Ring in the New Year with Guided Conversations for Smooth Offline Support

As we step into the new year, it’s time to refocus, re-energize, and gear up for fresh opportunities. But what about your customers as they begin the year with their own set of challenges or queries to resolve? 

With Zoho Desk’s Guided Conversations (GC), you can ensure they’re supported seamlessly, even as your team navigates the post-holiday rush.

Zylker Techfix, a mobile gadget firm, has a busy start as its customers flood them with requests: repair appointments, service inquiries, delivery tracking, and questions about new products. By leveraging Guided Conversations, Zylker Techfix provided an efficient, self-service experience that kept customers engaged while their team prioritized high-value tasks.

Here’s why Zylker Techfix setup the Guided Conversations feature within Zoho Desk:

• Customers could effortlessly log repair or service requests.
  
• Delivery updates and product inquiries were instantly addressed without delays.
  
• Clear and reassuring messaging kept customers informed that their concerns were logged and would be prioritized.
  
  
  

Guided Conversations acts as a dependable, 24/7 virtual assistant, automating ticket creation while offering a personal touch. Its intuitive, drag-and-drop builder enables you to design workflows that guide customers through their questions, gather essential information, and create tickets—even when your team is unavailable.

For businesses like Zylker Techfix, GC turned the often-hectic start of the year into an opportunity to build stronger customer relationships. By ensuring requests were acknowledged and logged, customers felt valued and confident that their needs were being addressed.

As you plan for the year ahead, Guided Conversations can help you create a customer experience that’s efficient, thoughtful, and future-ready. 

Guide to Set up Guided Conversations (GC) in Zoho Desk

Here’s how you can easily set up Guided Conversations to create tickets when agents are unavailable/offline:

1. Go to Setup > Self-Service > Guided Conversations.

2. Select the department before creating the flow because Guided Conversations are department-specific. 

Create a New Flow

3. Click on the Create Flow tab in the top-right corner.

4. Select the Web Channel. 

5. Enter a Name and Description for your flow, then click Next.

6. The GC design window will appear. Below the Guided Conversation icon, click the + icon to start building your flow.

7. Drag and drop elements from the right-hand panel to create your conversation blocks.

8. Drag the Text Message Block and drop it into the flow. Type a Welcome message. 

9. Enter the Name of the block and the Message you want to display to customers. This block is used to share direct information with your customers.

10. Click the + icon below the text message block and add a Question Block.

11. Use the Question blocks to collect inputs from customers based on your questions.

For example, use the following Question Blocks using the + icon to receive the information from your customers: 

• Name (Text Block) 
  
• Email (Email Block)
  
• Contact Number (Number Block)
  
• Date (Calendar Block for availability)
  
• Attachments (Attachment Block to receive files or images, such as screenshots).
  

Add Button Choice Blocks

12. Use the Button Choice Blocks to present predefined options to customers, such as a list of countries, states, or regions. This is useful for collecting specific information like location and understanding the time zone.

13. Drag the Text Question block to receive a description on the Issues submitted. 

14. Create the Date and Time question block to get the customer's availability time to reconnect, if required. 

To Create a Ticket

15. Now, click on the Zoho Desk blocks, click on the Create ticket.

16. Give the Block Name, choose the Department (the same department where you create this Guided Conversation), choose the layout for the Email template. 

17. In the Input variable mapping, click on the gear icon, map the field variables in the Tickets layout with the Flow variables created within  GC. 

For example, map the Email field within Tickets to the Email block in GC, map Phone with the Phone field, map Subject with the Issue Type, and map Description with the Describe issue text block

18. Click Save to save the mapping variables

19. In the Output variable mapping, click on the gear icon, map the ticket related information which you would like to share with the customers within the GC.  

Preview and Publish

20. Once all blocks are added, click on Preview to view the flow and ensure it works based on your requirements. 

21. Save your changes, and click Publish. Your Guided Conversation is ready to use!

Note: Some blocks are being developed for Instant Messaging (IM) channels and will appear faded out if you choose IM channels.

