Automation#32:Auto Add New Portal Users to the Help Center User Groups

Automation#32:Auto Add New Portal Users to the Help Center User Groups

Hello Everyone,
Introducing a custom function that automates the process of adding new portal users to Help Center user groups, making user management effortless!
By default, Zoho Desk allows you to assign new portal users to groups manually. But with this custom function, the process is completely automated, ensuring seamless categorization.


Why User Groups?

Zylker Techfix was dedicated to helping customers through their Help Center. While they actively supported users, there was one challenge: everyone received the announcements, irrespective of their requirements.
Zylker Techfix wanted a smarter way to engage their users by sending targeted announcements based on individual interests, such as gadgets, office equipment, and operations.
To make this happen, they created user groups and assigned new users accordingly. But manually adding users to the right groups was time-consuming.
So, they automated the process! With a custom function, they streamlined operations, ensuring every new portal user was automatically assigned to the right Help Center user group. More relevance, better engagement, zero manual effort.
Let’s walk through the steps to incorporate this custom function into your workflow.

Prerequisites

1. Create a connection
  1.1 Go to Setup(S) and choose Connections under Developer Space.
  1.2 Click Create Connection.
  1.3 Select Zoho OAuth under Default Connection.
  1.4 Set the connection name as zohodesk.
  1.5 Disable the toggle for User Credentials of Login User. 
  1.6 Under Scope, choose the below scope values:
Desk.contacts.READ
Desk.contacts.UPDATE
  1.7 Click Create and Connect.
  1.8 Click Connect and click Accept.
Connection is created successfully.

Create a Workflow Rule

1. Go to Setup, choose Workflows under Automation. 
2. Under Workflows, click Create Rule.

In the Basic Information section,
3. Select Contacts from the drop-down menu under Module.
4. Enter a Rule Name and Description for the rule.
5. If you want to activate the rule right away, select the Active checkbox. Else, create the rule and activate it later.
6. Click Next. 

In the Execute on section, follow these steps:
7. Select Field Update. Select field isPortalUser. 
8. Click Next.
9. In the Criteria section, add isPortalUser is and select the checkbox. click Next. 
10. In the Actions section, click the + icon and select New next to Custom Functions.
11. Enter a Name and Description for the custom function. Choose Contacts under Module.
12. Under Argument Mapping, give a desired Method Name. Map the arguments as below:
      12.1 In the Argument Name field, type contactId and select Contact ID under the Contacts Section.
13. In the script window, insert the Custom Function given below:
  1. // ---------------User inputs------------------------------------------
  2. deskUrl = "https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/"; // replace based on user dc
  3. groupId = "<<GROUP ID>>"; // replace the group id in your desk portal
  4. //---------------------------------
  5. logs = Map();
  6. try 
  7. {
  8. getContactStatus = invokeurl
  9. [
  10. url :deskUrl + "contacts/" + contactId + "/helpCenters"
  11. type :GET
  12. connection:"zohodesk"
  13. ];
  14. contactUserId = getContactStatus.get("data").get(0).get("userId");
  15. if(contactUserId != null)
  16. {
  17. addUserToGroup = invokeurl
  18. [
  19. url : deskUrl + "groups/" + groupId + "/users/add"
  20. type :POST
  21. parameters:"" + {"users":{{"id":contactUserId}}}
  22. headers:{"Content-Type":"application/json"}
  23. detailed:true
  24. connection:"zohodesk"
  25. ];
  26. info "addUserToGroup" + addUserToGroup;
  27. }
  28. }
  29. catch (errorInfo)
  30. {
  31. logs.insert("errorInfo":errorInfo);
  32. }
  33. info "logs: \n" + logs;
  34. if(logs.containKey("errorInfo"))
  35. {
  36. throws "Error happen in the CF execution";
  37. }
User Inputs
a. In Line 2, replace .com in the URL based on your DC. 
b. In Line 3, enter the group ID to which you would like to add your new portal users. To access group ID, go to Setup >> Help Center >> Select the Department having your preferred User group >> choose User Groups on the left panel >> Select the user group >> The Id in the address bar is the required Group ID. 
Notes
Note: Configure the Workflow for the contacts module in the respective department where you want to add portal users to be added to the User group. 
14. Click Save to save the custom function.
15. Click Save again to save the workflow.

