Discussions from Ask The Experts 19: Inside Zoho Desk Spring Release 2025 : Zia in Focus

Hello everyone,  
We had insightful discussions in both the sessions of Ask the Experts(ATE) 19, diving deep into engaging conversations around Zia and the spring release. Your enthusiastic participation and thought-provoking questions brought the sessions to life!  
In this post, we’re spotlighting the Q&A highlights focused exclusively on Zia.

1. Why are Zia Answer bots not performing as intended after integrating them with the internal Knowledge Base (KB)? Why is the bot unable to provide relevant answers when questions are asked in natural language?

Zia's Answer bot's response is based on how closely the user's query matches the content of your Knowledge Base(KB) articles. Zia operates using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, which combines AI search and AI-generated responses. For AI search, we use AI training models specifically implemented for your knowledge base, while ChatGPT/Zia is used for generating the responses based on the service you select. Refer Setting up Generative AI Services: Zia or ChatGPT.

A. To improve this, we recommend following our best practices for training Zia Answer Bots. These include:
      i. Use simple and commonly-used phrases rather than jargons/isolated keywords in your help documents.
      ii. Include clear headings or sub-titles within your help documents to improve searchability and matching accuracy.
B. If you still do not receive relevant answers, we offer an improved Zia search powered by a new training model. If you would like to use it, please drop your request to support@zohodesk.com.

Additionally, we have introduced Generative AI powered by Zia, that is powered by open-source and run in Zoho's environment. To enable this, go to Setup(S) >> Zia >> Generative AI >> Services >> select Zia, under Choose service.  This is hosted entirely within Zoho's environment and is included at no additional cost and works with the Enterprise edition or Zoho bundles supporting Enterprise features.

 

2. How to optimize and incorporate the Zia bot within the Professional Edition?
Zia offers its complete range of functionalities exclusively within Zoho Desk Enterprise Edition and Zoho's bundle services.
However, there are specific Zia features available on the Professional Edition:
  a. Zia powered by ChatGPT: This integration is accessible within Zoho Desk, enabling responses based on open-domain data. In the Professional edition, Zia will  respond using information from the public domain, and the "Reply with Knowledge Base" feature is not available.

Additionally, Zia supports enhanced ticket handling through features like Ticket Summary, Zia Insights, Writing Assistance, and AI-generated content.
  b. Content Analysis: Launched in the recent spring update, this feature improves upon the existing spell-check capability and is accessible across all paid editions..

 

3. Is it possible to train Zia to provide answers based on resolutions from closed tickets rather than solely relying on the Knowledge Base?
Currently, Zia can only be trained using your Knowledge Base and not from tickets or their resolutions.
Tickets often contain sensitive customer data and personally identifiable information (PII), which should not be accessible to all agents or customers. Due to this privacy constraint, we currently do not train Zia using ticket data.
However, there's an option to add information from the Resolution under the Ticket tabs. While creating a resolution, the agent can select "Save And Add Article" to add the resolution to the Knowledge Base thereby giving Zia an option to train on the article. 
 

We plan to introduce a feature allowing agents to generate replies based on similar tickets. In this approach, Zia will reference similar tickets and their corresponding responses to suggest an answer. Instead of directly training Zia on potentially sensitive ticket data, this reply assistance feature will help agents by leveraging responses from comparable tickets.

4. Will Zoho offer additional AI models beyond Zia and OpenAI?  

Yes, we plan to introduce more AI models, primarily those hosted and managed by Zoho, considering the B2B nature of our services and ensuring data security and privacy.

5. How is data currently handled with OpenAI and Zia?  

Currently, when using OpenAI, fields marked as PII  are masked on the User Query or KB articles before sending them to Open AI for response generation alone and not for training. Similarly, Zia, powered by open-source models like Lama 3.1, uses data strictly for generation purposes. We've fine-tuned Lama 3.1 specifically for Zoho Desk requirements.

6. Which additional open-source models does Zoho plan to support in the future?  

Besides Llama, we plan to soon support additional models such as Qwen, and Mistral.

7. Will Zoho Desk allow users to integrate their own AI models?  

Yes, we are working towards creating a platform within Zoho Desk that allows users to bring their own open-source models or custom LLMs for various features.

