Zoho CRM Community Digest - September 2025 | Part 1

Hello Everyone!

September's Here! Before we jump into product updates, and community highlights, here's a quick spotlight!

Zoho has launched a Professional Sales Rep Certification course on Coursera, tailored for sales professionals to strengthen their CRM and sales skills. The program covers CRM fundamentals, sales strategies, automation, and real-world CRM scenarios, helping you build both practical experience and recognized credentials. Check out the post to learn more and enroll.

With that exciting news covered, it’s time to dive into this month’s product updates and see what our community has been discussing.

Product Updates: 

Cadences Now Support WhatsApp Follow-ups!

You can now add WhatsApp messages as follow-ups in your Cadences. Choose from pre-approved templates like payment reminders, offers, or feedback requests, and schedule them just like emails or calls. This feature is available for the Leads and Contacts modules. We’ve also introduced combined limits for all follow-up types, allowing you to decide how many emails, calls, tasks, or WhatsApp messages to include in a Cadence.The Cadences limit per module has been increased to 70, with no individual follow-up limits, providing greater flexibility. Permissions for Cadences are now separated from “Manage Automation” for improved control. An add-on option is now available to extend usage without changing your subscription plan. Take a look at this post for more details. 

Zoho CRM Mobile Gets Sleek Updates!

We've introduced some cool new features for the mobile app,including customizable home page widgets and field tooltips that provide helpful guidance while filling fields. You can now update your user profile image directly from the iOS app, something that was previously only possible through the Zoho CRM web app. These updates make the mobile experience more informative, personal, and engaging. Check out the post for more details and a closer look at how these features enhance your mobile CRM experience.

Enhanced Data Export Features Now Live

Zoho CRM now gives you more control when exporting data. Supported enhancement include option to export in .xlsx format, choosing your character encoding while downloading as CSV files, and select exactly which records you want to export instead of full modules. These updates let you export data directly from a module page with more control and convenience. Check out the post for the full breakdown.

 

Quick Wins: 

Mass Email Count Mismatch? Here’s How to Track the Missing Sends:

@Bill noticed a discrepancy in his campaign stats and wanted to find out which emails weren't sent. While Sent Email Statistics shows overall metrics like opened, clicked, and bounced, it doesn’t list unsent emails individually. To identify them, @Sunderjan suggested using advanced filters to sort records by Email Status   --> “Not Sent”. This lets them quickly see which contacts didn’t receive the email and take quick action or resend if needed. @Sunderjan has also shared a screenshot in the post to guide you through setting up this filter. Check it out for reference!

Track Daily Note Creation in Zoho CRM:

@Kaamil Ajani wanted to know if there’s a way to see how many notes are created each day in Zoho CRM. The good news: you can! Check out the post for the solution shared by @Ishwarya!

Developer Corner: 

Filtering Future Events: The COQL Way

@Simon wanted to retrieve only upcoming events using Zoho CRM’s API but found that their query returned all events instead of just future ones. To fix this, @Sunderjan suggested using Functions to get the current date and time, then fetching records from the open Meetings custom view or use the COQL query API for greater control. The post also covers how to set the timezone offset (for example +05:30) to ensure results align with your local time zone. A must-read post for anyone exploring how Zoho CRM APIs and filters work behind the scenes!

Search Records Under Approval

@Arbaz wanted to know how to fetch both approved and pending approval records using the searchByCriteria API in Zoho CRM. Since the default method only retrieves approved records, @Sunderjan suggested calling the API with the parameter approved=both in the URL. This lets you view records in both statuses at once. Check this post for the shared code and full details. 

Updating Recurring Tasks

@Marco wanted to make CRM tasks repeat every year using the Recurring_Activity field, but ran into  an “invalid recurrence pattern” error. The problem was with how the repeat rule was written. @Sunderjan posted a solution clarifying that recurrence details must be passed as an object containing RRULE, DTSTART, and UNTIL, as these parameters are mandatory. While tasks can be set to repeat annually, it’s currently not possible to set the end date to “Never” since UNTIL must be specified. Check out the post for the working code and full details.

 

Downloading Images from Zoho CRM Image Upload Fields

@Albert wanted to create a button in Zoho CRM to download all images stored in an image upload field for each record. Initial attempts using Deluge, client scripts, and widgets didn’t work, but Zoho MVPs @Bhoomi and @Hugh stepped in to help. @Bhoomi suggested using the API embedded in a button to download the images from the field, while Hugh provided a working Client Script that dynamically builds image download URLs from the record’s API data. After testing, @Albert confirmed that the final script worked perfectly. Check out the post for Hugh’s working code example and try it yourself.

Kaizen:

Answering Your Queries!

(Kaizen #206) - Displaying Related Purchase Orders from Zoho Books in CRM Deals using Queries

 

This post explains how to display related Purchase Orders from Zoho Books within CRM Deals using the Queries feature. The key idea is to create a custom field in Books called CRM Deal ID to link each PO to its respective deal. By setting up a REST API Query and adding it as a related list in CRM, users can view all connected POs directly under a deal. The author also suggested automating this process with a Deluge function or Zoho Flow to maintain real-time sync between CRM and Books.

(Kaizen #207) Advanced Queries using COQL API: 

This Kaizen post goes beyond the basics of COQL, showing how it can fetch complex data using filters, joins, and sub queries, all in a single query, eliminating the need to juggle multiple APIs. It explores real-world scenarios such as filtering deals based on account attributes, identifying missing relationships, and combining multiple sub queries for richer insights. If you want to perform deeper CRM analytics or streamline data fetching across modules, this post is a must-read to level up your developer skills.

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

• Live Webinar: Optimizing back-office operations in the manufacturing industry to maximize profitability

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar on February 6! Discover how Zoho WorkDrive can help manufacturing businesses optimize back-office operations, improve efficiency, and boost profitability. Our product experts will

• Live webinar: 2024 recap of Zoho WorkDrive

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our year-end live webinar! This session will take you through the transformative features and updates we’ve introduced in Zoho WorkDrive this year, helping you streamline document management like never before.

• Live webinar: Explore WorkDrive's seamless integrations with key Zoho apps

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar, where we'll delve into the seamless integration of WorkDrive with other key Zoho applications! This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your productivity and streamline your workflows

• Live webinar: Getting the most out of WorkDrive in Zoho Workplace

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar, where we’ll explore how to maximize your use of WorkDrive as part of the Zoho Workplace bundle. This is a fantastic opportunity to elevate your productivity and streamline your

• Live webinar: Mastering data migration, organization, and team collaboration

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar! Discover how to seamlessly migrate your data, optimize file organization, and boost team collaboration using Zoho WorkDrive’s powerful features. This is a fantastic opportunity

• BARCODE PICKLIST

  Hello! Does anyone know how the Picklist module works? I tried scanning the barcode using the UPC and EAN codes I added to the item, but it doesn’t work. Which barcode format does this module use for scanning?

• Join our live webinar: Explore the WorkDrive TrueSync application!

  Hello everyone, We are thrilled to invite you to a live webinar focused on mastering the WorkDrive TrueSync application. Discover how to seamlessly sync your content between the cloud and your computer, ensuring smooth and efficient file management. Our

• Bug tracking

  Hi, does anyone know how to track errors during picking or packing? This way I can keep track and see how to improve and prevent errors in this area.

• Zoho Creator customer portal limitation | Zoho One

  I'm asking you all for any feedback as to the logic or reasoning behind drastically limiting portal users when Zoho already meters based on number of records. I'm a single-seat, Zoho One Enterprise license holder. If my portal users are going to add records, wouldn't that increase revenue for Zoho as that is how Creator is monetized? Why limit my customer portal to only THREE external users when more users would equate to more records being entered into the database?!? (See help ticket reply below.)

• Script Editor not an option

  I am trying to apply a script to a sheet and Script Editor is not an option. I don't want to go outside Sheets to do this (like Creator) if it can be done inside Sheets.

• Envio de mails

  Hola! No puedo enviar mails pero si recibirlos. No se como solucionarlo! Mi dominio es chidobebes.com.ar

• ERROR CODE :554 - Your access to this mail system has been rejected due to poor reputation of a domain used in message transfer

  In my email configuration: The domain's MX Records are pointed to Zoho The domain's SPF Records have been pointed out successfully DKIM is enabled. DMARC Record is pointed for the domain. The domain name is digioorja.in. Still facing the issue of Error:

• This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

  l tried to verify my domain (casalimpaeperfumada.com.br) and its shows this error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details.

• SLOW EMAILS

  Is there an issue with the Zoho server? For two days now I've been having issues with very long buffering. Please advise. Thank you.

• POP3 authentication error - SOLVED

  Just in case others are as forgetful as me ... As Zoho has changed the POP server for personal and free organisational users, I needed to change the POP server on my email client. This failed persistently but eventually I remembered that I had chosen

• Solution to Import PST File into Office 365.

  MailsDaddy OST to Office 365 Migration Tool is an outstanding solution to recover OST files and migrate them into Office 365 without any hassle. Using this software users can multiple OST files into Office 365 with complete data security. It offers users

• Add Zoho One Groups/Departments to Shared Mailbox Access

  Hi, I hope you're doing well. Currently, in Zoho Mail, I can manually add specific users or the entire organization to a shared mailbox. However, there is no option to add Zoho One groups or departments. Feature Request: We would like the ability to assign

• Allow Filters with Only Special Characters in Zoho Mail

  Hi Zoho Mail Team, I hope you're doing well. We have noticed that currently, Zoho Mail does not allow creating filter criteria using only special characters, such as = or #. However, there are scenarios where such a filter is necessary. For example: Filtering

• How to save email as PDF?

  I saw 2 previous threads about this. One is from 14 years ago. The other was closed as "answered" a year ago but the feature was never implemented: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/how-to-download-save-emails-as-pdf Is the "save as PDF"

• Flexible plans

  Hi, I have a Workplace Standard subscription. On Zoho's website, it mentions that with the annual plan it's possible to have multiple plans under the same organization—for example, Workplace Standard and Mail Lite. However, I can’t find a way to do this

• Weekly Tips : Teamwork made easy with Multiple Assignees

  Let's say you are working on a big project where different parts of a single task need attention from several people at the same time—like reviewing a proposal that requires input from sales, legal, and finance teams. Instead of sending separate reminders

• Cannot give public access to Html Snippet in Zoho Creator Page

  Hi, I created a form in Zoho Creator and published it. The permalink works but I want to override the css of the form. (style based URL parameters is not good enough) So I created a page and added an Html snippet. I can now override the css, which is

• Weekly Tips : Customize your Compose for a smoother workflow

  You are someone who sends a lot of emails, but half the sections in the composer just get in your way — like fields you never use or sections that clutter the space. You find yourself always hunting for the same few formatting tools, and the layout just

• Accounting on the Go Series-43:Enhancing Your Reporting Efficiency with Dashboard Filter State Retention

  Hello everyone! Welcome back to our series on Zoho Books mobile app features. Today, we will talk about a feature that yet again helps you focus on work that really matters-Dashboard Filter State Retention. Imagine you're working on your Zoho Books dashboard,

• Zoho books/payroll tax payment

  I accidentally made a second payment to my taxes for $300 which is reflected in my bank account and therefore on Zoho books but I can not match it to any transactions because its not reflected in payroll as a tax payment. Is there a way to add an extra

• I can't renew the Finance Plus subscription

  I tried to renew the Finance Plus subscription but it keeps reloading the same page over and over when ever I click on "Renew Subscription" button

• Estimate vs Quote

  they are different. Quote is for 1 piece price + other charges. Estimate is for total quantity to be ordered. The gross total amount of the Estimate is the amount payable. Replacing Estimate as Quote is not understandable because they are different. In

• Accounting on the Go Series-47: Effortless GSTIN Management- Auto Populate TaxPayer Details in Zoho Books Mobile App

  Hello everyone, Welcome back! Today, we're focusing on a feature specifically designed for our Indian users in the Zoho Books-Indian edition, particularly those who deal with GST compliance regularly. We understand the importance of accurate and efficient

• Accounting on the Go Series-48: Enhance Accuracy with Custom Work Week Start Days in Zoho Books iOS app

  Hello everyone, Welcome back! We’re here with another feature spotlight that might seem small but can have a big impact on your daily routine: setting the first day of the work week in the Zoho Books iOS app. Imagine this: You’re a business owner who

• Time to Get Paid Report in ZBooks

  Hello, One of our customers who has 25 different companies around the world gets 60 days to make payments. Unfortunately, the subject report does not report an average time to get paid (in days) or the ability to look at a custom period of time. Currently

• How to prepare a balance sheet for a company that has no operations yet?

  .

• Project Billing Method from Zoho People

  Normaly our customers use Zoho Projects to manage projects and timesheet that are being charge to the customer. Using the integration from Zoho Project we can have projects base on different billing method. For example most of our customer use Hourly

• Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series!

  Dear users, Continuing in the spirit of our 'Function Fridays' series, where we've been sharing custom function scripts to automate your back office operations, we're thrilled to introduce our latest initiative – the 'Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series'.

• Zoho Books | Product updates | July 2025

  Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From plan-based trials to the option to mark PDF templates as inactive, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Introducing Plan Based Trials in Zoho

• Zoho Books | Product updates | August 2025

  Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From the right sidebar where you can manage all your widgets, to integrating Zoho Payments feeds in Zoho Books, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience.

• Update or Upsert Records Using Unique Custom Fields

  Hello customers, We've enhanced the process of updating records via API. You can now: Update records using unique custom fields Upsert records using unique custom fields Note: Both the features are available in the Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory apps.

• [Webinar] Understanding the New Invoice Management Systems

  Join industry expert CA Pritam Mahure as he discusses the importance of the new Invoice Management System (IMS) and its impact on taxpayers. Topics Covered: - Concept of IMS and pre-requisites - Applicability and Restrictions on Invoices/Records for IMS

• Accounting on the Go Series-51: Effortless Transactions: Create and Manage Directly from Uploaded Documents

  Hello everyone, We’re back with another useful feature that makes working with Zoho Books even easier! This time, we’re simplifying the process of creating transactions directly from uploaded documents. Imagine you’re out meeting clients, and you receive

• [WEBINAR] Effortless migration to the VAT-ready South Africa edition of Zoho Books

  Hello there, If you are one of our early users from South Africa using the older edition of Zoho Books, this webinar is for you! We have now launched a new South Africa edition with VAT support, to which you can migrate your existing data. Join this session,

• Accounting on the Go Series-52: Capture Receipts on the Go, Right from Your Lock Screen.

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce a feature that will make your life so much easier—especially for those constantly on the move! With iOS 18, Zoho Books now allows you to capture receipts directly from your lock screen using Locked Camera Capture.

• Next Page