GDPR Contd. - Handling Lawful Bases for Your Customers using Zoho CRM.

GDPR Contd. - Handling Lawful Bases for Your Customers using Zoho CRM.

Hello folks,  

Continuing from our previous GDPR post, we bring to you the first cut of GDPR centric enhancements that are released for handling lawful bases for your customers in Zoho CRM. For your understanding we have split the entire process into three sections:
  1. Identifying Data Processing Basis
  2. Updating the Data Processing Basis in Zoho CRM 
  3. Consent Management in Zoho CRM
1. Identifying Data Processing Basis
The fundamental principle to handle the personal data of your data subjects is to process the data lawfully and fairly, in a transparent manner. As a data controller, based on your business requirements and the purpose of data processing, you can choose and update the Data Processing Basis from the following options : 
  • Legitimate interest
  • Vital interest
  • Public interest
  • Contract
  • Legal Obligation
  • Consent
You can choose 'Not applicable' for the records if GDPR does not apply. 

2. Updating the Data Processing Basis in Zoho CRM
The first thing you need to do is enable GDPR in your Zoho CRM account. You can do this by going to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance Settings. In the Compliance Settings page, toggle on the button for GDPR Compliance and select the modules that contain information of your data subjects. 

The Data Processing Basis for all data subjects in your CRM account will be marked as 'Not Applicable' by default. After identifying the appropriate data processing basis, you can update the same in Zoho CRM in the following ways:
  1. Update individual records manually. Once you enable GDPR in your Zoho CRM account, a new tab called "Data Privacy" will appear in the Record details page where you can manually update the Data Processing Basis.

  2. Mass update the records from custom list views.
  3. Go to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance Settings > Overview. Under the section Not applicable (since all your records are marked as not applicable), click View and you can mass update the records.

As a data controller, you can define under what Data Processing Basis you want the new records to be marked going forward. A new field called 'Source' in the record details page which will store your data sources such as Web forms, APIs, Integrations, etc. By default all records will fall under the 'Not Applicable' basis. Using this and other attributes of the record, you can write workflow rules to update corresponding Data Processing Basis before the data moves further in CRM.

Please ensure the utmost care while editing the Data Processing Basis of a record. Changing from one lawful basis to another holds its own set of rules and requirements under the GDPR. 

3. Consent Management in Zoho CRM
One of the six lawful bases to process the personal data of your customers is 'Consent'. You can opt for Consent, when none of the other five lawful bases are appropriate. Once you have chosen the data processing basis as Consent, you need to get a proper consent from your subjects to process their data lawfully. 

Please take legal precautions before getting consent from your subjects. Because, if you have obtained personal data unlawfully, it could be unlawful for you to even send an email requesting consent. You must ensure that requesting consent by email is lawful. 

A new section called Consent Details appears under the Data Privacy tab for records that are marked as 'Consent'. The status of these data subjects will be updated as 'Pending' by default. 

You can obtain consent from your data subjects in the following ways:
  1. Update Manually: When you get a consent from your subject through a call or personal email, you can update the consent status manually. 
  2. Update Automatically using Consent Form: You can obtain consent from your subjects using a consent form that you can customize inside Zoho CRM. The fully customizable consent form allows you to get consent for:
  • The purpose of data collection and processing
  • Preferred communication channel
 You can set up the consent form by going to Setup > Users and Control >  Compliance Settings > Consent Form. 

Once you have customized the consent form, you can add the form's link in an email template and send it individually or mass email it to data subjects whom you require consent. 

You can also go to Setup > Users and Control > Compliance settings > Overview. You can view the records that fall under each consent status. Click Show Records under Pending, select the records and click Send Consent Form button.

You can update the consent status for new data subjects either manually or you can set up a workflow rule to send the consent email, which can be triggered based on the source, country and other attributes of a lead or a contact. 

You can track the status of the Data Processing Basis and Consent for your Data Subjects from the Overview dashboard in Compliance settings. 

We hope that you find these timely enhancements very useful. Feel free to share your feedback or queries by commenting below. And do watch this space for more GDPR centric enhancements in Zoho CRM. 

For more reference:
The content presented herein is not to be construed as legal advise. Please contact your legal advisor to know how GDPR impacts your organisation and what you need to do to comply with the GDPR.

