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Zoho Partners like ZBrains

How Zoho Partners Like ZBrains Help Simplify Your CRM

Published on: December 21, 2022Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho PartnersLast Updated: July 10, 2023 Comments: 0

Companies turn to Zoho CRM for plenty of different reasons, whether they want to scale their operations or they’re aiming to improve efficiency or manage costs. And in most of these situations, Zoho CRM is a great choice—it’s incredibly robust, cost-effective, and offers plenty of automation features to help streamline your workflows.

But although Zoho claims that its CRM delivers one of the fastest implementation experiences in the enterprise CRM market, it’s not uncommon for new users to encounter challenges when working through their initial setup.

That’s where Zoho Partners like ZBrains can help. Read on if your Zoho CRM experience hasn’t been as straightforward as you’d hoped—or if you’re now stuck with a needlessly complicated CRM setup that’s interfering with your ability to operate efficiently.

ZBrains: Your Premier Zoho Partner for Implementation & Support

Zoho Partners are Zoho experts dedicated to implementing Zoho for client businesses and acting as front-line support between their clients and Zoho. This commonly includes system design, implementation, customization, integration with third-party systems, and general support as Zoho releases new features and applications. 

Zoho’s Partner program is broken into multiple tiers. At ZBrains, we’re proud to be one of Zoho’s Premium Partners, a top distinction given to a select group of Zoho Partners who are responsible for a certain proportion of Zoho’s annual revenue.

When to Work with Zoho Partners

How do you know if working with Zoho Partners is right for you? There are a number of common use cases where working with an external partner on Zoho CRM implementations makes sense.  For example, here at ZBrains, we regularly come across companies that:

  • Are brand new to the Zoho ecosystem and aren’t familiar with best practices for deploying a new business CRM.
  • Have begun exploring Zoho CRM’s free trial, but realize that they’ll need some additional support to realize their vision. 
  • Are already up and running with Zoho CRM, but recognize that they’re only scratching the surface in terms of its potential for their business.
  • Have tried out Zoho CRM in the past, but either couldn’t get buy-in from other staff members or couldn’t find a way to make it work within their company’s requirements.

In these and other related cases, having a second set of eyes in the form of a Zoho Partner can help to evaluate your current setup and identify opportunities to simplify your CRM setup that you may miss on your own. 

At ZBrains, for example, we typically begin Zoho CRM engagements with a Business Process Analysis. This helps us to understand the existing state of your Zoho CRM implementation and begin mapping a path forward to streamline your system.

How a Zoho Partner Simplifies Your CRM

If you’re migrating from another CRM, such as Salesforce or Hubspot, simply getting the right data into Zoho CRM, in the right format, can be challenging. To make matters more confusing, Zoho’s business productivity suite comprises 45+ different applications—some of which have overlapping functionality. 

So how exactly can Zoho Partners actually help you to simplify your Zoho CRM setup? Depending on your specific needs and circumstances, we’ve found that any of the following actions may be appropriate:

  • Migrating your data from your former CRM in the cleanest way possible
  • Identifying the most efficient way for data to be processed through and integrated with third-party systems
  • Designing your systems in the most optimal way
  • Ensuring user permissions are set so your data is protected
  • Identifying and implementing impactful automation opportunities
  • Identifying how custom development could be used to solve difficult system issues

Zoho Partners Set You Up for Success

Finally, another important element to consider when evaluating Zoho Partners is their approach to change management. It’s one thing to build a streamlined Zoho CRM implementation—ensuring your team members are prepared to use it is another thing entirely.

At ZBrains, we offer a number of established and bespoke coaching packages, including sessions that can help you:

  • Learn how to navigate and work within Zoho CRM
  • Customize your Zoho CRM implementation to drive valuable business insights
  • Implement automation within Zoho CRM to streamline your workflows

Getting Started with Zoho Partners

Ultimately, although it can be tempting to try to DIY your Zoho CRM setup, most companies save time—and ultimately, money—by working with an experienced partner who can help them find their way around the system.

If your current approach to Zoho CRM is working, you may not need the support of a Zoho Partner. But if you find yourself in any of the scenarios described above—or if you simply want to benefit from incorporating an expert perspective to identify additional optimization opportunities long-term—reach out to ZBrains to learn more about our Zoho Implementation Plans and Zoho CRM training.

Migrating from Hubspot to Zoho with help of ZBrains

Hubspot Migration: How to Migrate Data to Zoho CRM?

Published on: October 19, 2022Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho CRMLast Updated: August 16, 2023 Comments: 0

The decision to transition between customer relationship management (CRM) programs shouldn’t be made lightly. In fact, data migration—the aspect we’ll focus on in this article—is only one step in the process. Successfully migrating from one CRM to another involves both strategic planning and execution work to ensure a seamless transition.

