Setting Up Zoho CRM

This guide helps you to integrate Picky Assist Services with Zoho CRM.

About Zoho CRM

A market leader for more than a decade, Zoho CRM is an online customer relationship management software for managing your sales, marketing, support in a single system. Join over 150,000 Zoho CRM customers who are happily growing their businesses with awesome customer relationship management. Read More

Prerequisite

Before we begin please make sure you have the followings items ready with you 👇

Zoho CRM Account (Free Version will not work but Enterprise Trial will work)
Zoho CRM Adon Enabled in your PIcky Assist Account (Settings ->App->Zoho CRM)
WhatsApp Channel Integrated and working with Picky Assist with the ability to send and receive messages. WhatsApp Web Automation Channel Recommended.

Watch Video

--Video Chapters--

0:00 - Introduction WhatsApp Integration into Zoho CRM 2:15 - Installing Picky Assist WhatsApp Adon Extension from Zoho CRM Marketplace 3:20 - Settings in Picky Assist Platform After Installing Extension in the Zoho CRM Account 6:35 - Receiving Incoming Messages from WhatsApp & Sales Signals 7:05 - Viewing WhatsApp Message History & Live Chat 7:35 - Formating Outgoing Messages like Bold, Italics, Strikethrough 7:38 - Sending Images, Videos & Documents through WhatsApp from Zoho CRM 7:46 - Using Emoji's 7:57 - Using WhatsApp Official Approved Templates with Zoho CRM 8:10 - Using field merge or attributes to personalize the outgoing message with Zoho CRM Module Data 8:27 - Setting Up Quick Replies for WhatsApp in Zoho CRM 8:50 - Sending a WhatsApp Message from Zoho CRM Modules 10:15 - Getting Real-Time Notification Sales Signals for New Incoming WhatsApp Messages 10:50 - How Quick Replies Works 12:15 - Sending WhatsApp pre-approved Templates from Zoho CRM Modules 14:20 - Switching between 2 Numbers in the Zoho CRM 15:22 - Sending an Internal Note (Whisper) 15:50 - Sending Mass Peronslised WhatsApp Messages from Zoho CRM

Installing the Zoho Extension

The very first step is to install the Picky Assist Extension for Zoho CRM in your Zoho CRM Account. Click Here to Install the Extension from Zoho Marketplace.

If you have already installed the extension then please make sure it's updated to get the most out of the features.

Agree with both terms and click "Continue" as shown below 👇

Select the user Profiles for whom the extension needs to be installed and click on "Confirm" as shown below 👇

Click the "Authorise" button to connect Zoho CRM with Picky Assist Account as shown below 👇

Select the Project you would like to connect with Zoho CRM

Please make sure the project is enabled with WhatsApp Channel & Zoho CRM Adon. We have 7 days trial for the Zoho CRM extension.

Now Picky Assist project is successfully connected with Zoho CRM, click on "Finish" to complete

Working with Extension

The extension is capable of doing the following actions in your Zoho CRM

1. Live Chat from Zoho Modules using WhatsApp as Channel.

This helps you to real-time chat with customers through WhatsApp within your Zoho CRM from below pre-built or custom modules

Module Name

Field Name

Leads

mobile / phone

Contacts

mobile / phone

Deals

This will make use of the Connected "Account Module" or "Contact" module phone / mobile field

Invoice

This will make use of the Connected Account Module "phone" field

Accounts

This will use "phone" field

Custom Modules

For custom modules we will make use of "Custom Buttons" to open chat widget, it works only with Zoho Enterprise , Ultimate & Zoho One plans.

2. Sending Personalised Bulk WhatsApp Messages

This allows you to send bulk personalised messages from any modules , just filter the number of contacts you want to send then draft your message and click on the send button.

Video

3. Sending Automatic Messages Based on Zoho CRM Workflow using Picky Assist Connector (Recommended method)

This helps you to send messages automatically based on the various events happening in the Zoho CRM. You need to configure this from your Zoho CRM Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Rules

Let's create a workflow rule which sends an automatic welcome WhatsApp message to the Customer when a new lead is added to the Zoho CRM by any of the CRM Users.

