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Affordable Helpdesk Integration

Zoho Desk is a comprehensive helpdesk solution with powerful features at an affordable price point. Perfect for small to mid-sized support teams looking for enterprise-grade capabilities without enterprise pricing.

Overview

Zoho Desk Integration connects Cloud-PBX phone system with Zoho Desk, enabling automatic call logging, intelligent screen pop with customer context, and seamless phone-to-ticket workflows.

Key Benefits:

  • Screen Pop: Display customer information and tickets when calls arrive
  • Automatic Call Logging: Every call logged to customer timeline
  • Click-to-Call: Call customers directly from Zoho Desk tickets
  • Call Recording: Access recordings from ticket timeline
  • Zia AI Assistant: AI-powered insights and automation
  • Affordable Pricing: Enterprise features at SMB pricing

Requirements:

  • Zoho Desk account (Standard, Professional, or Enterprise)
  • Cloud-PBX Admin access
  • Zoho Desk Admin permissions

Features

Screen Pop with Zia AI

When a customer calls, Zoho Desk automatically opens displaying customer context with AI-powered insights:

Customer Context Display:

──────────────────────────────────────
📞 Incoming Call

Customer: Emily Rodriguez
Organization: Martinez & Associates
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-212-555-0198

🤖 ZIA AI INSIGHTS:
⚠️ High Priority Customer (Premium Plan)
📊 Sentiment: Neutral (recent tickets)
🎯 Likely calling about: "Email sync issue" (Ticket #7821)
💡 Suggested Articles: Email Configuration Guide

OPEN TICKETS:
  🔴 #7821 - Email Sync Failing (High)
     Status: Waiting on Customer
     Assigned to: You
     SLA: 2 hours remaining ⏰
     Last Update: 4 hours ago

  🟢 #7835 - Feature Request: Mobile App
     Status: In Progress  
     Assigned to: Product Team
     Updated: 2 days ago

RECENT HISTORY:
  ✅ #7789 - Password Reset (Closed, 1 week ago)
  ✅ #7745 - Billing Question (Closed, 2 weeks ago)
  
CSAT: 4.9/5.0 (based on 7 surveys)
Contract: Premium Support (renews in 45 days)

TAGS: law-firm, premium, power-user
──────────────────────────────────────

Zia Recommendation:
"Greet Emily and reference ticket #7821. Customer likely calling for update on email sync issue. Escalate to Tier 2 if not resolved within 30 minutes due to SLA."

Automatic Call Logging

Every call automatically logged in Zoho Desk with AI-assisted summaries:

New Issue Call → Creates New Ticket:

Ticket #7856
Type: Phone Call
Status: Open
Priority: High (auto-elevated for premium customer)
Requester: Emily Rodriguez ([email protected])
Assignee: Alex Thompson (agent who answered)

Subject: Phone Call - Email Synchronization Error

Description:
Inbound phone call received
Duration: 9 minutes, 15 seconds
Phone: +1-212-555-0198

🤖 Zia AI Call Summary:
Customer experiencing email synchronization failures with Outlook integration since yesterday. Emails not syncing bidirectionally. Customer reports error message "Connection timeout" appearing intermittently. High priority due to business impact - law firm needs email access for client communications.

Manual Agent Notes:
- Verified Outlook plugin version (current)
- Checked server logs: OAuth token expired
- Regenerated OAuth token via admin portal
- Tested sync: working correctly now
- Educated customer on token refresh process
- Issue resolved

Resolution:
OAuth token expired and needed regeneration. Token refresh process explained to prevent future occurrences. Recommended enabling automatic token refresh in settings.

Call Recording: [Listen] [Download] [Transcript]
Created: Today at 2:15 PM
Closed: Today at 2:24 PM (9m 15s)

Follow-up on Existing Ticket → Updates Ticket:

Ticket #7821 - Updated

New Activity:
──────────────────────────────────────
📞 Phone Call (9m 15s)
Agent: Alex Thompson
Time: Today at 2:15 PM

🤖 Zia AI Summary:
Follow-up call on email sync issue. Customer confirmed issue still occurring. Agent diagnosed OAuth token expiration and regenerated token. Issue resolved and tested successfully during call. Customer satisfied with resolution.

Agent Notes:
Customer called for update on email sync ticket. Issue persisted since last update. Root cause: expired OAuth token. Regenerated token via admin portal, tested sync during call - working correctly. Provided instructions for future token refresh. Customer tested and confirmed resolution. Closing ticket as resolved.

