Working with Meetings

Working with Meetings

  1. Activities module is split up into Tasks, Calls, and Meetings modules. This change will reflect for new sign-ups from September 6, 2021.
  2. Existing users will have both the Activities module and the individual Tasks, Calls, and Meetings modules to ease the transition. 
  3. Activities module will be discontinued for existing users after giving them enough time for the transition. Post which, only Tasks, Calls, and Meetings modules will be available.
Availability
Permission
Access to Meetings that include View, Create, Edit, and Delete permissions.

Create Meetings

Meeting is an activity that happens at a given place and time. They are listed in the Zoho CRM's Home page of the user, Calendar and in other related records. 

To create a meeting

  1. In the Meetings module, click Create Meetings.
  2. In the Meeting Information popup, specify the event details. 
  3. Click Save.

To create meetings from Calendar

  1. Click the Calendar icon in your CRM account and select the Day, Week or Month view.
  2. In the Calendar, click the Create link or click on a time slot in the calendar.
  3. In the Meeting Information popup, specify the meeting details.
  4. Click Save.

Note
  1. Meetings are automatically closed at the specified end date and time. There is no status update for meetings.

Create recurring meetings

A meeting that needs to happen repeatedly at a specific date or time can be created as recurring meeting. You can also create recurring tasks in bulk from the list view.

To create recurring activities

  1. In the  Meetings module, click  Create Meeting.
  2. In the Meeting Information page, specify the activity-related details.
  3. In the Repeat field enter the following:
    • Specify the From and To dates for the event to be repeated.
    • Specify the Repeat Type for the event and select the options accordingly (Refer to the table below).
    • Click Save.
Daily
Description
Everyday
Select this if the activity should be repeated everyday.
Recur every ___ day(s)
Select this to specify how often in days the activity should be repeated.
Weekly
Description
Recur every ____week(s)
Enter how often in weeks the activity should be repeated.
Days of the week
Select the check box(es) that correspond to the day(s) of the week on which the recurrence should occur.
Monthly
Description
On day __ of every ___ month(s)
Enter how often in months and on the specified date the activity should be repeated.
On____ ____ of every ___ month
Select a particular day when the activity should be repeated every month.
Yearly
Description
On every___ ____
Enter how often in a year the activity should be repeated.
On ____ ____ of ____
Enter how often in a year and on the specified date the activity should be repeated.

Set reminders for meetings

You can send reminders for a meeting to alert the attendees before the meeting starts, there are two ways in which a reminder is sent:

  • Alert through Email 
  • Alert through Pop-up
While creating a meeting from the Activities module, you cannot disable either of the reminder options. Both the options are selected by default. However, you can disable the Email reminder in the calendar preferences. The pop-up reminder cannot be disabled in calendar.
To set reminders for meetings
  1. In the Meetings tab, click on the meeting for which you want to set reminders.
  2. In the Meeting Details page, click Edit.
  3. Select the Reminder from the drop-down list.
  4. Click Save.

Add participants and invite them for a meeting

Email invitations with the list of the participants are sent from CRM to all the invitees. 
You can invite a maximum of 50 participants.
To invite multiple users, leads, or contacts to the event
  1. In the Meetings tab, click on the meeting for which you want to add invitees.
  2. In the  Participants section, click  Add.
    You can also click  Edit and add participants for the meeting in the popup box.
  3. In  Add Participants pop-up window, select the group from which you want to add participants.
    You can also directly search for  Users,  Leads,  Contacts, etc.
  4. In the list of Users, Leads, or Contacts, select the corresponding check box(es).
  5. In the Invite by E-mail Address text box, specify email addresses of the participants you want to invite and whose details are not available in Zoho CRM.
  6. Click Add.

You will receive email notifications on the RSVP status each time an invitee accepts, declines or holds your invitation. You can also re-invite them individually by clicking the Re-invite button under Actions from the Participant Status window.

Standard fields in Meetings module

Events is renamed as Meetings
Following are the list of Zoho defined standard fields available in the Meetings module:
Field Name
Description
New Meeting
Specify a name for the meeting.
Location
Enter the venue for the meeting.
All Day
Select the checkbox if it is an all day meeting.
From
Specify the date and time when the meeting will be started.
To
Specify the date and time when the meeting will be over.
Participants

Add invitees who will participate in the meeting.

