Zoho Backstage February 2026 Updates | Abstract Management, WhatsApp Delivery Reports

Zoho Backstage February 2026 Updates | Abstract Management, WhatsApp Delivery Reports

February 2026 brings a major new addition and a collection of enhancements across Zoho Backstage. We thought about writing a long introduction, but the updates in this release make a strong case on their own. So we’ll skip the buildup and dive straight into what’s new this month.

Abstract Management in Zoho Backstage (Early access) 

Yes, you heard that right.

Managing a call for papers or speakers is an important part of planning many conferences and content-focused events. When submissions start coming in from many authors, it can become difficult to track proposals, manage reviews, and meet deadlines.

Abstract Management in Zoho Backstage helps organizers handle this process in a simple and structured way. It brings submission collection, review management, and session creation together in one workflow so organizers don't have to rely on spreadsheets or manual coordination.

The process begins with Abstract Projects. Organizers can create a project for their call for content and define the project name, description, and submission dates. Submissions open and close automatically based on the configured timeline, helping organizers maintain a clear and fair submission window.

To organize submissions better, Abstract Topics allow organizers to group abstracts into tracks or themes. Authors can select the most relevant topic while submitting, and organizers can easily see which topics are receiving the most interest.

Organizers can also create custom submission forms using a simple form builder. This makes it possible to collect details such as abstract descriptions, author information, uploaded files, and other required data.

The review process is also easier to manage. Organizers can assign reviewers to specific topics, enable blind reviews to ensure fair evaluation, and define scoring criteria so reviewers can assess submissions consistently.



Once a submission is approved, it can be converted into a session with a single action. Important details are carried over automatically, helping organizers build their agenda faster.

With submission tracking, a centralized content library for uploaded files, and automated notifications, Abstract Management in Zoho Backstage helps organizers manage their call for content in a more organized and efficient way.

WhatsApp Delivery Report

No more guessing if your message was seen.

The WhatsApp Delivery Report is now available as part of the WhatsApp integration in Zoho Backstage. This feature allows organizers to track the delivery status of WhatsApp messages directly from the event console, giving clear visibility into message performance.

The report can be accessed from Communicate > WhatsApp > Manage > Delivery Report within the event. The report listing displays key details for each message such as the message name, template used, and the number of messages that are Sent, Delivered, Read, or Failed. Only messages sent after this feature is enabled will appear in the report.



Organizers can also open View Report to see detailed delivery information for each participant, including phone number and delivery status. If a message fails, the reason for failure will also be displayed.

The report includes filters based on delivery status, automated triggers, and notifications. Organizers can also search for messages sent to a specific participant using their phone number and country code for quick message history tracking.
InfoPlan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

Exhibitor meeting request approval

Meetings now come with a choice.

Exhibitors can manually confirm or deny meeting requests, giving them better control over their meeting schedules.

They can manage this setting from event website, Exhibitor Space > Meetings by disabling the Auto-accept meeting request option. Once disabled, any meeting request sent by an attendee will appear as a pending request for the exhibitor team.



Exhibitor booth members can then review the request and either confirm or deny it. Confirmed meetings move to the confirmed list and can later be canceled by either participant if needed. If a request is denied, the requester will be notified.

To keep participants informed, automated emails are sent shortly before the meeting time for key actions such as meeting requested, meeting confirmed, meeting denied, meeting canceled, and meeting reminders.

This enhancement provides exhibitors with more flexibility to manage their meeting availability while ensuring clear communication between attendees and booth teams.
Info
  1. Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.
  2. Key requirements:
    1. Lead Scanning must be enabled as an exhibitor benefit.
    2. The booth must have the Exhibitor Pro add-on attached.

Website builder updates 

Countdown section for event websites

The Countdown section is now available as a customizable website component in the Zoho Backstage Website Builder. Organizers can add countdown timers to any page and choose from multiple layouts. The countdown can be configured based on the event start date, ticket sales dates, or a custom date to highlight important milestones.

Undo and Redo support for website editing

Oops moments are now reversible.