Call Recording: [Listen] [Download] [Transcript]

Status Changed: Waiting on Customer → Closed
Resolution: OAuth token regenerated
Time to Resolution: 8 hours, 45 minutes (within SLA ✅)
──────────────────────────────────────

Click-to-Call

Call from Anywhere in Zoho Desk:

From Ticket View:

  • Click phone number to initiate call
  • Call button in ticket toolbar
  • Quick call from customer profile

From Zia AI Suggestions:

  • Zia recommends callbacks based on SLA
  • Suggested contact based on ticket priority
  • Proactive outreach for at-risk customers

From Dashboard:

  • Call from ticket queue view
  • Call from customer search results
  • Conference call from agent collaboration

Outbound Call Logging:

Agent clicks phone → Call initiated → Automatically logged

Ticket #7856 - Updated
──────────────────────────────────────
📞 Outbound Call (4m 32s)
Agent: Alex Thompson
Time: Today at 3:45 PM
To: +1-212-555-0198 (Emily Rodriguez)

🤖 Zia AI Summary:
Proactive follow-up call to ensure email sync continues working correctly 24 hours post-resolution. Customer confirmed no further issues. High satisfaction expressed.

Agent Notes:
Follow-up call as promised. Customer reports email sync working flawlessly since resolution. No further issues. Customer appreciates proactive follow-up. Relationship strengthened.

Call Recording: [Listen] [Download]
──────────────────────────────────────

Zia AI Assistant

AI-Powered Features:

Sentiment Analysis:

📊 Call Sentiment Analysis
──────────────────────────────────────
Overall Sentiment: Frustrated → Satisfied
Sentiment Journey:
  Start (0:00): 😤 Frustrated (issue impact)
  Middle (4:30): 😐 Neutral (listening to solution)
  End (9:15): 😊 Satisfied (issue resolved)

Key Emotion Indicators:
  - Frustration: "This is really affecting our work"
  - Relief: "Oh great, that fixed it!"
  - Appreciation: "Thank you so much for your help"

Agent Effectiveness: 9.2/10
  - Empathy demonstrated ✅
  - Clear communication ✅
  - Prompt resolution ✅
──────────────────────────────────────

Topic Detection:

🎯 Call Topics Detected
──────────────────────────────────────
Primary Topic: Email Integration (92% confidence)
Secondary Topics:
  - OAuth Authentication (78%)
  - Outlook Plugin (65%)
  - Configuration (54%)

Keywords Mentioned:
  - "email sync" (7 times)
  - "connection timeout" (3 times)
  - "OAuth token" (4 times)
  - "not working" (5 times)

Recommended Tags: email, integration, outlook, oauth, technical
──────────────────────────────────────

Suggested Solutions:

💡 Zia Suggestions (during call)
──────────────────────────────────────
Based on "email sync" and "connection timeout":

1. Knowledge Base Article:
   📄 "Troubleshooting Email Sync Issues"
   Match: 94% | Views: 1,247 | Rating: 4.8/5
   [Share with Customer]

2. Similar Tickets:
   🎫 Ticket #7654 - OAuth Token Expiration
   Resolution: Regenerate token
   Time to Resolve: 15 minutes
   [View Solution]

3. Expert Agent:
   👤 Sarah Martinez (Email Integration Specialist)
   Availability: Available now
   Expertise: OAuth, Email, Integrations
   [Transfer Call]
──────────────────────────────────────

Setup Guide

Step 1: Prepare Zoho Desk

Verify Requirements:

  • Zoho Desk Standard, Professional, or Enterprise plan
  • Admin access to Zoho Desk account
  • API access enabled (included in all plans)

Generate API Token:

  1. Log into Zoho Desk
  2. Click Settings (gear icon) → APIOAuth
  3. Click Client Secret
  4. Generate new client (if needed):
    • Client Name: "Cloud-PBX Integration"
    • Homepage URL: https://your-pbx.voco.io
    • Authorized Redirect URIs: https://your-pbx.voco.io/oauth/callback
  5. Note Client ID and Client Secret

Step 2: Connect Cloud-PBX

In Cloud-PBX Admin Portal:

  1. Navigate to SettingsIntegrations
  2. Find Zoho Desk integration card
  3. Click Connect to Zoho Desk

OAuth Authorization:

