Unveiling Innovation: Highlights from the Zoholics Event in Johannesburg

The recent Zoholics event in Johannesburg marked a significant milestone for Zoho, showcasing the largest gathering of business leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs in South Africa to date. Over two days, attendees delved into a wealth of new features across Zoho’s business applications, aimed at driving success and enhancing operational efficiency. Kelly Payton, Zoho Africa’s Partner Account Manager, emphasized the event’s importance, stating that it provided invaluable insights and resources for leveraging Zoho’s capabilities.

Key Announcements

1. Zoho CRM for Everyone

One of the standout introductions was the Zoho CRM for Everyone, designed to foster collaboration among various departments such as Sales, Marketing, Legal, and Customer Service. This new iteration enhances coordination and improves the overall customer experience. Key features include:

• An intuitive sidebar for quick access to essential modules.
• TeamSpaces that create dedicated areas for each team.
• Team Modules that integrate all associated teams into the CRM, streamlining the business pipeline.
• Requester Profiles that automate cross-team coordination, allowing departments to assign tasks and track progress in real-time.
• Enhanced workflows that trigger WhatsApp notifications, among other exciting features.

Interested users can request access to Zoho CRM for Everyone or start a free trial here.

2. Zoho Forms and Paystack Integration

Zoho has also integrated Zoho Forms with Paystack, enabling businesses to collect payments directly through lead generation forms. Given that Paystack processes over 50% of online transactions in South Africa, this integration represents a significant advancement for local businesses.

3. The Courier Guy Integration to Zoho Commerce

The integration with The Courier Guy is nearing completion, with early access expected on August 25, 2024. This feature will allow businesses to automatically sync product stock, enhancing inventory management and operational efficiency.

4. Zoho Books South Africa Edition

The new Zoho Books for South Africa edition introduces essential features for VAT reconciliation and other improvements tailored for local businesses. This version is compatible with all Zoho Finance apps, including Zoho Inventory and Zoho Billing. Infolytics has already conducted exclusive live preview sessions, and interested users can request early access by emailing support@infolytics.co.za.

5. Zoho IoT

For businesses needing to track moving assets—be it animals, vehicles, or equipment—Zoho IoT offers a robust solution. It enables users to detect anomalies, predict asset downtimes, receive real-time alerts, and schedule maintenance, all while leveraging actionable insights.

6. Zoho Practice

Zoho Practice is specifically designed for accounting firms, streamlining workflows to enhance efficiency, collaboration, and sustainable growth. This comprehensive solution simplifies daily operations, providing essential insights for delivering exceptional services and managing teams effectively.

7. Zoho Projects 8.0

The latest version of Zoho Projects aims to bridge the gap between functionality and user experience. Key features include:

• Instant access to industry-based project management templates.
• Enhanced Task Gantt charts with a Timeline view.
• Integration with Zoho People to facilitate half-day leave requests.

8. AI in Zoho Apps

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the technological landscape, and Zoho is at the forefront of this transformation. Utilizing Zia, Zoho’s personal AI assistant, the company has developed unique solutions that add significant value to its clients.

Zoho CRM Enhancements

Zia’s Field Prediction Builder allows CRM administrators to forecast various metrics, including growth and deal probabilities. Users can now see predicted values and probability scores clearly, enabling informed decision-making.

Zia also introduces features like Anomaly Detection, which alerts users to unusual activities, and Customer Engagement suggestions, optimizing communication methods and timing for better interactions.

Zoho Creator and Projects

In Zoho Creator, users can now build custom applications and forms in seconds, thanks to AI-driven prompts. Meanwhile, Zia enhances productivity in Zoho Projects by assisting users in searching for specific project information and analyzing data.

Zoho Desk and Social

Zia’s capabilities extend to Zoho Desk, where it can auto-update ticket fields based on historical patterns, ensuring data accuracy. In Zoho Social, users can leverage Zia to draft responses for leads on various social media platforms.

Zoho Analytics

In Zoho Analytics, Zia provides tailored chart recommendations during the creation process, making data visualization more intuitive. Additionally, users can access key business insights directly from Microsoft Teams through the Ask Zia Bot.

Conclusion

The Zoholics event in Johannesburg not only highlighted Zoho’s commitment to innovation but also showcased a suite of powerful tools designed to enhance business operations. As organizations look to navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape, Zoho’s offerings stand out as a beacon of efficiency and collaboration.

Are you ready to embark on your own Zoho-powered digital transformation journey? Contact us today to discover how Zoho’s suite of applications can revolutionize your business operations and propel you toward success.