Introducing custom lookup fields in the Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts modules

Introducing custom lookup fields in the Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts modules

Hello all,

 

We are excited to announce a new enhancement that will empower you to further customize the Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts modules. Now, you will be able to create custom lookup fields in your Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts layouts for more flexibility when managing your data.

 

We will be releasing this feature in a phased manner. To request early access, click the registration link below and provide your details. We will enable the feature for your Desk account. 


Registration link >>> https://zoho.to/ZohoDeskBetaForm

 

Here is a quick overview of custom lookup fields.  

What are custom lookup fields? 

Custom lookups are additional fields that can be added to the Contacts, Accounts, and Tickets modules, aside from the default standard lookups (Contact Name and Account Name) that are already available. These fields are customizable and can be tailored to meet various business needs. 

What are the benefits of custom lookups? 

  1. Streamlined data selection: By setting up criteria-based filters, users can limit the records that are displayed when searching for a value in the lookup field, making it easier to find and associate the appropriate records.
  2. Easy creation of related records: Create records in a related module directly from the layout. Users can seamlessly create and associate relevant information without navigating away or switching screens.
  3. Auto-filled field values: Fields in the layout can be prefilled with values from a related module's field. Save time and simplify data entry by populating relevant information for users.

 

When creating a custom lookup field, you can:  

Perform basic configurations 

You can tailor a custom lookup field to meet your business needs through basic configurations. Here are some basic configurations you can perform:

 

  1. Establish Relationship: Choose a related module to establish a relationship. For instance, in the Tickets module, you can create a custom lookup field to establish a relationship with the Contacts module, linking tickets to their respective contacts.
  2. Search and Sort Records: Narrow down the custom lookup field search results and sort the records based on the related module. For example, if you choose Accounts as the related module, you can search and sort the records by Account Name, Created Time, or Modified Time.
  3. Customize Suggestion Pop-up: Enhance the user experience by customizing the suggestion pop-up. Display additional information in the search box to help users find the most appropriate record. For example, when an agent uses a Related Category lookup field, the suggestion pop-up can be configured to display relevant categories based on the category name, priority level, or department. 
  4. Create Subtab: Organize related information by creating a subtab in the related module. For example, if you are creating a custom lookup field in the Tickets module and you select Contacts as the related module, you can create a subtab named Associated Tickets in the Contacts module, which will display all the tickets associated with a particular contact.



  5. Personalize Tooltip: Provide helpful information to users by personalizing the tooltip for the custom lookup field. For instance, in a Customers module, you can create a custom lookup field with a tooltip that provides hints or instructions to users while they're entering a field value.


Perform advanced configurations 

In addition to the basic configurations, you can perform the following advanced configurations:  


  1. Prefill values from a related module: Auto-populate fields in the current layout (where the custom lookup field is added) based on a selected field in the related module. 
    Let's say you are creating a custom lookup field in the Tickets module and choose "Phone Number" as the related module field and "Contact Number" as the current layout field. You can pre-populate the Contact Number field in the Tickets module (current layout field) based on the corresponding data in the Phone Number field of the Accounts module (related module field).



  2. Set filter criteria: Display records separately in the suggestion pop-up based on filter criteria. For example, you can filter records based on a specific account name.



  3. Create a new record in the related module: Add new records directly to the parent layout. For example, in the Tickets module, a custom lookup field named "Referral Contact" can be created with the related module set as Contacts. When a new contact name, such as "John Smith," is entered in the custom lookup field, a corresponding record for John Smith can be created in the Contacts module.



Refer to our help documentation for more information on configuring and working with custom lookups.


If you want to try out the custom lookup feature, please fill out the registration form given-above and let us know. 

 

Share your valuable feedback and suggestions in the comments below.

 

Have a great day! 


Regards,

Varsha P | Zoho Desk


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