Create A GC Widget

i.    Go to Setup(S) >> Self Service >> Guided Conversations >> GC widgets. 

ii.   Click on Create GC widget. Give a Name and Description. 

iii.  Choose the Channels. click on the drop-down arrow under Associate flows >> Add Flow >> select the Published GC.

iv.  Click Associate. under Access Permissions, select users based on your preferences. 

v.   Enter your preferred welcome message that you would like to appear on your GC widget.

vi.  Enter End Options based on your preferences.

vii. Click Save to save your GC widget. 

ASAP Widget

Go to Setup (S) >> Self-Service >> ASAP >> Create New Widget. 

a. Enter a Name, enable the widget launcher to show the widget on your website. 

b. Associate the help widget with required departments.

c. Choose the required modules to associate with the widget.

d. Once you are done, click on Generate.  

Embed GC 

You can obtain the embed code to integrate the widget into your website or Help Center, as well as the organization ID for iOS and Android SDKs.

i.   Go to Setup (S) >> Self-Service >> ASAP. 

ii.  Hover over the created ASAP widget; click on Embeddable Code.  

iii. Copy the web embed code for use on your website or Help Center.

iv. Use the iOS ID for iOS SDK and the Android ID for Android SDK.

That’s it—your Guided Conversation is now live and ready to assist your customers! 

Pro Tip 

Guided Conversations can be tailored to suit a variety of scenarios, from managing customer inquiries to streamlining ticketing operations. Enhance the customer experience by customizing, editing, or updating workflows to meet their needs effortlessly.

Explore our Guided Conversation Guide and the automation with GC to  ensure your customers always have the support they need.

Here’s to a fantastic start to the New Year! Wishing you success and seamless experiences ahead: Happy New Year from the Zoho Desk Team! 🎉

• Topic Participants

• Lydia | Zoho Desk

  

• Sticky Posts

• Zoho Desk Virtual Meetup: US Central, October 5 - 7, 2021

  After the interactive Virtual Meetups in the other regions, we are starting with the US Central and Midwest regions from October 5 to October 7, 2021. The dates for other regions will be announced soon.  At this event, we will explore the topics which

• Register for Zoho Desk Beta Community

  With the start of the year, we have decided to take a small step in making the life of our customers a little easier. We now have easy access to all our upcoming features and a faster way to request for beta access. We open betas for some of our features

• Ask the Experts 10: A 5-hour online Q&A on Zoho Desk Best Practices

  Welcome to Zoho Desk's Ask the Experts session! This is a monthly discussion on our  forums; wherein a panel of experts will take on questions  specific to topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and will answer any questions posted here.   Let's begin the year learning some best practices from our experts. In this month's ATE we are opening the floor to questions on how to use Zoho Desk the best way.  If you have a business use case but not sure if Workflow is

• Share your Zoho Desk story with us!

  Tell us how you use Zoho Desk for your business and inspire others with your story. Be it a simple workflow rule that helps you navigate complex processes or a macro that saves your team a lot of time; share it here and help the community learn and grow with shared knowledge. 

• Ask the Experts 7: A 5-hour online Q&A on Telephony and Call Module

  Welcome to Ask the Experts session! This is a monthly discussion in forums; each session, a panel of experts will take questions on specific topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and answer any questions posted here. In this month's Ask the Experts, we will take questions on everything related to Telephony and the Call Module in Zoho Desk. We will discuss the following aspects:  Integration with different Telephony vendors Routing calls to agents Converting

• Recent Topics

• Calendar - "pop up" locations

  One of the attractive features of google calendar and outlook calendar is that locations for events will start to automatically populate the location drop down menu as you type. Adding this feature to zoho calendar would be the final feature i need.

• How to see changes with ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config) without reload page

  hello got a widget in account, trigger with a button i copy data to account when click on a button, in my popup All is working well. But i need to reload the page to see the update. How can i see the changes without reloading page, only when close the

• Reports - custom layout - duplicate report

  Do you also have this problem and what is the possible solution? I duplicate a report that has a "custom layout". Unfortunately the custom layout is not duplicated. To be improved for a future release by Zoho. I export the custom layout and import it...

