The CRM Zen Show – Episode 115 – Why? Why Not?

Announcements

• We added a new Events section over at crmzen.com.  Here you can find ALL Zoho Related Events all in one place.  Check it out.

• Upcoming October Webinar: Zoho Books Overview & Best Practices, October 27, 2020, at 10 AM PT. – Click Here To Register

Quick Links

• You can subscribe to the Podcast on Google Play, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

• We broadcast the show live at 9:30 AM PT on Fridays. You can listen in and ask questions by clicking here. If you would like to receive a reminder before the show starts, please click here. (Be sure to use the same email as the one this newsletter was sent too.)

Zoho News

• Zoho Backstage September 2020 Update Roundup

  • We covered all of these on the shows last month, but here is a rundown of all of the changes to Backstage last month.

• Zoho Bookings adds Zapier Integration

  • This adds a slew of new features including Zoom integration.  Here is the full list.

• Zoho Analytics October 6, 2020 Updates

  • Four new updates in this release including support to import data from the 7 new sources using Zoho Databridge.

• Zoho Social Improves Image Handling

  • Better image handling for LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

• Zoho Flow is 1000 Days Old

  • Since Zoho Flow was launched Zoho has built over 500 apps and 1,000 prebuilt flows.   

  • If we are going to start celebrating 1000 Day birthdays, then I missed by 21,000 day birthday back in April.

•  Zoho Cliq Adds 10 New Integrations

  • GoToMeeting, Twitter, and 8 More.

• First Look At The New Zoho Projects 7

  • Zoho Projects V7 is getting ready for release. (We have been playing with it for a few weeks and really like it.)

  • It is a complete UI makeover with a focus on consistent user experience and has added a bunch of new features and updates. It makes for a pretty exciting upgrade.

  • Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect in Projects 7.

• Many To Many Record Associations Be Records In The Same Module

  • You can now create a many-to-many association between records from the same module using the multi-select lookup field. Put another way, a record from a module can be associated with another record from the same module.

  • We have wanted this new feature for some time.  Kudos to the CRM team.

• Zoho Books & Invoice October Updates

  • Here is the monthly rundown of newly released features in Zoho Books and Invoice.

  • A lot of updates here.  One that stands out is that you can now sign and accept estimates from public links.  Simply put, your customers can now sign and accept or decline estimates without having to log into your client portal.

• 26 New Bug Fixes and Enhancements to Zoho Meetings

  • The Zoho Meetings team has been busy.  Here is the list.

Notable Mobile Updates

• Zoho Desk for iPhone is Updated to Support iOS 14 Features

  • Go get your widgets!  Enhanced Siri UI. Scribble mode, and more.  Here is the list. 

• Zoho CRM For Android Adds Improved Analytics Module

• The newly added components are:
• Quick Charts, KPI, Heat Map, Line chart, Comparator, Anomaly detector, Target meter, Funnel, Cohort, and Quadrants. Read all the details here.

Implementation of the Week

• Zoho Subscription Revenue Tracking in Zoho CRM Deals

  • Custom deluge function triggered upon renewal of Subscription

  • Function searches CRM and finds matching Deal record

  • Based on Subscription renewal amount, child “Payment” record is created underneath the Deal

  • Allows for visibility and reporting in the CRM on Subscription revenue

  • This also allows us to track monthly credits/hours due to the client based on their subscription renewals

This Weeks Reads

• How to Implement & Succeed With Marketing Automation – By Allie Decker @alliecdecker for HubSpot

  • A very nice overview of how to get started with your companies marketing automation.

Resource Guides

• New Resource Guides

  • Two New Zoho People Guides this week

    • Understanding Work – A Guide to Performance Management

    • Increasing Workforce Productivity and Efficiency with Timesheets

Application / Plug-In of the Week

• SoapBox

• We covered this app back on episode 87 back in March.  I had a chat with the CEO this week and was really impressed with the improvements.  if you haven’t done so yet, it is worth checking out.

• Meeting Agenda Software

  • Shared online agendas

  • Integrated meeting notes

  • Real-time commenting

  • Suggested questions

  • Next Steps tracker

  • Meeting Rating

• Google Calendar integration

• It also integrates with Slack, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and has iOS and Android Applications.

• About $2 per user per month

Tips and Tricks

• Create custom shapes using Boolean operations in Show

  • I had no idea this was possible.  Great tip and product feature from the Zoho Show product team.