Share with us how this custom function helps you in your operations! Drop a comment below or reach out to us at support@zohodesk.com, we’re just an email away!

Meet you in the next post!
Regards,
Lydia | Zoho Desk

    • Sticky Posts

    • 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

    • 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. 

    • Tip #1: Learn to pick the right channels

      Mail, live chat, telephony, social media, web forms—there are so many support channels out there. Trying to pick the right channels to offer your customers can get pretty confusing. Emails are most useful when the customer wants to put things on record. However, escalated or complicated issues should not be resolved over email because it's slow and impersonal.  When you need immediate responses, live chat is more suitable. It's also quick and convenient, so it's the go-to channel for small issues. 

    • Welcome to Zoho Desk Community - Say hello here!

      Hello everyone! Though we have been here for a while, it’s time to formally establish the Zoho Desk Community; we’re really happy to have you all here! This can be the place where you take a moment to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. We’d love to hear all about you, what you do, what company or industry you work for, how you use Zoho Desk and anything else that you will like to share! Here’s a little about me. I am Chinmayee. I have been associated with Zoho since 2014. I joined here

    • Webinar 1: Blueprint for Customer Service

      With the launch of a host of new features in Zoho Desk, we thought it’ll be great to have a few webinars to help our customers make the most of them. We’re starting off with our most talked about feature, Blueprint in Zoho Desk. You can register for the Blueprint webinar here: The webinar will be delivered by our in-house product experts. This is a good opportunity to ask questions to our experts and understand how Blueprint can help you automate your service processes. We look forward to seeing

    • Recent Topics

    • Join our live webinar: Explore the WorkDrive TrueSync application!

      Hello everyone, We are thrilled to invite you to a live webinar focused on mastering the WorkDrive TrueSync application. Discover how to seamlessly sync your content between the cloud and your computer, ensuring smooth and efficient file management. Our

    • Bug tracking

      Hi, does anyone know how to track errors during picking or packing? This way I can keep track and see how to improve and prevent errors in this area.

    • Zoho Creator customer portal limitation | Zoho One

      I'm asking you all for any feedback as to the logic or reasoning behind drastically limiting portal users when Zoho already meters based on number of records. I'm a single-seat, Zoho One Enterprise license holder. If my portal users are going to add records, wouldn't that increase revenue for Zoho as that is how Creator is monetized? Why limit my customer portal to only THREE external users when more users would equate to more records being entered into the database?!? (See help ticket reply below.)

    • Script Editor not an option

      I am trying to apply a script to a sheet and Script Editor is not an option. I don't want to go outside Sheets to do this (like Creator) if it can be done inside Sheets.

    • Envio de mails

      Hola! No puedo enviar mails pero si recibirlos. No se como solucionarlo! Mi dominio es chidobebes.com.ar

    • ERROR CODE :554 - Your access to this mail system has been rejected due to poor reputation of a domain used in message transfer

      In my email configuration: The domain's MX Records are pointed to Zoho The domain's SPF Records have been pointed out successfully DKIM is enabled. DMARC Record is pointed for the domain. The domain name is digioorja.in. Still facing the issue of Error:

    • This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

      l tried to verify my domain (casalimpaeperfumada.com.br) and its shows this error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details.

    • SLOW EMAILS

      Is there an issue with the Zoho server? For two days now I've been having issues with very long buffering. Please advise. Thank you.

    • POP3 authentication error - SOLVED

      Just in case others are as forgetful as me ... As Zoho has changed the POP server for personal and free organisational users, I needed to change the POP server on my email client. This failed persistently but eventually I remembered that I had chosen

    • Solution to Import PST File into Office 365.

