New in Zoho CRM Plus - October 2019

New in Zoho CRM Plus - October 2019

Hello everyone! 


This post is a summary of the recent updates made to Zoho CRM Plus, aimed to help keep you up-to-date on all new and forthcoming changes.  

You can read through to learn about the latest updates added to different parts of our platform, such as CRM, Desk, and Social. Find out all the new ways you can utilize Zoho CRM Plus as a customer experience platform for your business. 
 
CRM 

1) Fine-tune your configurations in Assignment Rules
 
a. Selecting users based on set criteria  
 
Apart from sorting users into categories such as Users, Roles, and Groups, you can also define certain conditions for these categories based on which records will be assigned to them. 
 
For example, let's say you set an assignment rule in your CRM stating that all records from India and the US should be assigned only to users in the U.S. In the previous version, you would need to choose the U.S. users individually from the Users category.

With this new update, you can now define specific conditions, such as setting all your records from India and the U.S. to be assigned to users in the U.S.



b. Check user's availability before assigning a record  
 
In addition to easier and more specific lead assignment, we've also added an optional enhancement allowing you to check the availability of a user based on their shift timing and online status (whether they're logged into CRM or not) before assigning records to that particular user. 



Now that you can check for a user's availability before assigning records, there are times when you choose not to assign a record to the user, such as when they are unavailable or logged out, or have deactivated or deleted their CRM account.
 
To avoid such situations, you can also select a default user, who will be assigned the records in absence of the first selected user. For this default user, you can choose either a logged-in user (who has initiated the record action) or any other CRM user. More on Assignment rules here.
 
2) Updates to the data importing process: replacing empty values

In our previous version, if any field you marked as mandatory in your import file was empty or did not have a value, the record will not be imported. To address this, our new update allows you to define a value for the empty field while you are importing the records. More on imports here.



3) Find out how Zia answers your questions
 
"Explore" in Zia is a new feature that helps you trace the search route taken by Zia to find answers to your questions. 


  
For example, let's say you want to know your upcoming tasks and you tell Zia, "Show my upcoming tasks." Click on the "Explore" icon in the results and Zia will show you the criteria applied and the module the answer came from. In this example, it would be the "Tasks" module and the search criterion would be the duration.
 
This helps improve the accuracy of your search results, and also find out if Zia is fetching you the right information by looking at the criteria she set for fetching the results. 

To access this feature, hover over Zia's response and click the Explore icon. More on Zia here.
 
4) New views for CRM Dashboards
 
Along with the existing categories for dashboard views, Favorites, Created by me and Shared with me, CRM has added three more views: All, Public, and Other users' dashboards. 
 
All: Display a consolidated view of all the dashboards in your CRM
Public: View dashboards accessible to all users inside CRM
Other users' dashboards: Admins and Super Admins can view dashboards created by other users inside CRM.

 
5) Reduced refresh time for Sandbox

The refresh time for your Sandbox account (a test environment to check your CRM settings before deploying them to production) has been reduced from every 30 days to every three days. 
 
In addition to the shorter refresh time period, you also get to retain your Deployment Logs for up to six months. More on Sandbox here.
  
Desk 
 
1) The new, improved Social module inside Desk
 
An active social media presence, combined with real-time responsiveness from your customer support teams, can work wonders for your business. Desk, your dedicated service for support operations, helps utilize your organization's social media accounts as direct support channels.
 

 
With our new take on Social module under Desk, you can now organize your Social media channels—Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, and Twitter handles—into a single unit, called a brand. 
 
*A brand is the fundamental unit under which you can manage the Facebook page and Twitter handle of a brand/organization.

After you connect your social media accounts to a brand in the Social module, all posts, tags, and private messages posted or received by the accounts are automatically populated from their respective feeds. You can perform all basic actions from there, such as commenting on a post, liking a post, replying to a tweet, and retweeting or liking a tweet. You can also manually or automatically convert posts into tickets in your help desk portal.
 