The Undo and Redo feature is now available in the Zoho Backstage Website Builder, helping organizers manage website edits more efficiently. Users can quickly Undo or Redo recent changes made during their editing session. The change history is maintained until the browser tab is refreshed, after which the history resets. If the most recent change was made on a different page, clicking Undo or Redo will automatically navigate to that page so users can clearly see the change being reverted or applied.

Cloning website pages

Cloning pages helps organizers reuse the layout and structure of an existing custom page. When a page is cloned, all its sections and configurations are duplicated automatically. This makes it easier to create similar pages without rebuilding each section manually. After cloning, organizers can modify the content, images, or layout while keeping the overall structure intact, ensuring faster website creation and consistent design across pages.

Cloning webpage sections

Cloning sections allows organizers to quickly reuse existing layouts without rebuilding them from scratch. In the Website Builder, you can duplicate any section and place it on the same page or another page. This is useful when multiple sections share a similar design but require small content changes. After cloning, the duplicated section appears on the selected page, where it can be edited and customized before publishing or republishing the website.

Lead Source Tracking 

Know where your leads come from. 

Lead Source Tracking helps exhibitors understand how each lead was captured. Every lead now includes two attribution fields: 
  1. Source shows how the lead was generated, such as badge scan, manual entry, meeting booking, enquiry submission, or resource download.
  2. Added By identifies the booth member who captured the lead or marks it as system-generated.
This information is visible across the web app, mobile app, and exports, and can be used as a filter in the lead list. With clear attribution for every lead, exhibitors can better evaluate engagement channels, prioritize follow ups, and understand which interactions generated the most valuable leads during the event.
Info
Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

Updated WhatsApp template guidelines based on Meta policies

We've introduced updates to WhatsApp templates in Zoho Backstage to align with the latest Meta guidelines for WhatsApp Business messaging. These updates help ensure templates comply with Meta’s approval requirements and reduce the chances of template rejection.

The template category such as Utility or Marketing can no longer be changed once a template is created. If a template is in Draft, Pending Approval, Approved, or Rejected status, the category field will be locked to prevent edits.

Additional content guidelines are now displayed in the message editor to help avoid template rejection. Templates that begin or end with placeholders are more likely to be rejected by Meta, so this guidance is shown while creating or editing messages.

For templates that include attachments, editing behavior has also been refined. Approved templates with attachments can't be changed to None, though they can be updated to another supported attachment type.

Meta may also automatically reclassify template categories during approval and adjust marketing message delivery based on user engagement to prevent inbox spam.
Info
All features and enhancements mentioned are available across all data centers, with the exception of WhatsApp and its corresponding analytics, which are not supported in China.
Ready to explore these updates? Log in to Zoho Backstage and start trying them out in your events today.

If you have any questions or would like access to early access features, feel free to reach out to us at support@zohobackstage.com. Our team will be happy to help.

    • Recent Topics

    • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

      Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient

    • Income not showing in direct bank feed

      Hi, I am trying to enter income without knowing or mentioning customer, as i am told, my client wants single or cash basis accounting but i seriously struggling......................

    • I am not able to check in and checkout in zoho people even location access allowed

      This issue i am facing in mackbook air m1, I allowed location in chrome browser and i also tried in safari but getting similar issue. Please have a look ASAP.

    • Preview future shift rotation in Shift Schedule

      Hi, What if, instead of the current behavior, the Shift Rotation feature in Zoho People allowed users to preview future shift schedules before the scheduler execution? Currently, when a shift rotation is configured (for example, monthly rotation), the

    • Automatically Update Ticket Status in Zoho Desk Based on Actions in Zoho Projects

      Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to manage tasks related to customer tickets, and it works well for linking and tracking progress. However, there are a few important automation capabilities

    • Sign Out

      Hello, I have a doubt with Permalink. I have a view created with critera to show only the records belonging to the user who has sign in. The problem is that the different users use the same computer and some times the user login keep signed, and when I send the permalink (by email) of the view, the users enter with other login signed. Moreover the permalink view doesn�t allow to do a log out. May I add something in the permalink to request always sign in? Sorry for my English. Many thanks! Regards

    • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.39.4.0)

      Hello Community! Trident for Windows just received a major update, with a range of capabilities that focuses on strengthening communication and simplifying workflows. Let’s dive into what’s new! Upload email attachments to WorkDrive. Until now, you could

