Kaizen 224 - Quote-driven Deal Reconciliation Using Zoho CRM Functions and Automation

Kaizen 224 - Quote-driven Deal Reconciliation Using Zoho CRM Functions and Automation


Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another instalment in the Kaizen series.

This post covers quote-driven deal reconciliation, emphasizing Functions and Automation to address practical sales challenges.

Business Challenge

Sales organizations often mark deals as Closed Won before commercial transactions fully conclude. Quotes generate promptly upon closure, yet businesses typically provide a brief window such as one week for renegotiation or payment. During this period, currency fluctuations, payment delays, and risk thresholds can significantly alter the final deal value.

This Kaizen demonstrates how Zoho CRM Functions and Automation work together to reconcile deal financials with quote activity over time. Sales, finance, and operations teams can thus access accurate, policy-compliant values.
Here is a typical sequence:
  1. Deal closes with Closed Won status
  2. Quote generates immediately
  3. Customer receives grace period (e.g., one week) for payment or adjustments
Key factors during this window:
  1. Exchange rates fluctuate
  2. Payments may succeed or fail
  3. Business absorbs limited losses(up to 10%, for example)
  4. Major variances trigger renegotiation
CRM must reflect actual outcomes rather than initial closure assumptions. Quotes serve as the authoritative commercial record, with final deal values depending on execution timing. This approach captures intermediate and final financial states to enable automated decisions and audits.

Key business scenarios covered

Scenario 1: Payment is made during the grace period

  1. Quote is generated on day 0
  2. Customer completes payment on day 7
  3. Exchange rate has changed since quote generation

Business Requirement

The business wants to calculate the actual payable amount using the exchange rate on the payment day and store it explicitly in CRM.

Outcome

The realized value is captured and stored, ensuring that reports and downstream systems reflect the true commercial result.

Scenario 2: Acceptable loss threshold (10%)

  1. Exchange rate movement results in a loss
  2. The business is willing to absorb losses up to 10%
  3. Loss exceeds the acceptable threshold

Business requirement

If the loss exceeds the defined tolerance, the quote should move to renegotiation instead of being accepted automatically.

Outcome

CRM enforces pricing policy consistently, without manual intervention or subjective judgment.

Scenario 3: Significant currency fluctuations

  1. Exchange rate volatility is unusually high
  2. Even if loss is within limits, risk exposure is significant

Business requirement

Large fluctuations should trigger renegotiation, regardless of absolute loss percentage.

Outcome

Financial risk is handled proactively based on measurable criteria.

Scenario 4: No payment after the grace period

  1. Customer does not pay within the allowed window
  2. Updated exchange rate is favorable to the business

Business Requirement

If the updated rate is profitable, the quote can be revised and reissued with the new amount.

Outcome

CRM reflects market-aligned pricing while maintaining transparency around why the amount changed.

Why Zoho CRM Functions is the best fit?

This reconciliation pattern requires the following capabilities beyond static configuration.
  1. Reading and reconciling data across Deals and Quotes
  2. Applying time-based and threshold-based business rules
  3. Writing calculated values into dedicated fields
  4. Supporting multiple decision paths(accept, renegotiate, revise)
  5. Running logic at specific business moments
Zoho CRM Functions provide the flexibility and control required to implement this logic cleanly, while automation ensures it runs consistently and reliably.

Custom fields used in this post

Deals

  1. Final Accepted Amount - Currency - Amount finally agreed and accepted
  2. FX Impact Percentage - Percent - Gain or loss due to exchange movement
  3. Reconciliation Status - Picklist - Accepted or Renegotiate
  4. Reconciled On - DateTime- Timestamp of final reconciliation

Quotes

  1. Quote Reference Amount - Currency - Amount at quote generation
  2. Quote Exchange Rate - Decimal - Exchange rate used in quote
  3. Payment Due Date - Date - End of grace period
  4. Potential Payable Amount - Currency - Recalculated amount at evaluation time
  5. FX Variance Percentage - Decimal - Difference vs quoted amount
  6. FX Evaluation Status - Picklist - Pending or Evaluated
  7. Recalculate FX - Checkbox - Explicit recalculation trigger
These fields capture commercial intent and outcome, not just static numbers.

