Zoho CRM Community Digest - June 2024

Zoho CRM Community Digest - June 2024


The month's Zoho CRM Digest is packed with exciting updates, insightful discussions, and valuable tips from the community. From streamlining workflows with bulk imports and dynamic filters to tackling duplicate leads and managing emails with ease, we've got you covered. Dive in to discover!

Product Updates:

Ready, Set, Bulk Import Call Data in CRM:
Zoho CRM's new data import feature for the Calls module is a time-saver, allowing users to create or update multiple call records at once. The import process mirrors that of other modules, making it easy to use. For more details on this enhancement, refer to the announcement post. 


Enhanced duplicate check for Leads in Zoho CRM:
Zoho CRM has improved its duplicate checking for Leads by automatically comparing them with existing Contact records, preventing duplicate lead creation. Previously, only converted leads were checked for duplicates. Now, CRM users have more control! Select "Contacts" in the Duplicate  Check menu for Leads and choose a unique field (like email) for comparison. This ensures all contact records, including those added directly as Contacts, are thoroughly checked for duplicates during lead creation. Check this announcement to learn more about this exciting enhancement.

Zoho CRM's Dynamic Lookup Filters Are Here!: 
Zoho CRM is introducing dynamic filters for lookup fields! This exciting enhancement automatically filters lookup options based on the information you've already entered in the current road. This ensures you are only shown relevant choices, reducing information overload and the risk of data entry errors. This features is being released in a phased manner. Check out the post for more information. 

Zoho CRM Makes Multi-Select Picklists a Breeze:
The enhanced filtering option in Zoho CRM now enables users to select multi-select picklist value directly from a drop-down menu. This update also introduces new operators that enable filtering records based on whether they contain all, any, or none of the selected values from the multi-select picklist. Currently rolling out, this enhancement will be accessible across CRM sections like Custom Views, Reports, and more. Take a look at the announcement for detailed information. 

Introducing Component Filters in Zoho CRM Analytics Dashboard: 
Previously, users couldn't filter data within shared dashboard components based on specific criteria. The new component filters features now allows individuals users to apply their own filters to shared dashboard components, letting them view data according to their specific needs without altering the overall component setup. Users can configure up to two filters per component. Additionally, the "recently deleted" feature allows recovery of accidentally, deleted dashboard components from the last 30 days. For more details, see the announcement. 

Introducing Canvas Record Form in Zoho CRM: 
Previously, record creation pages were limited to standard layouts, but this is set to change with the introduction of Canvas Record Forms. The Canvas design studio enables a drag-and-drop interface for extensive layout customization, allowing users to streamline data entry, highlight key information, and use vibrant colors and fonts. This visually engaging user interface enhances the user experience and ensures brand consistency. Forms can be tailored for specific processes or roles, with the ability to create multiple custom forms per module to meet different needs. Manage all customs record forms, import templates, and configure settings in the "Form view tab".  Additionally, specific fields on the form can be highlighted to improve visibility. Interested in learning more? Check out the post! 

Bulk Additions and Subforms Permissions in Zoho CRM: 
Zoho CRM is introducing two major enhancements for subforms: bulk additions and subforms permissions. Users can now add multiple entries to a subform at one via a lookup window, significantly saving time. Additionally, administrators can now apply granular access control to subform, setting view, create, edit, and delete permssions based on user roles. This improves control over subform access beyond the record level. Discover more details in this post. 

CRM Email Templates Are Now Available in the Gmail Add-On! 
You can now access and use your CRM email templated directly within the Gmail add-on. For more details, check out @Ishwarya's comment in this post. 

Zoho CRM Dashboard: New Updates!
Dashboard creators and admins can now lock shared dashboards, restricting editing privileges for specific users and ensuring they remain in view-only mode. Additionally, the introduction of abbreviated number formats (K for thousands, M for millions, B for billions, etc.) and customisable decimal places helps with better comprehension of large numbers in dashboard components. The KPI components now display underlying record counts alongside metrics, offering context on factors such as whether a revenue increase is due to more deals or higher average deal sizes. For a comprehensive understanding, check the announcement, complete with screenshots. 

Zoho CRM's Latest Updates for Top Email Security and Deliverability!
Zoho CRM has rolled out several email compliance enhancements, including leveraging email sending domain authentication from Zoho products to streamline the process, boosting DMARC and adding a one-click unsubscribe option to your emails. Review these updates to ensure compliance and optimize email deliverability. For more details, refer to the announcement post. 

New Customizable Kanban Views - Stay Updated!
Heads up: The current system-defined Kanban view for Meetings, Calls, Tasks and Appointments will be discontinued after July 30th. The new enhancement will allow you to customize boards by selecting a picklist field, offering more flexible board configuration tailored to your business needs. Be sure to check out the post to stay updated!

Early Access:

Zoho CRM Search Makeover: Early Access Features
Zoho CRM is giving your searches a makeover. We have added a bunch of features to help you find what you need quickly. You can now target searches by modules, name, or tags and even see key info and take actions (like emailing contacts) directly from the results. Advanced search got an upgrade too, allowing you to filter by criteria and sort results based on recent activity. Additionally, Zia, Zoho's AI assistant, is now built right into search to find calculated data, reports, and more! Check out the post to learn more. 

Useful Discussions:  


Budget tracker: the Fix for Negative Display Issues!
@Damien was having trouble with a formula in their budget tracker. The formula was not displaying negative values correctly, showing them as positive instead. @Subhash Kumar identified the isssue provided the solution. Check out the post to find the answer.

