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Overview

The Zoho CRM integration lets your voice agents work with the contacts of your Zoho CRM account during calls: recognize a caller from their phone number, create or complete their contact, and add a summary of the call to that contact as a note. You choose which agents use Zoho CRM. Connecting your account does not give access to any agent until you check it.
This integration is in beta and works with Zoho CRM accounts hosted in Europe: the ones you open at an address ending in zoho.eu. The agent sees and writes what the Zoho CRM user who connected the account can see and edit: connect with a user allowed to add and edit contacts and notes.

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What You Can Do

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Setup

1

Connect Zoho CRM

Go to Integrations, click Create Integration and choose Zoho CRM. A Zoho window opens: sign in with your European Zoho account if needed, then accept the access requested for Tala.
2

Choose the agents

Back in Integrations, click Agents next to Zoho CRM, check the agents that should use your Zoho CRM contacts, then click Save. No agent is checked by default.
3

Tell your agent when to use it

In the agent’s instructions, say when to look up the caller, when to save their details and when to add a call summary, for example: “At the start of the call, look up the caller in the CRM. Before hanging up, add a short summary of the call.”
Save your contacts’ phone numbers with their country code (for example +33 4 65 71 12 34) so the agent can recognize the caller.
A duplicated agent starts unchecked: check it again in the Agents window if it should use Zoho CRM too.

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How It Works

  • Contacts only: the agent works with the people in your Zoho CRM Contacts. Leads are not looked up: a caller saved only as a lead is not recognized, and a contact is created for them.
  • Phone numbers: the agent uses the number the caller is calling from, or a number or email the caller confirmed during the call. A contact is only recognized when its phone or mobile number is exactly the caller’s number, without an extension. Save numbers with their country code (for example +33 4 65 71 12 34).
  • Numbers that may belong to someone else: the home, other and assistant phone fields may be shared (a household, an assistant), a number with an extension (for example +33 4 65 71 12 34 ext. 123) does not tell which desk behind your switchboard is calling, and a number saved without its country code says nothing about its country when your agent does not speak French. Such a number never recognizes the caller, but it still counts: if a contact holds the caller’s number this way, the agent picks no contact, adds none for that number and writes nothing, even when the caller confirms their email. It does not tell the caller about that contact.
  • Contacts in the recycle bin are never used.
  • Several matching contacts: if more than one contact has the caller’s number, the agent does not pick one and changes nothing.
  • Last name required: Zoho CRM needs a last name to create a contact. If the caller has not given it yet, the agent asks for it first.
  • Company: the company named by the caller is not saved in Zoho CRM yet.
  • Edits made at the same time: if someone changes the contact while the agent is completing it, the agent leaves the contact as it is.
  • Call summaries: up to three notes per call, always on the contact found or created during that call.

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Example Conversation

Caller: Hello, I’m calling about my quote.Agent: Hello Ms Martin, thank you for calling back. Let me take note of your request…A note summarizing the call is added to Camille Martin’s contact in Zoho CRM.
Caller: Hello, I would like information about your services.Agent: Of course. May I have your first and last name?Caller: Paul Durand.Paul Durand is added to your Zoho CRM contacts with his phone number, then the call summary is added to his contact.

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Managing the Connection

  • Agents: in Integrations, click Agents next to Zoho CRM to check or uncheck agents at any time.
  • Delete: click the trash icon next to Zoho CRM. Your agents stop using Zoho CRM.

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Security

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Troubleshooting

  • Check that the agent is checked in the Agents window next to Zoho CRM
  • Check that the agent’s instructions say when to look up the caller
  • If two CRMs are connected to the organization, agents use neither: keep only one
  • Check that your Zoho CRM account is hosted in Europe: its address ends in zoho.eu. Accounts hosted elsewhere cannot be connected yet
  • The caller may be calling from a number that is not on their contact
  • Check the number saved in Zoho CRM: save it with its country code (for example +33 4 65 71 12 34)
  • A number saved with an extension, or in the home, other or assistant field, never recognizes the caller: the agent then picks no contact
  • The caller may be saved as a lead rather than a contact
  • A contact created or edited a few moments ago may not be found yet
  • If several contacts share the number, the agent does not pick one
  • Click Create Integration, choose Zoho CRM again and accept the access
  • You receive an email when the connection needs to be renewed

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Next Steps

Tools & Functions

See all available tools

Call Transfer

Transfer callers to your team