    • Introducing Automatic Field Addition (Text Tags) in Zoho Sign

      Hello, Today we are excited to announce the general availability of automatic field addition (text tags) feature in Zoho Sign. Now, you can now add text tags in the content of your documents and Zoho Sign will automatically add the corresponding fields when they are uploaded for the signing process. For example: when you add text tags to your sales orders, new employee contracts, and NDAs, Zoho Sign will add the corresponding fields when these documents are uploaded for the signing process. If you

    • Introducing Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit

      We’re excited to introduce Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit, designed to make recruiter–candidate communication faster, simpler, and fully traceable. These capabilities help you reduce app switching, handle inbound calls efficiently, and keep every

    • Write-Off multiple invoices and tax calculation

      Good evening, I have many invoices which are long overdue and I do not expect them to be paid. I believe I should write them off. I did some tests and I have some questions:  - I cannot find a way to write off several invoices together. How can I do that,

    • Splitting Transactions in Zoho Books

      I have read in past forum posts that the ability to split bank transactions would likely be implemented - it's definitely a typical accounting program feature.  I'm new to Zoho and thought I'd found nirvana until I realized this feature doesn't seem to

    • Statement Aging On Cutomer Statement

      Hello, Is it possible to put aging on customer statements? Current 1-30days 31-60days 61-90days 91-120days Over 120 days. See attached image from another accounting package. Many customers pay off a statement and clear older invoices.

    • Unveiling the next iteration of Ask Zia in Zoho CRM: An all-new chat interface, conversation history, actions, and much more

      Your CRM assistant just leveled up. Zoho CRM's Ask Zia functionality now offers a more conversational and context-aware experience to help you not just understand your data, but act on it—all from one chat window. With its redesigned interface and expanded

    • Response rate and time on social media

      Hello, I just want to know if it's possible to manage the response rate and response time from my social media on zoho social ? I don't see any statistical reports on the online scoreboard ? Thank you in advance for your response and sorry if the question has already been posted

    • Whatsapp BOT with CRM

      Hello, how do you use Whatsapp integrations in zoho CRM?

    • Ability to translate Zoho CRM Kiosks

      Hi team, Is support for translating kiosk text and screen names in the Zoho CRM translation tool planned on the roadmap? Thanks,

    • Whatsapp Limitation Questions

      Good day, I would like to find out about the functionality or possibility of all the below points within the Zoho/WhatsApp integration. Will WhatsApp buttons ever be possible in the future? Will WhatsApp Re-directs to different users be possible based

    • Editing the list of Categories in the Categorize Manually section of Banking in Zoho Books

      Hi, I need to create two new Categories called Withdrawals and Deposits to categorize payments in a bank account. How do I edit the Categories list?

    • Can I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?

      This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply. 

    • Internal Fillable Contract with Zoho Writer (Before Sending to Client)

      Hi everyone, I’m trying to automate the following process in Zoho CRM and would appreciate some guidance. Process: When a Deal moves to a specific stage, CRM triggers an automation. CRM sends a contract template to an internal team member so they can

    • [Free Webinar] Intelligent document processing with Zoho RPA

      Hello everyone! Greetings from the Zoho RPA team! We're excited to invite you to our upcoming webinar on intelligent document processing with Zoho RPA, where we'll introduce powerful new capabilities designed to make your automation journey smarter, faster,

    • Enhancements for Currencies in Zoho CRM: Automatic exchange rate updates, options to update record exchange rates, and more

      The multi-currency feature helps you track currencies region-wise. This can apply to Sales, CTC, or any other currency-related data. You can record amounts in a customer’s local currency, while the CRM automatically converts them to your home currency

    • When I schedule calendar appointments in zoho and invite external emails, they do not receive invites

      Hello, We have recently transitioned to zoho and are having a problem with the calendar feature. When we schedule new calendar appointments in zoho the invite emails aren't being sent to the external users that we list in participants. However, this works

    • Send emails directly via Cases module

      Greetings all, The ability to send emails from the Cases module, which users have been eagerly anticipating, is now available, just like in the other modules. In Zoho CRM, Cases is a module specifically designed for managing support tickets. If your organization

    • Webinar Alert: Supercharge landing pages with data insights | Zoho LandingPage

      Every visitor to your landing page leaves behind valuable data, but are you leveraging it to improve conversions? Join our expert-led Landing Page Analytics webinar to learn how to track, analyze, and optimize landing page performance with Zoho LandingPage’s

    • Bulk Deletion of Zoho Projects Using Node.js and Zoho Projects API

      Zoho Projects currently does not provide a built-in option to delete multiple projects in bulk from the UI. When working with testing environments or large numbers of temporary projects, deleting them one by one becomes time-consuming. To address this,

    • Show unsubscribed contacts ?

