Accessibility in Zoho CRM: Not just a feature—a way to empower

Accessibility in Zoho CRM: Not just a feature—a way to empower

For instructions on setting up these controls, please check this help document: Configuring accessibility controls.
Hello everyone,

Today (December 3, 2024), on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we begin our journey towards a CRM that empowers everyone. This first step makes it possible for more users of all abilities to do their best work in Zoho CRM.

But this is only the start.

We need your support and feedback as we work towards a future of inclusive tools, businesses, and communities where no one's excluded. We invite you to watch the video below for a quick overview of our first update:


What is accessibility, and why does it matter in Zoho CRM?

CRM and other business software tools are deeply woven into our work lives, and the experience of using them often drifts out of focus as we navigate through the interfaces, analyze data, and take action. But for users with disabilities, the experience is quite different.

Just as people who use wheelchairs face unique challenges in navigating through physical spaces, users with disabilities often experience business software tools as spaces filled with obstacles. User interfaces are often crowded with visual elements that make navigation difficult. Every click and every form demands attention and effort, and information is often presented in ways that not everyone can easily perceive. And the list of challenges goes on.

When accessibility is not built into business software like Zoho CRM, it unintentionally amplifies barriers instead of empowering users to work without limits.

Accessibility is the removal of these barriers. It helps everyone use products, services, devices, or environments and benefit from them. Even seemingly small changes can make a big difference for many users. For example:
  • Reading tiny text is challenging, especially for those with visual impairments and older individuals. Adjusting font sizes can greatly enhance readability for all.
  • Color is commonly used to indicate important information. For instance, green for enabled switches or red for mandatory fields. Having this information available by other means (text, symbols, and so on) helps users with color vision impairments.
  • Users who can't use a mouse often use keyboards instead. Providing full keyboard access to the CRM and the option to skip sections expands navigation for all users.

Accessibility in Zoho CRM

For the millions of users who rely on Zoho CRM daily—especially those with disabilities—accessibility controls give them the tools they deserve to achieve what they're capable of.

Just as businesses can customize our CRM to meet their specific requirements, individual users can leverage 18 accessibility controls to accommodate their unique needs. They no longer have to deal with a "standard" CRM that only works for users without disabilities. Instead, they can perform all their tasks with ease in a CRM that can be configured to match their unique needs.

Accessibility controls

Our accessibility controls are designed to support users with vision impairments, motor disabilities, and those who could benefit from enhanced interaction options. You can access these via Setup > General > Personal Settings > Accessibility. You can access certain controls using the Accessibility shortcut, located in the toolbar at the bottom. Let's look at each set of controls.

Vision

  • Screen reader support: Users who are blind or have visual impairments rely on screen readers to complete tasks. Zoho CRM now supports popular screen readers by default, allowing for better understanding and navigation. Users can also enhance their experience by enabling standard navigation order and ARIA landmarks.
    A user goes through a list of contacts in the CRM using a screen reader.
  • Zoom support: Users with vision impairment often need to zoom into parts of the interface to perceive details. Zoho CRM now supports browsers' zoom features by default. Users can zoom up to 150% without disrupting the interface's cohesion.
    A user zooms into a record detail page. The CRM's UI does not lose its structure at any point.
  • Adjustable font size and spacing: Text is crucial in CRM interfaces and affects user experience. Preferences for text size vary, with those with low vision preferring larger text and those with higher visual acuity preferring smaller text. Users can easily adjust font size for better readability, eliminating the need to zoom in.
    A user uses the live preview option to increase the font size.