• Included in Zoho One?

  Will LandingPage eventually be included in Zoho One?

• Select CRM Custom Module in Zoho Creator

  I have a custom module added in Zoho CRM that I would like to link in Zoho creator.  When I add the Zoho CRM field it does not show the new module.  Is this possible?  Do i need to change something in CRM to make it accesible in Creator?

• Zoho LandingPage is integrated with Zoho One!

  Greetings to the Zoho One users out there! We're delighted to let you know that Zoho LandingPage is available in Zoho One too! With Zoho LandingPage, you can host custom-made landing pages, and persuade the visitors to dive deeper by making further clicks,

• LinkedIn verification link and otp not receiving

  For the last 2 to 3 weeks I'm trying to verify my LinkedIn account to access my company's LinkedIn page, Linkedin is sending verification links and codes to this email address but I have not received any codes or links. Please help me here. Looking forward

• Unlocking New Horizons: A Year in Review

  As we bid farewell to 2024, let's celebrate and revisit the key highlights of the year. From adding a new edition to cross-platform enhancements, here’s a roundup of all the feature updates designed to simplify accounting, optimize financial management,

• 2024 Wrap: Rediscover these features and enhancements in Zoho CRM

  Hello everyone! I wish all of you a joyful and prosperous 2025! As we welcome 2025, I’m excited to share a recap of the year 2024 and highlight some of the coolest new features and enhancements we’ve added to the Zoho CRM platform. Last year, we announced

• A quicker way to provide accountants access to Zoho Books, similar to Xero and Quickbooks

  Hey guys, I'm finding the procedure to give access to an external accountant to Zoho Books less than ideal. Having to create an account by Zoho instead of myself, and then wait for it to be given a license to then pass to the accountant seems a bit time

• "Mark as Spam" not working as expected

  Dear support, in the below scenario, clicking on "Mark as spam" identifies only the first of the checked emails as spam, removes that email from the visible list and leaves the rest of the list still visible & unchecked. I've tried check-marking them

• Upgraded to Zoho One but Zoho Meeting still says Free Plan

  I signed-up for the Zoho One plan. When exploring the applications included, I came across a problem with Zoho Meeting. It says it's the free plan. I emailed support but they sent me a link that doesn't work and, when I found the article on my own, it

• This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

  Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved.  Thank you

• Self Client Authorization Issue

  Hi. Trying to test the api integration for Zoho Desk with the Self Client - Client Credintials flow method. I've created the self client, obtained the client id and secret, inputted "Desk.tickets.ALL" as my scope, and "ZohoDesk.[My Zoho Desk Org ID]"

• This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

  Hi Support, Can you tell me why number was marked as spam. I have having difficult to add my number as you keep requesting i must use it. My number is +63....163 Or is Zoho company excluding Philippines from their services?

• Update Candidate Status Through Workflow in Blueprint

  Hi Team,  We have a blueprint built out with custom functions that update particular fields based on candidate actions. When particular fields are updated we need to move the candidate forward in the blueprint. We tried to do this through a workflow,

• Zoho Canned respond do have a huge lag issue.

  Previously the Zoho canned respond works perfectly ... on once server update and all the Canned respond enconter huge lag... in the end cause most of the canned respond just shown code with /xxx and not the sentence....

• Pay Contractor Timesheets

  I have contractors that fill out a timesheet. Each hour must be assigned to a current client. I need the easiest way to get the contracts paid. They are paid on an hourly bases. How can this be done?

• ShipStation and Zoho Inventory

  Hello, I am looking to sync zoho inventory with shipstation ZOHO INVENTORY           SHIP STATION Sales Order  ==>  create ORDERS INVOICE  <==    Shipments What exactly does BETA mean on the Shipstation connector?  This is required for me to sign-on in the next month. Thanks in advance for your efforts

• Saving slide elements

  I have created grouped items including text and animation that I want to use in later slides. (Like an animated logo) Is there a way to save these grouped elements in my library?

