What's New - May 2025 | Zoho Backstage

What's New - May 2025 | Zoho Backstage

Hi everyone, 

A May-zing month for you!

As summer rolls in and event season picks up the pace, we’ve been working on a set of updates in Zoho Backstage to help make your day-to-day life a little easier. This month’s improvements are all about tackling the real challenges that event professionals face daily, from complex stakeholder communications to payment processing bottlenecks.

Module-Specific Primary Contacts

May the right message reach the right inbox

Modern event management often involves multiple stakeholders managing different specialized areas. The new Module-Specific Primary Contact feature allows event organizers to assign dedicated primary contacts for each module individually, creating clearer communication pathways where registration queries reach the registration team, speaker communications connect with speaker coordinators, and sponsor-related emails land in the appropriate inbox. 

Setting up these specialized contacts is straightforward. Event organizers can navigate to Communicate, then Email, Preferences, Primary Contact, and Assign Primary Contact, where they can add and verify contact details before assigning them to specific modules, including Registrations, Speakers, Sponsors, and Exhibitors. Once configured, each module operates with its own communication pathway, improving clarity and coordination.

The system includes essential management controls such as the ability to change primary contacts, edit sender names, and unassign contacts when team structures evolve. To ensure reliable email delivery, the platform provides authentication notifications when needed, maintaining reliable communication.

These primary contacts are integrated into their respective module interfaces:
  • Registration Settings
  • Speaker Settings
  • Sponsor Settings
  • Exhibitor Settings


When changes are needed, clicking Change Primary Contact in any module provides direct access to the email management interface.

Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans

Offline payments with visuals and verification

May offline payments be crystal clear

Building on recent registration improvements, Zoho Backstage has upgraded its offline payment system with two key features: the ability to upload QR codes or instruction images, and a transaction ID verification process.

The visual enhancement allows event organizers to upload QR codes or detailed bank instruction images for each offline payment method during the setup process. Located in Registrations > Setup > Payments under the Offline Payment options, this feature includes live preview capabilities and the flexibility to replace or remove images as needed.



For attendees, this translates to a clearer payment experience. When selecting offline payment options, they see the uploaded visual guidance, enhancing clarity and reducing payment errors. After placing their order, attendees can optionally enter a Payment Transaction ID if they've completed the payment, creating a direct link between their transaction and registration. 

The organizer experience becomes more efficient with the verification process. Orders with transaction IDs enter a Payment Verification Pending status, where organizers can review the provided ID and choose to verify it or mark it as a mismatch. Verified orders are updated to Paid status, while mismatched entries trigger automated emails prompting attendees to correct their details.



The system maintains flexibility throughout the process. Attendees who initially skip the transaction ID can log in later to add or update this information, automatically triggering the verification process. Meanwhile, organizers retain the ability to manually enter transaction IDs when adding new orders, checking in attendees, or recording missed registrations, ensuring no payment scenario goes unaccounted for.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans

WhatsApp number change

May you change your mind—and your WhatsApp number

Zoho Backstage offers the ability to change registered phone numbers within WhatsApp integrations at any time. This enhancement provides flexibility for teams to update their communication settings as needed.

The phone number change process operates through Portal Settings > Integrations > Event Communication > WhatsApp, where organizers can click the Change button next to their current number and select any verified alternative from their WhatsApp Business account. For unverified numbers, the platform provides direct verification capabilities through OTP systems, allowing organizers to verify and switch to new numbers within the Zoho Backstage interface.
Importantly, changing phone numbers preserves all existing configurations. WhatsApp triggers, templates, and automated processes continue functioning as configured, ensuring communication continuity while providing the flexibility to adapt to changing organizational needs.


Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans

Recovering lost registrations with winback emails

May we remind you?

The Reminders for Missed Registrations feature introduces a sophisticated winback email system designed to recover potential attendees who begin but don't complete the registration process. 

The system identifies missed registrations when purchasers reach the payment page but don't complete their order within the established registration time limit. These registrations are stored for up to 180 days, creating opportunities for recovery efforts through targeted reminder campaigns.

Event organizers can configure up to five reminder intervals through Communication > Reminders, setting triggers based on minutes, hours, or days after abandonment. A typical strategy might include an immediate 30-minute follow-up, a one-day reminder, and a final three-day appeal, though the system accommodates various timing strategies to match different event types and audience behaviors.



The reminder system includes intelligent safeguards for optimal communication. Only the most recent missed registration per purchaser receives reminders, and all automated emails conclude when the event ends. For events requiring more than five reminder intervals, limits can be increased upon request, ensuring the system scales with various event marketing strategies.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans

Directly convert approval requests to orders

May your approvals turn into orders instantly

Event planning frequently involves various payment methods and approval processes. This new feature provides organizers with direct transformation of approval requests into confirmed orders.



This enhancement proves invaluable for managing offline payments made through bank transfers, cash transactions, or other non-digital methods. Organizers can efficiently convert approved, pending, or rejected requests into active orders with complete payment details recorded in the system.