Zoho Desk Domain: yourcompany
(from yourcompany.desk.zoho.com)

Data Center: US / EU / IN / AU / JP
(select your Zoho data center region)

[Authorize with Zoho]
  1. Click Authorize with Zoho
  2. Log into Zoho (if not already logged in)
  3. Review requested permissions:
    • ✅ Read tickets
    • ✅ Create and update tickets
    • ✅ Read customer information
    • ✅ Create activities and events
  4. Click Accept to authorize
  5. Redirected back to Cloud-PBX (connection successful)

Step 3: Configure Settings

Call Logging Options:

  • Auto-create tickets for new issues (recommended)
  • Update existing tickets for follow-ups (recommended)
  • Log calls < 30 seconds (optional - may include wrong numbers)
  • Attach call recordings to tickets (recommended)
  • Enable Zia AI summaries (recommended - requires Pro+)

Screen Pop Settings:

  • Enable screen pop for inbound calls (recommended)
  • Show Zia AI insights (recommended)
  • Display open tickets first (prioritize urgent)
  • Show recent ticket history (last 10 tickets)
  • Include CSAT scores (customer satisfaction)
  • Display contract/account info

Ticket Creation Rules:

Minimum call duration: 30 seconds
Default ticket department: Support
Default priority: Normal
Auto-escalate for: Premium customers, SLA at risk
Auto-assign: Agent who answered call
Ticket prefix: "Phone: "

Step 4: Map Users

User Mapping (links Cloud-PBX agents to Zoho Desk agents):

Cloud-PBX User          Zoho Desk Agent Email
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Alex Thompson      →    [email protected]
Maria Garcia       →    [email protected]
James Wilson       →    [email protected]
[+ Add Mapping]

Department Mapping (route calls to correct department):

Cloud-PBX Queue         Zoho Desk Department
──────────────────────────────────────────────
General Support    →    Customer Support
Technical Help     →    Technical Team
Billing           →    Finance Department
Sales             →    Sales Team

Step 5: Configure Zia AI (Optional)

Enable Zia AI Features:

In Zoho Desk:

  1. Settings → Zia → Enable Zia
  2. Configure Zia features:
    • Zia Skill: Call Sentiment Analysis
    • Zia Skill: Topic Detection
    • Zia Skill: Suggested Articles
    • Zia Skill: Similar Tickets
    • Zia Skill: Response Suggestions

Train Zia (Optional):

  • Import past call recordings for better AI training
  • Tag historical tickets for improved suggestions
  • Review and correct Zia suggestions to improve accuracy

Step 6: Test Integration

Test Checklist:

Test 1: Inbound Call Screen Pop

  1. Have someone call your Cloud-PBX number from known customer phone
  2. ✅ Screen pop appears with customer info
  3. ✅ Open tickets displayed
  4. ✅ Zia insights shown (if enabled)

Test 2: New Ticket Creation

  1. Answer test call
  2. Discuss a new issue (don't reference existing ticket)
  3. End call
  4. ✅ New ticket created in Zoho Desk
  5. ✅ Call details and recording attached
  6. ✅ Ticket assigned to correct agent

Test 3: Existing Ticket Update

  1. Open an existing ticket in Zoho Desk
  2. Note ticket number
  3. Call and reference ticket number
  4. End call
  5. ✅ Ticket updated with call activity
  6. ✅ Call recording linked to ticket

Test 4: Click-to-Call

  1. Open a Zoho Desk ticket
  2. Click customer phone number
  3. ✅ Cloud-PBX initiates call
  4. End call
  5. ✅ Outbound call logged to ticket

Test 5: Zia AI Features (if enabled)

  1. Make a test call
  2. ✅ Zia provides article suggestions during call
  3. ✅ Call sentiment analyzed post-call
  4. ✅ Topics detected and tagged

Step 7: Train Your Team

Agent Training Materials:

Quick Start Guide:

INBOUND CALL WORKFLOW:
1. Phone rings → Screen pop appears
2. Review customer info and open tickets
3. Note Zia AI insights and suggestions
4. Answer: "Hi [Name], this is [Agent]..."
5. Reference open ticket if applicable
6. During call: Add notes in Zoho Desk
7. End call → Ticket auto-updated

OUTBOUND CALL WORKFLOW:
1. Open ticket in Zoho Desk
2. Click phone number to dial
3. Call initiated via Cloud-PBX
4. Add call notes during conversation
5. End call → Call logged to ticket