    • Recent Topics

    • Task Deletion Restriction & Strict Stage Control

      Hello Zoho Community, We have the following two issues currently pending and under testing, for which we require a workable and reliable solution: 1. Task Deletion Restriction We are testing ways to ensure that staff users are not able to delete tasks

    • Unable to mass update a picklist field

      Hello, I have the records within our Accounts module divided between two account types: Parent Accounts & Member Accounts. I am attempting to mass update accounts from one picklist value to the other (within other specific criteria in our custom fields)

    • Process checklist in CRM

      Hi We've created a new sales process that I'm mapping into the CRM - issue I have is that some of the tasks / milestones I would like to capture require very simple tick box responses but there are quite a few under a variety of sub categories so I don't

    • CRM project association via deluge

      I have created a workflow in my Zoho CRM for closing a deal. Part of this workflow leverages a deluge script to create a project for our delivery team. Creating the project works great however, after or during the project creation, I would like to associate

    • Holidays - Cannot Enter Two Holidays on Same Day

      I have a fairly common setup, where part-time employees receive 1/2 day's pay on a holiday and full-time employees receive a full day's pay. Historically, I've been able to accommodate this by entering two separate holidays, one that covers full-time

    • Where is the settings option in zoho writer?

      hi, my zoho writer on windows has menu fonts too large. where do i find the settings to change this option? my screen resolution is correct and other apps/softwares in windows have no issues. regards

    • File emails in Shared email folder

      Hi, I am unable to allow users to collaborate in Shared email folders: User 1 shares a folder let's say "SharedTopic" with full permissions Users 2 and 3 can see this folder but are unable to add emails to this folder or search in this folder. For example,

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

      Hi Team, when I,m trying to create a email account (imagixmidia.com.br) it's showing this error >>  This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details plz help me  thanks

    • How to manage task lists in Zoho Desk?

      Hello, I use Zoho Desk for IT customer support. I have a list of standard operating procedures (SOPs), including SOPs for onboarding new users, offboarding users, losing a device, etc. These are lists of tasks to be performed depending on the situation.

    • User

      If user is already part of manage engine endpoint central , what hapens when i try to add them to another Zoho org / directory? Are these users added as external users?

    • Activating Zobot instead of chat

      Hi folks, I know this will be obvious, but I have not been able to locate the details on this via google or youtube. We've had SalesIQ life chat set up for a while now and it is working perfectly. I have just finished development of a Zobot (using codeless)

    • Adding a new section to the related details sidebar when creating a new ticket.

      Hello, I was wondering if you can add a new section to the related details sidebar when creating a new ticket. I was wanting to have it to where it also shows the account information related to the contact chosen as well. This is the section I am referring

    • Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view

      Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter that

    • One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

      I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and

    • Is Zoho Shifts included in the Zoho One plan?

      In case the answer is no: there's any plan to make it available via One? Thank you

    • Zoho Tracking Image location

      So we've been having an issue with tracking email opens. Specifically in Gmail. Our emails are not that long either, maybe 4 sections of image/250 characters of text/button per section.  But all my test accounts I used via Gmail we're showing opens. But then come to find out the tracking image is at the very bottom of the email. So If the message is clipped (It always just clips our social icons on the bottom) and the user doesn't click the show more button it never tracks the open.  Looking at other

    • Creating an invoice to be paid in two installments?

      Hi there, I own a small Photographic Services business and have not been able to find a way to fit my billing system into Zoho, or any other Accounting software. The way my payments work is: 1. Customer pays 50% of total price of service to secure their

    • Zoho Tables is now live in Australia & New Zealand!

      Hey everyone! We’ve got some great news to share — Zoho Tables is now officially available in the Australian Data Center serving users across Australia and New Zealand regions! Yes, it took us a bit longer to get here, but this version of Zoho Tables

    • Delivery and handling of documents e-stamped using Zoho Sign

      Hello everyone! Zoho Sign makes it easy to pay non judicial stamp duty online and automatically attach the digitally generated e-stamp challan to electronic documents. We also manage the delivery of physical e-stamped papers. We periodically receive these

    • Introducing Dedicated Modules for Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing

      We’ve enhanced the way you manage Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing. Previously, all three grouped together under Subscription Items. Now, each one has its own dedicated module, giving you a cleaner and more intuitive experience. This update

    • Sortie de Zoho TABLE ??

      Bonjour, Depuis bientôt 2 ans l'application zoho table est sortie en dehors de l'UE ? Depuis un an elle est annoncée en Europe Mais en vrai, c'est pour quand exactement ??

