Zoho
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Signals writes leads captured on an ad platform or a form straight into Zoho, so they reach your sales team without an export step.
Signals maps each lead form field to a Zoho field and creates the record in the module you choose. The lead arrives with the platform lead ID attached, which is what lets you tie a Zoho record back to the ad that produced it.
This is the reverse of the Zoho source connector, which reads records out of Zoho to send to an ad platform.
Supported sources
Section titled “Supported sources”Sources supported by Zoho
| Category | Supported |
|---|---|
| Lead generation |
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”Before connecting Zoho, make sure you have:
- A Zoho CRM or Zoho Bigin account with permission to create records in the module you intend to write to.
- A field in that module to hold the lead ID from your source. Create it before you start.
- The Zoho Admin role, or an administrator available to grant consent. Zoho blocks the authorization step for users without it.
- A Datahash Studio account with the target project selected.
- A lead generation source already connected in the same project.
Authentication
Section titled “Authentication”In Studio, open Destinations, find the CRM category, and click the Zoho tile. This connector uses single sign-on only.
- Choose the product you are connecting: Zoho CRM or Zoho Bigin. They are separate products with separate data, so the choice is not cosmetic.
- Click Sign in with Zoho.
- On Zoho’s consent screen, pick the organization you want to connect. Zoho groups these as Production, Sandbox and Developer, so check you are not about to write live leads into a sandbox.
- Approve the requested permissions.
If the consent screen refuses the request, the account almost certainly lacks the Zoho Admin role. Have an administrator complete this step rather than requesting broader permissions.
Configuration
Section titled “Configuration”Source and connection
Section titled “Source and connection”- Choose the source type, which is the lead platform or form the leads come from.
- Select the connection name created when that source was set up.
- Give this destination connection a name.
Then choose the Zoho module the leads should be written to. Leads is the usual choice, and a custom module can be used where you have one.
The connector writes into one module per connection. If you need leads split across modules, set up two instances.
Field mapping
Section titled “Field mapping”The mapping screen puts your lead form fields on the left and the Zoho schema fields on the right.
Two rules apply to every mapping on this connector.
- The lead ID from your source must be mapped. It is named after the platform the lead came from, for example Meta Lead ID or TikTok Lead ID, and it is the only field that has no substitute.
- Every field your CRM marks as required, shown with an asterisk in the mapping screen, must be mapped as well. An unmapped required field fails the record rather than the connection, so the setup will look healthy while leads quietly do not arrive.
Map as many further fields as you need. Anything you leave unmapped is simply not written.
Test connection and response preview
Section titled “Test connection and response preview”Click Test Connection before finishing. This sends a sample record into Zoho, so the test lead lands in your live CRM and someone will need to remove it afterwards. Once the test passes, click Finish.
Manage instance
Section titled “Manage instance”To add another, open Manage Connections and click Add Instance, then work through the same steps. A CRM can hold several instances, so one connection per lead source is a reasonable pattern where the mapping differs between them.
To change one, click the connection name in Manage Connections, then the edit icon in the top right. Update the fields, click Test Connection and then Finish. Clicking Cancel keeps the previous configuration running; updates apply only after you finish.
Data & identifiers
Section titled “Data & identifiers”Lead data is written into your own CRM, so nothing is hashed on the way. What arrives is what the lead form captured, in plain text, which means the CRM’s own access controls and retention rules are what govern it from that point on.
There is no fixed field specification for this destination. The fields available to map are whatever your lead form captured on one side and whatever your CRM schema exposes on the other, so the shape differs from one connection to the next.
Best practices
Section titled “Best practices”- Confirm you selected the production organization and not a sandbox. Both appear in the same list and the names are often similar.
- Create the lead ID field in Zoho before you begin.
- Map every field marked with an asterisk, since a record missing one is rejected without the connection changing state.
- Get an administrator to run the authorization step rather than escalating a normal user’s permissions to get past the consent screen.
- Remove the test record after Test Connection passes.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Section titled “Troubleshooting & FAQ”Zoho refuses the authorization. The account lacks the Zoho Admin role. Have an administrator complete the sign-in.
Leads arrived somewhere unexpected. A sandbox or developer organization was selected on the consent screen instead of production. Reconnect and pick the right one.
I connected Zoho CRM but my records are in Bigin. CRM and Bigin are separate products. Reconnect with the other one selected.
Leads are not arriving. Confirm the source is connected in the same project and receiving leads, and that the connection was finished rather than left open.
Some leads arrive and others do not. The ones failing are missing a value for a Zoho required field.
Delivery stopped. The sign-in grant may have been revoked, or the authorizing user may have lost the Admin role. Reconnect.