That said, when it comes to the data layer of CRM migrations, one of the best aspects of Zoho CRM is that you don’t necessarily have to start from scratch. In fact, Zoho makes it easy to migrate from many other CRMs—Hubspot included. 

To see the process in action, take a look at the step-by-step process we’ve put together below on how to migrate your data from HubSpot to Zoho CRM. 

Understanding HubSpot to Zoho CRM Migration

Migrating from HubSpot to Zoho CRM can be a transformative step, requiring meticulous planning, execution, and data management. The process involves transferring various data elements, including customer contacts, leads, deals, notes, tasks, etc. To navigate this successfully, follow these key steps:

1. Assess and Plan

Initiate the migration process by thoroughly assessing your current HubSpot CRM setup. Identify the data you intend to transfer, evaluate data quality, and determine which aspects of your business processes require preservation throughout the migration. This comprehensive planning phase will serve as the foundation for the entire process.

2. Map Your Data

Data mapping is integral to this process, as it involves defining how the data in your HubSpot CRM corresponds to the fields and structure in Zoho CRM. Accurate data mapping is essential to ensure data aligns correctly and prevent inconsistencies and data loss during migration. Detailed data mapping minimizes errors and guarantees a seamless transition.

3. Extract Data

Extract data from your HubSpot CRM by exporting the identified datasets into a format compatible with Zoho CRM. This step may involve exporting CSV files or using migration tools that facilitate data extraction.

4. Cleanse and Transform Data

Before importing data into Zoho CRM, ensure that the data is clean and transformed. Standardize data formats, eliminate duplicate records, and maintain data integrity throughout migration.

5. Import Data into Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM provides tools and features for importing data from various sources. Utilize Zoho’s import functionalities while following the earlier data mapping, ensuring accurate and efficient data transfer.

6. Validate Data

After data import, perform thorough data validation to verify accuracy and completeness. This step helps identify potential issues and guarantees that the migrated data aligns with your business requirements.

7. Customize and Configure

Leverage Zoho CRM’s customization options to tailor the platform to your business needs. Configure fields, layouts, workflows, and automation rules to replicate your HubSpot CRM functionalities within the Zoho ecosystem.

8. Test and Train Users

Conduct comprehensive testing before fully implementing Zoho CRM to ensure all functionalities are operating as expected. Furthermore, provide adequate training to your team members to familiarize them with Zoho CRM’s interface and features.

9. Go Live and Provide Post-Migration Support

With comprehensive testing and team training completed, it’s time to go live with Zoho CRM. Monitor the transition closely and offer post-migration support to address any issues or questions during the initial stages.

Why should you consider transitioning from Hubspot to Zoho CRM?

Before we jump in, let’s cover a few of the top benefits of transitioning from Hubspot to Zoho CRM in the first place. After all, your CRM supports critical functions within your business. It’s important to ensure that the system you’ve chosen is the right one to support your business goals. 

There are many reasons you might want to choose Zoho CRM over HubSpot, but here are just a few:

  • Zoho CRM is more user-friendly. Zoho CRM allows for team collaboration on all tiers, whereas HubSpot only offers collaboration on top-tier plans.  
  • Zoho CRM is easier on your wallet. Not only does Zoho offer a longer free trial, there are many different pricing tiers for Zoho CRM, starting with a free version and going up to $40 per user for the enterprise version (when billed annually). By comparison, Hubspot’s entry-level paid plan comes in at $45 per month for two users.
  • Zoho’s platform offers greater extensibility. Zoho CRM easily integrates with the company’s broader suite of apps. While Hubspot offers sales, marketing, and operations modules, it does not offer comparable solutions for inventory management, HR, legal, and security needs.
  • Zoho is endorsed by publications like Forbes as a top choice for SMBs. Thanks to its budget-friendly, flexible nature, Forbes has recognized Zoho CRM as the better choice for small and medium-sized businesses in nearly every industry. 

The Necessity of CRM Migration

As businesses evolve and expand, their CRM requirements also evolve. In some cases, enterprises seek more robust alternatives due to the limitations of their existing CRM platform. With its extensive array of features and customization options, Zoho CRM often emerges as a compelling choice for businesses looking to enhance their customer engagement strategy.

Not sure if Zoho CRM is right for you? ZBrain’s expert team can help. Reach out to schedule a personalized assessment of your business’s needs.

The Hubspot to Zoho CRM Data Migration Process 

At a broader level, data migration involves moving all your information from one platform to another—in this case, from Hubspot’s CRM to Zoho CRM.

In Zoho CRM, you’ll use the Data Migration wizard to transfer your data from Hubspot, accurately and efficiently. Where common modules are available, the wizard will automatically map your import files to Zoho CRM modules, aligning file columns with Zoho CRM fields. 