    • Drop Down Value

      Hi, May I know why Zoho Flow treat this drop down as number and not as string. If so, how can I fetch the right value for filtering. This field is from Creator, in Creator upon checking by default it is a string since it's not a lookup field.

    • Zoho CRM's mobile apps: A 2025 Recap

      2025 marked a year of steady progress for Zoho CRM's mobile apps. We rolled out several updates and features to improve usability and make everyday CRM work a lot easier to manage. Here’s a look back at some of the key releases from 2025. Android releases

    • Facebook follower count doesn't match FB Analytics

      Hi all, I am wondering if anyone else has issues with follower counts for Facebook not matching FB's native analytics tool. On the Zoho dashboard, it's showing 1,007, but FB shows 1,060. All the other channels match up. Any insights are much appreciated!

    • Meta and Facebook data report discrepancy

      I have been currently gathering manually facebook follower data thru meta. In zoho marketing plus the social media reporting only allows for page likes, and so there is a discrepancy with the data. please the difference in files attached. Is there way

    • Unlocking New Levels: Zoho Payroll's Journey in 2025

      Every year brings its own set of challenges and opportunities to rethink how payroll works across regulations and teams. In 2025, Zoho Payroll continued to evolve with one clear focus: giving businesses more flexibility, clarity, and control as they grow.

    • Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

      Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

    • Community Digest — Noviembre y Diciembre 2025

      ¡Hola, Comunidad de Zoho en Español! Cerramos el año de la mejor forma con nuestro último Community Digest de 2025, donde podrás encontrar las últimas novedades de nuestros productos. ¿Todo listo para empezar 2026 con el mejor pie? ¡Vamos a ello! Zoho

    • Zoho Projects Plus’ 2025- the year we launched

      We’ve been building project management tools for the past 19 years, and a question we often hear is: Different teams in our organization prefer different project management methods; while the development team prefers agile, the marketing and sales teams

    • Zoho Books emails suddenly going to Spam since 11 Nov 2025 (Gmail + now Outlook) — anyone else?

      Hi everyone, We migrated to Zoho Books in July 2025 and everything worked fine until 11 Nov 2025. Since then, Zoho Books system emails are landing in customers’ Spam (first Gmail, and now we’re seeing Outlook/Office 365 also starting to spam them). Impacted

    • 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.

    • Company Multiple Branch/ Location Accounting

      Hi All, anyone know whether company can maintain their multiple Branch Accounting in Zoho  Books. It will be chart of Accounts & Master Data will be same but different report available as per per Branch. Thanks & regards, Vivek +91 9766906737

    • Zoho Books Invoices Templates

      It would be really helpful to have more advanced features to customise the invoice templates in Zoho Books. Especially I´m thinking of the spacing of the different parts of the invoice (Address line etc.). If you have a sender and receiver address in

    • Email Administrators! Join our tips & troubleshooting series

      Greetings to all the admins out there! This announcement is exclusively for you. As we step into the New Year, we’re excited to start a dedicated series of admin-specific tips curated to support you. These posts will help you overcome everyday challenges

    • Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector

      Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connector

    • Free Webinar : Unlock AI driven business insights with Zoho Inventory + Zoho Analytics

      Are you tired of switching between apps and exporting data to build customized reports? Say hello to smarter & streamlined insights! Join us for this exclusive webinar where we explore the power of the Zoho Inventory–Zoho Analytics integration. Learn

    • Import Function: ONLY update empty fields

      When setting up an import from a spreadsheet to CRM, there is a checkbox "Don't update empty values for existing contacts" (see screenshot below). While I see some limited benefit from this functionality, I think there should also be an "ONLY update empty

    • Begin the year with best practices in the Zoho Desk mobile app : Part 2

      In focus: Optimizing collaboration and supervision Let's begin 2026 with Part 2 of our tips series on driving your ticketing operations at your fingertips. In Part 1, we explored streamlining operations within tickets. This helped individuals at Omniserve

    • How to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records

      Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, Jonathan

    • JWT Token authentication problem that sometimes generates infinite redirect loops

      Description : Nous proposons un bouton sur notre plateforme permettant de rediriger l'utilisateur vers le portail ZohoDesk via un jeton JWT pour une authentification transparente. Cependant, il arrive que certains utilisateurs soient pris dans une boucle

    • Next Page