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

• Using Snippets in Comments

  One of our Agents asked about using snippets in comments. We don't see this as an option at this time, only in reply mode. Is there a way to enable this?

• How can I view Help Center articles in 'Sandbox' mode?

  I have published some help center articles but when I try to preview the knowledge base page, it says 'We have no content to display'.

• Ticket Resolution - Add rich formatting, screenshots and attachments

  The resolution field only allows plain text at the moment. Many of our resolutions involve posting screenshots as evidence, it would be great for us to be able to have rich text formatting, be able to paste screenshots and add attachments in the solution

• Ticket duplicating when multiple "To Address" are messaged

  Hello, I want to know if there is a way that I can stop the duplication of tickets when clients email multiple emails related to the same department at the same time. In our case, we basically use ZDesk like email. Each agent has a designated "To Address"

• Exporting Sub-Fields to Email Templates

  We have an Estimates module with a sub-form for estimate calculations. Is there a way to export only some of the columns to a mail merge or writer to produce a report? eg I want don't want the Suppliers details included.

• Issue Loading Dynamic Table Fields in Zoho Writer

  I am experiencing an issue while configuring a repeat table in Zoho Writer. When attempting to insert a dynamic table, I receive the following error: "There was a problem loading your dynamic table fields. Please try again in a while." I have already

• sending mails via workflows with own email address instead of notifications@zohocrm.eu

  Hello, I suspect that this question has already been asked (sorry), but I couldn't find a clear answer. when I send emails to crm-contacts/leads via workflows, the sender is: notifications@zohocrm.eu this is of course not nice. especially since our own

• [Free Webinar] Zoho Creator Release Updates - Creator Tech Connect

  Hello Everyone! We welcome you all to the upcoming free webinar on the Creator Tech Connect Series. The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar that runs for around 45 minutes. It comprises technical sessions in which we delve deep into

• Reply via email for IM tickets

  Ability to respond via email to tickets opened via IM channels, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. Currently it is only possible in calls opened through Socials channels.

• Zoho mail and CRM sync?

  I just started using the CRM email add-on (currently using the free version of CRM, I paid for email). I hope I am just not seeing some things; I have several questions: 1. WHERE and HOW can I sync CRM "Contacts" with email "Contacts" - the usefulness

• GMAIL Calendar to ZohoCliq

  Is there a way for us to make gmail calendar event to sync with zohocliq.  Let's say i have a meeting that is schedule on gmail agenda, can we sync it up with zoho cliq that changes my statuts to BUSY

• Zoho vault filling in a form it's not supposed to fill in

  Hey there, I have a problem with ZOHO Vault autofill. In a software package, we have these options: For some reason zoho vault always replaces what's in the top option and fills a 2fa password in there, and then saves that value.. Meaning whatever was

• Work Flow

  I have a subform inside a form I have a workflow on the form that is suppose to populate the Full Fault Box with input in the other fields. The script that I wrote is putting null in the box but it should never put null. Can someone tell me where I have

• How can i get parameters using Zoho Widget?

  I would like to know how I can pass parameters (for example: the ID of a financial proposal), to a Widget? I intend to host the widget externally, however I need to obtain the Proposal ID so that it can react dynamically.

• How to delete attachments form Zoho mail accounts

  I can't find a way to delete attachments from Zoho mail messages, either individually or in bulk. Searches here are providing conflicting results and often talk about workspace, whereas I am only interested in how to delete attachments that are seen with

• Setting up Tasks without Due Dates or Durations

  We have repetitive projects for each order we receive, and have set up a project template in ZP with tasks and dependencies so we make sure all team members complete all required work on the order, in the sequence needed.  Nearly all of these tasks are pretty brief, and can be done within a day. However, with some of the tasks, we are waiting for information or paperwork from our customer, and this could take 1 day or 1 year or anything in between.  Work on the order cannot proceed until we receive

• Issues Syncing MacBook & iPhone Calendars with Zoho Mail – How to Fix?

  I was informed that I could set up a two-way sync between my MacBook Pro’s calendar and contacts and my Zoho Mail calendar and contacts. However, it's not working as expected. When I add an event to the Mac Calendar, it does not appear in the Zoho Mail

• Unblock outgoing emails

  Please unblock outgoing emails for "hello@strategymaster.io", nature of the business: email newsletter, website: strategymaster.io, what type of emails i sent: whenever user purchases a new subscription, I ask for additional information. At once I sent

• Use Zapier to Seamlessly Create Zoho FSM Integrations

  We are elated to announce that Zoho FSM is now included in Zapier. Zapier acts as a bridge between Zoho FSM and thousands of other apps, enabling seamless integration and workflow automation without coding. What does this offer? Be it for automating repetitive