Where modules aren’t already available, Zoho CRM will create them and map the relevant files to them. It will also let you know how many files have been mapped, how many remain unmapped, and which—if any—aren’t supported. 

If your migration needs are more complex or if multiple applications are involved, you can turn to Zoho’s vast partner network—including ZBrains, a leading, US-based Zoho Consulting Partner—for help.

How to Migrate from HubSpot to Zoho CRM: A Step-By-Step Process

On a technical level, Zoho CRM’s Data Migration wizard uses APIs and Instance URLs to migrate your data from HubSpot to Zoho. For this reason, you’ll initiate the migration by generating and entering the API key, and then the entire migration will take place in the back end. 

You’ll be notified by email when your migration is complete, and you’ll have the option to undo or rerun the migration up to three times. 

Step #1: Generate the API Token

To find or generate your API token:

  1. Log into your HubSpot account
  2. Click Account Name on the top right corner and select Integrations
  3. Click API Key
  4. Click Generate API Key (if you’ve never generated an API key before)
  5. Click Copy

If you’ve already generated an API key in the past, click Show key and then Copy. You’ll also want to capture your Instance URL using this process.

Step #2: Initiate the Migration

Once you have your API key and Instance URL:

  1. Log in to Zoho CRM (make sure you have Administrator privileges)
  2. Navigate to Setup > Data Administration > Import
  3. On the Data Migration page, choose HubSpot as the CRM you’re importing data from
  4. Enter the Instance URL and the API Token you generated in Hubspot
  5. Click Migrate Now

Once the migration is complete, you’ll be notified via a pop-up and an email.

Step #3: Check Your Data Migration

Zoho’s Data Migration wizard makes importing your Hubspot data simple, but it’s still a good idea to check your data for accuracy once the migration is complete. 

To do so, navigate to Setup > Data Administration > Import > Import History, and check that all fields have been imported properly. It’s also a good idea to spot-check individual records. Navigate to a few people and accounts to see if their data matches up with their corresponding Hubspot records (or to what you know to be true for them).

Remember, Zoho CRM allows you to undo or rerun the migration, but only for a limited number of times. If you are not satisfied with the import or field mapping results, you can delete the imported records and re-run the migration. Just don’t wait to detect errors until you’re too far down the road to redo your migration!

Keep the following notes in mind while planning and executing your migration as well:

  • Tags can be migrated from Hubspot into Zoho CRM, but only the first 10 tags will be migrated. Additionally, each tag can only have up to 25 characters. 
  • Your data migration will be paused if more than 5,000 records in a module are skipped during the migration. At this point, you’ll have the option to discard the migration or continue—Zoho CRM will inform you of every module where this occurs.
  • If you need to undo the data migration, visit your Import History. 

The ZBrains Advantage: Your Partner in Seamless Migration

At ZBrains, we understand that CRM migration can be a daunting endeavor. With years of experience in CRM solutions and business process optimization, we’ve fine-tuned our migration approach to ensure minimal disruption to your operations. Our team of experts takes a personalized approach, meticulously mapping your existing data and processes to HubSpot CRM’s structure. The result? A smooth transition that preserves data integrity while unlocking the full potential of HubSpot CRM.

If you’re ready to make the change from Hubspot to Zoho CRM, built-in migration tools make the process as simple as possible, while also alerting you to any issues that need to be resolved manually. 

But if you have any questions about migrating from HubSpot to Zoho CRM—or if you’d like expert support while you navigate the process—get in touch with ZBrain’s team of Zoho experts for personal assistance. 

Zoho Updates October 2021

Zoho Updates, New Features, and Issues | October 2021

Published on: October 6, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho Bugs, Zoho CRMLast Updated: May 10, 2023 Comments: 0

Hello and welcome back to the Zoho Updates October 2021. In the past month, Zoho CRM has released a number of notable updates and improvements. In this digest you’ll find time saving new features, how CRM is making user experience better, and how Zoho Desk is making the ability to relate contacts to multiple accounts simpler!

Keep reading for details about What’s New, Zoho Updates Ocotober 2021. 

New Features & Improvements from Zoho

Zoho CRM

  • Updates to IOS Mobile App for Zoho CRM:

    • User-related lookup fields have been optimized, including the search and selection of users from owner lookup field.
    • “Plotting Leads, Contacts, and Accounts in nearby maps has been optimized for better user experience. Also, nearby pins will be grouped on zooming out a location on maps.”

  • Online instances of Zoho Campaigns offers increased specificity in regards to bounced status. “Soft Bounced” and “Hard Bounced” are now noted instead of just “bounced.”

  • Predictive Analytics utilizing Zia in CRM have been improved to achieve more accurate outcomes.

  • New color-coded picklist values improves data interpretation at a glance. Color-coded values are seen in records, modules, deals pipeline, charts, dashboards, and more.