    Similarly, users can adjust spacing to make text easier to read.
    A user uses the live preview option to increase spacing. The text is much more legible now.
  • Magnify text on hover: At times, we may have no trouble with most text elements but face challenges with certain ones. In such cases, users can use this option to zoom-on-demand. Simply press the alt (Windows) or option (Mac) key to enlarge difficult-to-read text elements.
    A user hovers over certain elements to get an enlarged view. This is done in a deal module kanban view.
  • Motion control: Although animations can enhance an interface's appeal, they can also be distracting and uncomfortable for users, especially after extended use. In fact, excessive animations may even induce dizziness and nausea in individuals with vestibular impairments. Accordingly, users now have the option to reduce animations for a distraction-free experience that's easy on the eyes.
    A popup smoothly opens from the bottom toolbar. With the motion control enabled, it appears immediately without the smooth motion.
  • Switch labels: Toggle switches generally use color to indicate their state, such as green to indicate a toggle is enabled. This can be a barrier for users with color vision impairments. With this option enabled, users can quickly determine the state of a switch in Zoho CRM, as shown below:

  • Strikethrough disabled buttons: Disabled buttons are grayed out like toggle switches, but this can be difficult to distinguish for users with color vision impairment. Enabling a strikethrough cue makes it easier for users to identify these buttons, as shown in the example below:
    Disabled buttons have multiple lines running through them from the top-right to the bottom left.
  • Form display mode: Filling out forms can be difficult for users with disabilities, as it can require zooming in, scrolling, and tabbing through fields. To make it easier, users can enable the form display mode, which users can use to shrink a form down to its mandatory fields, fill them out, and then move on to the next task.

  • Mandatory field appearance: To save records, users often have to deal with mandatory fields, which are typically marked with red accent lines. However, this can be problematic for those with color vision challenges. Thankfully, users can now personalize the presentation of mandatory fields, such as by denoting them with an asterisk or a "Required" label.

  • Custom error message display: Forms can pose a challenge for users with color vision impairment, particularly when it comes to error messages. These messages are typically displayed in red, but this may not be visible for those with color blindness. To address this, users can now select a more accessible color and even include an error icon for easier identification.
    Error messages  for two fields are displayed with an icon and an accessible color.
  • Flashing screens for notifications: It's easy to miss notifications in Zoho CRM in certain cases. For example, a user with low vision may be working with a zoomed-in view, which may keep the notification signal out of sight. To address this, users can enable this option, which causes the screen to flash twice when they receive a notification.
    The screen flashes in a yellow shade when the user previews the flash screen option.
  • ARIA landmarks: Users without low vision can perceive an interface's structure at a glance and navigate directly to the section they want. This isn't always the case for users accessing Zoho CRM with assistive technology like screen readers. To help them perceive and navigate the interface easily, they can enable ARIA landmarks, which help them understand the page quickly and skip to the sections they need to get their work done.
    User skips to a section in the home page usig ARIA landmarks. The different sections on the home page are clearly marked in boxes with accessible colors and labels.

Motor

  • Keyboard shortcuts: Many users with and without disabilities prefer using their keyboards to navigate around the CRM and take actions. They can create and use keyboard shortcuts for frequently performed actions. This option has already been released and will now be moved under the Accessibility tab.

  • Zia voice assistant: Some users may not be able to use a mouse or a keyboard. An example would be users with severe motor impairments. We now offer our built-in Zia Voice Assistant to assist such users in navigating Zoho CRM and completing their tasks. After you've enabled this option, press Control + Z + V or click the microphone icon in the bottom bar and start telling Zia what to do. Please note that only English language voice commands are supported for now; it isn't yet available in CN, SA, or JP DCs.
    A user speaks to Zia Voice Assistant to open a lead record and click the Edit button within it.

Interaction

  • Reading focus: The CRM interface is often packed with information so as to present an all-in-one view, but this can be overwhelming for users who are easily distracted. Reading focus enables them to block out distractions and focus solely on the area around their cursor.
    A user has enabled reading focus. Most the of screen is masked except a small rectangular box around the cursor. This box moves as the user moves the cursor.
  • Underline links: Links are important for navigating Zoho CRM, but it's crucial to distinguish them from regular text. This is usually done through color, which can be problematic for users with color vision impairment. In such cases, they can have links underlined for easy identification.
    In a list of tasks, the Task name and the contact name are underlined to show that they are links to records. Other elements like status and priority are not underlined to indicate that they are not links.
  • Standard navigation order: For users navigating the CRM with a screen reader and a keyboard, this option ensures that navigation starts from the first DOM element and proceeds in a consistent pattern (from top to bottom, left to right, and without skipping any elements).

