Your Guide to Forms in Zoho One

Forms within the Zoho suite of tools are a powerful way to gather valuable information and increase productivity and efficiency. There are many instances when a form comes in handy, but each form tool is different. The different apps have different features, different use cases, and work differently with automation. One of the really great problems about Zoho is that there are many different ways to accomplish the same thing. Zoho gives you so many options!  

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How should you decide which form tool to use?

When choosing which form tool to use, consider the correlation between customization and technical expertise. Forms that are simpler and offer less customization require less technical expertise, while forms that have high levels of customization require higher levels of technical understanding.

This concept is illustrated in the graph above with the form tools ranked based on the criteria.

Zoho CRM Webforms 

Zoho CRM Webforms are Zoho's built-in webform integration with the CRM. They allow you to easily capture information from visitors on your website. 

Features: 

• Simple to setup and use
• Integrates with CRM modules
• Form analytics which includes:
  • Number of visits to the webform
  • Number of submissions
  • Percentage of fields usually filled in
  • Whether Leads have Deals associated with them
• Comparison of which versions of a form perform better

Uses: 

• Website visitors fill out form on website to attend workshops
• Lead generation form on website

Automation: 

• Data is automatically imported into the CRM
• Automated replies
• Assignment rules

Zoho Desk Forms 

Zoho Desk Forms are Zoho's simple process of capturing support tickets from your website into Desk. 

Features: 

• Slightly more customization than CRM Webforms
• Choose between two different types:
• Feedback Widget
  • Display as pop-up, web embed, or iFrame
  • Customers can seek help without leaving website or help center
• Advanced Webforms
  • Create custom ticket fields to capture more details
  • Communicate with web visitors
  • Respond to customer questions
  • Receive online feedback

Uses: 

• Use the form as a prospecting tool for different departments by making it a landing page
• Website visitors can submit support tickets

Automation: 

• Automated replies
• Assignment rules
• Email notifications
• Notification via Cliq (Zoho's messaging platform)

Zoho Campaigns Sign-Up Forms 

Zoho Campaigns Sign-Up Forms are email signup forms that can be customized to suit your brand. 

Features: 

• Similar customization to Desk forms
• Pre-designed and responsive email signup form templates
• Edit visual characteristics and form layout
• Offers two different types:
• Embedded Forms
  • Compact
  • Banner
  • Long
• Pop-Up
  • Standard
  • Blanket
• Form tracking
• Share via button, QR code, or direct URL

Uses: 

• Pop-up forms encouraging visitors to your site to become an email contact
• Embed directly on Facebook page
• Share as a link on other social media channels
• Share using a button on a current email campaign to sign up for a specific newsletter

Automation: 

• Push Contact information to CRM
• Trigger automatic follow up emails based on recipient behavior
• Trigger various actions based on the user completing the form

Zoho Forms 

Zoho Forms is Zoho's platform dedicated solely to forms. It is a reliable front-end data collection system. Forms can be used to gather information in a customized way to share that information to a variety of Zoho applications. 

Features: 

• Powerful form builder
• Variety of pre-built templates
• 30+ field types
• Logic and layout rules
• Prepopulate fields with CRM data*
• Multi-page forms
• Embed on webpage
• Shareable link
• Integrates with Zoho and third-party apps
• Measure performance
• No-coding solution

*Prepopulated data pulled from the CRM and viewed on the form can be edited on the form and the information will be updated on the record in the CRM

Uses: 

• Collect information from employees
• Send to gather more client information after filling out the Lead generation form on the website
• Send out the form to verify address information prior to sending out other mail such as a holiday card
• Multi-page forms are beneficial in situations like the doctors office where multiple pages are required to be filled out on a first visit
• Send at the close of a project to gather experience data

Automation: 

• Trigger conditional email or SMS notifications
• Automate workflows
• Auto-responder emails
• Auto redirect upon submission
• Prefilled form fields
• Relevant field display and conditional logic

Zoho Creator Forms 

Zoho Creator forms are a component of Creator that enable the collection and storage of data. They are used for data entry where other Zoho applications fall short as Creator can be customized to fit any need. 

Features: 

• Complex layout rules
• Perform calculations
• Shoot data to multiple modules
• Background automation runs during the fill out of the form
• Dynamically alter form during fill out
• On the spot validation
• Most customizable
• Disable after a certain number of entries
• Restrict availability based on location
• Show submission or custom message after submitting
• Embed or share publicly
• Integrate with various Zoho and third-party applications

Uses: 

• Create a customer portal to submit/access data and view/edit records
• Create tickets in Desk on a schedule
• Event registration
• New and existing Contacts

Automation: 

• Trigger workflows actions
• Send email containing data submission
• Redirect to a landing page such as your website
• Automated processes run in the background while form is being filled out

This chart illustrates the differences between the forms. The form types in the columns to the left are the easiest to setup and use, but the Zoho Forms and Creator Forms on the right have a lot more options available.

You might ask, "What if I'm already using webforms on my website?"  

If you are already using third-party webforms on your website but want to get the data into your system there are a couple of different options. 

Email Parser 

Gets data into the system when you are utilizing a third-party webform. 

How it works: 

1. Zoho is trained to read plain text emails and understand where the data is
2. An email is sent from your website
3. Email parser extracts the values
4. CRM creates a record

Use Case: 

A real estate company has a list of properties on their website. Prospective purchasers visit the website and are interested in a property. They input their information into the webform. That information is emailed from the website to the CRM. The email parser extracts the data and adds it as a record under any module.

Automation: 

• Assign a record owner automatically

API Connection 

An API connection can be used for those who own and manage the code for their own website. Developers at AspenTech can help create an integration to send and receive data between your website and the CRM. 

Hopefully, this information can assist you in your decision of which form tool is the best fit for you. Remember to take into account the correlation between customization and technical expertise as well as the different features, uses, and automations that are available. And even if you are using third-party forms, there are options to gathering your information and getting it into the CRM.

Need Help? Don't Have Time to Do It Yourself?

At AspenTech CRM, we meet your customer data challenges head-on. We address every issue you might have with your Zoho implementation – whether it involves selection, technology, training, or process – and create a manageable plan. We then work with you to implement that plan so you can use your systems to their fullest potential, giving you a 360° view of your customers – and your business. Contact us or call 866-880-4228 to start a conversation with one of our experts.