ZIA AI TIPS:
- Use suggested articles during call
- Follow Zia escalation recommendations
- Review sentiment analysis for coaching

Training Checklist:

  • ✅ How to read and use screen pop
  • ✅ Interpreting Zia AI insights
  • ✅ Adding call notes during calls
  • ✅ Using click-to-call effectively
  • ✅ Accessing call recordings
  • ✅ Understanding SLA indicators
  • ✅ Using Zia suggested articles

Advanced Configuration

Custom Fields & Automation

Map Call Data to Custom Fields:

Cloud-PBX Data          → Zoho Desk Custom Field
───────────────────────────────────────────────────
Call Duration          → cf_call_duration
Call Direction         → cf_call_type
Call Queue            → cf_call_queue
Agent Name            → cf_handling_agent
Customer Location     → cf_caller_location
Call Outcome          → cf_call_result
Recording URL         → cf_recording_link

Workflow Automation:

Trigger: Ticket created from phone call
Conditions: Priority = High AND Department = Support
Actions:
  1. Send email to supervisor
  2. Add tag: "urgent-phone-call"
  3. SLA: Escalate if not responded within 30 minutes
  4. Notify: #support-urgent Slack channel

Multi-Language Support

For Global Support Teams:

Language Detection:

Incoming Call → Zia detects language (from IVR or caller data)
Screen Pop → Displays in detected language
Ticket → Created in customer's language
Agent → Route to multilingual agent or language-specific team

Supported Languages (Zia AI):

  • English, Spanish, French, German, Italian
  • Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic
  • And 20+ more languages

Multi-Department Routing

Complex Routing Rules:

Example: Law Firm Support:

Incoming Call Analysis:
  Caller Phone → Customer: Martinez & Associates
  Account Type → Premium
  Open Ticket #7821 → Department: Technical
  Zia Prediction → Calling about: Email issue
  
Route To:
  1st Choice: Ticket assignee (if available)
  2nd Choice: Technical team (department match)
  3rd Choice: Premium support team (account tier)
  4th Choice: General queue
  
Screen Pop Includes:
  - Customer account details
  - Premium support features available
  - Account manager info
  - Contract renewal date (proactive upsell opportunity)

Blueprints Integration

Zoho Desk Blueprints = Defined ticket workflows

Example: Phone Call Ticket Blueprint:

Phone Call Ticket Lifecycle:
──────────────────────────────────────
Status: New (Call just ended)

   → Agent adds call summary ✅

Status: In Progress

   → Agent troubleshoots/resolves

   Decision: Resolved?
     Yes → Status: Resolved
           → Send CSAT survey
           → Auto-close after 48h if no response
     No  → Status: Escalated
           → Assign to specialist
           → Notify customer of escalation
──────────────────────────────────────

Required Fields by Status:
  New → In Progress: Call summary (required)
  In Progress → Resolved: Resolution notes (required)
  In Progress → Escalated: Escalation reason (required)

Analytics & Reporting

Phone Support Dashboards

Built-in Zoho Desk Reports:

Phone Call Activity Report:

Last 30 Days - Phone Call Metrics
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Total Calls: 1,823
  Inbound: 1,556 (85%)
  Outbound: 267 (15%)

Tickets Created from Calls: 1,289
Average Tickets per Day: 42.9

Call Duration:
  Average: 6m 48s
  Median: 5m 12s
  Longest: 47m 23s (Ticket #7901)

First Call Resolution: 74%
Missed Calls: 2.8% (51 calls)
Callback Completion Rate: 96%

Agent Performance:
  Top Performer: Alex Thompson
    - Calls: 312
    - Avg Duration: 5m 34s
    - FCR: 81%
    - CSAT: 4.9/5.0
─────────────────────────────────────────────

Zia Analytics Dashboard:

Zia AI Insights - Phone Calls (Last 7 Days)
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Sentiment Trends:
  😊 Positive: 68% (improved 5% vs last week)
  😐 Neutral: 24%
  😤 Negative: 8% (decreased 3% vs last week)

Top Call Topics:
  1. Email Integration (28%)
  2. Account Access (18%)
  3. Billing Questions (15%)
  4. Feature Requests (12%)
  5. Technical Issues (27%)

Zia Article Suggestions:
  Articles suggested: 487
  Articles shared with customer: 234 (48%)
  Customer found helpful: 198 (85%)