 

8. How do we use the Zia GenAI-powered chat? Do we need to set it up with predefined answers?
To create an Answer bot, navigate to Setup > Zia > Answer Bot.The Answer Bot operates by learning from your existing knowledge base data. The Answer Bot leverages generative AI, which can either be powered by Zia using open-source technology or through OpenAI's ChatGPT integration, for which you would need an API key. In our recent spring release, we extended the availability of the Answer Bot across instant messaging (IM) channels. You can now deploy the generative AI-powered Answer Bot, trained specifically on your knowledge base, across IM channels such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and your own website. You can also deploy the Answer Bot through ASAP within your Mobile App (SDK). The AI-powered Self-Service with Answer Bot can be powered with Zia(Llama) or ChatGPT.

9. I'm using Zia to predict the"Issue Theme" field automatically, and it shows as successful. However, when I open a ticket, it doesn't suggest any value for me to confirm. Why is this happening?
Regarding Zia's field predictions, there are two available options:
     i. Auto-update predicted value.
     ii. Allow agents to confirm the predicted values manually ("Let me confirm predicted value manually" option).
        To enable Field predictions, navigate to Setup (S) >> Zia >> Field Predictions >> Create A Field Prediction. In the Field Update mode field, you can choose to  predict the field automatically or confirm the predicted value manually.
If you're using the "Let me confirm" option, you need to manually confirm the predicted values. To do this, navigate to the Field Prediction section within the Ticket Detail View. You'll find a wand (star) icon in the sidebar (ibar). Click this icon to view the predicted values from Zia. Here, you can either confirm or reject the suggested value, and your choice will help improve Zia's training data.
We're actively working on integrating this feature directly into the ticket properties, so that Zia's recommended values will appear directly within the field itself.

 

10. Does Zia learn from our responses to tickets as well?
Currently, Zia does not learn from the responses you send. It does not have the capability to learn from the messages you type and send. We are working on expanding the capability for Zia to respond in the business tone based on the custom instructions added by agents for each feature.

11. Do I need to upgrade all licenses to Enterprise to use the new Zia LLM if I'm currently on Zoho One?
Yes, you have to upgrade Zoho Desk to the Enterprise edition to use Zia powered by open-source models. Zia is available by default in the Enterprise plan and all Zoho bundles supporting the Enterprise edition of Zoho Desk.
 

12. How does Zia determine that an agent needs to intervene in a ticket? Does it instruct the user to contact support, or can it notify agents to own the ticket?
Currently, Zia cannot request an agent to intervene in a ticket.
However, we have a feature called Field Predictions, which uses your historical ticket data to predict and assign ticket ownership. When a customer replies, Zia analyzes the customer's message and, based on its training data, assigns the ticket to an appropriate agent who has previously handled similar conversations. Currently, we do not have a feature that proactively prompts an agent to intervene.

13. While managing multiple departments, can we enable Zia Reply Assistance for just one department?
Currently, the Zia Reply Assistance is configured at the organization level, meaning it applies to all the departments. However, we are actively working on making it department-specific.

14. As I understand, does Zia use ChatGPT for translation purposes?
No, Zoho uses its own translation model. In our recent spring release, we introduced a feature called Writing Assistance. This feature allows you to draft replies in your preferred language (for example, English) and translate them into other languages like Spanish or Italian using Zia. In this scenario, Zia does not utilize ChatGPT. However, for summarizing content or providing reply assistance, we rely primarily on ChatGPT to generate responses directly in languages such as Spanish or Italian.
Additionally, Zia uses open-source models without any associated charges.

 

15. How can we utilize AI to analyze data and generate reports?
Currently, Zia is not available for the Reports module. We do have Zia dashboards to monitor Zia's performance, however, we are developing a feature that will allow you to interact with Zia conversationally to create reports on the go.
If you have a subscription to Zoho Analytics, you can already leverage AI to generate reports. Zoho Analytics integrates with Zoho Desk, allowing you to ask questions in natural language and receive AI-generated reports.

16. Can we obtain customer tone reports from Zia Insights?
Currently, Zia Insights, powered by open-source models, is in its initial phase and does not yet support sending insights directly to reports.
Another way to obtain customer tone reports from Zia insights is using Zia API. Identify the tone and record it on a custom field. Generate reports based on the custom field to get insights on customer tones. We are working on this capability to send Zia Insights results from individual tickets to reports and dashboards. 