Achieving WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance: A major step towards inclusive accessibility
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a globally recognized framework of recommendations designed to enhance web accessibility. With our accessibility controls in place, we're happy to announce that we're compliant with WCAG 2.2. Level AA.
Note: For the following features, full compatibility is currently limited to the home page, custom view, and standard record view for create, edit, clone, and details pages:
  • Screen reader
  • Zoom
  • Custom error message display
  • ARIA Landmark
  • Standard navigation order
For the following features, full compatibility is currently limited to the standard record view of create, edit, clone, and details pages:
  • Form display mode
  • Mandatory field display
We encourage you to do the following:
  • Explore: Familiarize yourself with the new accessibility controls and let us know what works and what doesn't.
  • Share: Inform your teams and peers about these enhancements.
  • Support: Assist others in customizing their settings for the best experience.
Availability
Release plan: Soon, we'll be rolling out accessibility controls in a phased manner for all customers.

[13 Jan 2025] Accessibility controls are now available to all users in all DCs.

Editions: All
DCs: All
To learn more about these controls, please refer this help document: Configuring Accessibility Controls.
Accessibility is a moving target, and we need your help to ensure that we're constantly moving towards it. Please spread the word and share your feedback.

    Zoho Campaigns Resources


      • Desk Community Learning Series


      • Digest


      • Functions


      • Meetups


      • Kbase


      • Resources


      • Glossary


      • Desk Marketplace


      • MVP Corner


      • Word of the Day


      • Ask the Experts


        Zoho CRM Plus Resources

          Zoho Books Resources


            Zoho Subscriptions Resources

              Zoho Projects Resources


                Zoho Sprints Resources


                  Zoho Orchestly Resources


                    Zoho Creator Resources


                      Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                        Zoho CRM Resources

                        • CRM Community Learning Series

                          CRM Community Learning Series


                        • Tips

                          Tips

                        • Functions

                          Functions

                        • Meetups

                          Meetups

                        • Kbase

                          Kbase

                        • Resources

                          Resources

                        • Digest

                          Digest

                        • CRM Marketplace

                          CRM Marketplace

                        • MVP Corner

                          MVP Corner




                          Zoho Writer Writer

                          Get Started. Write Away!

                          Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                            Zoho CRM コンテンツ






                              ご検討中の方

                                • Recent Topics

                                • Zoho Desk's ASAP announcement | Time to embrace the enhanced JWT Authentication Mechanism for ASAP | Dec'23

                                  Hi All, We are eager to introduce the enhanced JWT authentication mechanism for accessing your ASAP add-ons. Effective December 25th, 2023, the ASAP's old JWT authentication mechanism will be deprecated. This means that the option to switch to the new
                                • Payroll Chart of Accounts Config for Dummies

                                  USA What should my COA look like for one employee, paid via a service (Gusto), no benefits. I pay her wage, associated taxes, and the Gusto monthly fee. I'd like to know the COA account type, any sub accounts, what goes where, any payment splits, etc.
                                • Multi Select Between Modules

                                  Hi, I'm not sure if this is possible, but I want to "import" or "mirror" the multi select options from one module to another. For example... I have Module "Clients" with a Multi Select Field of "Enrolled Services" I also have a Module "Services" with
                                • Attach Subform images from Zoho Creator to CRM Module

                                  Good afternoon eveyone. I am having a difficult time trying to find a way to attach a subform image from a creator app to a CRM module. I have tried so many ways that I don't even know which way was on the right track because none of them worked. If anyone
                                • Receipt for Transaction ID2005635324115

                                  Please share Receipt for Transaction ID2005635324115 towards bashir.salih@wood-man.ae
                                • Zoho FSM Extension for Zoho Desk: For Enhanced On-Site Assistance and Unified Customer Support

