Zoho CRM Community Digest - July P1 | 2025

Hey everyone,

The start of July 2025 marked a special milestone: 200 posts in our Kaizen series! For those new here, Kaizen is a go-to series for Zoho CRM developers, where we regularly share best practices, tips, and expert insights to help you build better with CRM.

Reaching 200 wouldn’t have been possible without your support, curiosity, and encouragement. So, here’s to your curious brains and to this series never stopping!

Now, let’s dive into the product updates lined up for this fortnight.

Product updates:

Enhancements in Portal User Group creation in flow:

Zoho has revamped the portal user group creation flow to make it clearer and more user-friendly. The term “User Type” has now been renamed to “User Group,” and “Portal Tab Configuration” is now renamed to “Portal Module Configuration.” The setup flow has also been reorganized for better clarity. A new Settings tab has been added: if invites are sent via Email, it includes Portal Forms and Email Templates; if sent via Phone, you'll see an SMS Templates tab instead. 

You can see a complete before-and-after view of the changes in the post.

Smarter Scoring with Zia:

Zoho CRM now offers advanced scoring factors, including Zia Scores for all modules, making lead and record scoring smarter and context-aware. Scoring Rules under Automation now bring Manual and Zia Scores together in one place, simplifying the management of all factors, whether based on custom conditions or VoC-driven insights like sentiment, intent, or competitor mentions. Zia automatically applies the right rule using conditions you define, ensuring scores are relevant to each context. This update also enables Zia Scores to trigger automations across all modules. Check out the post to learn more.. 

Static Subforms are here!

Tired of repeatedly entering the same data structure in subforms? With Static Subforms, you can now predefine rows with fixed values, ideal for cases where your team consistently captures the same type of information across different records. This is especially handy when tracking items like tax breakdowns, standard fee structures, or routine checklists. It streamlines data entry, reduces errors, and saves time. Admins can lock these static rows or allow edits, offering both structure and flexibility. Read the full post to learn more.

Custom Views can now be deployed from Sandbox to Production!

That’s right! Zoho CRM now lets you create and test custom views inside your sandbox and directly push them to your live setup. No more manually recreating views after testing! Explore more about it in this post.

Community Discussion Highlights!

Quick Wins:

Export Just What You Need from Accounts Module:

@Ian B asked how to export specific information from the Accounts module. Take a look at this post where @Pheranda share a helpful screenshot to show exactly how it's done.

Avoiding Duplicate Accounts from Forms:

@Ian had a question about preventing duplicate account creation when someone submits a Zoho Forms application? @Max Tyack offered a solid solution using the Upsert Record option in the Zoho Forms integration, and even suggested creating a custom module to track submission, using workflows to update or create accounts only when needed. Take a look at the post to know more.

Tracking training and certification expirations in Zoho CRM:

@Patrick Meyers asked how to track customers' training certificates that expire after 2–4 years, while also keeping a log of every course taken. The goal was to capture registration details, certification dates, expiry dates, and trigger reminder emails three months before expiration while keeping past records intact. If you're looking to automate renewal and follow-up reminders in Zoho CRM, this post has some practical ideas worth exploring!

 

Functions:

Want to copy related records from a custom module into Deals automatically?

@Emma had a custom module for capturing some data but felt it would be better to capture this data using a separate layout in the Deals module. The data transfer involves notes, subforms, and attachments, and importing them through the back-up process requires updating the parent record ID properly. @Bhoomi Joshi offered a practical Deluge function that moves the record from custom module to Deals, copying over relevant fields including sub-form data, notes and attachments. Take a look at the post for the code!

Developer's Corner:

Searching Call Records by Phone Number with COQL API:

@Clark Janes was having trouble searching Call records by phone number using the calls/search Web API, encountering errors like INVALID_QUERY and FIELD_TYPE_UNAVAILABLE when using criteria or phone parameters. @Jeganprabhu recommended using the COQL API to query the Calls module directly using From_Number or To_Number fields to retrieve matching call records even without linked contacts.