High level automation flow

  1. Deal is marked Closed Won
    1. Workflow triggers a function to generate a Quote
  2. Business updates evaluation inputs when needed
  3. User explicitly triggers FX recalculation
  4. Function
    1. Calculates financial impact
    2. Updates quote and deal
    3. Applies business decisions
  5. CRM reflects finalized commercial reality

Function 1: Generate a Quote from the Deal

This function creates a Quote automatically when a Deal is closed, ensuring downstream processes start immediately and consistently.
void automation.generateQuoteFromDeal(int dealId)
{
deal = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Deals", dealId);
if(deal == null) return;

amount = deal.get("Amount");
exchangeRate = deal.get("Exchange_Rate");
account = deal.get("Account_Name");

productItem = Map();
productItem.put("product", {"id":"<PRODUCT_ID>"});
productItem.put("quantity", 1);
productItem.put("list_price", amount);

productList = List();
productList.add(productItem);

quoteMap = Map();
quoteMap.put("Subject", "Quote for Deal");
quoteMap.put("Deal_Name", dealId);
quoteMap.put("Account_Name", account.get("id"));
quoteMap.put("Product_Details", productList);
quoteMap.put("Quote_Stage", "Draft");
quoteMap.put("Valid_Till", zoho.currentdate.addDay(7));
quoteMap.put("Quote_Reference_Amount", amount);
quoteMap.put("Quote_Exchange_Rate", exchangeRate);

zoho.crm.createRecord("Quotes", quoteMap);
}

Function 2: Reconcile Deal from Quote

This function calculates payable values, evaluates financial impact, and updates the Deal with finalized financial information.
void automation.reconcileDealFromQuote(Int quoteId)
{
info "Starting FX reconciliation for Quote ID: " + quoteId;

// -------------------------------------------------
// Fetch Quote
// -------------------------------------------------
quote = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Quotes", quoteId);
if(quote == null)
{
info "Quote not found";
return;
}

dealInfo = quote.get("Deal_Name");
if(dealInfo == null)
{
info "Quote not linked to Deal";
return;
}

dealId = dealInfo.get("id");

deal = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Deals", dealId);
if(deal == null)
{
info "Deal not found";
return;
}

// -------------------------------------------------
// Mark FX Evaluation as PENDING
// -------------------------------------------------
zoho.crm.updateRecord(
"Quotes",
quoteId,
{"FX_Evaluation_Status" : "Pending"}
);

// -------------------------------------------------
// Read required FX inputs
// -------------------------------------------------
quotedAmount = quote.get("Quote_Reference_Amount");
quoteRate = quote.get("Quote_Exchange_Rate");
evaluationRate = quote.get("Evaluation_Exchange_Rate");

info "Quoted Amount: " + quotedAmount;
info "Quote Rate: " + quoteRate;
info "Evaluation Rate: " + evaluationRate;

if(quotedAmount == null || quoteRate == null || evaluationRate == null)
{
info "Missing required FX inputs";
return;
}

// -------------------------------------------------
// FX Calculations(rounded)
// -------------------------------------------------
payableAmount = (quotedAmount * evaluationRate / quoteRate).round(2);
fxVariance = (((payableAmount - quotedAmount) / quotedAmount) * 100).round(2);

info "Payable Amount: " + payableAmount;
info "FX Variance %: " + fxVariance;

// -------------------------------------------------
// Decide Quote Stage(Business decision here)
// -------------------------------------------------
quoteStage = "";
reconciliationStatus = "";

if(fxVariance <= 10)
{
quoteStage = "Acceptable FX Impact";
reconciliationStatus = "Accepted";
}
else
{
quoteStage = "FX Impact Exceeds Threshold";
reconciliationStatus = "Renegotiate";
}

// -------------------------------------------------
// Update Quote(Final state)
// -------------------------------------------------
quoteUpdate = Map();
quoteUpdate.put("Potential_Payable_Amount", payableAmount);
quoteUpdate.put("FX_Variance_Percentage", fxVariance);
quoteUpdate.put("FX_Evaluation_Status", "Evaluated");
quoteUpdate.put("Quote_Stage", quoteStage);
quoteUpdate.put("Recalculate_FX", false);

quoteResp = zoho.crm.updateRecord("Quotes", quoteId, quoteUpdate);
info "Quote update response:";
info quoteResp;

