
Hello Everyone!
Second half of November brought several exciting updates, especially around Zia, making AI assistance smarter, faster, and more context-aware. We also feature engaging community snippets highlighting members who went the extra mile to help their peers. Dive into the Community Digest to explore all the details.
Product Updates:
Smart Prompt Upgrade: Record-Level AI Assistance and Support for New AI Models
Smart Prompt now provides deeper, contextual assistance through the new Record Assistant, offering quick summaries of conversations, records, and notes, along with AI-generated content suggestions. The Template Assistant helps craft email templates by expanding, rephrasing, or adjusting tone based on simple prompts. This update also adds support for multiple AI models, including Zia, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and others giving admins the flexibility to choose what best fits their organization. It is available for Professional and above editions across all DCs. Explore more about it in this post!
Zia Conversation Summary: Instant Context for Every Customer Interaction
Zoho CRM now provides a single snapshot of all customer interactions with Zia Conversation Summary. It consolidates recent emails, calls, meetings, and notes, giving reps, managers, and cross-functional teams a quick recap of what happened, what was promised, and what still needs attention. Zia also flags delays, missed follow-ups, sentiment, and intent for a complete view of each record. This feature works through Record Assistant and requires Smart Prompt permissions, available for Professional and above editions. Check out the post for full details.
Zia ICR Adds Zero Shot Field Prompting to Automate Data Extraction
Zia’s Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) now uses zero-shot field prompting with Visual Language Models (VLM) to extract data from images and update CRM fields without training or manual setup. It reads printed or handwritten text, handles rotated or custom-shaped images, and fills multiple fields at once, speeding up tasks like capturing RFQs, onboarding sellers, processing car registrations, and other routine operations. This update is available for Enterprise, Ultimate, CRM Plus, and Zoho One in US, EU, and IN data centers. Learn more in this post.
Zoho CRM for Everyone: The NextGen UI Just Got Smarter
Users are loving the upgraded Nextgen UI! Navigate from a single sidebar, access Global Search and Quick Create at the top, and open Setup, Reports, and Dashboards in just one click. Filters and record views are grouped, and custom views appear as tabs for quick switching. The new layout improves visibility, reduces clicks, and gives you more screen space. Rolling out gradually for standalone CRM accounts, with CRM Plus and Zoho One support coming soon. Check out the full post for details.
Quick Wins:
Filtering Dropdown Data by Another Field
@Tom Mitchell wanted to restrict lookup fields in the Quotes module based on a specific criteria. Specifically, the Reseller lookup to show only Accounts marked as “Reseller,” and the Reseller Rep field to display Contacts linked to that selected Account. The solution provided by @Hugh Marshall, using lookup filters, was tailor-made for this need. With this approach, related fields display only the relevant options without requiring custom scripts. Check out the full post for all the details.
Running Two Actions After Mail Merge
@Sophie wanted to streamline their mail merge so the merged document saves to WorkDrive and to the original Deal record without having to run two separate merges. Each action worked individually, but getting them to run together was a challenge. @Sunderjan Siddharth explained that this can be handled by using a single custom function through “Merge and Invoke Custom Function,” or by triggering a workflow that runs a unified action after the merge, allowing both actions to execute in one smooth sequence. Check out this post to learn more on handling multiple post-merge actions.
Dev's Corner:
Control Which Fields Users See on Record Creation Pages:
@Naomi Cerny wanted to show only the fields they consider necessary on the record creation layout, while keeping all fields accessible afterward for edits [Ref].@Rodger Brehaut shared a separate post with an On Load Client Script that lets admins control which fields are visible to users during the record creation stage. If you want a simple way to control what users see on Create pages, take a look at this post!
Send Emails with Inline QR Codes and Dynamic Images
@David wanted to embed a dynamic QR code directly in an email template rather than sending it as an attachment. @Andres noted that inline images are natively supported only in mail merge templates, while @Haiku Technical Support suggested generating the image via a URL or embedding it using base64 (a way to convert a file into text so it can be included directly in the email body) in Deluge. Since URLs weren't an option in David’s case, the base64 approach offered a practical way to include true inline images. If you’re looking to embed images directly in emails, this discussion clearly explains the feasible methods.
Kaizen:
(Kaizen #217): Automation Tasks API
This Kaizen post talks about how the Automation Tasks API helps add accountability to workflows by auditing existing tasks, creating follow-ups, updating priorities, and cleaning up old tasks. Tasks can be triggered by events such as onboarding or lost deals, using execution time, static values, and merge fields. Automating these actions ensures teams stay on top of critical follow-ups while keeping operations running smoothly. Check out the full post to learn more.