Take a look at this post for details.


And that’s a wrap for this fortnight’s Zoho CRM Community Digest.
Caught something cool we missed? Or have a favorite from this edition? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.

We’ll be back in two weeks with more updates and community gems.

Until then, stay tuned!

• Topic Participants

• Swetha S

  

• Sticky Posts

• How to reach the official Zoho Support channels and avoid fake ones.

  Dear Customers, Thanks a lot for choosing Zoho! Our applications are built to help achieve your day-to-day business goals. We are committed to engaging with you, to understand and develop solutions that enhance your productivity.  We are happy and ready to help you use our services effectively. Understanding and avoiding fake support Just like using popular bank names and financial applications for phishing purposes, using Zoho and claiming to be providing Zoho Support or services with false numbers

• Function #35: Close all tasks associated with a lead and create a new task.

  Welcome back everyone! Last week, we learnt how to close all tasks of a deal depending upon the deal stage. This week, let's look at a custom function that lets you close all of the tasks associated with a lead while simultaneously creating a new task, like when you need to halt all progress towards a lead while the lead is not available at the moment but create a reminder task. Business scenario: The success of a company, in one way or another, is determined by the leads it gets. Each lead is just

• Zoho CRM Webinar - Redesigning Daily User Experiences with Canvas

  <br> Your users across roles use the CRM for day-to-day tasks that are necessary. Whether they perform their tasks on time, the right way, or at all depends on a lot of factors, including User Experience. Many businesses struggle with rigid layouts,

• Join us at the Canada ZUG Meetup: What’s New in Zoho CRM

  Hello Zoho Community! Start your year with fresh insights into Zoho CRM’s latest updates and tools. Whether you're a CRM beginner or a experienced user, this meetup is crafted to help you optimise your processes and leverage new features. Explore practical

• CRM Hack #2: Automate sending of birthday greetings to your customers.

    Hello everyone! What sets you apart as a sales person is your ability to add that personal touch to your business relationship with your customers. Sending a gift on a special day, or leaving a note wishing them on their birthdays, are small, yet significant actions that show your customers that you care. And these are actions done without any expectations :) You must be engaging with a lot of customers and it is highly unlikely that they all are your friends on Facebook or some social channel,

• Recent Topics

• Detail View in Mobile without Labels

  Zoho creator 6. I have been trying to acheieve this but not able to. I have a quick view of my articles using custom layout for mobile. When i tap on an article it opens in detail view on my mobile which has two cols. Left displays label and right the

• Updating task using excel file

  Hi, Is there a way to update existing tasks using excel file import?  Thanks

• Cross module filtering is now supported in CRM

  Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: This enhancement is being released in phases. It is now available in AU, JP, and CN DCs. Help resource: Advanced filters The Cross-module filtering enhancement is now available to all CRM accounts in the following

• Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition

  Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition On click of the Predelivery transition can we show site ready ness file upload mandtoty or on click of the QC show the alert message site

• Note cards are duplicating

  Hi, I've been using this app for some time and love it. Recently I've noticed that upon closing a note card, it creates a duplicate. If I exit the notebook it's in and go back, everything is back to normal. Not a major issue but still a little annoying.

• Where is the (Bulk) Notes Export function from Notebook ???????

  I have seen various threads over the last two years on this and basically no action from ZOHO at all ! BTW having to go to an individual note and export to PDF (which now doesn't even work ) or some sort of zoho format is by no means the answer ! I still can't see any sort of bulk (or even individual) export function across notes. This is really poor for a notes product that is nearly 4 years old from a "major vendor".  I now have a large number of notes (some with images) that I want to export and

• Again about the backlighting of the search query when searching in a client for Linux

  Some time passed, I installed a client for Linux version 3.4.0, but I still did not receive the promised search with the backlighting of the search query how it was implemented in the client for android. In the previous topic, you told me that this function

• Enhancements to finance suite integrations

  Update: Based on your feedback, we’ve updated the capabilities for integration users. In addition to the Estimates module, they can now create, view, and edit records in all the finance modules including Sales Order, Invoices, Purchase Order. We're also