// -------------------------------------------------
// Update Deal
// -------------------------------------------------
dealUpdate = Map();
dealUpdate.put("Final_Accepted_Amount", payableAmount);
dealUpdate.put("FX_Impact_Percentage", fxVariance);
dealUpdate.put("Reconciliation_Status", reconciliationStatus);
dealUpdate.put(
"Reconciled_On",
zoho.currenttime.toString("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ssXXX")
);

dealResp = zoho.crm.updateRecord("Deals", dealId, dealUpdate);
info "Deal update response:";
info dealResp;

info "FX reconciliation completed successfully";
}

Workflow


Module: Quotes
Trigger: On create or edit
Condition: Recalculate FX = true
Action: Execute reconcileDealFromQuote
Argument: quoteId -> ${Quotes.id}

All decision logic lives inside the function.

Business Outcome

After implementing this pattern,
  1. Deals and quotes stay aligned with real-world behavior
  2. FX risk is measurable and auditable
  3. Renegotiation is policy-driven
  4. Reports reflect finalized values, not assumptions
  5. Sales and finance operate on the same truth.

Summary

Zoho CRM extends beyond static closures by reconciling deals against quote behavior. Functions plus Automation enforce pricing, limit exposure, and capture true outcomes reliably at scale.
The true value of this implementation is not the calculation itself, but the fact that it produces stable, auditable financial states that can be reused across reporting, approvals, integrations, and policy enforcement.

Further extensions

Executive reporting and dashboards

You can build Dashboards that answer questions like
  1. Total revenue before vs after FX reconciliation
  2. Total FX gain or loss by
    1. Region
    2. Currency
    3. Quarter
  3. Sales owner
  4. Percentage of deals renegotiated due to FX risk
Without the function,
  1. FX impact is implicit
  2. Numbers keep changing
  3. Finance does not trust reports
With the function,
  1. Final Accepted Amount is stable
  2. FX Impact % is explicit
  3. Reconciled On gives a time anchor

Policy enforcement and compliance

Examples
  1. Automatically flag deals where FX loss > 10% but status = Accepted
  2. Audit trail for
    1. Who recalculated FX
    2. When renegotiation was triggered
  3. SLA checks when Deals are not reconciled within 'X' days of quote creation
For many companies, FX policy violations are discovered at a later point in time, but you now enforce them at the moment of decision.

Sales coaching and deal hygiene

Unlock insights such as
  1. Which sales reps close deals with high FX volatility or frequently trigger renegotiation?
  2. Which regions or currencies produce unstable deals?
  3. Which deals are consistently over-optimistic at closure?

Other scenarios

  1. Approval and exception workflows
  2. Integration with ERP or accounting systems
  3. Predictive insights to forecast FX risk
  4. Historical snapshots for audit and analytics

We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your feedback in the comments or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.

Thanks!



=============================================================================



    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this
    • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how
    • 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 are
    • Kaizen #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 achieved
    • Recent Topics

    • Unified WhatsApp Number Management in Zoho Desk and SalesIQ

      Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, We are currently utilizing both Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ for our customer support operations. While both platforms offer WhatsApp integration, we are facing challenges due to the requirement of separate WhatsApp numbers
    • Problem using Zoho Desk API

      Goodmorning, I am trying to use the Zoho Desk API to create a dashboard in Grafana, but I am having a problem. Following the instructions in the API documentation, I created the API Console application (server-based application). Then I created the string
    • Email Field Validation Incorrectly Rejects RFC-Compliant Addresses (Forward Slashes)

      I've encountered a validation issue with Zoho Creator's Email field that rejects RFC-compliant email addresses containing forward slashes, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue When entering an email address containing
    • Plug Sample #15 - Enable Human-Like, Contextual Interactions in SalesIQ with Zia Agents

      Zia Agents are conversational AI assistants designed to understand user intent and respond intelligently, helping businesses automate conversations and offer personalized support at scale. While Zia Agents are yet to be publicly released, access is currently
    • Best way to schedule bill payments to vendors