(Kaizen #218): Field Updates API
This Kaizen post shows how Field Updates can automatically change key fields when a workflow triggers, helping teams prioritize important leads without manual checks. The example focuses on marking high-score leads as High Profit and tagging them instantly. It also outlines how to create, edit, and manage Field Updates through API v8. If you want a clean way to auto-update fields based on conditions, this post lays it out clearly.
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!
Recent Topics
Service Title in Service Report Template Builder
I am currently working on the Service Report Template Builder in Zoho FSM. I have created three separate service report templates for different workflows: Preventive Maintenance Report Requested Service Report Installation Report My issue is that I cannot
Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects
Documents authorization and validation with signature is now easier in project management with Zoho Projects' Zoho Sign extension. Sign documents or send them for signatures directly from tasks and issues using Zoho Sign extension in Zoho Projects. Extension
Writing by Hand in "Write" Notes
Hi there! I just downloaded this app a few moments ago, and I was wondering if there was a way to write things by hand in "Write" mode instead of just typing in the keyboard. It would make things a bit more efficient for me in this moment. Thanks!
Deluge Learning Series – Best Practices in Deluge | December 2025
We’re excited to bring you the next session of the Deluge Learning Series, focused entirely on writing cleaner, faster, and more reliable Deluge code. In this edition, we’ll dive deep into the essential best practices every Deluge developer should follow
Associate a Contact to a Campaign using deluge?
If I want to add one record to another related list, which zoho function do I use? zoho.updateRelatedRecord is not it I don't think. I simply want to take a "Contact" and associate it to a "Campaign" using deluge. Can anyone help? contactId = 5122008000000796037;
Add "Groups" above "Users" in the Zoho Forms Left Menu
Hi, We have Groups but you have to go to a Form and Share or use the Directory App to manage them, please add "Groups" above "Users" in the Zoho Forms Left Menu so you can manage them in 1 place within Zoho Forms too. Thanks Dan
Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2025
Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, Apple
Adding Taxes to paid consultations in Zoho Bookings
I created a 'paid' consultation under Zoho Booking and integrated it with payment gateways for online/instant payment before a booking is done. How can I add 'taxes' to the price of consultation? I can add taxes to other Zoho apps (liks Books, Checkout,
Zoho CRM Reports Module on Mobil App
I have the mobile app and the reports module doesn't appear in the sidebar for some reason. I saw a Youtube video where the user had the Reports module on mobile. Is there a setting to show it on mobile? Thanks.
Inquiry on Help Centre Tab Customisation
Hi Zoho team, I’m wondering if it’s possible to further customise the Help Center tabs, specifically the descriptions under Knowledge Base, Community, and Tickets. While the current setup allows customising tab names, being able to tailor the descriptions
Passing a form object to a function
Suppose I have a sort_order field in multiple tables and I want to increment it by +1 onCreate of a new record. Is there a way to pass the form object as an argument into the function to keep things DRY? The following function from Zia works, but I'd
Can you copy and paste a page within a form?
I have been looking at trying to copy/duplicate a whole page within a form. I can't see how I can do this without having to add all the data in again. This is very time consuming. Any help would be great.
SMS to customers from within Bigin
Hi All, Is there anyone else crying out for Bigin SMS capability to send an SMS to customers directly from the Bigin interface? We have inbuilt telephony already with call recordings which works well. What's lacking is the ability to send and receive
Unable to sort as Descending order
Trying to change the sort order for a lookup field (checkboxes) from Ascending to Descending and keep getting an error in Deluge that the order must be Ascending Did anyone ran into this? Thanks Eyal
How do I copy an email message to one or more other folders?
I can move a message to another folder using the "move to" option but I can't figure out how to copy a message.