17. Could you please clarify how Zoho ensures the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) in relation to data retention and Zia’s learning processes?
Regarding data retention, Zoho does not retain your data for training the generative AI models. Zia and ChatGPT utilize your data temporarily for generating responses. For other features, such as field predictions, all data remains within our Zoho ecosystem and does not share data externally for training purposes. Zoho complies with GDPR and HIPAA and sends data to Open AI only after masking Personally Identifiable information.

18. What permissions can be configured when creating knowledge base articles for use with the Answer Bot?  
The Answer Bot operates on two channels: one for agents and the other for customers, and uses permission-based generation. When creating knowledge base articles, you can set permissions such as "All Users," "Agents Only," or "Registered Users." Agents accessing the Answer Bot through the Ticket Detail view will have access to all articles, while end-users accessing via ASAP will only see articles marked for "All Users." Currently, the "Registered Users" permission is supported only for agents. Based on these permissions, the Answer Bot determines which articles it can use to generate responses.
We also have a private beta available for a new AI training model: New Retrieval System. If you're interested, please email us your details, and we can enable this feature to further enhance your Answer Bot's accuracy.

 

19. I currently have Generative AI enabled. What is the difference between ChatGPT and Zia? Should I switch to Zia under Generative AI?
ChatGPT is an integration with OpenAI, where you need your own API key and add credits to your wallet. With ChatGPT, your Zoho Desk data is sent outside Zoho servers to OpenAI for generating responses. On the other hand, Zia is powered by open-source language models, such as Llama, and your data remains within Zoho's servers.
If you switch to Zia under Generative AI, it will be included in your existing Enterprise plan without any additional cost. Zia also offers greater contextual intelligence regarding your data. For example, ChatGPT supports summarizing only up to five conversations per ticket, whereas Zia can summarize up to 30 conversations. Refer here for details. 

Here are the recordings from our Ask the Experts 19 sessions: 

ATE19 Zoho Desk Spring Release 2025 Session 1 | ATE 19 Zoho Desk Spring Release 2025 Session 2

Stay tuned on the Ask the Experts Community for more updates as we gear up for the upcoming sessions focussed exclusively on Zia and AI in Zoho Desk. 
Regards, 
Lydia | Zoho Desk

• Topic Participants

• Lydia | Zoho Desk

  

• Sticky Posts

• Ask the Experts 10: A 5-hour online Q&A on Zoho Desk Best Practices

  Welcome to Zoho Desk's Ask the Experts session! This is a monthly discussion on our forums; wherein a panel of experts will take on questions specific to topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and will answer any

• Ask the Experts 7: A 5-hour online Q&A on Telephony and Call Module

  Welcome to Ask the Experts session! This is a monthly discussion in forums; each session, a panel of experts will take questions on specific topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and answer any questions posted here.

• Ask the Experts 5: Online Q&A on Zoho Desk Extensibility

  Welcome to Ask the Experts session! This is a monthly discussion in forums; each session, a panel of experts will take questions on specific topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and answer any questions posted here.

• Ask the Experts 4: A 5 hour online Q&A on agent productivity

  Welcome to Ask the expert session! This is a monthly discussion in forums; each session, a panel of experts will take questions on specific topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and answer any questions posted here.

• Ask the Experts 3: A 5 hour online Q&A on reports and dashboards

  Welcome to Ask the expert session! This is a monthly discussion in forums; each session, a panel of experts will take questions on specific topics related to Zoho Desk. The panel will be available for a 5-hour period and answer any questions posted here.

• Recent Topics

• Email de outra pessoa ja associada ao meu dominio

  Tenho um dominio e está falando que o email da pessoa ja está associada ao meu dominio

• Pin multiple columns and adjust column widths in CRM subforms

  Hello all, Subforms act as secondary forms or tables in which you can associate multiple line items to a primary record and thereby ensure more structured and comprehensive data organization. We've made some recent enhancements to subforms. Here's what's

• On create of Amc module get sub form data of last row and update in Schedule Vist End Date field in zoho crm

  @Iswarya B G @Bhoomi Joshi @Abinaya Praveen @Ishwarya SG @Haiku Technical Support On create of Amc module get sub form data of last row and update in normal module field Schedule Vist End Date field in zoho crm

• Magento 2 as data source for Analytics

  I see that Shopify is in Beta as a data source, any change that Magento 2 is in the works? We currently use Metrilo to parse our eCommerce data for marketing and would love to keep that inside our Zoho ecosystem. Thank you!