2) Convert business reviews into tickets with new Marketplace extensions

We have now introduced two new marketplace extensions for Desk: App Store Reviews and Google Play Reviews for Desk. With these extensions, you can now convert your reviews on Google Play and App Store into tickets within your help desk. Links to both review channels will be redirected to the respective app channels. Your agents can now reply to reviews from Desk, and their responses will be automatically posted on Google Play Store. 

Note: Due to authentication constraints, agents can view but not reply to App store reviews from Desk
 
Social 

1) Easily accessible emoji menu 
 
You can now access the emoji menu anywhere you type on Social. 
Previously, the emoji menu was available only under the Compose window but with this new update, the emoji menu is easily accessible whenever you start typing on the platform. This includes your notifications tab, your livestream updates, and under the monitor tab. More on emoji menus in Social here.
 
2) Tag your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts in your posts
 
In our previous version, you could tag Twitter and Instagram profiles in Social posts. Our new update in Social now allows you to also tag your Facebook and LinkedIn pages in your posts.
​ 
To tag Facebook and Linkedin Pages on Social, type the "@" symbol, followed by the name of the Facebook or LinkedIn page. The New Post box will display matching profile suggestions for you to choose from. Select the correct username from the drop down, then click Done and your tag will appear on the post. More on tagging users in social media posts here
 
That's it with our product updates for this month, but stay tuned for next month's news! In the meantime, check out these new updates and share your experience with us in the comments below. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 







    • Sticky Posts

    • Zoho CRM Plus in 2023: Let's rewind

      Hey everyone, There's something about December that makes us want to sit back and remember all the wonderful moments, as we get ready for the New Year, 2024! (Psst! We are also turning 10—yay!) This year, CRM Plus had a lot of wonderful updates, taking

    • The CX Workshops are back in 2023!

      Hello, can you see my screen? Can you hear me? This is a phrase we've all been saying more often than "good morning" over the last couple of years. Well, now it's time to re-connect in person. We're excited to invite you all to the CX Workshops we've

    • Refer Zoho CRM Plus to your friends and earn rewards!

      Hey everyone,   We'd like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for continuing to be our esteemed customers. Now you have the opportunity to refer Zoho CRM Plus to your friends or family members who are looking for a suitable solution to enhance

    • Social in CRM Plus now supports TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels, and YouTube Shorts

      Hey everyone,   We are excited to inform you that Social in CRM Plus now allows you to publish on TikTok! We've also updated it to let you create Instagram Stories and Reels, as well as YouTube Shorts. Here's a brief about the updates.  Publishing on

    • Unified telephony in Zoho CRM Plus

      In any business, managing calls with the prospects or customers is an integral part of a salesperson or a support agent's daily life. They have access to information about the customers within Zoho CRM, and they also use a suitable PBX service to communicate

      • Recent Topics

      • Send Whatsapp message from Whatsapp template with custom variables

        Hi, I'm trying to do some basic integration for sending WhatsApp messages from Zoho CRM using Zoho Desk whatsapp templates. When creating new whatsapp template in Zoho Desk we can choose ticket related fields as variables but it's not clear how to use

      • Scheduling a meeting for just a 1:1 phone call

        My business is B2C and many of my customer's don't want to engage in an online meeting for what can be handled in a regular phone call. I am trying to create a new meeting invitation, but there is no venue optoin for "phone call". How are other's handling

      • Need more details on API Usage Dashboard

        Hi Team, We have implemented Zoho Expense for a client and has done some integrations with well known third party ERP via api. Recently we have noticed a huge spike in the API consumption. But we couldn't get the root cause for the same. I accept there

      • Power of Automation:: Automating SLA Timelines for First Response & Resolution for Issues module.