  • Zoho CRM Sales Motivator admins can now compare the performance of a KPI or Target with other KPIs and Targets. Read more here.

  • Select your theme in Motivator; toggle between the light or dark theme to suit your viewing preference.

  • Zone Analysis is a new Dashboard component in Zoho CRM that helps you understand which data requires attention. This comparative analysis currently allows you to analyze two parameters.

  • If you have questions or need help setting up any of these, ZBrains Support is here for you!

Zoho Creator

  • This month Creator released two new enhancements to help you streamline work.
    • The first are a set of enhancements to export settings which allow you to name a file, select the format, select columns to include, and password protect exported files.
    • Secondly, Creator can now pull and pull data from external apps! Using Widgets you can now configure integration from your external apps, giving more power to the applications you use created on the Creator platform.

Zoho Desk

  • Desk now allows you to add a contact to multiple accounts: “Zoho Desk provides a way to relate a single contact to multiple accounts so your agents can easily track the relationships between the customers and companies they work with. Additionally, contacts can view all the tickets belonging to their account on the help center. When you enable this feature, each contact requires a primary account. The primary account represents a direct relationship. But you can associate additional accounts to the contact in a secondary relationship.”

ZOHO UPDATESApplication Updates from Zoho

Zoho CRM

  • CRM extension for LinkedIn Sales Navigator was sunsetted on September 30th. Affecting all users, the extension can no longer be used by current users or downloaded by anyone.

 

Have a question we didn’t answer here?  If you have questions or would like to connect with one of our consultants, schedule below. We’re also available by phone, just call our offices at (888) 207-4111.

 

Connect with a Consultant

 

Webinar for Zoho Writer

Zoho Writer: How-to & Tips Webinar

Published on: September 23, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho CRM, Zoho Sign, Zoho Writer AppLast Updated: November 13, 2023 Comments: 0

Master the Art of Zoho Writer: Join Our How-to & Tips Webinar Today!

In less than 15 minutes, join the Zoho CRM webinar with ZBrains Founder, James Converse, to learn about Zoho Writer and its integration with Zoho CRM. The session covers key features and tips to boost productivity.

  • How to use Writer and Zoho Sign to collect signatures on your quotes and other business documents.
  • You’ll see how to relate your Zoho Writer templates to modules.
  • Document storage best practices and tips on where to find the docs you create.
  • We’ll also review Writer templates: how to create them, using themes to coordinate with your brand, incorporating images, mapping fields from CRM, and the uses of sub-forms in Writer documents.

Our Zoho Writer How-to & Tips Webinar is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to share all the juicy insider tips with you. Have questions? Don’t be shy, leave them in the comments below!

Register for this on-demand webinar now, or at any time! and learn how to maximize your CRM’s potential. Our experts will share tips and tricks to help you improve your sales, marketing, and customer service processes. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your business to the next level with Zoho CRM. Sign up now!

Register for the Webinar

Is Zoho CRM working for you?

CRM Adoption: What It Is and Why Your Business Needs It

Published on: September 16, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho CRMLast Updated: June 13, 2023 Comments: 0

Is Your CRM Working for YOU?

Here’s what you should know about CRM adoption, to ensure that you are maximizing this tool. 

[caption id="attachment_5440" align="alignleft" width="400"]Planning A CRM Project It’s not uncommon to spend months planning a CRM implementation project. If you’re already down that road make sure the CRM adoption rate is high, this survey can help![/caption]

It can be difficult, overwhelming, and time consuming for users to learn a new CRM system, and sometimes that’s even after training. Most organizations spend months or longer researching and planning to bring on a new CRM or software. Then they begin to ramp up, perform initial training, and finally send their users out into ‘the wild.’ Your hope is everyone in your organization will be wildly successful with this new tool, and business operations will be better than ever!

With highly proficient teams, this shouldn’t be a concern, but we all know that every team is not highly proficient.  

In the real world where capabilities across teams vary, it is inevitable that different users will use the new systems in different ways – and to varying degrees of success. 

Some members of your team will not take to the new CRM at all!

This is low user adoption.

You might think, “well, that’s their problem if they don’t use the tools provided to make their work easier. We gave them training!” But trust us, we know you’ve probably made a decent investment in time and resources to implement this tool. You deserve to get the most out of it. You likely had the intention of equally balancing the goals of making your staff the best they can be, AND giving yourself and business operators the essential insights based on CRM data. 

But perhaps your CRM  just hasn’t taken hold.

If you suspect this might be the case in your organization, it’s time to take a closer look.

What is User Adoption?

[caption id="attachment_5441" align="alignright" width="400"]CRM Users Adoption What is CRM Adoption? A high level of CRM user adoption means that users are successful in their goals by using a software product. [/caption]

This is really straightforward, so we’ll share it quickly. 