Solved! Importing Leads with Historical Creation Dates in Zoho CRM: 
@Raantjes wanted to import leads with their original creation date/time into Zoho CRM. The standard "Import Leads" function didn't allow setting a custom creation date for imported leads. @Prashant Sharma initially recommended Data Migration, with Bala Ganesh providing further details and screenshots. Dive into this post to learn more. 

Notes across Contacts, Accounts, and Deals in a single Report: A workaround
@Marshall wanted to create a report in Zoho CRM that displayed all notes and the associated contact/account/deal information in a single view. The current report editor in Zoho CRM didn't allow including parent module information (account, contact, deal) alongside notes in a single report. @Hugh Marshall stepped in and offered a workaround!
By setting "Notes" as the base table and adding relevant parent modules as secondary tables, users can now generate reports that show both note content and associated entity. Check this post for a detailed explanation, complete with screenshots. 

Update Existing Accounts with Account Numbers (Without Duplicates!)
@Jennifer encountered issues when attempting to add manually assigned account numbers from a spreadsheet to existing accounts in Zoho CRM. Importing the spreadsheet with the account numbers column resulted in duplicate accounts instead of updating the existing ones. it's unclear if Jennifer was working with an auto-number field, but @Hugh Marshall provided clarification and a potential solution for both scenarios. Note the auto-numbers fields cannot be imported or changed directly. Check out the post for the solution. 

Functions:

Automate Field Population with Functions: 
@Tyler Christie wanted a way to automatically populate a field in Zoho CRM's Leads module based on the entered zip code. @Bhoomi Joshi provided a helpful solution with a code snippet. Given the multiple possibilities based on different Zip codes, @Bhoomi Joshi recommended grouping similar Zip codes in a list, which @Tyler Christie confirmed worked perfectly. Check out this post for the code. 

Finding Past Deals in Zoho CRM: 
@Andrew Lovatt wanted to find a way to filter deals based on a closing date that has already passed, without having fetch and iterate through all deals. @Bhoomi Joshi shared the code with the required criteria parameter. Take a look at the post for the code. 

Fetching User ID by Email: 
@Aravind Krishnan needed help dynamically fetching a user ID in Zoho CRM to assign tasks. Aravind has the user's email address and wanted to find the corresponding user ID. @Bhoomi Joshi and @Haiku Technical Support have shared their solutions depending on Aravind's specific needs. Explore their solution in this post. 

Solutions for Adding Options to Multi-Select Fields: 
@Juan Berrio wanted to automatically add new options to multi-select fields in a subform. @Hugh Marshall came to the rescue! He explained how to use the Metadata API within a Deluge function to add new options programatically. Check out this post for the working code. 

Dev's Corner: 

This month's Dev's Corner features three detailed posts by community members, who went above and beyond to share comprehensive code, steps and screenshots. Thank you @Vigneshwaran, @Kevin Flynn and @Rodger Brehaut. 

Rich Text Notes in Zoho CRM: 
@Vigneshwaran, along with his team, has devised a clever workaround by developing a custom widget that serves as a Rich Text solution. This widget allows users to format text, embed images, and enhance their notes directly within the CRM platform. Take a look at this detailed post, which includes codes and screenshots. 

Script to Simplify Adding Product Bundles to Quotes: 
Kudos to Kevin Flynn for a detailed post featuring Client Script code that streamlines the process of adding product packages to quotes. Kevin created a custom module to list "Package Items", where users can define product bundles with details like included products, discounts, and start/end dates. These packages are then linked to the Quotes module through a lookup field. Read the post to learn more. 

Automate File Management with Deluge Script: 
@Rodger's script automates file attachement in CRM records when a new file is added to a designated Workdrive folder. Rodger provides detailed instructions and encourages users to experiment and adapt the script to their specific needs. Take a deep dive in to the post for a comprehensive overview, complete with code and screenshots. 

Kaizen: 

(Kaizen #139) Using Functions in Client Script and Handling Timeouts: 
This post addresses a common challenges faced by users working with Client Scripts" how to call functions within those scripts and handle potential timeouts that might prevent them from running as expected. Learn more from this post on how to tackle these issues effectively. 

(Kaizen #140) Integrating Blog feed scraping service into Zoho CRM Dashboard:
This post covers how to create a Zoho CRM dashboard widget that display the most recent blog posts from your favourite products or services. Take a look at the post to learn more.

(Kaizen #141) Zoho CRM's API Collection in Postman:  
This post introduces a valuable resource for anyone looking to interact with Zoho CRM's data using Postman. It provides an overview of Postman and its role in working with APIs, and guides developers on how to utilize a pre-built collection of API calls specific to Zoho CRM within Postman. Check out the post to learn more. 

(Kaizen #142) How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script: 
This post discusses how client-side ZDKs can simplify navigation within a software application. It covers the limitations of traditional navigation methods, introduce ZDK functions such as "navigateTo()" and "navigation_data" for ZDK-based navigation, not provided a use case with a solution and summary. Read the post for more details. 

(Kaizen #143) Assigning values to different field types using Zoho CRM SDKs - Part I
This post is a part of a series on Zoho CRM discussing how to assign values to different types of data fields when using Zoho CRM's software development kits (SDKs) across various programming languages. By understanding how to handle different data types, you can effectively use the provided sample code and customize it for your specific needs within Zoho CRM. Check out the post to learn more.

(Kaizen 144) Assigning values to a different field types using Zoho CRM SDKs - Part II
This post builds on the previous one, which covered assigning values to a different field types using the Java SDK. This instalment focuses on achieving the same functionality with the PHP SDK, while emphasising the importance of reviewing the first part for a complete understanding. Dive in this post to learn more.

Thank you for taking the time to read this month's round-up. Keep tabs on the digest every month for the latest ideas and discussions. Stay tuned and engage in the forums to be included in the next month's digest. Have a wonderful month ahead!

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