The process is simple: organizers locate the relevant request in their Registration Approval requests section, click the Convert to Order option, and complete the process by recording offline payment details. This direct conversion capability ensures that all registration records remain current and accurate within Zoho Backstage.

Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans

Looking ahead together

May these be the foundation for what's next

These May 2025 updates are all about making everyday event planning simpler, smoother, and more connected. Whether it’s clearer communication, easier payment tracking, or smarter follow-ups, each new feature is designed to solve real challenges you face while managing events.

We know how fast things move during event season. That’s why we’ve focused on updates that blend seamlessly into your existing workflows, helping you stay in control without adding complexity.

We hope these improvements make a meaningful difference for you and your team. As always, we’re here to support you—and we can’t wait to share what’s coming next.
Info
All the features and enhancements mentioned in this article are available across all Zoho Backstage-supported data centers.
For additional assistance or questions regarding these new features, contact support@zohobackstage.com. Stay tuned for continued updates designed to enhance your event management capabilities.

    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

      Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly

    • Sync CRM inventory data with Zoho Books

      I just switched everything over to ZoHo books, but I am trying to find out why the CRM Estimates, Invoices, and Sales Orders created in ZoHo CRM are not then duplicated in ZoHo Books? I had Quickbooks before, and had to do everything twice, I thought

    • mask Customer phone number and agents cant see customer phone number

      Is there any way we can integrate Zoom Phone with Zoho CRM while ensuring that customer phone numbers remain masked? We need a solution where agents can make outbound calls but cannot see customer phone numbers. Please let us know if there is any solution

    • Presenting ABM for Zoho CRM: Expand and retain your customers with precision

      Picture this scenario: You're a growing SaaS company ready to launch a powerful business suite, and are looking to gain traction and momentum. But as a business with a tight budget, you know acquiring new customers is slow, expensive, and often delivers

    • Email Reminders on Shared Calendars

      How do we turn off the setting that emails reminders to everyone who has accepted or declined a calendar invite? If 8 of us have been invited to the same meeting, we receive 8 notifications for every step of the process, from invitation to decision.

    • Default Sorting on Related Lists

      Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created

    • additional accounts

      If I brought 5 emails to my account. Can I later buy additional emails.

    • WebDAV / FTP / SFTP protocols for syncing

      I believe the Zoho for Desktop app is built using a proprietary protocol. For the growing number of people using services such as odrive to sync multiple accounts from various providers (Google, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.) it would be really helpful if you implemented standard protocols such as WebDAV / FTP / SFTP so that alternative inc clients can be used.

    • Open Sans Font in Zoho Books is not Open Sans.

      Font choice in customising PDF Templates is very limited, we cannot upload custom fonts, and to make things worse, the font names are not accurate. I selected Open Sans, and thought the system was bugging, but no, Open Sans is not Open Sans. The real

    • What's New in Zoho Inventory | Q2 2025

      Hello Customers, The second quarter have been exciting months for Zoho Inventory! We’ve introduced impactful new features and enhancements to help you manage inventory operations with even greater precision and control. While we have many more exciting

    • How to refresh a ticket view ?

      I am doing a widget where I send a rest api call to make a new draft to the ticket I am viewing. The issue is sometimes it refresh a ticket view and I can see inserted draft right away, but sometimes I do not see it even if it is inserted correctly and

    • Ugh! - Text Box (Single Line) Not Enough - Text Box (Multi-line) Unavailable in PDF!

      I provide services, I do not sell items. In each estimate I send I provide a customized job description. A two or three sentence summary of the job to be performed. I need to be able to include this job description on each estimate I send as it's a critical

    • Supervisor Rules - Zoho Desk

      Hi, I have set up a Supervisor Rule in Zoho Desk to send an email alert when a ticket has been on hold for 48 hours. Is there a way to change it so that the alert only sends once and not on an hourly basis? Thank you Laura

    • ResponseCode 421, 4.7.0 [TSS04] Messages from 136.143.188.51 temporarily deferred due to user complaints

      Had email bounce. Let me know if you can fix this. Thanks. Michael

    • Zoho Canvas - Custom templates for related lists

      Hi, I see that the example pages load always one of our related lists in a custom template, but I dont know how to work with that:  1) How can i make my own custom templates for related lists?  2) Where and how can i check out existing custom templates?

    • Automation #15: Automatically Adding Static Secondary Contacts

      Rockel is a top-tier client of Zylker traders. Marcus handles communications with Rockel and would like to add Terence, the CTO of Zylker traders to the email conversations. In this case, the emails coming from user address rockel.com should have Terence

    • New Zoho triggers Google Dangerous flag due toabnormal charcters

      Just signed up and doing my first email test. I sent it to my google email account but it got flagged as Dangerous" due abnormal characters. My DNS setup looks ok. Page snips attached Help Please Thanks, Rick DC PowerWorld

    • Top Bar Shifting issue still not fixed yet

      I mentioned in a previous ticket that on Android, the top bar shifts up when you view collections or when you're in the settings. That issue still hasn't been fixed yet. I don't wanna have to reinstall the app as I've noticed for some reason, reinstalling

    • Triggering Zoho Flow on Workdrive File Label

      Right now Im trying to have a zoho flow trigger on the labeling/classification of a file in a folder. Looking at the trigger options they arent great for something like this. File event occurred is probably the most applicable, but the events it has arent

    • Is there a way to set Document Owner/Sender via the API

      When sending requests for zoho sign, it would seem zoho uses the id of the person that created the zoho api cred to determine the owner_id, is there a way to set a default for this?