Related To
Select the contact or lead related to the meeting.
Repeat
Specify the recurring pattern for the meeting.
Description
Specify the details about the meeting.
Reminder
Set a reminder for the meeting.

Color coding picklist values in Meetings

In the Meetings module, you can ascribe colors to the picklist values for ease of identification. These values will be displayed in color in the following places: CRM calendar, related lists of a record, activities module, reminder, home page, list view, kanban view etc.. Only 1 picklist field in a layout and a maximum of 20 values of a field can be color coded.
Administrators or users with  Module customization permission can determine the colors for the picklist values . Users who wish to change the ascribed color, can customize the field colors by accessing  Calendar > Options > Preferences > Color Coding. These colors however will be specific to their account only.

To color code the picklist values
  1. Go to Set up > Customization > Modules and Fields
  2. In the modules list view, Click Meetings
  3. Select the Standard layout to add the picklist
  4. Select or add a picklist from new fields tray to the layout.
  5. Click on the ellipses option (...) on the picklist and select Edit Properties.
  6. Select Enable color coding for picklist values.
  7. Assign colors by clicking on the color palette available for each picklist values.
  8. Click the add icon + to find more hues of the colors
  9. Click Done, and Done. 


Associate check-in to a meeting

If your business requires you to travel and constantly be on the move, then check-in is for you. In Zoho CRM, sales managers and sales reps can manage their work-related visits easily with the help of check-ins from the Zoho CRM mobile app.

A check-in from the Zoho CRM mobile app is always associated to an meeting. When you check-in from a location, the app prompts you to associate the check-in with an existing meeting. You can click the desired meeting and record the check-in for that meeting. In case there are no meeting for the record, you will be prompted to create a new meeting.

Consider the following scenario to understand how you can organize and monitor check-ins in Zoho CRM.

  • A sales manager creates meetings, (client visits) to be made by his/her sales rep.
  • The sales rep visits the client offices and checks-in from each location.
  • Each check-in is associated to the respective meeting in Zoho CRM. This tells the sales manager that the sales rep has visited the client.
  • Also, the check-in is recorded as a note associated to the lead/contact in Zoho CRM.
  • The sales manager can then create reports based on the check-ins to draw inferences. For example, he/she can create a report to see all check-ins made by location or by a particular sales rep.

Note that a check-in can only be made from the mobile app and not from the web version, as it is a feature meant for people on the move. When a check-in is made, the location from which it was made is recorded in CRM; therefore this is a fool-proof method to keep a track of client visits.

Availability
Permission Required
Users with Create Meeting permission can check-in to a meeting.


When you have reached a client's office, you can check-in to the location using the Zoho CRM mobile app. When you check-in, you will associate it to an existing meeting.

To associate a check-in to an meeting

  1. Go to Leads/Contacts/Accounts modules.
  2. Tap the Check-in icon to create a check-in. 
  3. If there is already an meeting associated to the contact, the existing meeting(s) show up. 
    Select an meeting. The check-in is associated as a note for the meeting. 
  4. If there is no meeting the app prompts you to create a new meeting for the check-in. 
    Create a new meeting and associate the check-in to the meeting. 

Note
  1. When a check-in is made, an update regarding the check-in is posted to Feeds automatically.

View details of a check-in

Once a check-in has been associated to an meeting, the details of the check-in can be seen in the details page of the meeting it is associated with as well as the related lead/contact/account details page.

To view check-in details in the meeting's details page

  1. Go to the Meetings module.
  2. Click the desired meeting.
  3. The associated check-in details are displayed.

To view check-in details in the Lead/Contact/Account details page

  1. Go to the Leads/Contacts/Accounts module.
    Check-ins can also be associated to any other module in which meetings can be associated.
  2. Click the desired record.
  3. The details of the check-in associated to the record are displayed as a note for the record.

Create check-in reports

Sales managers can create check-in reports to make inferences regarding the field visits assigned to their sales reps. Zoho CRM provides a suite of default reports for check-ins.

To access check-in reports

  1. Go to the Reports module.
  2. Click Meeting Reports.
    The default reports are listed. You can also create new reports based on check-ins.

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