Zoho Assist is Zoho's remote support and remote access tool. When you connect it to Zoho CRM, your team can start a remote support or screen sharing session from the CRM itself, using the record of the person they are helping, instead of switching between two systems. This article explains what the integration does and how to plan for it. It replaces an earlier note from March 2019 that only linked to Zoho's help.

What you can do from CRM

The integration is installed in Zoho CRM as an extension from the marketplace. Once it is in place, according to Zoho:

• Start a session straight away. Launch an on-demand remote support or screen sharing session with a contact or a lead.
• Schedule one. Plan a session for later, and send the invitation from CRM.
• Create a session first and add people later. You can set up a session and assign leads and contacts to it afterwards.
• Change your mind. You can reschedule a session, update the reminders, and send an email with the new details to the people involved. Deleting a scheduled session updates the attendees automatically.

The benefit is that your support team gets remote control and screen sharing from the record they are already looking at, with the customer's details to hand.

Automating it with Zoho Flow

Zoho Flow can connect the two products without code. It can react to events in Zoho Assist, such as a remote support session starting or ending, a customer joining, or an unattended access session starting. It can then do things in Zoho CRM, such as add a note to a record, create or update a contact, draft an email, or create a record in another module. Zoho Flow can also create sessions in Zoho Assist from a CRM event. A typical use is to log every completed session as a note on the customer's record automatically, so nobody has to remember to do it.

Setting it up well: our advice

This section is our own advice, not Zoho's.

1. Decide who can start sessions. Remote access is powerful. Limit it to the people who need it, and check the permissions in both Zoho Assist and Zoho CRM.
2. Keep a record. Use Zoho Flow, or a manual step, to log who joined which session and when. It protects both your staff and your customers if there is ever a query.
3. Get consent and be clear about recording. If sessions are recorded, tell the customer first. In the UK and Ireland, recording and viewing a customer's screen involves personal data, so check your privacy notice and your obligations. This is general guidance and not legal advice.
4. Protect unattended access. Where you have set up unattended access to a customer's computer, use strong authentication and review who holds it regularly.
5. Test with a colleague first, from a CRM record through to the finished session and the note that follows.