You need a Picky Assist Connector URL to complete this integration and the same can be created from Picky Assist -> Automation -> Connector - Click Here

Creating A Workflow from Zoho CRM Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Rules

Select the "Module" give a name to Rule and click "Next"

Select When do you want to execute the flow

You can change these settings as per your requirements, now we are going to send a message out when a new record is created in your Zoho CRM.

You can also configure to send alerts when a data field in your CRM gets edit/ update / delete as well.

Select Conditions

Conditions allow you to execute the step only when certain conditions are met like the Lead score is less than 20% and the lead owner is a specific user, in this example we are setting no specific conditions so this will apply for all leads.

Setup Instant Action as Webhook

Instant Action allows you to send WhatsApp / SMS messages when all the above conditions are met, You need to select the "Webhook" as an Instant Action as shown below 👇

Setting Up the Webhook Action

Now you need to copy and paste the connector URL from your Picky Assist account here, watch the step by step video on how to do this step

3. Sending Automatic Messages based on Workflow Events (API Based)

This helps you to send messages automatically based on the various events happening in the Zoho CRM. You need to configure this from your Zoho CRM Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Rules

Let's create a workflow rule which sends an automatic welcome WhatsApp message to the Customer when a new lead is added into the Zoho CRM by any of the CRM Users.

You need to have your Picky Assist API Token to set up the workflow events, you can generate the API key from your Picky Assist Web Console Under Settings -> API Tokens.

Creating A Workflow from Zoho CRM Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Rules

Select the "Module" and give Rule Name and click "Next"

Select When do you want to execute the flow

You can change these settings as per your requirements, now we are going to send a message out when a new record is created in your Zoho CRM.

You can also configure to send alerts when a data field in your CRM gets edit/ update / delete as well.

Select Conditions

Setup Instant Action as Webhook

Instant Action allows you to send the WhatsApp / SMS messages when all the above conditions are met, You need to select the "Webhook" as an Instant Action as shown below 👇

Setting Up the Webhook Action

Now you need to set up the API of your Picky Assist Account here , just give a name of your Webhook then enter the below details exactly as shown in the figure

URL To Notify : https://pickyassist.com/app/api/v2/push Method : POST

Now Click on "Add Parameter" under Standard Format as shown below then fill the same as shown below

Parameter Name = data

Parameter Name

Description

token

This is token which you need to generate from picky assist account go to Settings -> API Tokens to generate one

application

This means from which application you need to send a message

1 = Whatsapp Personal (Phone Automation) 2 = Whatsapp Business (Phone Automation) 3 = SMS (Phone Automation)

8 = WhatsApp Official

10 = WhatsApp Web Automation Shared Number 919737001155 = Shared Number India 556140404433 - Shared Number Brazil

number

Number with Country code, you can dynamically insert this from the Zoho CRM by tapping #phone

message

This is where you need to pass the message you would like to send you can customize the message with zoho crm fields

globalmedia

Public facing URL to download the media files , please note URL's which are private will not work. Read more about Size Restrictions

template_id

This is applicable only for sending WhatsApp Approved Templates , you can get the template id from Broadcaster -> WA Templates

template_message

This is used when you are sending a WhatsApp Approved template , here you don't need to pass the entire message, just pass the dynamic field values

createcontact

This helps to create a contact in Picky Assist account in order to group you Chats

You must pass createcontact=1 to get the message tracked in Zoho CRM

app

This helps us to identify from which app the Workflow is triggered this helps us to mark the message sent from Zoho CRM and able to group message accordingly

app=zoho

Formating

Whatsapp supports only limited formatting as below;

Bold = * * i.e *bold* Italics = _ _ i.e _italics_ Strikethrough = – – ~strikethrough~ New Line = \n like Hello\nWelcome to Picky Assist

Sending Emoji through Whatsapp 😊

You can simply copy and paste the emoji directly from WhatsApp web or phone to the below code

Use any JSON formater & Validator to validate the below codes after making changes

Parameter Value for sending Single Messages

{
   "token":"c2a0b6221525dd55ceb09ae1f74e46521756d",
   "application":"10",
   "createcontact":"1",
   "app":"zoho",
   "data":[
      {
         "number":"${Leads.Phone}",
         "message":"Hello ${Leads.Last Name} Thanks for your enquiry one of our executive will contact you soon"
      }
   ]
}

Parameter Value for Sending Multiple Messages

This helps you to send messages to many numbers through a single API call.

