Every year, usually around June or July, a big event takes place in Austin, Texas, where people from all over gather to celebrate being "Zoholics." At this event, folks come together to learn new things, network, and collaborate. This was my sixth time attending, and I have to say, Zoholics 2024 might just be the best one yet. It was both enlightening and a lot of fun. This year, Zoho showed off its dedication to innovation, teamwork, and privacy with four major announcements that really caught my attention, especially since three of them are crucial for the business owners I work with.
Zoho CRM received a big update called “CRM for Everyone.” Traditionally, CRMs can lead to scattered communication, making it hard to get a complete view of customer relationships and streamlining operations. Zoho is tackling this by creating a unified platform that promotes teamwork across various groups. The new CRM interface gives everyone on a team easy access to detailed customer info and organizes what’s important for each member. This complete view is designed to enhance teamwork and improve results. It includes team modules that are easy to set up without needing IT skills, plus templates and profiles for different users like partners and other teams, all within the CRM. Early access began on June 5th, and the feedback has been incredibly positive. This update is expected to give teams better tools, enhance accountability, and ensure a smooth experience.
Zoho also rolled out significant improvements for its collaboration and productivity suite of tools. With a focus on contextual intelligence, Zoho is integrating AI into these tools to boost productivity effortlessly. Their AI strategy revolves around being context-aware, accurate, private, and valuable. The tools getting these upgrades include Zoho Projects, Zoho Notebook, Zoho WorkDrive, and Zoho Sign. These new capabilities are meant to make the user experience better and foster a more productive environment.
Privacy is a major concern in our digital world, and Zoho is addressing it head-on. Sridhar Vembu, Zoho’s founder and CEO, emphasized that privacy is a basic human right. Privacy and security features are embedded across all their platform tools, maintaining user privacy without sacrificing functionality. Zoho stands firm that data should never be monetized and that privacy should always be protected, distinguishing them in an industry where privacy often isn’t prioritized.
With a workforce of 15,000, Zoho remains a private company, giving it the freedom to follow its own path based on strong beliefs. Sridhar Vembu’s personal mission to understand rural poverty and his focus on employee investment are central to Zoho’s approach. They believe in happy employees leading to happy customers. Instead of micromanaging, they use metrics as tools to help rather than control. This philosophy gives employees room to learn, innovate, and excel.
Additionally, Zoho’s commitment to reducing employees’ financial burden is demonstrated by opening offices in more affordable areas, avoiding high-rent cities. These initiatives were key reasons why Zoholics 2024 became my favorite event of the year. I was excited to learn about new tools that will help the businesses I work with operate better and be more productive. But what I truly appreciated was Zoho’s message of prioritizing customer protection, financial security, and job satisfaction for their team. Zoho doesn’t just talk the talk—they walk the walk every day.