• Important! ZipRecruiter Sponsored Posting Plan Changes in Zoho Recruit

  Greetings, We’re reaching out to inform you about an important upcoming change to the ZipRecruiter Sponsored job board integration within Zoho Recruit. What’s Changing? Starting June 1, 2025, Zoho Recruit will be updated with ZipRecruiter's latest pricing

• In the Blue Print Transition requirement received it will show 8 check field in pop up if they any one of this field then only move to next stage Ist quote

  In the Blue Print Transition requirement received it will show 8 check field in pop up if they any one of this field then only move to next stage Ist quote Pls help how i fix this

• Linking Multi-UOM Barcodes to Products in Zoho Books

  Greetings, I'm using Zoho Books for retail shop and I'm running into a bit of a challenge with products that have multiple Units of Measurement (UOMs) and corresponding barcodes. For example, I sell cigarettes both as individual packets and in cartons

• Convert Item to composite item

  When using Zoho CRM integrated with Zoho Inventory/Books, the item creation process is a little messy. After a few years of trial and error, we have settled on creating items in CRM, which are sync'ed to Zoho Inventory using Zoho's own internal integration.

• Mapping “Account Name” from CRM to Campaigns

  I’m syncing our Contacts list to Campaigns and want to select “Account Name” as an available field. Account Name does not appear in the drop down menu for CRM field even though Account Name is a field in our standard layout. How can I make it availa

• Zoho Campaigns to Zoho Analytics Sync Fails – Field Mapping Shows But Not Applied

  I’m facing a persistent issue with the Zoho Campaigns integration to Zoho Analytics in my workspace. Here’s a detailed description of the problem: Under Edit Setup, I see a field mapping summary that shows: DataField Mapping: Most Recent Login However,

• Partially receive PO without partial Bill?

  Most of our inventory is pre-paid. Let's say we purchase 30 pieces of 3 different items for a total of 90 pieces. It is common for our supplier to send us the items as they are ready. So we will receive 30 pieces at a time. How can I partially receive

• Host in US Data Centre

  I humble apply to be registered on US Data centre

• Multiple images, one record

  I have a form that is used to capture the following info: -Facility Name -Origin -Shipment # -Picture of Damaged Pallet (Image field) I want to be able to capture multiple pictures without having to create a new record, as there might be multiple damaged pallets on the shipment. Obviously, one never knows how many damaged pallets might be on a shipment so I'd prefer not to create 20 image fields and have most of them unused.  I'd prefer that they have an option to add another image only if they need

• how to dynamically upload multiple images for single record?

  Is the use of dynamic multiple images in a single record supported? I've searched but have not found the answer. If it is supported, how is it done? I saw 1 suggestion to add a sub-form but that doesn't seem to be the answer. I don't want to add a set number of image fields. Each record would have a different number of images. I want the addition of images to be dynamic. thanks

• Multi-upload field

  Hi I need to include a file upload field that allows the user to select multiple files and upload all at once. I hope I can do this with HTML, I'm new to merging HTML and deluge... Can I trigger a hidden file upload window to appear On User Input of a field in an embedded form? Thanks! Levi

• is it possible to add multiple attachments to a record?

  Hello, I'm trying to add functionality so that a record can have several associated attachments. I obviously added a File Upload field to my form, but that appears to only allow one total. Is there a way around this? Thanks, - Kevin

• multiple upload files in zoho form

  Hi,  I need upload multiple files  in a single upload field thkns

• Keeping Track of Email Threads

  Hi, Z CRM is great for tracking all the activities one would want to track whilst qualifying leads, converting to customers, closing deals etc etc, however.... ....although I can use Z CRM to send an email to a lead/contact and have that recorded as an activity for other team members to see, there is no way of capturing an inbound email from that lead. Assume my lead replies to my email sent from ZCRM, in my case, the response arrives in my ZMail account. However I can't get it back into ZCRM to