User adoption is the process of ensuring that a system user can be successful in their goals by using a software product. 

In this case, we’re talking about how successful your teams are in being able to attain their objectives using your current CRM. This includes how quickly it becomes a routine tool, and how much users like it and want to keep utilizing it.

Consider your teams across Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Leadership when observing for user adoption.

Then consider if all teams used the tool to its full potential, and fully adopted the CRM.

What does great user adoption look like? With that data at hand, you have the power to create accurate dashboards and better forecasts, and you can empower your businesses’ leaders with the information they need to grow and make their teams successful. Win – Win!

Using Your CRM to its Full Potential

Curious if your CRM users on the teams we mentioned above are in a murky area of user adoption? You can make sure you’re getting the most of your CRM investment with this quick CRM User Adoption Checklist – it’s just 20 questions!

Take a look and get the info you need in order to assess whether or not it’s time to take action and realign around your CRM.

Is there potential for your CRM to work better for your organization? Take the CRM Adoption Survey and find out where you stand.

Take the CRM Adoption Survey

Zoho Sandboxes Webinar

Zoho Sandboxes in 10 Minutes or Less

Published on: September 10, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho BugsLast Updated: April 17, 2023 Comments: 0

Effortlessly Set Up Zoho Sandboxes: Quick and Easy Steps in 10 Minutes or Less

In this quick webinar, ZBrains Founder, James Converse shares how sandboxes work, how to avoid common pitfalls, and briefly reviews how to set up Zoho sandboxes.

  • First, we’ll show you how to set up a sandbox test environment in Zoho CRM.
  • You’ll learn which functionalities from production exist in the sandbox environment, and which don’t at this time. 
  • We show you some methods for populating your sandbox with sample data, or your own data.
  • At the end, you’ll see how to ship all your sandbox customizations back to production after testing.

It’s important to know that not every Zoho application has sandboxes, so we’re discussing Zoho CRM and Zoho Creator here. 

Register now for this on-demand webinar and feel free to leave any questions in the comments or contact us if we can help you with your Zoho sandbox and test environment setup!

 

Register for the Webinar

 

 

Zoho August 2021

Zoho Updates, New Features, and Issues | September 2021

Published on: September 2, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho Bugs, Zoho CRMLast Updated: July 20, 2023 Comments: 0

Welcome back again to your Zoho Updates September 2021. In the past month, we’ve seen a number of improvements across Zoho Books and Zoho CRM. In this digest you’ll find time saving new features, how CRM is making user experiences even more customizable, and how Zoho Desk is making the ability to relate contacts to multiple accounts simpler!

Discover Zoho’s Latest: What’s New – September 2021

New Features & Improvements from Zoho

Zoho CRM

  • New feature in CRM allows you to assign the record owner through a Workflow. You may now define conditions in Workflows, and the owner will be assigned when the condition is met. Zoho says, “Records can be assigned to users, roles, users who create or modify records, or to those mentioned in the Assignment rule criteria.” Additionally, “owner assignment will be triggered ONLY from the first workflow rule that it matches. For the subsequent workflows, all other actions except owner assignment will be executed.”

  • Adding Users to Zoho CRM just got easier with the ability to import up to 1000 users at a time. Admin profiles and those with Manage User permissions can now import users into their organizations account using .xls, .xlsx, or .csv file types. Learn more from Zoho’s help article on this topic.

  • Webform Analytics in CRM has new metrics and charts available. Metrics for time spent on fields, field correction rate, drop rate, and the order that fields are filled can be put to use in your analytics. You now also have access to device source for form submissions. Individual form analytics now display average time spend and the abandon rate in submissions. Having this information available helps in analyzing your form success rates and adjusting forms for better engagement.

  • Expanded capabilities including Subform Fields now exists when you map dependency. Previously only fields from the layout were available to be mapped.

  • Zoho introduced their new CRM designer called Canvas, calling it “the industry’s first CRM design studio. “This no-code, drag-and-drop design studio is built into Zoho CRM and allows users to create contextual, immersive experiences for their teams.” Learn more about it from Zoho.

  • Email status updates make filters more straightforward so finding who responded to your messages possible. The Latest Email Status filter now includes “Responded” as an option. Use this and “Opened and Not responded” to segment your contacts for better communication messaging, for example positioning follow ups.

  • If you have questions or need help setting up any of these, ZBrains Support is here for you!

Zoho Desk

  • Have you ever needed to associate a contact with multiple accounts? Now you can select to enable this Accounts feature in Zoho Desk, and select to relate a single contact to multiple accounts. You can learn more here.

Zoho Books

  • Custom Reports in Books gives you the capability now to save your customizations. Find them instantly and use them again and again. There’s increased flexibility around user control, for example, who can view, export, or schedule custom reports.