• Controlling Lookup Paths

  When building pivot tables, Zoho automatically selects 'lookup paths' for you based on which columns are configured. Sometimes, I want zoho to not use a look-up at all between two tables.... but that doesn't seem to be an option, as long as any relationships

• Unable to Change Super Admin

  Unable to change Super Admin Role

• Analyze Project Trends with Power BI Integration for Zoho Projects

  Integrate Microsoft Power BI with Zoho Projects to sync project data, create reports, and analyze trends. This integration allows you to track key project metrics and share insights with your stakeholders. Managing multiple projects requires clear visibility

• How to merge duplicate products?

  merge duplicate products

• Deprecation of Marketplace functions

  We would like to inform you that Marketplace functions will be deprecated by the end of December 2024. Currently, the Marketplace supports the development of functions that can be used in extensions within HTML and resource JSON files. However, due to

• Negative clicks

  I can see we have bot filter now enabled automatically, which is great. I have, however, noticed an issue with the number of clicks. At present it is -3 which is not possible. Is there any way I can make sure the data is more accurate?

• CRM Mail Merge fields

  When we have a lot of requests for quotes, we use the mail merge function to quotes we have produced. It all works well but we have one thing we need that isn't showing up in the mail merge template. In our Quotes module we have selected to show product

• CRM Kiosk Get Record Override

  I'm having an issue where i'm trying to create a record in a crm module, and then with the information i have, try and match to fields in sales orders to match back to the new record. The match will not be exact, so i'm using several 'contains' arguments

• Share dashboard created in CRM with external parties

  Hi all I created a dashboard in Zoho CRM and want to share it with an external party that is not included in our Zoho organisation. How can I do this? Many thanks!

• Deny Leave Based on Number of Requests for the Same Day(s)

  Is there a way to automatically deny a leave request if too many people are asking for the same day(s) off? For example, Everyone wants to take the week between Christmas and New Years off. Assuming everyone has hours available, could we automatically

• Introducing Integrations with Zoho Desk, Zapier and other minor enhancements

  Zapier Integration Automate workflows easily by connecting Zoho Webinar with Zapier. Easily trigger actions for when a webinar is created or cancelled, registrants are added, recording transcripts or summaries are generated, and for many other cases.

• Introducing Zoho Desk integration and a few minor enhancements

  Zoho Desk Integration We've now introduced an integration between Zoho Meeting and Zoho Desk to efficiently manage meeting-related customer inquiries. With this integration, you can track, respond to, and resolve meeting-related tickets directly from

• Zoho Flow invokeurl - INVALID_URL_PATTERN Error with Zoho FSM "users" Module

  I'm encountering an INVALID_URL_PATTERN error when trying to retrieve data from the Zoho FSM 'users' module using the invokeurl task in Zoho Flow. I've spent considerable time troubleshooting, and I'm confident that the authentication (Zoho FSM connection

• Editing plain text files

  Is there any way to edit plain text files through Zoho Docs or any related service? I do most of my writing in plain text format for a wide range of reasons, sometimes by necessity and sometimes by preference to ensure maximum accessibility in future. My many plain text files include general notes, long documents (often using markdown or latex), numeric data, and code. I can open and view these files in Zoho Docs. But to edit I must open them in Zoho Writer, which warns that a new Zoho Writer document

• Video Preview

  We have a heap of video's in Workdrive but it appears I can't preview them I have to download which seems a bit silly given we could on D-Box before moving to this system :-| 

• Zoho's Webhook Service Generates "SSL Handshake Error"

  Zoho's Webhook service/agent is generating "SSL Handshake Error" and is not reaching our listening endpoints. This indicates that Zoho's Webhook agent is unable to recognise valid certificates on the listening application. The endpoint can be reached

• Appears on excluded pages with "1 Minute" trigger, Zobot

  I'm posting this from Japan. Please forgive my poor English. The page to be displayed is set in “Custom visitors” under “Choose bot audience”. I set “1 Minute” as the start trigger and want it to start only on the page I want to display, but even pages

• How to setup compare with same period last cycle ?

  I can easily setup in CRM, but I dont know how to set it up in analytics.

• Automate Zoho CRM Export to pdf

  Is there any way to automate through Deluge or another language the 'Export to PDF' or the 'Send Email' task? When the individual in charge of invoices marks the invoice as 'Finished', there would be a process enabled to download the PDF or email the

• How to Set a Default Bot (Zobot) to Appear Automatically on My Website?

  Hi everyone, I’ve configured a bot (Zobot) in Zoho SalesIQ that is already working properly through WhatsApp. However, when integrating it on my website, it doesn’t show up as the default option. Instead, the traditional live chat appears first, and the

• AfterPay and or Zippay

  Hi team, AfterPay and Zippay are really big payment options these days in Australia. Is it possible to set this integration up as a payment option in Zoho? Thanks

• Next Page