• Zoho Creator invokeUrl to retreive PDF

  I'm trying to retreive a record PDF to send to Print Node. Tried with and without the zoho_creator_connection. pdf_content = invokeurl [ url :"https://creatorapp.zoho.com.au/<org_namespace>/<app_link_name>/record-pdf/<report_link_name>/" + input.ID type

• Bulk upload image option in Zoho Commerce

  I dont know if I am not looking into it properly but is there no option to bulk upload images along with the products? Like after you upload the products, I will have to upload images one by one again? Can someone help me out here? And what should I enter

• How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

  Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields

• Zoho App Builder

  I’m looking for a Zoho Creator developer to build a simple app for tracking site expenses for a construction company. Key features: mobile form, dropdowns for projects and expense types, photo attachment for invoices, auto-calculated totals, and Excel

• Captcha can't be enabled conditionally

  Hi Problem: captcha on a form can't be enabled conditionally. Why is this a problem: Because I use the same form on our website (public) in the portal and mobile app. In the portal it works but in the mobile app it doesn't. So there should be a way to

• ACH Returns Don’t Trigger Dunning or Reverse Payment in Zoho Subscriptions

  Zoho Billing marked an ACH payment as successful and kept the subscription active — even though the payment was later returned by the bank (NSF). There was no update to the invoice or subscription status, and I had to manually clean it all up. For credit

• Zoho Sheet - Split cell diagonally fill half color

  is it possible to split a cell diagonally, fill different text in each half and ideally color them differently as well?

• Calling Token API in Postman returning "error: invalid_client"

  Hello, I've been working on setting up an API to get data from zoho crm into a third-party application. I'm currently testing the setup in Postman, but I'm getting an error from the API to retrieve the access token. It keeps returning "error: invalid_client".

• How to handle this process need using a Blueprint?

  See one minute screen recording: https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/eb743d2f4cde414c715224fc557aaefeb84f12268f7f3859a7de821bcc4fbe15

• bulk scheduling youtube shorts and facebook reels

  how do i flag the video as facebook reel rather than normal video, it's vertical, 20 seconds, yet still being posted as video on facebook for youtube, it's being rejected out right both videos are to standard, can be posted normally with normal scheduler

• Invitation-Based User Access in Zoho Analytics

  Hello everyone, We’re rolling out an important update on how users are added to your Zoho Analytics Organization and Workspaces. Previously, when admins added users, they were automatically added to the organization. Moving forward, to improve security

• Filtert products by multi select custom field

  Hello, this is seems like a must addition, why it can not be done now?

• Multiple images

  Hi Is there a way to insert multiple images in one image record or any way that instead of one image, I could upload 5 to 10 images together. Looking forward for a solution. Regards

• Zoho Projects - Custom Objects

  Hello, is there the ability now, or in the near future, to add custom objects to Zoho Projects? The requirement here would be to have the ability to track change requests to a project's budget. The idea here is to have the ability to create a custom Object

• Access CRM Variables from Formula field

  Is it possible to use a CRM variable (defined in Developer Space -> CRM Variables) in a formula field for calculations ?

• Announcing Bigin India Meetups Across 8 Cities: July 29 - Aug 07

  Hello Biginners, We've got some exciting news to share! We're hosting our first round of Customer Meetups for 2025 in India, from 29th July - 9th August. Whether you're a Bigin newbie or a seasoned pro, this is your chance to meet customers from your

• Why isn't there an Expense description field / column?

  Hello! I'm new to Zoho Books and accounting. I'm surprised there isn't a proper expense description field (and column in the overview "all expenses" page)? I thought this was a given in accounting, as visualizing expenses facilitates tracking them down?

• New in Zoho PDF Editor: Watermarks, password protection, signature collection, and more.

  Hi Zoho Sign users! We are delighted to introduce the latest enhancements to Zoho PDF Editor, designed based on user feedback and feature requests. This update enables you to reorder, extract, and rotate PDF pages, add watermarks, and collect signatures.

• Next Page