  • New from Zoho Books, “Once you reconcile an account, you can now print the reconciliation details as well. You can print the the transaction details, transaction type, deposits and withdrawals.”

  • Increased capabilities to select the customer advance accounts for tracking and recording excess payment, and configure the default account for tracking excess payments.

ZOHO UPDATESApplication Updates from Zoho

Zoho Desk

  • The Community module in Zoho Desk has three updates this past month including:
      • Assigning category visibility to “agents only.” This makes topics in these categories internal and visible to agents only.
      • New key category metrics are now available including: # of forums, @ of topics and comments received, % of topics created under each topic type, and more.
      • Increased functionality around controlling the ability to choose who can post and reply to topics in a category.

Zoho BugsIssues Notices from Zoho

 Zoho Creator

  • Creator rolled out a set of minor fixes product-wide including: bugs related to adding and deleting fields in forms, issue with record detail view in blueprint, a minor issue in file preview, and several additional minor issues.

Have a question we didn’t answer here?  If you have questions or would like to connect with one of our consultants, schedule below. We’re also available by phone, just call our offices at (888) 207-4111.

Connect with a Consultant

Zoho Updates from ZBrains

Zoho Updates, New Features, and Issues | August 2021

Published on: August 4, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho Bugs, Zoho CRMLast Updated: May 10, 2023 Comments: 0

This month, we saw just a handful of new features and improvements in our Zoho Updates August 2021. These are primarily for Zoho CRM and Books, and there were a few bug fixes in Creator. We think you might be interested in the update regarding Zoho CRM attachments, and its integration with tools like Google Drive and OneDrive.  Additionally, if you’re a Books user, hopefully you’ve seen the addition of in-app messaging from Cliq.

Get all the details for What’s New, Zoho Updates August 2021. 

New Features & Improvements from Zoho

Zoho CRM

Zoho Books

  • Zoho Cliq chat bar is now available in Books. Enjoy even more seamless communication with your colleagues in the app you’re using, without having to switch tabs.
  • You can now set tax preferences for your vendors and customers in Books. “A major update in the customers and vendors module is the ability to assign tax rates. You can assign these tax rates while creating or editing existing customers or vendors. So, the next time you create a transaction for them, the tax rate will be automatically applied to your line items.”
  • Books improvement lets you create and associate budgets to individual branches or regions of your organization. To associate budgets to your branches: Go to Accountant > Budgets > New Budget > Select a branch. If you have questions or need help setting up this function, ZBrains Support is here for you!

 

Zoho BugsIssues Notices from Zoho

 Zoho Creator

  • The Creator team shared many bug fixes this past month ranging from “minor bug fixes related to pivot chart and table sync issues,” to transition and highlight issues in Blueprint.
  • Another change in place for the maximum length of decimal fields. The field type used for decimal, percent and currency will now max at 16, versus 19 digits in Zoho Creator. Technical limitations are the reason for this updated, and once the change is in place, values longer than 16 digits will be rounded off.
  • Previously, Count as a Percentage or Fraction in Creator pages would not display as anticipated when a record was empty. A recent bug fix resolves this issue.
  • Finally there were minor bug fixes performed, related to subform workflows and pivot reports.

 

General Zoho Ecosystem Updates

In case you missed it during prior months: Important information from Zoho regarding price changes can be found here. If you have questions about this change or wish to schedule a consultation to discuss, please contact us using the form at the end of this article.

Have a question we didn’t answer here?  If you have questions or would like to connect with one of our consultants, schedule below. We’re also available by phone, just call our offices at (888) 207-4111.

 

Connect with a Consultant

 

Zoho Administrator Outsourcing

Outsourcing Your Zoho Administrator: Pros, Cons, and Considerations

Published on: July 23, 2021Category: Certified Zoho ConsultantsLast Updated: May 16, 2023 Comments: 1

How to Find the Right Zoho Partner for Outsourcing Administrative Work

Should you be outsourcing your Zoho administrator duties? The pros and cons of outsourcing have been discussed for years, some of the benefits being you don’t have to hire, onboard, or train; you get the advantages of a larger pool of knowledge; and you can potentially save in terms of labor costs paying only for the time you’re truly using. We would also add that in the case of highly specialized tasks, your organization benefits by being able to keep its focus on the things it does best – without having to ensure that internal resources have proper training, sufficient time, and the desire to take on new and different responsibilities. 

The cons of outsourcing can include losing some control, or that needs may get lost in translation. Although, more often than not, the benefits of outsourcing the tasks involved with Zoho administration far outweigh them. Let’s talk about it a little more so you can see if it’s the right move for your business.

What is outsourcing in Zoho administration?

