Announcing an important update to the Zoho CRM - Zoho Campaigns integration

Zoho Campaigns Team just released a simplified version of the CRM – Campaigns sync. The goal has always been to keep Campaigns as simple and effective as possible.

Before we discuss the changes in detail, please note that you’ll only be required to move to the new version by September 30, 2022. Until then, Zoho Campaigns Team will continue to support all your syncs in the existing version.

How it works now

Currently, there are two types of syncs to import your data from CRM -

Immediate: Configurable only for the leads, contacts, and custom modules
Periodic: Configurable for the leads, contacts, accounts, deals, and custom modules (on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis)

Here are some challenges with the current system:

The accounts and deals modules can only be synced daily, weekly, or monthly as part of the periodic sync option
Any field updates in CRM are not reflected in Campaigns until the periodic sync has occurred
There's a preset monthly limit to the total number of syncs you can create and manage for both your organization and individual modules.

What changes with the update?

In the new version, you just have to configure one sync for your leads, contacts, and custom modules—they're all instantaneous. More importantly, there's no longer any need to run separate syncs for your related accounts and deals modules because they are also synced instantly with this one configuration.

This one-time configuration also means that every record associated with the modules will be instantly synced by default. You're free to mark them as 'marketing' and 'non-marketing' inside Zoho Campaigns so you are only paying for your marketing contacts.

This update also paves the way for simple opt-out management in two ways:

Choose not to import those who opted out from sales emails in Zoho CRM
Define how Campaigns should update the CRM records when someone unsubscribes from marketing emails

Note: With this, we're also removing the option for custom view and criteria-based syncs. This is because when a record exits from a custom or criteria-based view in CRM, it's not updated in Campaigns.

We hope this update helps you seamlessly run your email marketing. As mentioned earlier, you can move to this new version at any time before September 30, 2022. Go to the Contacts module, click Sync Services, hit the migrate button, and you’re set.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the prerequisites in the CRM sync setup?

The prerequisites for a new CRM sync are as follows:

You should have Standard Admin role in Zoho Campaigns
You should have Administrator account in Zoho CRM
You can integrate only one Zoho Campaigns account from your organization with one Zoho CRM Organization
You cannot integrate multiple accounts

Can I create sync with multiple accounts of the same Zoho Campaigns organization?

It is now possible to create syncs with multiple accounts. However, after September 30, 2022, we only permit one admin account of Zoho Campaigns organization to be integrated with Zoho CRM. This means you won’t be able to create syncs with multiple accounts of the same Zoho Campaigns organization, or after migrating to the new Zoho CRM integration set up.

What will happen to all the existing syncs?

We will continue to support all the syncs with Zoho CRM until September 30, 2022. After this, these syncs will be removed. We suggest that the users create a new sync that matches their requirements before the said date.

Will all my contacts from Zoho CRM be synced with Zoho Campaigns in this new integration setup?

Yes, when you create a sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns for a particular CRM module, all contacts under that module will be synced to Zoho Campaigns. Henceforth, view will not be available, so we sync all contacts under a selected module.

What is the alternate for syncing specific contacts based on views to send targeted emails to them?

There is no alternate for syncing certain contacts based on views as we will sync all contacts in a module without relying on view in the new integration setup. However, there are two other alternative ways in which this can be achieved:

Create a segment with criteria similar to that of the required view for the synced contacts
Create workflows and move the respective contacts to the preferred mailing list

What happens when the contact’s count in a sync exceeds the contact limit of my current subscription plan?

We will automatically upgrade the next subscription limit if the contacts’ count in a sync exceeds the contact limit. The adjustment in your subscription plan will be reflected in the upcoming billing cycle.

Note: CRMPlus and Zoho One users have to upgrade it manually.

Is it mandatory to add the contacts to a mailing list?

It is not mandatory to add each sync’s contacts to a list. Each sync created will directly push the CRM contacts to All Contacts in Zoho Campaigns. However, we provide you a choice to add the synced contacts to a list. Otherwise, you can create a segment that dynamically updates with the contacts added via sync.

Will all existing feature be supported in the New CRM sync setup?

Most of the existing features will be supported in the new CRM sync setup. But, the following features under CRM set up will be discontinued. This is because with the new CRM flow these features becomes either redundant or irrelevant in the new flow

Update email campaigns in custom field in Zoho CRM (Last 5 campaigns) – This data will be pushed by default to Zoho CRM. So, this option is redundant.
Push data to Zoho CRM – This data can be updated to Zoho CRM using workflows making this option redundant.
Field mapping – With this update, there will be one sync per module and all the fields will be mapped once synced. So, moving forward this option will be irrelevant.

What is subscription type?

Subscription type helps you identify if the user is interested in receiving marketing campaigns on behalf of your organization. The two subscription types are:

Marketing
Non-marketing

What does marketing and non-marketing subscription types mean?

Marketing – Contacts under this subscription preference have granted their permission to receive all marketing related communication and adding these contacts will be reflected in your subscription plan.

Non-marketing – Contacts under this subscription preference will not receive any marketing-related communication. Adding these contacts will not be reflected in your subscription plan.

Will the subscription status field of existing contacts be overwritten after every sync?

The subscription type field of existing contacts added to Zoho Campaigns will not be overwritten. We will only sync the subscription type of newly added contacts from Zoho CRM.

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