Zoho CRM

Setup –
Blueprint
http://alderbestsolutions.com/

your.needs@alderbestsolutions.com

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR

ENVIRONMENT FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS
Overview

Alderbest Solutions is a Zoho Advanced Partner that works with small and expanding businesses
to help them improve productivity and revenue by implementing and maintaining CRM and
related solutions.

This Blueprint is a break down of the steps taken with each and every client to help them
customize and implement their Zoho CRM instance.

Copywrite 2017 @Alderbest Solutions. All rights reserved.

The Outline
1. Planning
Planning - Continued
➢ Starting a CRM implementation begins with first, knowing the solution you’re
adopting (Zoho CRM is a relational database) and second, what it is you want to
achieve
➢ It’s important to list the tools and solutions that are in your business and outline which
you may want to integrate at this time, or in future projects (Yes, 3rd party systems
and integrations can have an impact on how Zoho CRM is adopted)
➢ Documenting your processes (Sales, Marketing, Fulfillment, Customer Service etc.) at
this time will be a timesaver
➢ Review your data and ascertaining how to migrate to Zoho CRM will better enable
you to understand how to customize Zoho CRM

! Tip – Keep it simple and don’t ‘shoot for the stars and moon’. CRM solutions, and how
they’re leveraged, evolve over time
2. Initial
Setup
Initial Setup - Continued
➢ Our focus in implementations is the core set of Modules (Lead, Accounts, Contacts
and Potentials/Deals). We start the process, however, by outlining what Modules will
not be leveraged at this time across the entire solution (Zoho CRM comes with a lot
of Modules!)
➢ Take out what isn’t going to be leveraged. Removing Modules, Fields, Reports and
other items that could cause confusion is a great step toward adoption and the
results you seek
➢ Take a minute to check the Organization and Personal Settings

! Tip – If you are embarking on this journey during a trial; do know that some features may
not be accessible until you register for the edition you plan to use.
3.Customization
Customization- Continued

➢ Building Fields with Zoho CRM’s drag and drop functionality can be simple. Building
the right Fields, in the correct Module(s) and ensuring user enablement is key
➢ We recommend starting with the Leads Module and building Fields that represent
key qualifying criteria and enable segmentation of records so that users can ‘slice
and dice’ the information to prioritize outreach
➢ Customization composes of two parts
➢ Data Profiling (what information do you want/need to capture and track
➢ Process Alignment

! Tip – Check out the “Tips, Tricks and Hacks” guide for additional information
4. Page
Layouts
Page Layouts- Continued

➢ It’s suggested to check your customizations through the ‘front-end’ by creating a

test record. This will enable page layout review and the removal/addition of Related
Lists
➢ We don’t recommend dwelling on this component at this time as there’s a possibility
things may change once you have finished the rest of the implementation and
training

! Tip – Related List modifications (removal of lists and/or modifications to the columns) are
global
5. Sales
Process
Alignment
Sales Process Alignment -
Continued
➢ Having a defined process that’s repeatable and scalable is one of the key’s to CRM
success. If you’ve never documented your processes, this is a great time (Note – as
of 2017 Zoho offered a new CRM feature, “BluePrint”, that greatly helps with this
➢ One of the more overlooked aspects of this is the point of conversion. Ensure
everybody knows what needs to happen before a Lead is converted
➢ If you have KPI (Key Performance Indicator) tracking and Workflow Automation
needed, this is a good time to start reviewing what that looks like in Zoho

! Tip – It is common for Lead Status values to remain as they come off the shelf. It is also
important to know for reporting that Zoho assigns a default value to converted Leads of
“Prequalified”
6. Activity
Management
Activity Management- Continued

➢ One benefit of Zoho CRM is the increased visibility it offers to users into interactions
with prospects, clients and other groups. Standardizing what is desired from Notes
and Tasks is a key component to this
➢ In addition to standardizing how Notes and Activities are adopted, ensure Activity
Views and Home Page components are modified to support user requirements
➢ It’s important to know that most Default Task Views will show Activities owned by all
Users. Custom Views are recommened.

! Tip – Zoho supports collaboration through Notes. Use the @ symbol to ‘mention’ a user in a
Note and they will receive an email notification
User
Setup
and
Security
Security Management - Continued

➢ Zoho works on data sharing based on ownership of records. By default, if a User can
see a record owned by another Use, they will see all of their records
➢ The Administrator can see all records
➢ The CEO Role is CRM ‘speak’ for a user(s) at the top of the hierarchy that can see all
records owned by subordinates
➢ Data Sharing, Territory Management and other features differ between editions

! Tip – Zoho doesn’t support an Administrator being able to login as another user to check
data sharing. You will want to use another users login credentials to double check the
settings you have applied
3. Automation
Automation- Continued

➢ Automation comes in the form of Macros and Workflow Automation. Do know that
each edition has different Features and limits
➢ We recommend automating actions that have been proven to be standard. Too
many automation rules can cause confusion and conflicts
➢ Productivity enhancement is one core benefit of automation, as if enabling KPI (Key
Performance Indicator) tracking/measurement
➢ Record Assignment is only triggered using Zoho CRM website integration web forms.
If you are using a 3rd party solution, or have other Assignment requirements Workflow
Rules can be used or the Alderbest Solutions Round Robin solution in Zoho Creator
can be adopted

! Tip – One workflow rule has a limit of 5 standard/immediate actions. In the Enterprise Edition
Scheduled Actions can be used to increase this to 9 or 10
Data Import & Migration
Data- Continued

➢ Zoho Supports two primary mechanisms for migrating Data. If you are migrating from
another CRM solution or want to import history such as Notes, Tasks and other
related items you will want to use the Data Migration feature. Otherwise, the Import
Feature is Module specific
➢ Migrating and Importing supports “Import/Migrate My Organizations Records”. This is
for assigning records to other Users
➢ Duplicates can be identified during Imports and Migration. Duplicate Records can
be skipped during the process. If you select this you will have an option to export a
file of skipped records so that you can determine what to do next

! Tip – Data Migration has a strict process to follow with Users being Migrated first. You will
need Record ID’s for all records in your data
Training &
Onboarding
Training - Continued

➢ We recommend training users initially in two sessions. One to walkthrough the

onboarding process (e.g. How to accept and invitation and configure personal
settings) and general overview of Zoho. A separate session focusing on ‘what to do’
and ‘how to do it’ would be more than recommended
➢ Users will need training on user based actions (see the overview Slide) such as
modifying their Home page and leveraging Views

! Tip – A successful implementation is only achieved if the solution is used. Adoption is pivotal
to success and continual training is recommended
Summary
➢ Zoho CRM has been built to empower ‘non-technical’ users to customize and
implement a solution that meets their needs. There are, however, many things to
know that can help you to both to

1. Expedite the process

2. Optimize the outcome

Use the resources available to you and questions can be directed to

your.needs@alderbestsolutions.com