      Hello, I would like to display the unsubscribed contacts. Unfortunately, I do not have this subscription type as described in the documentation (https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/marketing-automation-2-0/user-guide/contacts/contact-management/articles/subscription-type-24-1-2024#Subscription_Type_field.)

    • Track Marketing Automation Campaigns in Zoho CRM

      Hello, I've been searching but haven't found the exact answer to this question. I am looking to track Marketing Automation email campaigns and activities inside of Zoho CRM. Use Case: Action: Prospect Submits A Lead Form Outcomes: Prospect created in

    • Validation rule for Date field

      The condition settings for a Date field are are absolutlly usless. Conditions can only be set for a specific date, which is logically ineffective in most cases. When setting a condition for a Date field, users usually need to compare the value relative

    • Easily map shift data fields during user imports

      Greetings all, You can now include all your shift-related data for your users without any hassle during user imports. With this enhancement, the Map Import Fields to Zoho CRM option includes all shift-related fields: Current Shift, Next Shift, and Shift

    • Unable to send

      Hello, I am unble to send any single email during the whole time due to the Zoho IP 136.143.188.16 being bloked by SpamCop.net Please help can somebody help me?

    • Adding new data to the sheet with most recent data being added to top row.

      I am using a form that I built from within sheets.  When the form is submitted, is it possible to have the data entered in (for example) row 2 (since row 1 is the heading) instead of being added into the next available row which should be hundreds of

    • How do you arrange order in which the speakers are listed in a session once they have been selected?

      Probably another simple thing I've missed but I can't find how to arrange the order in which the speakers are listed in a session once they have been selected. We usually want the speakers listed alphabetically by last name, but sometimes not. Once the

    • Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | February 2026

      Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications for the month of February. Zoho Mail Organize Personal Notes with Collections You can now create collections under My Personal

    • Introducing note actions and dynamic visibility in Kiosk Studio

      Hello all, We are introducing enhancements to Kiosk Studio that will improve the product scope and meet your custom needs more precisely. What's new? Add notes as Actions: You can add notes to CRM records as kiosk Actions, as well as insert merge fields

    • Regarding the Recipient Email change

      I was not being able to change the Recipient email. Kindly resolve the problem

    • Request to Customize Module Bar Placement in New Zoho CRM UI

      Hello Support and Zoho Community, I've been exploring the new UI of Zoho CRM "For Everyone" and have noticed a potential concern for my users. We are accustomed to having the module names displayed across the top, which made navigation more intuitive

    • kanban view for client portal

      Are kanban views an option for client portals? Access to Kanban views in the client portals would solve some mobile-compliant issues I have with the UI. Kanban functions very nicely on mobile and would be a super asset for my clients and vendors as they

    • 【Zoho CRM】サンドボックスのアップデート：メール送信トレイ機能の追加

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 CRMのサンドボックス（テスト環境）にメールの送信トレイ機能が追加されました。 本番環境でメール配信の前に、サンドボックスで送信される全てのメールを確認・検証できます。ワークフロー、承認プロセス、一括送信など、あらゆる送信パターンに対応しています。 「メールの送信トレイ」機能を使うと、顧客へ送信する前にメールの内容を事前確認できます。項目の欠落や書式の乱れなど、あらゆる問題をサンドボックス内でチェックできるため、本番環境でのトラブルを未然に防ぐことに役立ちます。

    • Force mandatory entry on one of two fields on Contacts

      We are finding our users aren't always entering a phone number or email address of a contact. We would like to make these fields mandatory but realize they won't always have both pieces of information, but should at least have one. Is there a way to make

    • Next Page