                                  We are stoked to present to you Zoho FSM for Zoho Desk, an extension that will help you convert Zoho Desk tickets that require on-site assistance into field service requests in Zoho FSM, ensuring a smooth hand-off from the help desk to field technicians.
                                • Not able to send or receive emails

                                  Hello, I have not been having problems sending and receiving email accounts for about 2 weeks now. I have clean out my folders for storage and it is still not working. Thanks Ward
                                • Need Assistance with New Account and DNS Update

                                  I've created a Zoho Mail account for my Website https://apkqad.com but forgot which Gmail account I used to sign up. Can I setup a new Zoho Mail account and update the DNS records accordingly?
                                • Which WhatsApp API works seamlessly with Zoho CRM?

                                  I’m exploring WhatsApp API solutions that integrate seamlessly with Zoho CRM for customer communication, lead nurturing, and automation. I would love to hear insights from those who have successfully implemented WhatsApp within Zoho CRM. My Requirements:
                                • Zoho Desk app update - Reply via email option for IM tickets

                                  Hello, everyone! We're excited to introduce the 'Reply via Email' option for IM tickets, in the latest version of the Zoho Desk Android(v2.7.4) and iOS(2.9.5) app update. You can now respond to IM-based tickets via email within the mobile app. This feature
                                • Importing into Multiselect Picklist

                                  Hi, We just completed a trade show and one of the bits of information we collect is tool style. The application supplied by the show set this up as individual questions. For example, if the customer used Thick Turret and Trumpf style but not Thin Turret,
                                • Zoho Meeting Android app update - v2.4.0

                                  Hello everyone! We are excited to announce that we have brought in support for the following features in the latest version of the Zoho Meeting Android app(v2.4.0): 1. Start Personal Meeting Rooms 2. Revamp of the schedule meeting screen and meeting details
                                • Upload and embed a video into an article?

                                  How can we upload a video and embed it into an article? It is possible for images but this only supports image files. And don't say it has to be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo or DailyMotion in order to embed it. We're trying to create company documentation
                                • Zoho Recruit in 2025

                                  Hi Zoho team, Is it possible to disclose what is on the roadmap for Recruit in 2025? In comparsion to other ATS options available, Recruit is falling behind. Within the community there are endless request and suggestions from users on feature which would
                                • Mass Update Status of Job Openings

                                  It'd be incredibly useful to be able to mass update the statuses of job openings. I've just been told six jobs are on hold with the same client, so at the moment I need to update all of them individually. Cheers
                                • Canvas View in Zoho Recruit

                                  Is it possible or would it be possible to have the new 'Canvas View' in Zoho Recruit?
                                • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

                                  I am having problem of adding my mobile phone number to my account, while enabling the Zoho mail service. I have tried my personal number, working number, and even my parents number and still got the same error "This mobile number has been marked spam.
                                • Create Ticket ignores a list of "secondaryContacts"

                                  Hi, we're trying to create a ticket, with a contact to be a CC. According to the documentation, it should be a list of IDs in "secondaryContacts". But when the ticket is created, it returns an empty array. Has someone tried it? Thanks for any hint. BTW
                                • Error when trying to categorize bank transactions

                                  I am trying to categorize my bank transactions. It was going fine, I categorized 50 or so transaction and suddenly I started getting an error that reads: "Transactions cannot be matched as the account you are trying to match it to, is different.". I select
                                • Why there is "Failure" after the "Answer bot" card

                                  Hi, I'm building a Chat bot for my company. I implement the card "Answer bot" and after this card there is the word "Failure", then if I add another card, this card doesn't work. In this case I add the "End" card. Can you explain how to do to avoid this
                                • Kaizen #177: Duplicate Check Preferences API vs. Upsert API

                                  Hello all!!! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen. Last week, we discussed Optimizing the Use of Record ID Variables in Zoho CRM Queries. This week, we will explore two important APIs for managing duplicate records in Zoho CRM - Duplicate Check Preferences
                                • How to block a WhatsApp user for sending spam