    • SendMail to multiple recipients

      Hi, I'm trying to send an email to a list of recipients.  Right now the "to" field is directed to a string variable. (List variables won't work here). In the string variable, how can I make it work? trying "user@app.com;user2@app.com" or "user@app.com; user2@app.com" just failed to send the emails. Ravid

    • Populate drop down field from another form's subform

      Hello, I found how to do that, but not in case of a subform. I have a Product form that has a subform for unit and prices. A product might have more than one unit. For example, the product "Brocoli" can be sold in unit at 3$ or in box of 10 at 25 $. Both

    • Usar o Inventory ou módulo customizado no CRM para Gestão de Estoque ?

      Minha maior dor hoje em usar o zoho é a gestão do meu estoque. Sou uma empresa de varejo e essa gestão é fundamental pra mim. Obviamente preciso que esse estoque seja visível no CRM, Inicialmente fiz através de módulos personalizados no próprio Zoho CRM,

    • Signup forms behaviour : Same email & multiple submissions

      My use case is that I have a signup form (FormA) that I use in several places on my website, with a hidden field so I can see where the contact has been made from. I also have a couple of other signup forms (FormB and FormC) that slight differences. All

    • getting error in project users api

      Hello, I'm getting a "Given URL is wrong" error when trying to use the Zoho Projects V3 API endpoint for adding users to a project. The URL I'm using is https://projectsapi.zoho.com/api/v3/portal/{portalid}/projects/{projectid}/projectusers/ and it's

    • Change total display format in weekly time logs

      Hi! Would it be possible to display the total of the value entered in the weekly time log in the same format that the user input? This could be an option in the general settings -> display daily timesheet total in XX.XX format or XX:XX.

    • Different Company Name for billing & shipping address

      We are using Zoho Books & Inventory for our Logistics and started to realize soon, that Zoho is not offering a dedicated field for a shipping address company name .. when we are creating carrier shipping labels, the Billing Address company name gets always

    • How to display historical ticket information of the total time spent in each status

      Hi All, Hoping someone can help me, as I am new to Zoho Analytics, and I am a little stuck. I am looking to create a bar chart that looks back over tickets raised in the previous month and displays how much time was spent in each status (With Customer,

    • Zoho Projects iOS app update: Global Web Tabs support

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.10.10) of the Zoho Projects app update, we have brought in support for Global Web Tabs. You can now access the web tabs across all the projects from the Home module of the app. Please update the app to the latest

    • Zoho Community Weekend Maintenance: 13–15 Sep 2025

      Hi everyone, We wanted to give you a heads-up that Zoho Community will undergo scheduled maintenance this weekend. During this period, some community features will be temporarily unavailable, while others will be in read-only mode. Maintenance Window:

    • Agent Performance Report

      From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports An agent performance report in a ticketing system provides a comprehensive view of how support agents manage customer tickets. It measures efficiency and quality by tracking key performance

    • Show both Vendor and Customers in contact statement

      Dear Sir, some companies like us working with companies as Vendor and Customers too !!! it mean we send invoice and also receive bill from them , so we need our all amount in one place , but in contact statement , is separate it as Vendor and Customer, 

    • URL validation

      We use an internal intranet site which has a short DNS name which Zoho CRM will not accept.   When attempting to update the field it says "Please enter a valid URL". The URL I am trying to set is http://intranet/pm/ Our intranet is not currently setup with a full DNS name and given the amount of links using the shortname probably isn't a feasible change for us.

    • Pourquoi dans zohobooks version gratuite on ne peut ajouter notre stock d'ouverture??

      Pourquoi dans zohobooks version gratuite on ne peut ajouter notre stock d'ouverture ??

    • How can I adjust column width in Zoho Books?

      One issue I keep running into is as I show or hide columns in reports, the column widths get weird. Some columns have text cut off while others can take a fourth of the page for just a few characters. I checked report layout guides and my settings, but

    • Invalid value passed for file_name

      System generated file name does not send file anymore - what is the problem?

    • Custom Function for Estimates

      Hey everyone, I was wondering if there was a way to automate the Subject of an estimate whenever one is created or edited: * the green box using following infos: * Customer Name and Estimate Date. My Goal is to change the Subject to have this format "<MyFirm>-Estimate

    • This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

      I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is the

    • Search in module lists has detiorated

      Every module has a problem with the search function :-/

    • YouTube Live #1: AI-powered agreement management with Zia and Zoho Sign

      Hi there! We're excited to announce Zoho Sign’s first YouTube live series, where you can catch the latest updates and interact with our Zoho Sign experts, pose questions, and discover lesser-known features. We're starting off by riding the AI wave in

    • Next Page