{
   "token":"c2a0b6221525dd55ceb09ae1f74e46521756d",
   "application":"10",
   "createcontact":"1",
   "app":"zoho",
   "data":[
      {
         "number":"${Leads.Phone}",
         "message":"Hello ${Leads.Last Name} Thanks for your enquiry one of our executive will contact you soon"
      },
      {
         "number":"NUMBER 2",
         "message":"MESSAGE FOR NUMBER 2"
      }
   ]
}

Parameter Value for Sending Media Files

Please make sure the media files size and types are supported by WhatsApp as mentioned here

Only Video & Image Supports Captions. Read More

{
   "token":"c2a0b6221525dd55ceb09ae1f74e46521756d",
   "application":"10",
   "createcontact":"1",
   "app":"zoho",
    "globalmedia": "MEDIA FILE UNIQUE URL",
   "data":[
      {
         "number":"${Leads.Phone}",
         "message":"Hello ${Leads.Last Name} Thanks for your enquiry one of our executive will contact you soon"
      }
   ]
}

Parameter Value for sending WhatsApp Approved Templates

Please note for WhatsApp pre-approved templates you need to pass only the values and WhatsApp will auto append the approved message body with your message.

  {
    "token":"782a357a2c87687a11f54b83fd1a017f05eb6794",
   "application":8,
   "template_id":"VG7935",
   "createcontact":"1",
   "app":"zoho",
   "data":[ 
      { 
         "number":"${Leads.Phone}",
         "template_message":[ 
            "abc",
            "111",
            "222",
            "333",
            "Picky"
         ],
         "language":"en"
      }
   ]
}

Please replace the values in the above code with your own Values to work, you can insert values from Zoho CRM modules by just tapping # as shown in the below image 👇

If you need any help from our team to configure so please contact support@pickyassist.com

Integrating WhatsApp with Zoho CRM Mobile App

Our extension is fully compatible with Zoho CRM Mobile App, this helps you to chat with customers on move using the Zoho CRM Mobile App.

This feature is in beta so you have to request beta access to the Zoho Support / Sales Team, you can request them to enable the beta access for the Picky Assist extension on your Zoho CRM account.

Once you get the confirmation from Zoho Team that the beta access is enabled you need to Reset your Zoho CRM Mobile App -> Settings -> Data -> Reset App -> Reset

You will able to see WhatsApp Button in Lead, Contact, Deals, Accounts & Invoice Module in your Zoho CRM Mobile App as shown below;

More Settings & Features

We have the following settings and features as well;

1. Automatically Create New Leads or Contacts

This helps you to create new leads or contacts automatically if your number receives messages from someone who is not in your Zoho CRM. This feature is enabled by default however this can be turned off if not required from the Picky Assist Web Console under Settings -> Apps -> Zoho CRM -> Settings

You can specify whether the system should lookup for duplicate numbers in the Leads & Contacts module or not, for this you can tick the "Lookup Contact & Lead Module" field, once enabled this we will lookup for both Lead & Contact module for duplicate numbers, if no number is found then only a record is created.

You can specify to which Module the new contact should be added like Leads or Contacts, by default its "Lead"
You can also specify to which field the mobile number should be added i.e Phone or Mobile, by default its "Phone"
You can specify the lead source as well to understand from where the lead is inserting into your CRM, by default its "Picky Assist"

2. Lead Assignment Rules

By default all new leads will assign to Super Admin of Zoho CRM, if you want to assign leads to a specific user then please enter the user id here, if you want to assign the lead in a round-robin mechanism then please specify the user id's separated by a comma as shown below;

Round-robin lead allocation helps you to distribute the new leads equally to all sales members in your team. Please note leads from WhatsApp only be allocated through this setting.