                                  Is there a way to block those whatsapp users that just come to play and annoy our service, they also spam us. We have a waba service with sales iq
                                • Sales receipt drop down

                                  Is the option for Sales receipt only in a paid subscription? If it is which subscription, if it is not how do I get it up on my drop down sales tab.
                                • Restrict SalesIQ Account Notifications to Admins

                                  Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, We appreciate the continuous improvements in SalesIQ. However, we have noticed that all users, including employees who do not have admin privileges, receive certain account-related notifications—such as the recent splash screen
                                • 5 powerful ways to boost e-commerce customer engagement with Zobot

                                  E-commerce has been a game changer for the past decade. It has drastically influenced the way people purchase. This pandemic broke all the existing rules by embracing automation and making the customer experience more personalized. Chatbots play a crucial
                                • Access Sales Order line Items in Deluge

                                  Does anyone have a Deluge snippet that shows how to access an Order_Items from a Sales_Order? Thanks in advance! Brenedn
                                • Progressive Discounts

                                  We need to be able to apply more than one discount after the sub total. How would we go about doing that in zoho books and zoho inventory?
                                • How to select alternate invoice email notification template

                                  When we reissue an invoice, we want to send a different notification email. I am able to set up the alternate email body using Email Notifications/Invoice Notification settings, but I can't figure out how to attach that template to a specific invoice.
                                • Create/Update Query Tables through API

                                  We need an API to edit the query tables. Currently if columns are added/removed from a normal table, we have to edit the query tables made on top of that table manually to reflect the changes. We want to automate this task to automatically update the
                                • Is there a way to programmatically open the zoho business chat?

                                  I'm integrating business chat into my website. Is there a way to programmatically trigger opening the chat?
                                • Mass Change Start Date in Recurring Invoice

                                  Need a way to update start date for large number of recurring invoices. Either bulk update option for that field or an import function with the ability to set "duplicate handling logic" (like when importing customers) so that one (or more) field can be
                                • How Do I Refund a Customer Directly to Their Credit Card?

                                  Hi, I use books to auto-charge my customers credit card. But when I create a credit note there doesn't seem to be a way to directly refund the amount back to their credit card. Is the only way to refund a credit note by doing it "offline" - or manually-
                                • 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
                                • Backup & Restore

                                  We need a better tool for comprehensive data back-up and restore.  We are investing in Zoho Books as a tool to run our business and the data we input into the system is vital so having comprehensive and regular backups is not only key but a fundamental requirement for any responsible business.  The current backup system does not provide complete data backup and the process to import the data is also flawed. Exported files size are larger than the allowable import size Some exported files have different
                                • Zoho Books Custom Views do not allow "Empty" and "Not Empty" to be evaluated in criteria

                                  In Zoho Books, we can create a custom view for most modules (like Invoices and Bills), and we can try to specify a criteria. However, we cannot evaluate in criteria whether a field is empty or not. This is very bizarre! Every type of criteria across all
                                • Allow Option to Modify Check Voucher. Need Additional Columns from Bill

                                  We really want to add a custom field/value from a Bill to the check Voucher. Is this possible? If not, why is there such a restriction? We are having an admin hand write information on all the vouchers, even though the information already exists on the
                                • Restrict Payment Methods

                                  Allow us to restrict certain payment methods specific for each customer.
                                • Zeptomail Support

                                  My zeptomail was blocked and i was notified to contact support. I have opened five tickets and no one is responding to my queries. I went through possibilities of the block and discovered the issue was due to suspicious mails sent through one of the mailagents.
                                • How to export customer contacts from Zoho desk

                                  How to export customer contacts from Zoho desk
                                • Clarification on Lead Score Breakdown in Zoho Marketing Automation

                                  Hello I have a question regarding the lead scoring system in Zoho Marketing Automation. Specifically, I want to understand the breakdown of how a lead's score is accumulated. For instance, if Person A has a lead score of 50, I would like to see the detailed
                                • Next Page