Desk Contact Name > split to First and Last name

I am new to Zoho and while setting up the Desk and Help Center, I saw that new tickets created or submitted from the Help Center used the Contact Name field. This would create a new Contact but put the person's name in the Last Name field only. The First Name field would be blank.

I read another community post about this here: Contact Name - First and Last Name (zoho.com), but the formula did not work for me (probably from not understanding Deluge script.

Upon asking for help from the Zoho team, here is their Custom Function solution:

Navigate to Setup > Automation > Workflows
Create Rule
Execute on > Create (check this box)
Criteria > First Name | is empty
Actions > Custom Function

Name = split_name
Module = Contacts
Argument Mapping (see attached screenshot for reference)

Name = Lname, Value = Contacts.Last Name
Name = Id, Value = Contacts.recordid

SAVE
Navigate to Setup > Developer Space > Functions
Create a New Function
Name = split_name
Category = Automation
Module = Contacts
Write the Deluge code below, using your own Organization ID (see attached screenshot for reference):
Save

orgid = xxxx;
if(lname.contains(" "))
{
zoho.desk.update(orgid,"contacts",id,{"lastName":lname.getSuffix(" "),"firstName":lname.getPrefix(" ")});
}

That should be it.

I hope this helps others who run into the same problem.

Zoho Desk Resources

Desk Community Learning Series
Digest
Functions
Meetups
Kbase
Resources
Glossary
Desk Marketplace
MVP Corner
Word of the Day

Sticky Posts
Webinar 2: Supercharged customer support for growing business
Join us for this webinar and learn how to step up your support game using a real-time communication platform to generate happier, more successful customers. In this live webinar, we will will discuss the importance of SalesIQ for your support team and how it can help you: Understand your customers better and their journeys to proactively support and engage them even before they ask for help. Integrating real time conversations into Zoho Desk’s Support, providing a conversational customer service
Customize Colors of your Customer Self Service Portal
You asked for it. We heard you. We're happy to roll out the most sought after feature request, Customizing the Colors of your Customer Self-service Portal. Now you can set the color of your customer portal to mimic your company's web site, so that your customers visiting the portal will not feel alienated by the default theme. Go ahead and configure the color of the header, tabs, fonts and background according to your needs. You can either choose between default color themes like Blue, Grey, Green
Edit and Delete options in Comments
A lot of teams have been using ticket comments extensively to collaborate everyday. Notification Center further improved this experience by bringing real-time updates. As we continue to build more improvements to this experience, we've shipped a small-yet-important
2024 Email Authentication Standards: Elevating Security with Google and Yahoo
In contemporary email communication, email authentication plays a pivotal role in mitigating email fraud, spam, and phishing attacks. Brace yourself for a new level of security. Starting February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will be implementing robust email
Announcing the New and Improved Article Editor
KBase articles are known to help customers, find solutions to problems on their own and set the stage for ticket deflection. That said, the way you present your KBase content is the clinching factor that ensures your customers stick around to consume it. We took it upon ourselves to build an editor that allows you to publish articles without delving into the code. Well, at least for the most part. With more options and a redefined interface, the article editor in Zoho Desk is now better than ever!