Getting the User ID

You can get the Zoho User ID here Click on tools icon at the top right corner-->Setup-->Users & Control--> Users--> click on a user's name and from the top URL bar you can see the numeric user id as shown below;

Kindly note your default "Assignment Rules" if any configured will not work when the lead/contact is created by Picky Assist Extension.

3. Incoming Number Formatting

This feature helps you to add or remove certain values from the incoming WhatsApp number, for example if you want to add + while saving the number into your Zoho CRM then you can use Add and input plus as prefix as shown below;

Please note the above settings will append + to the starting of all incoming numbers while saving into Zoho CRM

Similarly, you can remove the country code or certain values as per your requirements from an incoming number, please note without the country code you will not able to send WhatsApp Messages out.

4. Formatting Outgoing Messages

You can format the outgoing messages with Bold, Italic , Strikethrough and insert emoji's using the format tools integrated into the chat widget as shown below 👇

5. Personalising Messages

This helps you to personalise the outgoing messages with the Zoho CRM module field values based on your current module the attribute section will dynamically load into the chat widget and you have the option to insert them into your messages as shown below 👇

Use keyboard shortcut {{ to open the attribute section.

6. Attaching Images, Videos & Documents

You can send media files as supported by WhatsApp by clicking the attachment icon

Please note media files uploaded by you will be visible to all Zoho CRM Users in your organisation.

7. Switching Multiple Mobile Numbers

If you have saved the customer number in different fields i.e Number & Mobile then you can switch between the numbers to see the conversation from different numbers of the same contact.

Please make sure the WhatsApp number is saved with the country code.

8. Switching between Channels

Switching between channels helps you to send a message from a specific channel, like you can send a message via SMS or WhatsApp shared number by switching the channels as seen below 👇

SMS Channel works only when you connected Android phone as gateway with your project. It makes use of your Android phone to send messages out and will cost extra as per your telecom tariff.

You can enable/disable more channels from Picky Assist Web Console -> Settings -> App -> Zoho CRM -> Settings -> Channels

9. Disable/Enable Notifications (Sales Signal)

By default the record owner will get the notification in the Zoho CRM when new messages come in your number, this can be turned off from the Picky Assist Web Console under Settings -> Apps -> Zoho CRM -> Settings

Please note this will disable notifications to all Zoho CRM Users.

Kindly note by default Zoho sends notifications (Sales Signal) when a new message comes only to the Record Owner and works only with the Lead & Contact Module

10. Disable/Enable the Extension

If you want to temporarily disable the chat widget then this can be configured from the Picky Assist Web Console under Settings -> Apps -> Zoho CRM -> Settings

Please note this will disable the chat widget for all Zoho CRM Users, sales signal and new lead allocation will work as usual.

11. Whisper or Internal Note

This feature has multiple uses as below 👇

Can be used to take internal notes while chatting.
If multiple agents are chatting at a time it helps to co-ordinate effectively.
Can be used for internal training purposes.

Whispered messages will not be visible to the end customer / user.

12. Quick Replies

Quick replies are a set of predefined messages which you can save in order to avoid typing the most frequently used replies

You can even save a reply with media files i.e you can save your product images, videos or business proposal pdf documents and quickly insert them into a conversation.

We have a keyboard shortcut to search and insert quick reply into a conversation , just type forward slash / in your keyword and it will open all the quick replies now continue typing the keyword you configured for the quick reply , just tap enter to insert the reply into your message draft.

Quick replies added will be visible to all Zoho CRM Users.

Custom buttons & Widgets help to integrate the Whatsapp Chat Widget to any Zoho CRM Custom modules.

Kindly note that Custom Button creation supports only in Zoho CRM Enterprise, Ultimate & Zoho One Plans.