      MailsDaddy OST to Office 365 Migration Tool is an outstanding solution to recover OST files and migrate them into Office 365 without any hassle. Using this software users can multiple OST files into Office 365 with complete data security. It offers users

    • Add Zoho One Groups/Departments to Shared Mailbox Access

      Hi, I hope you're doing well. Currently, in Zoho Mail, I can manually add specific users or the entire organization to a shared mailbox. However, there is no option to add Zoho One groups or departments. Feature Request: We would like the ability to assign

    • Allow Filters with Only Special Characters in Zoho Mail

      Hi Zoho Mail Team, I hope you're doing well. We have noticed that currently, Zoho Mail does not allow creating filter criteria using only special characters, such as = or #. However, there are scenarios where such a filter is necessary. For example: Filtering

    • How to save email as PDF?

      I saw 2 previous threads about this. One is from 14 years ago. The other was closed as "answered" a year ago but the feature was never implemented: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/how-to-download-save-emails-as-pdf Is the "save as PDF"

    • Flexible plans

      Hi, I have a Workplace Standard subscription. On Zoho's website, it mentions that with the annual plan it's possible to have multiple plans under the same organization—for example, Workplace Standard and Mail Lite. However, I can’t find a way to do this

    • Weekly Tips : Teamwork made easy with Multiple Assignees

      Let's say you are working on a big project where different parts of a single task need attention from several people at the same time—like reviewing a proposal that requires input from sales, legal, and finance teams. Instead of sending separate reminders

    • Cannot give public access to Html Snippet in Zoho Creator Page

      Hi, I created a form in Zoho Creator and published it. The permalink works but I want to override the css of the form. (style based URL parameters is not good enough) So I created a page and added an Html snippet. I can now override the css, which is

    • Weekly Tips : Customize your Compose for a smoother workflow

      You are someone who sends a lot of emails, but half the sections in the composer just get in your way — like fields you never use or sections that clutter the space. You find yourself always hunting for the same few formatting tools, and the layout just

    • Accounting on the Go Series-43:Enhancing Your Reporting Efficiency with Dashboard Filter State Retention

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to our series on Zoho Books mobile app features. Today, we will talk about a feature that yet again helps you focus on work that really matters-Dashboard Filter State Retention. Imagine you're working on your Zoho Books dashboard,

    • Zoho books/payroll tax payment

      I accidentally made a second payment to my taxes for $300 which is reflected in my bank account and therefore on Zoho books but I can not match it to any transactions because its not reflected in payroll as a tax payment. Is there a way to add an extra

    • I can't renew the Finance Plus subscription

      I tried to renew the Finance Plus subscription but it keeps reloading the same page over and over when ever I click on "Renew Subscription" button

    • Estimate vs Quote

      they are different. Quote is for 1 piece price + other charges. Estimate is for total quantity to be ordered. The gross total amount of the Estimate is the amount payable. Replacing Estimate as Quote is not understandable because they are different. In

    • Accounting on the Go Series-47: Effortless GSTIN Management- Auto Populate TaxPayer Details in Zoho Books Mobile App

      Hello everyone, Welcome back! Today, we're focusing on a feature specifically designed for our Indian users in the Zoho Books-Indian edition, particularly those who deal with GST compliance regularly. We understand the importance of accurate and efficient

    • Accounting on the Go Series-48: Enhance Accuracy with Custom Work Week Start Days in Zoho Books iOS app

      Hello everyone, Welcome back! We’re here with another feature spotlight that might seem small but can have a big impact on your daily routine: setting the first day of the work week in the Zoho Books iOS app. Imagine this: You’re a business owner who

    • Time to Get Paid Report in ZBooks

      Hello, One of our customers who has 25 different companies around the world gets 60 days to make payments. Unfortunately, the subject report does not report an average time to get paid (in days) or the ability to look at a custom period of time. Currently

    • How to prepare a balance sheet for a company that has no operations yet?