• Are downloadable product available in Zoho Commerce

  Hi all. We're considering switching to Zoho Commerce for our shop, but we sell software and remote services. Is there a features for downloadable products? I can't find any information about this. Thank you very much Alice

• Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

  In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom

• Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in

  When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.

• Move site from WIX to ZOHO Sites

  I have a simple website on WIX.  I am wondering if someone is available to help me move this website - https://www.videothreezero.com/ to ZOHO.  Michael  Boston

• zoho calendar week view - "super compact by default"

  every time i go to my calendar i have to re-engage the "super-compact view" for the week view...is there a way to make "super-compact" a default view so I dont have to keep on setting it manually?

• Move a Contact from Current Account to a NEW Account

  I do not believe the functionality to Move a Contact from a Current Account to a New Account is not available. Please someone tell me I am missing something! I have been through designing, developing, using and selling CRM systems for over 25 years and had this functionality20+ years ago in other CRMs.  In the real world people move from one organisation to another. In the sales, finance and technical world it is nice to see the communication history with that person in their old account and also

• Change work hours per day for employees

  Hello, Is there a way to modify the work hours per day for employees in Zoho projects? This would be helpful for resource allocation to more accurately see when an employee who works 35 hours a week vs 40 hours has a full schedule. Thanks.

• Zoho CRM Automation Help: Send Email When Fault is Marked as Done & Module Relationships

  Hi everyone, I have the following User-Created Modules in Zoho CRM: Clients Assets Faults Handymen Every client can have multiple assets. Every asset can have multiple faults. Every fault is assigned to one handyman. What I Want to Achieve: ✅ I want to

• Adding New Domain to Zoho mail

  Hi, I have one Zoho account already called for example "Awesome Animals". Under this account I have one domain already setup with zoho mail, example: - awesomecats.com I have another website as well which I want to add under this "Awesome Animals" account,

• I cannot receive emails.

  I need help, I've tried everything but I still can't receive emails from other people. I can send it but I can't receive emails, When I created the email it was all in order and suddenly I can't get emails from anyone anymore.

• Incoming Gmail Email Not Coming Into Zoho

  My outbound email from Zoho is working, but when people respond to the email, it's not coming back into Zoho. I can see it when I'm in Gmail, but it's not in Zoho.

• Não foi possível enviar a mensagem;Razão:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked.

  Preciso de ajuda não consigo enviar emails,conta recen criada

• ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam

  Please verify bounce message: This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.  A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error.  xxx@thalesesec.com Error, ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam content yyy@thalesesec.com Error, ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam content  Received:from RMRPC (190.102.146.226 [190.102.146.226]) by mx.zohomail.com with SMTPS id 1376415816667533.3706558194896; Tue,

• Request to Customize Module Bar Placement in New Zoho CRM UI

  Hello Support and Zoho Community, I've been exploring the new UI of Zoho CRM "For Everyone" and have noticed a potential concern for my users. We are accustomed to having the module names displayed across the top, which made navigation more intuitive

• Expand Zia's Language Support and AI Capabilities

  Dear Zoho Desk Support, I would like to submit a feature request to improve Zia, the AI-driven support assistant in Zoho Desk. Currently, Zia only supports the English language, while other AI agents such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude can work with a

• Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing

  Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.

• Links in Instagram

  Hi there, I have been using Later for a while now but keen to come back to Zoho Social as Later doesn't offer tagging of pages on Facebook but they offer something Zoho doesn't. You can add a link to your bio which opens up your profile feed where images

• Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow

  Is there any plans for Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow?

• Unable to push Contact Score to CRM as shown in documentation

  Hello: According to the documentation found on the link below, which specifically states this is for the new CRM-Campaigns integration model, there is an option to push Contact scores in Campaigns to a field in the CRM. For reference, I have included

• Adding tag to specific record as an acion in a workflow

  Hi! I've created the following workflow in the module 'Leads'. When a record meets the criteria, there should be a tag added to the specific record in the module 'Contacts'. In the module 'Leads', there is a look-up field named 'Kandidaat' which is connected

• Next Page