Predicted vs Actual Call Reason:
  Zia Prediction Accuracy: 76%
  (Zia correctly predicted call reason in 76% of cases)
─────────────────────────────────────────────

Custom Reports

Create Custom Analytics:

Report: Call Resolution Time by Department

Zoho Analytics Query:
─────────────────────────────────────────────
SELECT 
  Department,
  COUNT(Tickets) as Total_Calls,
  AVG(Resolution_Time) as Avg_Resolution,
  AVG(CSAT_Score) as Avg_CSAT
FROM Tickets
WHERE Source = 'Phone Call'
  AND Created_Date >= DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)
GROUP BY Department
ORDER BY Total_Calls DESC
─────────────────────────────────────────────

Results:
Department        | Calls | Avg Resolution | Avg CSAT
──────────────────┼───────┼────────────────┼──────────
Technical Support | 487   | 4.2 hours      | 4.7/5.0
Customer Support  | 356   | 2.1 hours      | 4.9/5.0
Billing          | 189   | 1.5 hours      | 4.8/5.0
Sales            | 124   | 6.8 hours      | 4.6/5.0

Best Practices

Zia AI Optimization

Train Zia for Better Accuracy:

Tag Historical Data:

  • Tag past tickets with correct categories
  • Mark resolved tickets with resolution type
  • Tag call recordings with topics
  • Zia learns patterns from tagged data

Feedback Loop:

Zia suggests article → Agent shares with customer

Customer feedback: Was this helpful?
  Yes → Zia learns: suggestion was correct ✅
  No  → Zia learns: suggestion was incorrect ❌

Zia improves future suggestions

Monitor Zia Performance:

  • Weekly review of Zia accuracy metrics
  • Identify low-performing suggestions
  • Retrain Zia with correct examples
  • Aim for 80%+ prediction accuracy

Call Note Standards

Structured Call Notes Template:

[ISSUE]
Brief description of customer issue

[DISCUSSION]
Key points discussed during call

[RESOLUTION]
How issue was resolved or next steps

[CUSTOMER SENTIMENT]
Customer satisfaction and feedback

[FOLLOW-UP]
Required follow-up actions, if any

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Example:

[ISSUE]
Customer unable to sync emails with Outlook integration. Error: "Connection timeout"

[DISCUSSION]
- Issue started yesterday after Microsoft 365 update
- Affects both incoming and outgoing email sync
- Customer tried restarting Outlook (no effect)
- Checked OAuth token status: expired

[RESOLUTION]
Regenerated OAuth token via admin portal. Tested sync during call - working correctly. Explained automatic token refresh settings.

[CUSTOMER SENTIMENT]
Initially frustrated due to business impact. Satisfied with quick resolution and appreciates proactive follow-up scheduling.

[FOLLOW-UP]
Follow-up call scheduled for tomorrow to confirm continued functionality. Enable automatic token refresh in settings.

SLA Management

Configure Phone-Specific SLAs:

Response Time SLA:

Zoho Desk SLA Policy: Phone Calls
─────────────────────────────────────────────
First Response:
  Phone calls answered = Response met ✅
  Missed calls → Create callback task (urgent)
  
SLA Targets:
  Premium: < 15 minutes
  Standard: < 1 hour
  Basic: < 4 hours

SLA Escalation:
  At 50%: Warning to agent
  At 75%: Notify supervisor
  At 90%: Auto-escalate to next tier

Resolution Time SLA:

Resolution Targets:
  Priority: Critical → 2 hours
  Priority: High → 4 hours
  Priority: Normal → 24 hours
  Priority: Low → 72 hours

SLA Calculation:
  Start: Call answered/ticket created
  Pause: Waiting on customer
  Resume: Customer responds
  End: Ticket marked resolved

Phone Call Advantage:
  Real-time resolution often faster than email
  Target: 70% same-call resolution for Priority: Normal

Troubleshooting

Screen Pop Issues

Screen Pop Not Appearing:

Checklist:

  1. ✅ Integration status: Connected (check admin portal)
  2. ✅ Browser popup blocker: Disabled for Zoho Desk domain
  3. ✅ Agent logged into Zoho Desk in browser
  4. ✅ Phone number format matches in Zoho Desk
  5. ✅ Screen pop enabled in integration settings

Phone Number Matching:

Incoming: +1-212-555-0198

Will match these formats in Zoho Desk:
  ✅ +12125550198 (E.164 international)
  ✅ (212) 555-0198 (US formatted)
  ✅ 212-555-0198 (hyphenated)
  ✅ 2125550198 (unformatted)
  ✅ +1 212 555 0198 (spaced)

Use Zoho's phone field type for automatic formatting

Ticket Creation Failures

Diagnostic Steps:

Check Integration Status:

Admin → Integrations → Zoho Desk
Status: Connected ✅

Last Sync: 2 minutes ago
Last Ticket Created: Today at 3:45 PM
API Calls Today: 1,247 / 5,000 (24% used)

[Test Connection] [View Logs] [Refresh Token]

Review Error Logs:

Integration Logs - Last 24 Hours
─────────────────────────────────────────────
[ERROR] 14:23 - Failed to create ticket
  Reason: Missing required field "Department"
  Call ID: CALL-2024-11-22-1423
  Action: Added default department, retry scheduled

[WARN] 13:45 - Rate limit approaching
  API calls: 4,800 / 5,000 (96%)
  Action: Throttling non-critical sync operations

[SUCCESS] 13:12 - Ticket created successfully
  Ticket: #7892
  Call ID: CALL-2024-11-22-1312

Common Issues & Fixes:

Issue: "401 Unauthorized"
Fix: Refresh OAuth token in integration settings

Issue: "Required field missing"
Fix: Configure default values for required custom fields

Issue: "Rate limit exceeded"
Fix: 
  - Check API usage in Zoho Desk (Settings → API)
  - Professional: 5,000 calls/day
  - Enterprise: 10,000 calls/day
  - Contact Zoho to increase limits if needed

Zia AI Not Working

Zia Troubleshooting:

Verify Zia Enabled:

Zoho Desk → Settings → Zia
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Zia Status: Enabled ✅

Active Skills:
  ✅ Sentiment Analysis
  ✅ Topic Detection
  ✅ Article Suggestions
  ✅ Similar Ticket Detection
  ❌ Response Suggestions (disabled)

Zia Training Status:
  Historical Tickets Analyzed: 4,523
  Articles Indexed: 247
  Training Accuracy: 78%
  Last Training: 2 days ago

[Retrain Zia] [Configure Skills]

Zia Not Providing Suggestions:

Checklist:
1. ✅ Zia enabled in Zoho Desk settings
2. ✅ Zia skills enabled (sentiment, topics, etc.)
3. ✅ Knowledge base has articles (Zia needs content)
4. ✅ Historical tickets exist for training
5. ✅ Zia trained recently (retrain if needed)

If Zia suggestions seem inaccurate:
  - Review and correct past suggestions (feedback loop)
  - Add more training data (tickets, articles)
  - Manually tag tickets with correct categories
  - Retrain Zia after adding training data

Call Recording Issues

Recordings Not Appearing in Tickets:

Check Settings:

Cloud-PBX Admin:
  → Call Recording: Enabled ✅
  → Recording Storage: Configured ✅
  → Retention: 90 days ✅

Integration Settings:
  → Attach recordings to tickets: Enabled ✅
  → Recording webhook: Configured ✅

Timing: Recordings available 2-5 minutes after call ends

Recording Playback Issues:

Browser Compatibility:
  ✅ Chrome (recommended)
  ✅ Firefox
  ✅ Edge
  ⚠️ Safari (may require plugin)

Check:
  1. Browser allows media playback
  2. Recording file format supported (.mp3, .wav)
  3. Network connection stable
  4. No firewall blocking media URLs

Security & Compliance

Data Protection

Data Flow & Encryption:

Cloud-PBX ←→ Zoho Desk
─────────────────────────────────────────────
All data transmitted via HTTPS/TLS 1.3
OAuth tokens encrypted at rest
Call recordings stored with AES-256 encryption

Data Shared:
  PBX → Zoho: Call metadata, recordings, caller info
  Zoho → PBX: Customer info, ticket data for screen pop

Data Retention:
  Call recordings: 90 days (configurable)
  Call logs: Per Zoho Desk retention policy
  Customer data: Follows Zoho's data protection settings

GDPR Compliance

Customer Data Rights:

Right to Access:

Customer requests call data → 
Admin → Zoho Desk → Search by customer email/phone →
Export: All tickets, calls, recordings, notes
Format: JSON, CSV, or PDF
Delivery: Encrypted email or secure download link

Right to Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten"):

