Zoho CRM connector

Your Silux Chat bot verifies customers against Zoho CRM, then answers questions about their support tickets and cases from your live data.

Start free Set-up guide Zoho CRM API docs

Good to know: Zoho requires the "Zoho-oauthtoken" prefix instead of "Bearer" (set via extra_headers).

What your bot can do with Zoho CRM

Recognise and verify customers

Finds the customer in Zoho CRM by the email address or mobile number they give, checks their name and one more detail, then sends a one-time code to the contact details Zoho CRM holds. Nothing personal is shared until the code is entered.

Customers ask: “I want to check my account — it’s Jane Smith, jane@example.com”

Record IDNameEmail addressPhone / mobilePostcode

Support tickets and cases

Reads the verified customer’s tickets, cases or tasks in Zoho CRM — subject, status and when each was last updated.

Customers ask: “Is there any update on my case?” · “Has my request been closed?”

Record IDSubjectStatusLast updated

Set it up

Most businesses finish in under ten minutes. You need to be able to sign in to Zoho CRM as an administrator.

Step 1 — in Zoho CRM

1Connect with Zoho (OAuth) — read access to Contacts and Cases. Pick the data centre your Zoho address ends with (zoho.eu
2eu, zoho.com
3com).

Permissions (scopes) requested — read-only:

ZohoCRM.modules.contacts.READZohoCRM.modules.cases.READ

Least access: grant only the read permissions named above. Never use an owner or full-admin key where Zoho CRM lets you create a restricted one.

Step 2 — in Silux Chat

1Open Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and search for “Zoho CRM”.
2
Fill in:
Field Example Stored
Zoho data centre domain eu Setting
3Press Sign in with Zoho CRM. The platform makes a real, read-only call to Zoho CRM with a made-up customer and shows a tick or a cross for each capability, with Zoho CRM’s exact error if something is refused.
4If this is your first way of verifying customers it is switched on automatically; otherwise press Use to verify customers. The platform then runs its chained test (verify → code → account → orders → invoices) with the built-in test customer — no real person is contacted.

Field	Example	Stored
Zoho data centre domain	eu	Setting

There is no key to copy. You press “Sign in with Zoho CRM”, approve read-only access on Zoho CRM’s own page, and are returned to your dashboard. The access token is stored encrypted and refreshed automatically before it expires.

How customer verification works

STEP 1
Customer asks
They ask about their own account. The bot asks for their full name and their email or mobile, plus one more detail such as their postcode.
STEP 2
Found in Zoho CRM
The customer is looked up in Zoho CRM by email, then mobile. The surname must match exactly and the first name must match or start with the same letter, plus one more detail.
STEP 3
Code sent
A 6-digit code goes to the mobile Zoho CRM holds (by text, when your plan has SMS) or otherwise to the email it holds. The chat never chooses where it goes.
STEP 4
Verified
The customer types the code. It is valid for 10 minutes and five wrong attempts cancel it. The verified session lasts 30 minutes.

If the details don’t match, the customer is told only that they couldn’t be matched — never which detail was wrong. If Zoho CRM can’t be reached, the bot says it can’t check accounts right now rather than “no account found”. The bot is blocked in code from reading orders, invoices or bookings until verification succeeds. Full details: Customer identity verification & OTP.

What the bot can and cannot see

Can see (after verification)

Record ID
Name
Email address
Phone / mobile
Postcode
Subject
Status
Last updated

Only these standard fields are mapped from Zoho CRM’s responses. Everything else in the response is discarded before the bot sees it.

Never sees

passwords, security answers or login details
records belonging to anyone other than the verified customer
anything outside the fields listed alongside

Security

Sign-in tokens encrypted at rest
Credentials are stored encrypted, shown only masked after saving, and destroyed — not just hidden — when you disconnect.
Read-only look-ups
Every capability is a look-up. The connector cannot create, change or delete anything in Zoho CRM.
HTTPS only
Calls go to the vendor’s HTTPS address, redirects are not followed, and private network addresses are refused.
Injection-safe
Values a customer types are cleaned before they are placed in Zoho CRM’s search, and URL-encoded in addresses.
Other customers filtered out
A row that names a different customer’s email is dropped, whatever the vendor’s search returned.
Checked daily
Connections are re-tested every day, and the owner is emailed if a working connection starts failing.

More: Security & data protection.

Technical details

For developers and IT teams: the Zoho CRM endpoints this connector reads, relative to https://www.zohoapis.{dc}/crm/v6. Values in braces come from the settings you enter.

Capability	Request	Standard fields returned
Recognise and verify customers	GET`/Contacts/search`	id, name, email, phone, postcode
Support tickets and cases	GET`/Contacts/{customer_id}/Cases`	id, subject, status, updated

Test level: Documented-API tested. Each capability is run automatically against Zoho CRM’s documented example responses and must produce the standard fields; your own connection is then tested with a real call when you connect. The bot receives these through the standard Account Connect endpoints, exactly as if you had built them yourself.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Likely cause and fix
“the vendor refused the credentials (401)” or (403)	The sign-in was revoked or has expired, or it lacks a read permission this connector needs. Sign in with Zoho CRM again.
“That Zoho data centre domain doesn’t look right”	Enter it in the form shown, e.g. eu — without https:// or a trailing slash.
“Silux Chat’s Zoho CRM app is not registered yet”	Our sign-in app with Zoho CRM isn’t available yet; our team is notified automatically. Email support@siluxcall.co.uk for timing or alternatives.
Customers are “not matched” although they exist	Customers are looked up by email or mobile, not postcode. Check the customer’s email or mobile is saved on their Zoho CRM record, and that the surname matches.
A capability shows a cross but others work	That permission wasn’t granted in Zoho CRM, or your Zoho CRM plan doesn’t include that part of the API. Grant it and press Test.
“the vendor kept rate-limiting the request”	Zoho CRM returned “too many requests” three times in a row. The platform already waits and retries automatically (up to 10 seconds, as Zoho CRM asks); if it persists, ask Zoho CRM about your API quota.
Results are empty for a verified customer	The records exist under a different email or customer record in Zoho CRM, or none are recent. Check the customer’s record in Zoho CRM directly.

Full error reference: Troubleshooting & error reference.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Zoho CRM connection read-only?

Yes. Every request Silux Chat makes to Zoho CRM is a look-up; none creates, changes or deletes anything in Zoho CRM. Give the key or sign-in read-only permissions wherever Zoho CRM offers them.

Do I need a developer to connect Zoho CRM?

No. You sign in with Zoho CRM in Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and press “Sign in with Zoho CRM”. The platform makes a real call to Zoho CRM straight away and shows exactly which features work.

How does the bot know it is really my customer?

It finds the customer in Zoho CRM by the email or mobile they give, checks their name and one more detail, then sends a one-time code to the mobile or email held in Zoho CRM — never to one typed in the chat. The code lasts 10 minutes, five wrong attempts cancel it, and a verified session lasts 30 minutes.

What happens if my Zoho CRM key is revoked or expires?

The bot tells customers it can’t check their account right now — it never pretends there are “no orders”. Connections are re-tested daily and the account owner is emailed when a working connection starts failing. Reconnect it in Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors.

How has the Zoho CRM connector been tested?

It is Documented-API tested: every capability is run automatically against Zoho CRM’s documented example responses and must produce the standard fields. When you connect, it is tested again with a real call to your own Zoho CRM account before your bot uses it.