        Hello Everyone, Ever wished SLAs could update automatically based on issue severity i.e no manual tracking, no missed timelines? That is exactly what one of our customers, Alex, wanted to achieve in the Issues module. So, we have setup a simple automation

      • Finding missing records

        I have a challenge and I am not really sure where to start with it. I can't find any similar threads on here, can anyone help: I have two forms, FormA and FormB. Both forms have records that contain a field called Job_Number. What I am trying to achieve

      • Power of Automation :: Quick way to associate your Projects with Zoho CRM

        A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate complex tasks and

      • Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

        Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

      • Tables improvement ideas / features

        Heya, I've been using Zoho Tables for a few months now and wanted to post some features that I think will be greatly beneficial for the tool: 1. Ability to delete a record in automation or move a record in automation. - Usecase: I move a record from one

      • Can I add Conditional merge tags on my Templates?

        Hi I was wondering if I can use Conditional Mail Merge tags inside my Email templates/Quotes etc within the CRM? In spanish and in our business we use gender and academic degree salutations , ie: Dr., Dra., Sr., Srta., so the beginning of an email / letter

      • Move orders scan ISBN

        Hi We have ISBN setup to be searched in items zoho but move orders dissent recognize the ISBN is there q missing configuration? regards, JS

      • What's New - October 2025 | Zoho Backstage

        Hey everyone! We’ve been busy rolling out a host of upgrades for Zoho Backstage. While some major features are still going through final rounds of testing to make your event experience smooth as butter, here’s what was new and improved in October 2025.

      • Zoho Analytics - Feature Request For Time Based Data Source Fetch

        Hi Analytics Team, I have a client using Zoho CRM and they want a weekly report at 4:30pm every Friday, emailed to the sales team showing a pie chart of Closed Won Deals for that week. This is easy to achieve in Analytics but not so easy to ensure the

      • Updating custom fields in Zoho Projects

        Hi I am wondering if anyone has experience with custom fields in Zoho Projects. I am struggling to update the field using either deluge or the api endpoint. My code is: //custom_Map = map(); custom_Map = {"UDF_DOUBLE_1":"0.27"}; update_Map = map(); update_Map.put("custom_fields",custom_Map.toList());

      • Issue in Zoho People Regularization – Incorrect Hour Calculation

        I have noticed that when applying attendance regularization in Zoho People for previous dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, even if the check-in is 10:00 AM and check-out is 6:00 PM, the system shows an incorrect

      • Zoho People Attendance Regularization – Wrong Total Hours Displayed

        While using Zoho People, I observed that the attendance regularization is showing wrong total hours when applied to past dates. For example, if a check-in is added at 10:00 AM and check-out at 6:00 PM for a previous date, the system sometimes calculates

      • Add Flexible Recurrence Options for Meeting Scheduling in Zoho Cliq (e.g., Every 2 Weeks)

        Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. Currently, when scheduling a meeting inside Zoho Cliq, the recurrence options are limited to Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly. There is no ability to set a meeting to occur every X weeks — for example,

      • How do I see the total leads during a certain period?

        I understand I can get the count of leads and potentials but the total number of leads in a certain period should be equal to Leads+potentials because when we convert a lead it gets moved to potentials and no longer exists there. is there a way i could

      • AI generated meeting notes associated to Account or Deal

        As our organization works to improve efficiency we are looking for a solution to leverage AI to generate meeting notes and then add those notes to a CRM record such as an Account or Deal. I see Zoho has a Notebook AI offering that talks about the ability

      • Subform Disabled Fields Should Remain Disabled on Edit/View

        Currently, when we disable a subform field using on user input or on add new row, it works perfectly during the initial data entry. However, when the record is saved and reopened for viewing or editing, these disabled fields become editable again. This

      • How do you print a refund check to customer?

        Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.