      .

    • Project Billing Method from Zoho People

      Normaly our customers use Zoho Projects to manage projects and timesheet that are being charge to the customer. Using the integration from Zoho Project we can have projects base on different billing method. For example most of our customer use Hourly

    • Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series!

      Dear users, Continuing in the spirit of our 'Function Fridays' series, where we've been sharing custom function scripts to automate your back office operations, we're thrilled to introduce our latest initiative – the 'Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series'.

    • Zoho Books | Product updates | July 2025

      Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From plan-based trials to the option to mark PDF templates as inactive, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Introducing Plan Based Trials in Zoho

    • Zoho Books | Product updates | August 2025

      Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From the right sidebar where you can manage all your widgets, to integrating Zoho Payments feeds in Zoho Books, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience.

    • Update or Upsert Records Using Unique Custom Fields

      Hello customers, We've enhanced the process of updating records via API. You can now: Update records using unique custom fields Upsert records using unique custom fields Note: Both the features are available in the Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory apps.

    • [Webinar] Understanding the New Invoice Management Systems

      Join industry expert CA Pritam Mahure as he discusses the importance of the new Invoice Management System (IMS) and its impact on taxpayers. Topics Covered: - Concept of IMS and pre-requisites - Applicability and Restrictions on Invoices/Records for IMS

    • Accounting on the Go Series-51: Effortless Transactions: Create and Manage Directly from Uploaded Documents

      Hello everyone, We’re back with another useful feature that makes working with Zoho Books even easier! This time, we’re simplifying the process of creating transactions directly from uploaded documents. Imagine you’re out meeting clients, and you receive

    • [WEBINAR] Effortless migration to the VAT-ready South Africa edition of Zoho Books

      Hello there, If you are one of our early users from South Africa using the older edition of Zoho Books, this webinar is for you! We have now launched a new South Africa edition with VAT support, to which you can migrate your existing data. Join this session,

    • Accounting on the Go Series-52: Capture Receipts on the Go, Right from Your Lock Screen.

      Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce a feature that will make your life so much easier—especially for those constantly on the move! With iOS 18, Zoho Books now allows you to capture receipts directly from your lock screen using Locked Camera Capture.

    • AT - Austrian Accountant familiar with ZOHO

      Hello, as I have just migrated to ZOHO and unfortunately have to change my accountant next year, I am looking for an accountant (for Austria) who already has experience with Zoho or who already manages clients using Zoho books. Is there anyone here from

    • Zoho Workflow issue

      Dear Zoho Users, I have Zoho Books premium subscription, I have created a email alerts workflow for Invoices and following are the configurations for the same: 1. Workflow for Invoice module 2. Choose when to tigger - created or edited 3. Filter the triggers

    • Accounting on the Go Series-53: Swift Transactions at Your Fingertips-Zoho Books in Your Control Center

      Hello again, We’ve all had those moments where you need to get something done quickly, but the process of unlocking your phone, finding the app, and navigating through menus slows you down. Now, with Zoho Books integrated into the iOS 18 Control Center,

    • Update on PDF Download Issues Caused by Antivirus Software

      Hello users, Antivirus software is designed to protect your computer from malicious software and threats. However, they may mistakenly identify legitimate files and software as threats at times. This is known as a false positive. We have received reports

    • Accounting on the Go Series-54: Effortlessly Find Your Zoho Books Customers in Your Phone’s Contact List

      Hello Zoho Books users! How are you all ? We’re happy to share a handy new feature in Zoho Books mobile app. Now, you can access your Zoho Books customers right from your phone's contact list, making it easier to stay connected on the go. How this can

    • Integration of Phase 2 -e-invoicing- KSA

      Zoho Team, I want to get a training of integration of phase 2 invoicing KSA in zoho step by step.

    • Next Page