Zia helps you get instant answers to all your Zoho CRM data questions for any module via a conversational interface.
For example, say you're asked to attend an impromptu team meeting. You want to share what your sales pipeline looks like for the current month with colleagues quickly. You can simply ask Zia, "Hey Zia, get me the deals closing this month by stage." Zia will retrieve the information for you immediately. If you want to squeeze in a call, you can simply ask Zia and she will get you the number of calls that you have for the day. Additionally, you can type "/" and Zia will suggest a list of queries for you to choose from. As a reliable sales assistant, Zia not only saves your time but also promptly fulfills any information requests you have in Zoho CRM.
Using Ask Zia
You can ask Zia various types of questions or simply type "/" and choose from the suggested queries to get quick answers. For example, if you want to know the number of leads that are yet to be contacted, view a sales dashboard before a meeting, or refer to the team's KPIs to track an individual's performance, you can ask Zia instead of searching for the information manually.
Thus, you can categorize Zia's responses into the following types:
- Results based on queries
- Results based on questions
- Results based on actions
Now, let's look at each of these types one by one.
Results based on queries
Zia provides instant query suggestions by typing "/" in the chat window, based on your CRM usage history. As you type a query, Zia generates dynamic suggestions based on the keywords entered, allowing you to select from them or continue typing.
For example, simply pressing "/" could display a customized collection of your commonly used searches such as "Display accounts with industry set as null" or "Show active campaigns owned by me".
Results based on questions
Based on your question, Zia will provide an answer in one of the following formats:
List of records
Zia will respond with a list of records for queries such as lists of deals closing this month, open tasks, records with open activities, and so on. You can click "Show More" to see the complete list.
Numerical values
Zia can perform operations like sum, average, maximum, and minimum, as well as count the number of records and display a numerical value as a result. These operations can only be performed on the data available in each record. For example, in the case of queries like total revenue in the last six months, Zia will sum up the deal amount; or if you ask for the number of records that have an email status of opened, Zia will count the records with that status and display the answer as a numerical value.
Custom views
You can ask Zia to fetch custom views from all your modules. For example, if you have a custom view named Inbound leads, you can fetch it by simply querying Zia with something like the following expressions: Inbound leads custom view, Show inbound leads custom view, Custom view contains inbound, Custom view contains leads, etc.
Zia will display the total number of records in that custom view along with a link (Go to Custom view) that will take you to the custom view in question.
Note
Zia will not fetch custom views from the following modules:
- Standard
modules whose names have been modified. For example, when the Leads
module has been renamed as "Prospects", Zia will not display custom
views from that module.
- Custom modules. For example, if you've added a new module called "Training Requests", Zia will not fetch its custom views.
Reports
Zia can display reports you've created in your CRM. For example, if you wish to view a report titled "Sales Cycle Duration across Lead Sources", you can do so by asking Zia, Show sales cycle duration across lead sources, Reports that contain sales, etc. You'll be able to see the type of report, the number of records, and the included modules. Click Go to Report page to access the full report.
Dashboard Components
Zia can display analytical dashboard components for queries such as leads by source, deals by stage, and so on.
You can search for a record by using "search" as a prefix to the keyword. For example, search Zylker, search Patrick Jane, etc. The records that match the keyword you have entered will be displayed across all modules. You can also click View in detail to get a complete list of search results.
Sort records using advanced filters
You can get Zia to filter records by entering keywords available in the Advanced Filter, such as email status is opened, bounced, lead owner is Patrick Jane, lead source is cold call, and so on.
Frequently asked questions in Zoho CRM
Zia will look for an answer in the Zoho CRM FAQs. For example, if you ask questions like the following, Zia will search for appropriate answers in the FAQ section:
- What are leads, contacts, accounts, or deals?
- How do I convert a lead?
- Who is a user in CRM?
Note
- If you do not get an answer after two failed attempts, Zia will offer to initiate a session with our experts. You can click Yes, and submit a ticket.
- When you post your questions, make sure that you specify the following, preferably in the same order:
- The type of information that you're looking for (list, sum, average, maximum, etc.)
- Module name
- Field name (along with field value)
- Date range
For example, "Get me the list of leads with "Lead Status" as "Not Contacted" for the past three months."
- If you do not specify a criteria or a date range, Zia will provide its answer for today.
- For example, if you simply ask Zia My open tasks, Zia will give you a list of your open tasks for the current day.
- In cases where you specify criteria but not a date range, Zia will provide its answer for the current month.
- For example, if you ask Zia, My open tasks with subject as "Mail", Zia will give a list of your open tasks with the email subject as "Mail" for the current month.
- If more than one report, custom view, or dashboard component is present for a query, Zia will provide you with a list of those reports, custom views, and dashboard components. In that case, click View more and select the report, custom view, or dashboard component that you want to access.
Results based on actions
You can access Zia's pre-defined skills and select a desired trigger action as required. For example, you can choose actions such as create task, change deal stage, convert lead, and so on. Based on these actions, you can either call or chat with Zia for responses. Below is a list of pre-defined actions available:
- Create task
- Create event
- Change deal stage
- Add note
- Create record
- Convert lead
- Call a customer
You can add more actions to Zia other than the ones mentioned in the above list.
See also:
Zia Developer ConsoleRoutine Messages in Ask Zia
In addition to on-demand messages, Zia enables you to configure routine messages. Routine messages are a functionality whereby you can set pre-defined questions or messages and stipulate the time and frequency at which they will be submitted to Zia. Zia will automatically fetch the requested information without any manual nudges. These recurrent messages act like alerts by keeping you updated at all times.
For example, sales reps might want to know the number of leads they've created at the end of each day; sales managers might want to know the number of deals closed each month; or, as you start your day, you might want to get a quick glimpse at your open tasks or cases.
These pre-configured messages will automatically fetch responses in the Ask Zia panel at the stipulated time without any manual prompts..
Routine messages is available only for organizations in IN, US, EU, and AU DCs.
Configuring routine messages
There are two ways to set routine messages:
- Configure a new message as a routine message.
- Configure an existing Ask Zia message as routine message.
You can either provide your desired message with your desired frequency and time or choose a message from the list of suggested messages.
Configure an existing Ask Zia message as a routine message
In addition to adding a new routine message, you can configure an existing conversation prompt as a routine message.
Note
- You can configure up to five routine messages at any given time.
- All users in an organization can configure and view routine messages per their requirements.
- You can also preview how your routine message renders in real time.
- You cannot add actions or skill-based messages like create task or create record as routine messages.
- Also, you cannot look up help resources or invoke a search using routine messages.
Using Explore
Explore in Zia helps you trace the route Zia takes to find your answers. For example, it will show you the module from which Zia retrieved the answer, the criteria used to identify the relevant answer, and more.
For example, if you want a quick look at your upcoming tasks, you can ask Zia, "Show my upcoming tasks." Explore will show you the module where Zia looked for the answer—in this case, the Tasks module—and since you want the upcoming tasks, Zia specifies the duration as a criterion for the answer.
To use this function, hover over Zia's response, click the ellipsis icon (...) and click Explore.- Ask Zia supports the English language only and does not currently provide spell check functionality, so if your question has a spelling mistake, Zia might not be able to provide you with an answer.
- Each question can relate to one module only. Currently, Zia will not be able to answer questions that involve more than one module.
- Questions cannot be based on related items that are linked with a parent module, such as attachments.
- Each question can relate to a single aggregate function only. You cannot ask questions based on more than one aggregate function at a time.
- Zia considers "Sunday to Saturday" a week, and doesn't yet factor in organizations' custom business hour configurations.