      • Enable Screen Recording in Zoho WorkDrive Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)

        Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, How are you? We are enthusiastic Zoho One users and rely heavily on Zoho WorkDrive for internal collaboration and content sharing. The screen-recording feature in the WorkDrive web app (similar to Loom) is extremely useful- however,

      • What is Resolution Time in Business Hours

        HI, What is the formula used to find the total time spent by an agent on a particular ticket? How is Resolution Time in Business Hours calculated in Zohodesk? As we need to find out the time spent on the ticket's solution by an agent we seek your assistance

      • Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift

        Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activities

      • Empowered Custom Views: Cross-Module Criteria Now Supported in Zoho CRM

        Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce cross-module criteria support in custom views! Custom views provide personalized perspectives on your data and that you can save for future use. You can share these views with all users or specific individuals

      • Change Currency symbol

        I would like to change the way our currency displays when printed on quotes, invoices and purchase orders. Currently, we have Australian Dollars AUD as our Home Currency. The only two symbol choices available for this currency are "AU $" or "AUD". I would

      • File Field Validation

        Hello all, We are tracking our customer NDA agreements in our CRM and have created 2 fields to do so, an execution date field and a file upload field. I want to create a validation rule to ensure that when the execution date field is populated that the

      • Hide "Section" headers when using a form as a subform in "List view"

        When using a form as a subform and setting the "View Type" to "List View" it is not possible to hide the section headers. This can become an issue if I have a section which is not applicable to this subform and I hide the fields within that section and

      • Super Admin Logging in as another User

        How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

      • API 500 Error

        Hello amazing ZOHO Projects Community, I get this message. How can we solve this? { "error": { "status_code": "500", "method": "GET", "instance": "/api/v3/portal/2010147XXXX/projects/2679160000003XXXX/timesheet", "title": "INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR", "error_type":

      • Users Name & Email in Reports

        Hi, I would like to show the Users Name from their Zoho Acount in All Entries/Reports as well as the current Account Email. Thanks Dan

      • Add additional field to quick search results

        IN the advanced search, we can add any field to the columns. In the regular search results (before you press enter, there is no option to modify the results. It would be super useful to include a custom field where it currently displays the pipleine

      • Books API Receiving an Error that Doesn't Make Sense when Creating Credit Note - trying to use 'ignore_auto_number_generation' argument

        Hello, I'm working on a newly created routine and I'm getting an error that doesn't make sense when trying to create a new Credit Note. Here is my POST request. Endpoint: https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3/creditnotes?organization_id=########## Body:     {

      • Bug Report and Suggestions for Improvement in Zoho Applications

        Hi Zoho Team, I’d like to report a few bugs and improvement suggestions I’ve noticed while using Zoho products: Zoho Cliq Video Call: The camera sometimes turns off automatically during video calls. This seems to be a bug — please check and fix it. Zoho

      • Audio/video quality issues with Zoho Meeting – Any roadmap for improvement?

        Hi Zoho Team, We’ve been using Zoho Meeting for both internal and external meetings, and unfortunately, the experience has been consistently poor. The video and audio quality are so unreliable that it often renders meetings ineffective—especially with

      • Need Help: Updating Related Records via Subform Entries in Zoho Creator

        Hi everyone, I’m trying to set up a workflow in Zoho Creator where each row in a subform updates related records in another form automatically. Here’s the situation: My main form (e.g., “Receipts”) contains a subform where each row selects a related record

      • Zoho Desk - Community - Customer Portal - Description Field UX Improvement

        Hi Zoho Desk Team, As a prolific user of Zoho Cares Community, I find it very frustrating that I cannot increase the size of the Description box (this one which I am typing this message). Many apps with multi line text fields have a small handle in the

      • Add the same FROM email to multiple department

        Hi, We have several agents who work with multiple departments and we'd like to be able to select their names on the FROM field (sender), but apparently it's not possible to add a FROM address to multiple departments. Is there any way around this? Thanks.

      • Can I change the format of the buttons in the email templates?

        Hi all! We have been working hard trying to brand our email templates, and have some way to go yet. One of the things we can't seem to edit is the green ${Cases.CUSTOMER_PORTAL_BUTTON} button and the font of the View Ticket text. Is there any way of doing

      • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

        Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child

      • I NEED MORE CUSTOM FIELDS!!!

        Why can I only have 60 custom fields!  It's not enough.  I want another 100 extra custom fields to do what's necessary for my business!  I'm sure I can't be the only one with this problem!!! How hard would it be to fix this?  Just fix it for me please at least!

      • Next Page