[caption id="attachment_5260" align="alignright" width="400"]Zoho Administrator Help ZBrains has helped clients like you build a strategy for digital transformation and growth with Zoho since 2012.[/caption]

In this case, outsourcing is the practice in which designated company tasks or functions are given to service providers outside of your company. This support is provided to your company by an external resource instead of an internal one. Some tasks handled by a Zoho administrator can include:

  1. Assisting with best practices and implementations for user credentials and permissions.
  2. Ensuring that application updates are timely, and testing them to ensure that all integrations work as required prior to roll out.
  3. Responding to incidents as reported, and helping you with remediation.
  4. Helping to identify and notify you of opportunities to improve, enhance, or get more out of your system.
  5. And of course, many other tasks as they arise. Just ask!

We know as well as anyone that Zoho is definitely simple to pick up and use. But  customizing it to your needs, and correctly integrating and maintaining systems can be confusing for the uninitiated!

The Benefits of Combining Zoho and Administrative Outsourcing

We scratched the surface of this just a bit in the intro, but diving a little deeper, you have a lot of opportunities to benefit from outsourcing Zoho system admin work. Here are the three areas we think are most notable.

1. You Get a Better Return on Your Zoho Investment

For starters, we know that no business tools, especially systems for your CRM, Accounting, or other specialized applications were easy to implement. We see it very often – businesses have a lot of excitement up front about their new systems, but lose momentum due to lack of expertise. They begin missing out on the many additional features of Zoho that could help them optimize their businesses!

If you’re like most of our clients, the investment in time, resource training, and ongoing maintenance of your systems is not insignificant. However, are the resources in your organization who handle system administration the most qualified? And are you losing any time or efficiency each week simply by having the wrong person in the seat? 

Outsourcing your Zoho administrator duties can help enhance the return on your Zoho investment, and can even help lower your labor costs. Consider the economies of scale you could impact once you have assigned those tasks to the resource who’s best equipped to make your Zoho system thrive.

2. Expert Insight Can Lead to Innovation

It goes without saying that you are the expert in your business. From the products or services you provide, to the processes you use to deliver those to happy clients, you have spent the time learning and understanding what sets you apart. These are the factors making you successful!

Now consider what benefit could be derived from being able to tap into another knowledge base, particularly, a knowledge base with expertise in the Zoho systems you rely on day-to-day. Without having to add to your org’s headcount, you can bring in top-level talent and expertise to help you streamline automations, increase process efficiencies with workflows, templates, and even deeper software integrations. Letting an expert help you admin your Zoho systems means you benefit from another set of adept eyes.

3. You Have One Less Thing to Manage

[caption id="attachment_5258" align="alignright" width="400"]Zoho Admin Help With help from a designated Zoho admin you can focus on your core competencies, and avoid the distractions and unanticipated “emergencies” of system maintenance.[/caption]

Hiring a trusted partner to keep an eye on the often out of sight, yet routine, necessities that allow your systems to operate seamlessly, means a ton of management time is freed up! Now you can focus on your core competencies, and avoid the distractions and unanticipated “emergencies” of system maintenance that an outsourced Zoho administrator can ensure is always on track. 

For example, how many times have you missed software notices about integration updates that set your business behind by a few hours, or even a day or more just because a simple function needs attention?  You’ll always be on top of it – mitigating those risks of lost time and productivity – when these tasks are a priority for your administrative partner in Zoho. 

Speaking of agreements, you can also increase the speed and quality of work for outsourced activities. This flexibility is another, sometimes overlooked aspect of a service agreement for administrative oversight. This relates back to having a partner with experience that may be lacking in-house. The right partner will ensure that planning is up to date. They will help you focus your strategy. And  can ensure you get the services or help you need, as you need it. 

How to Find the Right Zoho Partner for Outsourcing Administrative Work

Establish Your Goals & Needs

The very first step in finding the right Zoho admin partner is to detail the needs you have to be outsourced. This includes documenting Zoho processes, product ownership, and maintenance services you require, and how frequently you believe these items require attention. Evaluate with your internal teams and establish agreements before beginning discussions or negotiations with any potential providers. 

Evaluate Potential Zoho Partner Credentials

When you do begin discussions with Zoho Consultants or partners, be sure to find answers to the following:

[caption id="attachment_5259" align="alignright" width="400"]Zoho Admin Needs Start your search for a Zoho Admin by detailing all of the needs you have to be outsourced.[/caption]
  • Do they cover the applications you use, 
  • Do they have working knowledge of any integrations currently in place,
  • What sort of plans do they offer (hourly or monthly service options),
  • Where are they located, and where are the people performing the work located,
  • And what experience do they have helping others like you in your industry?

These questions will naturally open conversations to more detail. This will allow you to gauge whether or not a partner will be able to assist with the needs and goals you outlined.

