNext Page