New feature request: Allow copy of email message to another folder
Hello Zoho team, This is a suggested new feature to allow copy an email message to either another folder or the same folder. Within the same Zoho account. This is not a support request about "label". This is a suggested new feature to allow copies of
Hotmail is blocking the zoho mail IP
Greetings, Since last Tuesday (5 days ago today) I wrote to Zoho support and I still haven't received a single response (Ticket ID: 2056917). Is this how you treat people who pay for your email service? I am making this public so that those who want to
Creator Simplified #11: Create a custom button to download files
Hey there! This time, let's see how to create custom buttons to download the files uploaded in the file upload field. Sample use-case A training app has a module that provides the materials for all the available courses. Students can click on the corresponding
Hide horizontal lines at bottom of form
Hi I have a page with 3 forms embedded in html snippets. On each of the forms I can hide the submit button easily but I am left with the horizontal lines that bound that section and I cannot figure out to remove them (see below for the two sets of horizontal
Autosaving of Form Field
HI can anyone suggest a way of autosaving or simulating an autosave function for a specific field in a form. The story is as follows. I have a bunch of technicians who write notes on how they do a repair. Sometimes they write for a couple of hours the troubleshooting process. If they click incorrectly, press ESC, Cancel or the browser crashes the information is lost which can be heartbreaking so my guys use notepad and then copy the information in. The only way around this is to click submit on the
AI Interview Insights: Turn Recorded Interviews into Quick Transcripts & Summaries
Evaluating interviews shouldn’t require replaying long recordings or taking manual notes. With AI Interview Insights, you can now review complete transcripts and AI-generated summaries of your One-way (Recorded) interviews right inside Zoho Recruit. This
Ask the Experts 26: Brighten every customer interaction with Zoho Desk all year long
Hello everyone, Greetings and welcome to Ask the Experts 26. As we wrap up 2025, we are excited to invite you to the 26th episode of our Ask the Expert series. 🎄The Merry Metrics Edition = Best of Zoho Desk [Best Practices + Holiday Automation + Year-End
Pricing calculator
Alright, so I'm trying to create a pricing calculator/pricing report generator to use in a cabinet shop. I did all the logic and such, and the calculator works. I have a few other things that I would need it to be able to do though, I'll do my best to
Bug Details
In the Bug detail the milestoneid is missing
Establishing new Zoho email account on laptop
Good Morning: I am very long time Outlook business user and decided to try your email service last night and had established an account. I am trying to verify my account; how do I establish my Zoho email account on my laptop? I opened the account with
Stop completed task lists from disappearing?
Is there any way to stop projects from making tasks lists disappear when all the tasks in the list are completed? That's one of those little things where we're constantly fighting the product. For instance we have some projects which are ongoing - no start and end date. We use Kanban view to show the various task lists. We don't want the kanban list to disappear every time the items on it happen to be closed out. Thanks
One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled
I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and
Change of Blog Author
Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan
Allow customers to choose meeting venue and meeting duration on booking page
My business primarily involves one-to-one meetings with my clients. Given the hybrid-work world we now find ourselves in, these meetings can take several forms (which I think of as the meeting "venue"): In-person Zoom Phone call I currently handle these
Booking outside of scheduled availability
Is there a way for staff (such as the secretary) to book appointments outside of the scheduled availability? Right now to do this special hours must be set each time. There should be a quicker way. Am I missing something?
Operation Questions.
Hello, I hope you are well. To explain a little, we are a company that sells services and products with a technical team responsible for installation and maintenance. Zoho FSM can be useful for the technical team, namely for the technical coordinator
Direct Access and Better Search for Zoho Quartz Recordings
Hi Zoho Team, We would like to request a few enhancements to improve how Zoho Quartz recordings are accessed and managed after being submitted to Zoho Support. Current Limitation: After submitting a Quartz recording, the related Zoho Support ticket displays
Update date & time when a cell is edited
Hi All, I am desiring to have a cell update with the current date and time when another cell is edited. Any ideas? Thank you
Add "Groups" to "Share With" on Reports & All Entries
Hi, On Forms we can share Publicly, with Specific Users And/Or Specific Groups or All Users. With Reports and All Entries we lack the "Groups" option, please add this as with many users this saves a lot of work. Thanks Dan
Add Pause / Resume Option to Zoho Quartz Recordings
Hi Zoho Team, We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Quartz recordings: the ability to pause and resume an ongoing recording. Current Limitation: At the moment, when recording an issue with Zoho Quartz, the recording continues even when we are
Custom Fields Not Showing Up in Invoice PDF Template Document Information
I have added 2 custom fields under Sales > Invoices > Manage Custom Fields. They are set to show in all PDFs. However when I am editing my Invoice PDF template, i do not see the custom fields under Document Information.
Tracking Non-Inventory Items
We have several business locations and currently use zoho inventory to track retail items (sales and purchase orders). We were hoping to use zoho inventory to track our non-inventory items as well (toilet paper, paper towels, etc). I understand that we
ZOHO Books
Hi there, Why after I upgrade my Zoho invoice > Books then i wanted to add plugin which i cannot do. Please advise.
How is Your eCommerce Experience w/Zoho Inventory?
First off, I'm SUPER grateful for the advent of Zoho Inventory and now the Zoho Commerce Suite. Overall, Inventory is a great product, especially for customers without an eCommerce presence. For eCommerce companies (especially those shipping more than ~10 packages/day), however, there are certain drawbacks that keep my clients from moving over to Zoho Inventory: Cons: 1. Invoice + Package Creation from Shopify/Other eCommerce Integrations: Zoho Inventory makes the somewhat perplexing decision to
Simplify Mass Replies with Predefined Templates and Snippets
Hello everyone, We are happy to introduce a new enhancement to Mass Reply that helps agents respond to customers quickly and consistently. With the addition of Email Templates and Snippets in the reply window, agents can use predefined messages while
Next Page