Creating Widgets

The first step is to create a Widget from your Zoho CRM account go to Settings -> Developer Space -> Widgets

You need to select the options as shown above and fill in the details, to get "Base URL" you need to go to Picky Assist Web Console -> Settings -> App -> Zoho CRM -> Settings and just copy the URL as shown below;

Mapping the WhatsApp Number field

This is one of the important steps to map the "WhatsApp Number" field so that our system can lookup and fetch the WhatsApp number when a user clicks on the Button, to make this work you need to pass the "field" name as shown below;

If your field name is "WhatsApp Number"

Then you need to pass WhatsApp_Number i.e space if any should be replaced with an underscore ( _ ) and this need to be appended along with the base url as shown below;

https://pickyassist.com/app/zohowidget/8257b559dd96fc0984b4d8559a6217b/WhatsApp_Number

Please note after creating a field if you have changed the name then this method will not work, in this case you need to find the API Variable name from Zoho CRM -> Settings -> Developer Space -> APIs and click on "API Names" tab then select the Custom Module and copy the value which is displayed in the "API Name" column as shown below;

Passing Multiple Number Fields

Now let's consider a scenario that your custom module have 2 fields "Father WhatsApp Number & Mother WhatsApp Number" in this case you have to pass these 2 field name along with the base url separated by , (comma) , this will look like as below

https://pickyassist.com/beta/zohowidget/8257b559dd96fc098c4b4d8559a6217b/Father_WhatsApp_Number,Mother_WhatsApp_Number

When the chat widget open it will fetch the WhatsApp number saved in these 2 fields and gives you the option to switch between 2 numbers so that you can send a message to both numbers.

Fetching WhatsApp Number from Related View

Now let's take another scenario where you have a custom module but it doesn't have any fields to save the WhatsApp number but you have linked the module with a Contact using the Lookup option.

In this case, you need to pass the lookup field name along with the base url and the system will automatically fetch the WhatsApp number from the corresponding Contact "mobile/phone" field

Kindly note fetching numbers from a related view works only with Contact & Lead module i.e the Lookup should be set to either the Contact or Lead module. For each Custom Module, you have to create a separate widget however the base url will be the same but you need to pass the field name as per each module.

Creating Buttons

The button helps to open the WhatsApp Chat Widget whenever a button is clicked from the custom modules.

To create a Custom Button please go to Zoho CRM -> Settings -> CUSTOMIZATION -> Module and Fields -> Select Module -> Links and Buttons -> New Button

What would you like to name the button?

Please provide the name of the button this will be shown to the Custom Module like "WhatsApp"

Description:

Add an optional description this helps you to understand what this button do's.

Where would you like to place the button?

Here based on your requirements, you have to select 2 options

View Page : When you selected this option you will able to see a button inside a record as shown below;

List View - Mass Action Menu : When you selected this option you will get the button to perform bulk action like sending Bulk WhatsApp messages from a list view, this will look as shown below;

If you want to place the buttons in both views then you have to create 2 buttons with each different view.

What action would you like the button to perform?

This is the step we have to select the widget we created earlier, so from the drop down select "Open a Widget" under Custom Actions

Now this will open a new popup where you can see the list of "Widgets" you have created, please click on the "Install" button to integrate the Widget with the button.

Keyboard Shortcuts

This keyboard shortcut works only when you are working with Chat Widget inside the Zoho CRM

Function

Keyboard Shortcut

Open Quick Replies

Insert Attributes (Fields in Zoho Modules)

{{

Send Message

Enter

New Line Space in Messages

Shift + Enter

Connecting Multiple WhatsApp Numbers with Zoho CRM

From 1st Feb 2023 onwards we support adding more than one number into the Zoho CRM account for customers who are using our Ultimate plan, you can add either WhatsApp Web Automation or WhatsApp Cloud APi and each number will cost you $19 per month or $199 per year

Kindly note that Multiple Channel features work only in our Ultimate plan and costs you extra

The first step is to login into your Picky Assist account then navigate to More Menu -> Settings -> Channels and click on the "Add" button and connect more Channels

Once the channel is connected then you need to go to Settings -> Apps -> Zoho CRM and click on Settings from the settings, you need to enable the newly connected channel for Zoho CRM Widget as shown below;

Here you can see an option to share all channels with all users if you wish to share all your channels enabled for Zoho CRM then you can simply tick this option and all your Zoho CRM users able to see all the channels you selected here

If you wish to share a WhatsApp number conditionally with your Zoho CRM users then you need to create more users in your Picky Assist account and map each Zoho CRM user id against each user, to create a user go to Main Menu -> Organisation -> Users, and click on Add and a popup will appear where you need to fill the details and you will able to see a field called "Zoho CRM User Id" you can get the Zoho CRM id as shown above

Most Common Problems & Solutions

This is the list of most common problems and it's solutions;

Sales Signal (Notification) not showing & Lead / Contact not creating when a new message comes.