      I've integrated Forte so that I can convert POs to bills and make payments to my vendors all through Books. Is there a way to schedule the bill payments as some of my vendors are net 30, net 60 and even net 90 days. If I can't get this to work, I'll have
    • Seamless Round-Trip Navigation for Related Blocks (Detail View)

      As highlighted previously in this post (and here, here, here, and here), we still lack a fundamental capability for seamless navigation in Related Blocks. The popup that appears when adding a related record doesn't exist for viewing/editing existing records,
    • Social Profile Logo Format

      Hello, I'm using Zoho Sites and am attempting to add a couple of social media accounts to my profile that aren't included in the default platforms that are available. What format is the logo required to be in? I have tried .png and .jpg with no success.
    • How to create Sepa Direct Debit XML file: solution and code

      Even though Books provides a payment integration for Stripe and Gocardless (in Europe) there are customers that want to use the Sepa services of their own bank. Mainly because Stripe and Gocardless are quite expensive. In that case they would need a Sepa
    • Traditional Spreadsheet vs Zoho Tables

      Hello everyone, This article explains the differences between Spreadsheet applications and no-code databases, such as Zoho Tables. While both tools belong to the "grid" family, the core difference lies in their purpose. A spreadsheet (such as Zoho Sheet,
    • RFQ MODEL

      A Request for quotation model is used for Purchase Inquiries to multiple vendors. The Item is Created and then selected to send it to various vendors , once the Prices are received , a comparative chart is made for the user. this will help Zoho books
    • Delegate Access - Mobile iOS/iPad

      We’re over the moon that delegate access is now available in Zoho Mail as we were nearly ready to switch platforms because of it! Is there a timeline on when delegate mailboxes will be accessible from the iOS and iPad OS applications? Thanks, Jake
    • Request For Quotation (RFQ) module

      Hello, Do you have any plans to implement a RFQ module in to ZOHO Inventory? I would like to chose items that I require a price for, select a number of different suppliers to e-mail and have them submit there pricing online. I would then like to see a
    • Support for Developing Zoho Recruit Extensions via Zoho Sigma

      Hi, I’m interested in building an extension for Zoho Recruit using Zoho Sigma. However, when I navigate to Sigma and attempt to create a new extension (via the "New Extension" option), Zoho Recruit does not appear as a listed service—only options like
    • FOLDER DISAPPEARED

      Hello Zoho Community. I recently found a problem with no explanation: a folder in Zoho Analytics just disappeared, but the tables and SQL sentences still existed, the folder was not deleted. The solution for me in this case was to create a new folder,
    • How to create estimates/Invoices with sub-totals

      Every other accounting package can create estimates and invoices with Sub-totals. How can I do that in ZohoBooks?
    • Deluge scripts

      Why is there not a search function to make it easier to find the script of interest when modifications are required.
    • Social media simplified with Zoho Social: Why should brands have a Threads profile?

      Just over a year ago, Instagram launched Threads, the all new social media app primarily focusing on sharing text online. It was welcomed by people worldwide with more than 10 million users in just seven hours, and it currently has over 175 million active
    • Auto tracking URL generation based on Carrier

      Hi, While creating a shipment order for a package in Zoho Books, I have a requirement that for example, if the carrier is Delhivery and tracking number is 1234, then can automatically the tracking link/URL be generated as www.delhivery.com/1234. Similary,
    • New Beginnings with Zoho Desk mobile app best practices: Part 3

      In focus: Scaling consistency, intelligence, and customization In our third installment, we'd like to share tips to help you elevate your customer experience as you handle support operations seamlessly on mobile. Let's reconnect with Omniserve, the field
    • Highlights of 2025: Milestones and moments

      Hey everyone! As we step into 2026, it’s a great time to look back at everything 2025 brought to Zoho Social. This year was big, packed with powerful new features, smart enhancements, exciting events, and a major milestone: a whole decade of Zoho Social.
    • Introducing the sandbox environment in Zoho Sign

      Hey there! Customer and partners across the globe have been requesting a testing environment—also called a sandbox—for quite some time. Sandboxes help you try out document workflows before using them in your production setup. This new year, we are excited
    • Can I share the drive with another Windows user?