• Zoho Finance Issue in Deals (ZOHO CRM)

  I create almost all estimates/Invoi in Zoho Finance when I convert a lead into a deal or a contact into a deal. But in the Deals section, when I click on any person’s deal, I don’t see the estimations or invoicing from Zoho Finance at the end. May I know

• Restrict card movement in Kanban View

  Hello everyone, I’m wondering if there’s a way to prevent users from moving Deal cards in the Kanban view when grouped by Stage. On the Deal details page, I’ve implemented several validations to ensure users cannot change stages until all conditions,

• Everything you want to share — in ONE link

  Hey everyone, Say hello to our very own link in bio tool – Linkthread is designed to create a single customizable link that contains everything you want to share with your audience on social media. Welcome to the Linkthread Community! What's Linkthread?

• Automate Zoho Meeting Creation via Blueprint (Leads & Accounts)

  I need help automating Zoho Meeting creation during a blueprint transition in both the Leads and Accounts modules. Requirements: Triggered via blueprint Read meeting start time (DateTime field) and internal participants from CRM Create Zoho Meeting via

• Cómo guardar datos de subformularios en filas individuales en Zoho Sheet o Google Sheets

  Hola comunidad, Estoy trabajando con un formulario principal en Zoho CRM llamado Clientes, el cual incluye un subformulario llamado Productos (máximo 3 productos por cliente). En el formulario principal tengo los siguientes campos: Cliente Teléfono Correo

• ZOHO BOOKS EXPERT

  We are planning to migrate from Quick Books to Zoho Books, and are looking for a professional with experience in migration to Zoho Books and the setup of Zoho Books. Currently, we have two companies and two Quick Books accounts, and we want to integrate

• Estimating Project Costs in Zoho Projects – Based on Hours and External Costs

  Hi everyone, I'm currently setting up a project in Zoho Projects and working on implementing a budgeting structure. I’ve already enabled cost tracking based on hours logged to tasks, but I’m looking to expand this to estimate total actual costs, based

• Assistance Required for Zoho Bulk Import Error

  Hi, I am currently attempting a bulk import in Zoho with a small batch of records to test if the import will be successful. However, despite matching all fields correctly, I continue to encounter the following error: "Not a standard user: Prospect Owner."

• Page Break

  Is there a way to set page breaks in Zoho Sheet. I couldn't find anything about it on the board.

• Zoho Projects API - Searching Projects by Custom Field

  Hi How can I search all projects by a custom field? I can confirm that using the search_term parameter as documented here does not work for me: https://www.zoho.com/projects/help/rest-api/search-api.html#alink3 My search term is "22424", which corresponds

• A few Issues when using "Pay Bill via Check"

  We have quite a bit of issues with how paying for Bills via Check works. Would love some feedback from the Zoho team in case we are doing something incorrectly. 1. When we go from a vendor and select "Pay Bill via Check" option, we see ALL the outstanding

• zoho crm intergration with zoho campaign

  I  to intergrate zoho CRM with zoho campaigns https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm/integrations/zoho/zoho-campaigns/articles/zoho-campaigns-crm-integration#Configuring_the_integration_and_setting_up_sync but in step1, when i click to zoho campaigns,

• Bank transaction automation

  I would like to automatically update the "Reference#" field with whatever text is in the "Description" field each time Zoho Books pulls my bank feeds. I've figured out the automation all the way up to the Field Update, where "Reference Number = ...???"

• How to add a pre-filled form to a mobile app

  We are building a mobile app that API's lead info from ZOHO crm (leads module) and would like to add a refer a friend program via a ZOHO form the would prefill their info (Name, Email and Phone) whilst they add the person they are referring (Name, Email,

• instagram direct message

  is it possible to check and reply Instagram direct messages?

• Zoho Recruit - Automatic email before expiry date

  Hi, how can we automate email going out to candidate if one of the 3 fields are 30 days or less before expiry? All available workflow triggers are update/create/delete based but I want this to be independent of any activity on candidates profile. Is it

• Feature Request - Approval Processes

  Hi Team, I think it would be really valuable to add the approval process feature like what is currently available in the CRM. The problem with the current approval support is it can't be automated to send the approval to set people based on the values of fields within the tickets. Is this something that could be considered for the roadmap? Thanks, Harry

• Check Validation Rules all fields on Quick Edit on Record Details Page

  I've added validation rules for some fields in a module — let’s say 3 out of 6 fields have rules. On the Edit Page, if any of those fields have an error, I can’t save the form — which is good. But on the Details Page, I can still quick edit other fields

• How can I bulk import product images to Zoho crm.

