1. Zoho CRM: Cadences Updates
Zoho has made two meaningful updates to Cadences that give you much more control over how sequences branch and respond.
Criteria-based follow-ups for calls and tasks
Until now, Cadences triggered the next step based purely on the response to the previous one. That works fine for email sequences, but for calls and tasks, where the outcome is richer and more nuanced, it was limited. With this update, you can now trigger the next follow-up based on specific criteria drawn from the properties of the previous call or task, either instead of response status, or in combination with it.
For calls, criteria can be built from fields like Call Result, Call Duration, and Call Purpose (plus custom fields). For tasks, you can use Priority, Due Date, Closed Time, and custom fields. A few practical examples:
- A discovery call logged with a result of "Interested" and a duration over 10 minutes automatically queues a demo email.
- A high-priority proposal follow-up task that's been closed triggers a thank-you email. If it wasn't closed in time, the Cadence routes to a different step.
Note that criteria apply from the second follow-up onward. The first step in a sequence still runs on its scheduled timing, without criteria.
New email response signals
The second update adds four new signals for building follow-ups around leads who go quiet, not just those who engage:
- Not Opened
- Not Replied
- Not Clicked
- Opened and Not Replied
Previously you could only act on positive signals (opened, clicked, replied). Now you can build sequences that respond to silence at different stages, which is where a lot of follow-up opportunities tend to fall through.
Important: When you select a response signal, its opposite is automatically disabled for that step. So if you pick "Opened," then "Not Opened" becomes unavailable, and vice versa. Negative signals also can't be used with immediate actions.
Availability: This is a phased rollout, currently available in the Japan, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and UAE data centres. If you're on the Australian data centre, keep an eye out for this one.
2. Zoho CRM: Zia Agents in Kiosk Studio
Here's a significant one for anyone using Kiosk Studio. You can now invoke a deployed Zia Agent directly as a native component inside a Kiosk flow.
Kiosk Studio and AI agents have historically sat in tension with each other. Kiosks are deterministic: they enforce a strict, screen-by-screen path, with mandatory inputs and a guaranteed sequence. AI agents are the opposite; they're probabilistic, powerful because they can reason about what to do next, but unpredictable in a way that makes them risky to embed in critical business workflows.
This update resolves that by combining both processing models. The Kiosk controls the flow and enforces business logic. The Zia Agent handles the complex actions the Kiosk can't do on its own, then returns its output back into the flow. Intelligence inside a governed structure.
How it works
A new Zia Agent component has been added to Kiosk Studio. Once added, it connects directly to deployed agents in your Zia Agent Studio. You pass it inputs from the active Kiosk session, it acts, and its outputs can be used as fields in subsequent screens and decision components within the same flow.
Zoho's example is a discount calculator in a Deal record: the Kiosk collects deal context, a Zia Agent analyses history and competitor data to recommend a discount with a full breakdown, the Kiosk routes it through the right approval path automatically, and a second agent generates and sends the quote. One governed flow, from deal to quote, without opening another product.
A few things to note:
- Only deployed agents are available in Kiosk. Agents still in draft mode won't appear.
- Agents are built and managed entirely in Zia Agent Studio. Kiosks can call them, not build them.
- Both inputs and outputs from the agent are reusable within the same Kiosk flow.
Availability: Professional plan and above, provided Zia Agents is also enabled on the same plan or higher.
3. Zoho Sign: Mail Merge Templates
Zoho Sign now supports mail merge templates, which is particularly useful if you're sending personalised documents at volume.
What's different from standard templates
Standard Zoho Sign templates let signer details change per document, but the body stays the same. Mail merge templates go further — you can merge in fields or conditionally show and hide entire sections based on the merge data provided. So a single template can display different clauses or paragraphs depending on the values filled in at send time. The inserted content automatically inherits the formatting and alignment of the document, so every final copy looks individually drafted.
Crucially, signer fields stay correctly positioned regardless of how much or how little content fills each merge field. No manual repositioning required.
How to use it
- In Zoho Writer, create a merge template with your merge fields and signer fields.
- In Zoho Sign, click Send for signature and under the Add documents dropdown, select Mail merge template.
- Choose the template, fill in the merge values, add recipients, and send.
The entire workflow runs inside Zoho Sign, no tab-switching between apps required.
4. Zoho Analytics: June 2026 Updates
Zoho Analytics has dropped its June 2026 roundup. This month's theme is getting your data more accessible, from more sources, through more channels, with less manual effort. Here are the highlights.
Zoho Analytics connector for Claude
Zoho Analytics is now available as a connector in Claude, so you can query your Analytics workspaces and pull insights directly through Claude without switching tools. Worth exploring if you're already using Claude for other work. You can find more at the Zoho Analytics Claude Connector page: https://www.zoho.com/analytics/api/v2/zoho-analytics-mcp-server/local-mcp/claude-connector.html
Workspace Backup & Restore
You can now back up an entire Analytics workspace; data, reports, formulas, user access, and every setting, and restore it from the UI with a single click. Backups can be scheduled, you can choose whether to include data or just structure, and there's a 15-day window to undo any restore if something goes wrong. This is the kind of safety net that should have been there from the start, and it's good to see it land.
PDF Import
You can now import data directly from PDF files into Zoho Analytics. Tabular data from PDF reports, statements, and exports becomes a standard data source for analysis. For anyone who regularly receives data locked inside PDFs (e.g. financial reports, supplier statements, exported tables) this removes a painful manual step.
Query suggestion on Zoho LLM
Ask Zia's query suggestion feature, which provides contextual suggestions as you build SQL queries, can now run on Zoho's own language models instead of requiring an OpenAI account. Processing stays inside Zoho's environment. Available in the US, India, and EU data centres on Premium and Enterprise plans.
New integrations
Two new connectors have been added: ActiveCampaign for marketing and automation data, and GoCardless for payments reporting. The Zoho Inventory connector has also been expanded with new modules covering picklists, move orders, and putaways.
Make sure you check the full announcement for everything in this release.
Stay Updated
That's it for Episode 16 of The Zoho Report! We hope these updates help you work smarter with your Zoho applications.
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