      We use the WorkDrive Sync application on a server with several remote desktop users. Our question is: Can the drive created by WorkDrive Sync be shared from one of these remote users with the other users so they can access the files, or do we need to
    • Syncing Bills in Zoho Books to Zoho CRM

      Is there any way to sync the Bills in Zoho Books in Zoho CRM
    • Auto CheckOut Based On Shift.

      This Deluge script runs on a scheduled basis to automatically set the 'Actual_Check_Out' time for employees who haven't manually checked out. If the current time is past their scheduled 'Shift_End_Time', the script updates the check-out time to match
    • ERROR: Product type cannot be changed for Items having transactions.

      I have mistakenly added a product type as goods for an item that was a digital service. Now when HSN/SAC became mandatory, this brought my attention to this error I did. So I tried changing the product type but it displayed this error message Product
    • Boost your CRM accuracy with smart Data Enrichment

      Hello all! In this post let's look at data enrichment from a holistic perspective to gain more clarity on how you can use it. So, here's a quick recap of what data enrichment is and how you set it up it to enhance your existing module data! What is data
    • Is it possible to set a region lookup table so that my deal country can lookup this lookup table

      Hi there, I would like to be able to add a data lookup table with the following fields: Country, Region. And then in my deal report, i can then lookup this table to fish out the region in my report. This will be important for my sales process to categorise
    • Test Emails Show Sent "via zcsend.net" in My Gmail Account

      I noticed the following info... However, a few email service providers such as Outlook and Gmail will display that the email was sent by zcsend.net (Zoho campaigns’ server) on your behalf instead of just your from email address.  In order to prevent this, you can go for either of these options: Do not select the check box meant for DomainKey Signature which is listed under Unverified sender domains. Include our mail servers by advanced authentication method such as SPF/ Sender ID and DomainKey/ DKIM.
    • 'UnAuthenticated Connection: zbooks_connection'

      I have a zoho connection in Zoho Books, the link name es zbooks_connection, but I like to validate if exist, by example if I use this line in my code: response=zoho.books.getTemplates("", "","zbooks_connection"); But I don't  have the connection I like
    • Calling the new 'Custom API' feature from within a Custom Widget

      From what I've learned it is not possible to call an endpoint from the new "Custom API" feature within a Creator Widget. The SDK's doesn't support it yet, when calling it natively you end up with CORS issues or at least I couldn't get it working even
    • Cannot post to Instagram. I get the error: Insufficient permission to publish on this page. Check with your page Admin to update permissions.

      We had another admin that left the company. Since he left, we get this error when posting to Instagram.
    • Zoho desk desktop application

      does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?
    • Ability to re-order Workflow Rules

      We really need the ability to re-order workflow rules within departments.  Either the ability to drag/drop them into a different order or something.
    • Create an article template

      I have a question concern the Knolwedge Database from Zoho Desk. There is any possibility to create an article template ? Exemple of what I research : TODAY : I want to create a lot af articles with the same baseline > I create one article > I copy/paste
    • Change of Blog Author

      Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan
    • Zoho FSM API Delete Record

      Hi FSM Team, It would be great if you could delete a record via API. Thank you,
    • Instant Messaging Update | Now migrate your WhatsApp Business phonenumber from another BSP to Zoho Desk | Dec'23

      Hi All, Everything seems to move at lightning speed these days, and time is certainly flying by for the IM team. But we are delighted at how much ground we covered this year. 🚀 For one, we enabled WhatsApp business phone number migration so that you
    • Upload ticket attachments via Drag-&-Drop

      Hello, if you want to upload a file to the ticket attachment you need to click the button and use the file browser to select and upload the desired file. In many cases, it would be much more efficient if you could simply drag the file to the browser window...
    • Can we disable add to cart in Zoho Commerce?

      Hello, Our sales happen on the phone. During the call the customer is directed to our website to inspect the products together with the sales rep. So we need a way to present our inventory. I figured Zoho Commerce is a good fit for this use case. However
    • Introducing WhatsApp integration in Bigin

      Greetings! In today's business landscape, messaging apps play a significant role in customer operations. Customers can engage with businesses, seek support, ask questions, receive personalized recommendations, read reviews, and even make purchases—all
    • Next Page