  How can I import product images to Zoho crm within bulk imports. I am using an excel sheet or csv and want to include an image (via URL) for each product. This topic is the closest I have found to a solution but I need further help to implement it: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/import-file-upload-and-image

• Show Zoho Books Retainer Invoice in Zoho CRM

  Hi Support, How can I get Retainer Invoices created in Zoho Books to show in Zoho CRM? If a sales person needs to collect an upfront deposit, they should be able to see that the retainer invoice has been created and paid. Thanks, Ashley

• How can I switch from inches to centimeters?

  Hey Zoho-Team, I tried to switch to another measuring unit. Inches are not used in Europe, but i couldn't find an option to use metric units. How can I switch the ruler, tabstops, positions of elements and everything else to the metric system? Thank

• In India is Zoho Free plan restricted to companies with turnover less than Rs. 25,00,000/= ?

  Dear Team, In India is Zoho Free plan restricted to companies with turnover less than Rs. 25,00,000/= ? If not, what are the restrictions. Thank you, Anup

• How to make Deal field required for "Standard" layout and hidden in "Customer Portal" Layout?

  How to make Deal field required in tge "Standard" layout and hidden in "Customer Portal" Layout?

• We're turning five this May, and we need your participation to make this more memorable!

  Dear customers, We can't believe it's going to be five years since we launched Bigin. From our humble beginnings to becoming the go-to CRM for small businesses worldwide, this journey has been incredible, and it's all thanks to YOU— our amazing customers.

• How to abort a report email schedule if query is empty?

  I am needing a way to create scheduled condition alerts when certain criteria exist in our Zoho Reports databases. I don't want to send a report/alert email if the query/condition is nonexistent/empty. How would I do that with the Zoho Reports Scheduling feature?

• Modular cannot Edit in portals

  I have a custom module in CRM. If I create in either CRM or portals, I can edit it in the CRM but I can't edit in the portal. Even if it is created in the portal it wont edit. Anyone know why? I've created a new module and it works fine but this one

• Account Site

  Hello, I would like to know what exactly do you mean with the field "Acount Site" in the account module.  Thanks for your help.

• Kaizen #116 - Client Types in Zoho API Console

  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series! This week, we will discuss different client types available in Zoho API Console, and when to use each. When you register an app in Zoho API Console, you typically choose a client type

• Solicitud revisión y desbloqueo correos de el dominio ecuatoys.com.ec

  Hola equipo de Zoho, Mi cuenta de correo asociada al dominio ecuatoys.com.ec está bloqueada para el envío de correos (Error 554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked). Quisiera solicitar su revisión y desbloqueo. Ya tengo correctamente configurados los registros

• I am unable to receive email but can send email and if replied on the same thread can receive.

  Hello, I am unable to receive emails at all. Tried with gmail and other emails also. But if I send email first and then the person replies on the same thread, I can receive it successfully. I guess my MX records all are good, did what was recommended

• Zoho emails not sent stuck in processing

  As in the image below the emails sent are stuck in processing mode

• zohomail - sending faxes via email using thexxxxxx@faxage.com format

  anyone doing this? zohomail - sending faxes via email using thexxxxxx@faxage.com format we do every so often send faxes using faxage.com

• Open a popup window from inside Record A and stay on the record after saving Record B

  Hello community, Perhaps you can help me with the following topic. I have a form A with a decision box. When this decision box is checked, a form B pops up. Once Form B is saved, I need to stay on Form A to continue entering data. I've observed the following

• DKIM record Missing

  zoho says 'DKIM record missing' at the zohomail spf and dkim validation page. dkim record is most certainly in the wix dns settings. anyone had this issue?

• Task Permissions

  Is there anyway to have some tasks restricted to view just by the owner or creator?

• Zoho CRM Forecast - Exclude certain Deals

  We have our forecast and we use it for team forecast/targets/attainment. It works great for that. However, occassionally we have to offer Deals that are non-revenue generating, but are tracked in our CRM. They still have revenue tied to them, but our

• Next Page