Selecting the Right Zoho Admin Plan

Consider again the goals and needs you established up front. This will help you select the right Zoho administrator plan. Depending on the size of your business, and the internal depth of expertise in Zoho, you may require  weekly, monthly,  or quarterly assistance. You absolutely have the option to bake that sort of maintenance into your Zoho system administrator requirements agreement or scope of work with the right partner. And if you’re looking for something a little more flexible, some organizations may allow for an hourly flex plan, and/or monthly retainer. 

Finding a Zoho Admin Partner at ZBrains

[caption id="attachment_5261" align="alignright" width="400"]ZBrains Zoho Administrators Achieve more with help administrating your Zoho system from a Zoho Certified partner like ZBrains.[/caption]

If you’re here, you may be considering ZBrains as a partner for your Zoho system administrator needs. You’ll find answers to most questions here on our site. However, we believe it’s important to connect in person with every client from the start. This ensures we get the most information from you, and have a greater understanding of your needs and goals. So feel free to contact us any time. 

  • ZBrains can help you with Zoho administration – whether your team is 5 or 500 users. If you’re just getting started with Zoho, or you recognize it’s time to take its capabilities to the next level. We have helped clients like you build a strategy for digital transformation and growth with Zoho.
  • We have proprietary integrations for Quickbooks and even built a field services and manufacturing ERP called FieldTech. 
  • Our teams offer both hourly flex support and a monthly retainer for support services, so you can get the coverage you need.
  • All of our talent is US-based, and we’re a Zoho Certified Partner who have been working in this space since 2012.
  • ZBrains works with many types of businesses, but we focus primarily on industries such as manufacturing/distribution, construction and field services, and those working in technology or SaaS organizations. 

Ready to discuss Zoho Admin Support with ZBrains? Get in touch today!

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july 2021 updates from zbrains

Zoho Updates, New Features, and Issues | July 2021

Published on: July 1, 2021Category: Certified Zoho Consultants, Zoho Bugs, Zoho CRMLast Updated: May 10, 2023 Comments: 0

Welcome to Q3, and your Zoho Updates for July 2021! With the first half of the year at a close, we are sharing just a few notable updates this past month from Zoho including on-premise Zoho Creator options, Microsoft-BI Integration, and multi-org sign in for CRM.

Get all the details for What’s New, Zoho Updates July 2021. 

General Zoho Ecosystem Updates

In case you missed it last month: Important information from Zoho regarding price changes can be found here. If you have questions about this change or wish to schedule a consultation to discuss, please contact us using the form at the end of this article.

New Features & Improvements from Zoho

Zoho CRM

  • Good news for multi-org Zoho CRM users! “Zoho CRM allows users to access multiple organizational (CRM) accounts using the same email address. This is especially useful for organizations who maintain different CRM accounts to manage their business, such as a franchisee or a subsidiary.”
  • A CRM improvement now searches for similar records using unique fields, plus system-defined fields in the Leads module when converting Leads to Contacts and Accounts. Then, based on whether a value is available or not available for these fields the system will either ask to create a new record or merge with existing record.
  • You can now copy Campaign Member status from from CRM account to another while copying customizations.
  • Introducing Zia Reasoning in Assignment Rules! Zia now determines a pattern from your existing data to automatically assign the most appropriate owner for a record. Of course, admins can disable or enable the contributing fields to enhance Zia’s owner suggestion skills, too.

 

Zoho Creator

  • Creator Reports embedded in the Pages component have been enhanced. They will not appear as a larger window in Pages, and helps standardize the appearance of the detail view when embedded. Additionally, the user interface is improved, and several minor bug fixes were rolled out with this set.
  • Notable announcement from the Creator team says that “Zoho Creator On-Premise was launched recently to help businesses host their apps on their own servers.”  If you’re interested in this solution, please don’t hesitate to let us know, we’d be glad to help you determine with On-Premise is a fit for your organization.
  • Microsoft Power BI desktop app connection is now available in Creator. It “brings together multiple software services, apps, and connectors to convert data from different sources into a collective, meaningful combination of information to obtain visually insightful data.” 
  • Good news for app creators! After several months in the works, Creator’s V2 upgrade is now in place, and brings Improvements including improved security, better error handling, improved performance compared to V1, and more. 
  • With this new enhancement, you can import data from a live app and update existing records while importing. This includes the addition of “Smart Suggestions” to provide intuitive recommendations while importing data.

 

Zoho BugsIssues Notices from Zoho

 Zoho Creator

  • Creator bug fixes addressed this month include those that address: downloading page as PDF, visibility permission in subform field, editor popup in notes field, and localization in rich text field.
  • Creator Android app Version 6.4.8 subform fix addresses issues with dropdown field and OCR field in subform.

 

Have a question we didn’t answer here?  If you have questions or would like to connect with one of our consultants, schedule below. We’re also available by phone, just call our offices at (888) 207-4111.

 

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