The first step is to check whether the incoming messages from WhatsApp showing in your Picky Assist Web Console under Messages, if it's showing then please check the below points;

👉 By default Zoho Sends Sales Signal to the record owner only, so please make sure you are the record owner.

👉 Please ensure the Sales Signal Notification is enabled for Picky Assist App, this can be enabled from Zoho CRM -> Settings -> Channels -> Signal -> Picky Assist as shown below;

👉 Please ensure the Sales Signal is enabled in your Picky Assist account, this can be enabled from Picky Assist Web Console -> Settings -> Apps -> Zoho CRM -> Settings

👉 If you have configured to assign the lead to a specific CRM user then please make sure their User ID is mentioned in the Picky Assist Web Console Under your Zoho Settings. Read More

👉 In some cases if the Zoho CRM data center is not USA creates some issues, please contact us, you can know the data center based on the CRM URL shown in the browser, below is the list of data centres and their URL's

https://crm.zoho.com - USA https://crm.zoho.in - India https://corm.zoho.eu - Europe

👉 The very first thing you have to check is whether the number saved in your CRM is with Country Code or not, messages will fail if the country code is not saved along with the WhatsApp Number

👉 Most of the user selects the Wrong Channel while sending the message out, so please make sure that you have selected the correct Channel as the channel is able to send and receive messages. Read more to know how to switch channels.

👉 Please login into your Picky Assist Web Console -> Broadcaster -> Reports and check whether the outgoing messages shows here , if the outgoing message shows here then please check the message status by clicking the "Detailed Report" button and ensure the WhatsApp Channel selected is correct by clicking the "Details" button, if the outgoing message sent from the Zoho CRM is not showing here then please contact us.

This situation happens only if you/user never wrote a message from the CRM Chat Widget or Picky Assist Web Console, in order to solve this issue you need to pass 2 additional parameters in the Workflow "createcontact=0" and "app=zoho" , if you need any assistance then please contact us.

Message sent from the Workflow is not getting delivered

The very first thing for any message delivery issue is to check whether the outgoing message is getting logged into your Picky Assist Web Console under Broadcaster -> Reports, if the messages show here then please make use you have configured the correct channel in the workflow Webhooks.

If the message does not show in the Report section this means we have not received the message trigger from Zoho CRM, we need to troubleshoot the Webhook Settings and code for this, please refer here for more details or contact us if you need any help to setup this.

Getting Error No Channel Selected

This error is because in Picky Assist you have to not assigned a channel to your Zoho CRM App , to assign a Channel please go to Picky Assist Console -> Settings -> App -> Zoho CRM -> Settings -> Channels - please enable the channel here and try again.

Getting Error "Empty/Invalid Mobile Number"

In the lead and contact module mobile number can be saved in "mobile & phone" fields so please check whether the WhatsApp number is saved correctly along with the country code in the respective fields.

Sometimes on clicking the "WhatsApp Button" nothing happens.

This is an issue generally with browser or cache , you can hard refresh your page (Ctrl+SHift+R) if the issue is not getting solved then please try opening the CRM in the browser private window (Incognito Window)

Leads / Contacts added are not displaying on the CRM on realtime basis

Zoho CRM users a caching technology so if you got a new notification you can just tap on it get the lead details, or just hard refresh the Lead or Contact page (Ctrl+SHift+R)

Leads / Contacts adding multiple times (Duplicate)

This issue generally occurs because Zoho CRM takes 5 to 30 seconds to add a new record into its CRM, so during these periods if the same customer sends more messages for all messages we get no number exits from the Zoho CRM side, and as a result, the record is getting duplicate, this issue happens only when Zoho CRM takes longer time to add new leads into your module. If you are facing any other issues please contact us.

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Last updated 1 year ago