Customer requests data deletion →
Admin → Integration Settings → GDPR Tools →
Delete Customer Data:
  ✅ All tickets
  ✅ Call logs
  ✅ Call recordings
  ✅ Customer profile
  ✅ Call notes
  
Data deleted from:
  - Cloud-PBX call history
  - Zoho Desk tickets and activities
  - Call recording storage
  - Backup systems (within 30 days)

Data Portability:

Customer requests data export →
Admin → Export Customer Data →
Format: Machine-readable JSON
Includes:
  - Call history with timestamps
  - Ticket details and resolutions
  - Call recordings (URLs)
  - Customer interactions
  - CSAT responses

PCI DSS Compliance

For Payment Card Handling:

Call Recording & PCI:

⚠️ NEVER record payment card information

Cloud-PBX PCI Features:
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Auto-Pause Recording:
  Triggered by: "payment", "credit card", "CVV" keywords
  Action: Recording pauses during payment info entry
  Resume: After 60 seconds or manual resume

DTMF Masking:
  Keypad tones masked during recording
  Prevents audio capture of card numbers entered via phone

IVR Payment Capture:
  Use PCI-compliant IVR for card capture
  Bypass agent entirely for card entry
  No PCI scope for support agents
─────────────────────────────────────────────

Configuration:
Admin → Call Recording → PCI Compliance:
  [✅] Auto-pause for payment keywords
  [✅] Mask DTMF tones during recording
  [✅] Redact card numbers from transcripts
  Keywords: payment, card, credit, cvv, expiration

Pricing & Plans

Zoho Desk Plans

Standard Plan (~$20/agent/month):

  • API access included ✅
  • Call logging and screen pop ✅
  • Basic reports ✅
  • Email and phone support
  • Best for: Small teams (< 10 agents)

Professional Plan (~$35/agent/month):

  • Everything in Standard +
  • Zia AI (sentiment, topics, suggestions) ✅
  • Custom dashboards ✅
  • Multi-department routing ✅
  • SLA management ✅
  • Advanced reports ✅
  • Best for: Growing teams (10-50 agents)
  • Recommended for Cloud-PBX integration

Enterprise Plan (~$50/agent/month):

  • Everything in Professional +
  • Advanced customization ✅
  • Custom roles and permissions ✅
  • Sandbox environment ✅
  • Audit logs ✅
  • Priority support ✅
  • Best for: Large teams (50+ agents)

Note: Prices shown are approximate. Check Zoho's website for current pricing.


Comparison: Zoho Desk vs Zendesk

FeatureZoho DeskZendesk
Starting Price~$20/agent/mo~$89/agent/mo
AI FeaturesZia AI (included Pro+)Answer Bot (extra cost)
Ease of SetupEasy (OAuth)Easy (OAuth/API Key)
Screen PopYesYes
Click-to-CallYesYes
Call RecordingYesYes
Sentiment AnalysisYes (Zia AI)Yes (Advanced AI - extra)
Knowledge BaseIncludedIncluded
Multi-ChannelEmail, phone, chat, socialEmail, phone, chat, social
Custom ReportsYes (Zoho Analytics)Yes (Explore - Pro+)
API Rate Limits5,000-10,000/day400-700/min
Best ForSMB, budget-consciousEnterprise, complex needs

Choose Zoho Desk if:

  • Looking for affordable comprehensive solution
  • Want AI features without extra cost (Zia)
  • Prefer all-in-one pricing
  • Small to mid-sized support team

Choose Zendesk if:

  • Enterprise-scale requirements
  • Need extensive marketplace integrations
  • Require advanced omnichannel features
  • Large contact center operation

Getting Help

Zoho Desk Integration Support

Need help with your Zoho Desk integration?

Setup Assistance:

  • Cloud-PBX Support: [email protected]
  • Include: Zoho Desk domain, error logs, screenshots
  • Response time: < 4 hours (business hours)

Zoho Desk Support:

  • Zoho Help Center: help.zoho.com/desk
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Phone: Available in Professional+ plans
  • Community: help.zoho.com/community

Resources:


Next Steps

Post-Setup Optimization:

  1. ✅ Train agents on integrated workflow
  2. ✅ Configure Zia AI skills and train with historical data
  3. ✅ Set up custom dashboards and reports
  4. ✅ Establish quality assurance process
  5. ✅ Monitor integration logs and metrics
  6. ✅ Optimize SLA policies based on phone call data
  7. ✅ Collect agent feedback and iterate

Explore Related Features: