Turn chat conversations into real action with Integration Blocks in Guided Conversations

Turn chat conversations into real action with Integration Blocks in Guided Conversations


When a Guided Conversation fails, it's usually not because the logic is wrong. They fail because the conversation stops moving.

A customer starts a chat with a clear goal: report an issue, check a status, or confirm something. At first, the flow does exactly what it was designed to do: It asks the right questions. It captures the right inputs.

Then nothing happens.

From the builder’s point of view, the flow is complete, and from the customer’s point of view, it feels unfinished. This gap is where most frustration comes from.

Why progress matters more than answers   

Customers rarely start a chat because they want information alone. They want momentum. They want to know that what they just shared led to something real: a request logged, a record updated, or a confirmation sent.

If the conversation ends without that signal, customers assume they will have to explain everything again somewhere else. Guided Conversations need to close that gap.
 

How  Integration Blocks maintain the flow   

Integration Blocks are not about adding more automation. They are about preventing dead ends.

An Integration Block connects a point in the conversation to an action in another system. While the chat continues, work is already happening in the background.

This is the moment where a conversation becomes operational.

A practical example from day-to-day support   

Consider a simple flow for reporting a billing issue:
  1. The customer shares their email address and describes the problem.
  2. The bot acknowledges it and ends the chat.
Technically, this is correct. Emotionally, it feels risky.

Now compare that with the same flow using a Desk Integration Block:
  1. As soon as the customer submits their details, a lead or ticket is created in Zoho Desk.
  2. A ticket reference number is generated, giving the customer immediate confirmation that their request is being tracked
  3. The customer receives a confirmation and may later get a follow-up from the team for an issue resolution.
The chat did not just listen, it acted. The customer feels the difference because progress is visible, even if the backend work is hidden.
 

The role of confirmation in reducing anxiety   

Even when an action is taken, customers still look for reassurance. Did their request actually go through?

This is where the Email Integration Block fits naturally into the flow.

A short email sent at the right moment changes how the entire conversation is. This is where an Email Integration Block fits naturally. A short, well-timed email changes how the conversation is perceived:
  1. The system has not just captured the issue, it's already working on it.
  2. Customers feel confident that the next steps are already in motion.
You don't need to send any long emails; the point is just to close the loop.
 

Designing for handoff, not escalation   

Some conversations end with automation; others end with a person. A common mistake is treating agent handoff as a fallback.

A better approach: make handoff intentional. Using Zia Context Blocks, you can summarize the conversation so far, then transfer it to an agent seamlessly.

Integration Blocks allow the context, actions, and confirmations to travel forward. The agent starts where the bot left off, not from scratch. Customers experience continuity, not repetition.
 

Thinking in outcomes, not blocks   

It is easy to think about Guided Conversations as a sequence of blocks: a question block, a choice block, an integration block.

Customers do not experience blocks. They need to see results.
  1. Was my issue captured?
  2. Was something sent to me?
  3. Does someone know about this now?
Integration Blocks help you design for those outcomes.

The quiet success of a good conversation   

When Guided Conversations work well, customers do not notice the flow. They leave without reopening the chat. They don't need to send any follow-up emails or repeat the story to another team.

From the outside, nothing dramatic happened.

But the conversation never stalled, and that is often the difference between a chat that looks complete and one that actually feels that way to a customer.

So let me ask you:

Where do your Guided Conversations usually stop moving?
Have Integration Blocks helped turn chats into real action?
What worked, and what didn’t?

Share your thoughts below. Let’s talk.
 
Prabin | Zoho Desk

    • Topic Participants

    • Raj R

    • Sticky Posts

    • Zoho Desk Partners with Microsoft's M365 Copilot for seamless customer service experiences

      Hello Zoho Desk users, We are happy to announce that Zoho Desk has partnered with Microsoft's M365 to empower customer service teams with enhanced capabilities and seamless experiences for agents. Microsoft announced their partnership during their keynote

    • WhatsApp pricing changes: Pay per message starting July 1, 2025

      Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is shifting from conversation-based pricing to per-message billing. That means every business-initiated message you send will count. Not just the first one in a 24-hour window. Pricing updates on the WhatsApp Business Platform

    • Live Webinar - Work smarter with Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace integration

      Hello customers! Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace are coming together for a webinar on 14th May, 2024. Zoho Workplace is a suite of productivity apps for email, chat, docs, calls, and more at one single place. Zoho Desk is closely integrated with a few tools

    • Apple iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates for Zoho Desk users

      Hello Zoho Desk users! Apple recently announced the release of iOS 17 and iPad OS 17. These latest OS updates will help you stay productive and efficient, through interactive and seamless user experiences. Zoho Desk has incorporated the updates to help

    • Zoho Desk Cheat Sheet For The Year-End

      Check out these Zoho Desk best practices to end this year on a high and have a great one ahead! #1 Set Business (Holiday) Hours - If you have limited working hours, please make sure you restrict your business hours or set them as holidays for the coming days. Let your customers know when you will, and won't, be available. #2 Update the Annual Holiday List - Check the holidays for the new year and update the holiday schedule. Usually, holidays from the current year will be carried over for the next

    • Recent Topics

    • How to Install Zoho Workdrive Desktop Sync for Ubuntu?

      Hi. I am newbie to Linux / Ubuntu. I downloaded a tar.gz file from Workdrive for installing the Workdrive Desktop Sync tool. Can someone give me step by step guide on how to install this on Ubuntu? I am using Ubuntu 19.04. Regards Senthil

    • How to upload own video?

      How can you upload your own video on your zoho website? I do not want to use another host, but i want to insert my own files. how can i do this?

    • Support new line in CRM Multiline text field display in Zoho Deluge

      Hi brainstrust, We have a Zoho CRM field which is a Muti Line (Small) field. It has data in it that has a carriage return after each line: When I pull that data in via Deluge, it displays as: I'm hoping a way I can change it from: Freehand : ENABLED Chenille

    • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.32.5.0)

      Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! This update includes new features designed to improve and simplify email and calendar management—and it includes a feature you’ve been waiting for. Let’s dive into what’s new! Save emails in EML or

    • How to render either thumbnail_url or preview_url or preview_data_url

      I get 401 Unauthorised when using these urls in the <img> tag src attribute. Guide me on how to use them!

    • Zoho CRM Calendar | Custom Buttons

      I'm working with my sales team to make our scheduling process easier for our team. We primary rely on Zoho CRM calendar to organize our events for our sales team. I was wondering if there is a way to add custom button in the Calendar view on events/meeting

    • Create Lead Button in Zoho CRM Dashboard

      Right now to create Leads in the CRM our team is going into the Lead module, selecting the "Create Lead" button, then building out the lead. Is there anyway to add the "Create Lead" button or some sort of short cut to the Zoho CRM Dashboard to cut out

    • Searching customer field

      Hello, When entering a receipt, we select customer information. The customer information is synced with Zoho CRM. However, we can't find the customer information because it searches for words that begin with the entered value. It needs to search for words

    • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

      Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

    • Outgoing blocked: Unusual activity detected.

      Hello i can't send email from g.morris@adm-part.com mail, can you please help me.

    • Zoho CRM Tracking Google Enhanced Conversions

      Can anyone @Zoho, consultants, or users help me understand if Zoho CRM is going to support Google's Enhanced Conversions? I included some information from Google below about it. We use Google Adwords for our pay per click advertising for lead generation,

    • Billing Management: #5 Usage Billing

      After understanding the nuances of Advance Billing and Retainers, we will explore one of the booming billing models. Long ago, villagers drew water from a shared well in a small village. The well was a lifeline for the entire community. Ravi, the well

    • Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

      In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom

    • Inventory Adjustments

      Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)

    • Zoho CRM Community Digest - August 2025 | Part 1

      Hey everyone! The first half of August went by, and we have a few announcements and some good noteworthy discussions. So, let's take a look at them! Product Updates: Introducing Connected Records feature: Zoho CRM’s Next-Gen UI now includes Connected

    • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

      right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.

    • How to create a Zoho CRM report with 2 child modules

      Hi all, Is it possible to create a Zoho CRM report or chart with 2 child modules? After I add the first child module, the + button only adds another parent module. It won't let me add multiple child modules at once. We don't have Zoho Analytics and would

    • How to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM on Standard Plan

      Hello Zoho Support Team, I am using the Standard Zoho Forms plan (USD 30/user) and I would like to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM so that certain fields in my forms can be automatically prefilled using data from Deals in CRM. Specifically, I want

    • Export PDF File Name

      Is it possible to change the default Zoho .pdf naming scheme for inventory items like quotations? Would like to use the the Subject as the default quote name. Is this possible?

    • How to change the from address from 'no reply' for an email template in CRM

      Hi, We have our CRM set up with the from field as sales@XXX. I have just created a series of email templates and sent a test and they are sending from noreply@zoho I have tried searching for how to change the email template but don't have the options

    • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

      Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,

    • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your

    • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

      I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the

    • Validation Rule Not Working for Mandatory Field in Zoho Blueprint

      As a Zoho user, we created a validation rule for a specific field. However, we noticed that when we made the same field mandatory within a Blueprint, the validation rule we defined did not work. When we reported this issue to Zoho Support, they stated

    • Notes Issues

      Been having issues with Notes in the CRM. Yesterday it wasn't showing the notes, but it got resolved after a few minutes., Now I have been having a hard time saving notes the whole day. Notes can't be saved by the save button. it's grayed out or not grayed

    • Export from Contacts module to Products module in Zoho CRM

      Good afternoon, I would like to send a number of contact info from the Contacts module into the customized module (tickets to an event) in one operation. I have selected several contacts in the Contact module (people who I have labelled as people I want

    • Can’t receive emailI c

      I have generated a basic for but when I submit it I don’t get a email, I’ve been in the settings and tested me email, all appears correct, can you please help me

    • Data Capture for Historical Activity (Especially One Lead Downloading Variois reports without Overwriting the info)

      Is there a better way in Zoho CRM to capture and archive a lead’s historical activity—specifically whenever they download reports—so that the data is stored without being overwritten?”

    • Client Script - Updating Field Value in Detail Page of a Lead

      Hello, I'm trying to use Client Script To enrich some data of the Lead when one of my User fill the "City" field in the detail page of the Lead. This is my Script: log (value); var response = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getInfoCitta", { "nomeCitta":

    • Auto shapes in Zoho sheet.

      Does Zoho sheet supports inserting auto shapes (rectangle, circle...). I did not see any option to do so.  If its not supported currently, is there any plans on bring in this features. Any timelines ?

    • How to get the call recording external ID via desk API

      I have enabled phonbridge integration with Zoom Call. I am trying to access the call recording in Zoom by calling Zoom API. I have built a Desk workflow to trigger on a new call, to call a custom function. when calling the API, the response doesn't contain

    • Can't View Project Names in Mobile App

      I can't view project names on PO's in the app, nor can I add that as a viewable PDF field in inventory on the computer. I've attached screenshots showing that in the mobile version whether you are on the PO, editing the PO, or viewing the PO line items,

    • Notebook

      I have purchased the monthly pro subscription of Notebook. But it does not support my XP-Pen to write something in it. So it is not useful to me. Hence I am requesting you to help me to discontinue this subscription.

    • Domain Mapping & Image Publishing Issues on Zoho Sites

      Hello, I am facing two issues with my Zoho Sites account: 1. Images not visible after publishing. 2. Domain mapping error: "Domain already exists". I am a paid customer. Please connect me with Live Chat Support or Zoho Assist so I can show my issue

    • Prevent duplicate with custom fields?

      I was wondering something about custom field/custom modules in Zoho Desk. For some reason you can make a custom field mandatory but not unique? For example, if I create a custom module to manage equipment and renewal and make a field serial number no

    • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

      As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where

    • 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

    • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

      Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and

    • showing Limit exceeded

      Good afternoon...trust you're good. I've been having issues working with but it's not responding. it's showing Limit exceeded, sorry it seems like too many people are working on the sheet right now please try again later. meanwhile no one is working on

    • Upload API

      I'm trying to use the Upload API to upload some images and attach them to comments (https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Uploads#Uploads_Uploadfile) - however I can only ever get a 401 or bad request back. I'm using an OAuth token with the Desk.tickets.ALL

    • Next Page