The Exciting World of Zoho: My Experience at Zoholics Johannesburg in South Africa

21.08.24 09:00 AM - Comment(s) - By Rufaro

The Exciting World of Zoho

My Experience at Zoholics Johannesburg in South Africa

The Exciting World of Zoho: My Experience at Zoholics Johannesburg in South Africa

I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the Zoholics 2024 Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the Head of Digital Marketing and Client Success, I have attended many Zoho events but this marked my fourth attendance at Zoholics. While the previous events were excellent, providing a one-of-a-kind user experience, networking opportunities, valuable insights, delicious food, and even fun memorable moments, this year's Zoholics exceeded my expectations.

Zoholics events have been held in more than 30 countries globally, and Africa has not been left behind. Zoho has invested significantly in the growth of African businesses with various business events and workshops being held in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, only to name a few.

As highlighted by Kelly Payton, Zoho Africa's Partner Account Manager, this year's Zoholics in Johannesburg was the largest in South Africa. That grand scale was undoubtedly felt throughout and it was evident that the number of attendees was much higher than previous years. The extensive range of breakout sessions, tracks, an abundance of informative resources, many one-on-one sessions with product experts, and increased exhibitor participation made this year’s Zoholics exceptional. There were many changes all around, but as an individual who loves all things Zoho, there was something about it that still felt a little "like home".

In this article, I will share my first-hand experience and key takeaways from this awesome two-day workshop.

Article Read Time:

4 Min

Exploring the World of Zoho

Upon arriving at the Zoholics venue, I was greeted by a vibrant atmosphere buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. There was live music from The Muses, an All-Girl Electric String Quartet which I thought was a nice touch to add to celebrating women during Women's Month. The entire event was managed using Zoho Backstage, from selling tickets to the checking in of attendees during registration.

Inspiring Keynotes and Presentations

The workshop kicked off with an engaging keynote address from Prem Anand, Zoho MEA's Associate Director - Strategic Growth, that highlighted Zoho's journey in Africa and commitment to empowering businesses with cutting-edge technologies. Prem used the famous quote from Sridhar Vembu, "Our mission since beginning has been just one thing, make work easier for businesses", to effectively convey Zoho's vision of providing intuitive, integrated solutions that cater to diverse business needs.

Andrew Bourne, Zoho Africa's Regional Manager provided a detailed overview of all the new and exciting features in Zoho as well as the plans that South African users can expect to see in the coming months. He explained the Zoho Gateway Connector and how applications such as Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, Zoho Commerce, Zoho Billing, and Zoho Checkout integrate with Paygate, Paystack, Payfast, and Netcash. Andrew shared that for now, Paygate and Paystack are already available and development work for Netcash and Payfast are now in their final stages. This is a great milestone for Zoho as developments like this will create an even better environment for businesses to seamlessly collect and track payments online.

Insightful Customer Case Studies

The Beancounter, a top South African accounting firm gave an insightful presentation on how Zoho has completely transformed their business processes and helped them to drive sustainable growth. The company shared how they have been using various applications such as Zoho Cliq, Zoho Desk, and Zoho PhoneBridge to keep their teams connected, manage client interactions efficiently, and build a culture of transparency. The Beancounter also went on to further detail how their internal developers used Zoho Creator to create a bespoke application to optimise their operations, streamline their processes and enhance customer experience.

Impressive New Features and Capabilities

Throughout the workshop, I was impressed by the extensive new features that users can now enjoy when they dive into Zoho's ecosystem of business apps. From automating sales processes and managing customer relationships to optimizing project management workflows and enhancing analytics-driven decision-making, Zoho's solutions showcased unparalleled versatility and customization options. I enjoyed the hands-on approach that each of the speakers took as they effortlessly navigated through Zoho's interfaces and functionalities. It reinforced my confidence in the platform's potential to drive efficiency and innovation not just within our organization, but also for our clients.

Here is a list of some of my favourite product updates:

1. Zoho CRM for Everyone

The new Zoho CRM facilitates collaboration among departments like Sales, Marketing, Legal, and Customer Service all within the CRM application, improving coordination and enhancing the overall customer experience.

In addition to all the good stuff we already have in the old Zoho CRM, Zoho CRM for Everyone comes with:

An intuitive sidebar for easy access to key modules.
TeamSpaces that create dedicated "spaces" for each team.
Team Modules to enable you to bring all associated teams onto CRM so you can streamline your business pipeline.
Requester Profiles to allow you to automate cross-team coordination by empowering departments to assign tasks and track progress in real-time.
Workflows to trigger WhatsApp notifications, and many more exciting features!

To get access to Zoho CRM for Everyone, submit a request here. You can also start a free Zoho CRM trial from here.

2. Zoho Forms and Paystack Integration

You can now collect payments using your forms by integrating Zoho Forms and Paystack. Paystack processes over 50% of all online transactions in South Africa which makes this a big win.

3. The Courier Guy Integration to Zoho Commerce

Finally, the integration we've all been waiting for! Work around integrating The Courier Guy is almost complete and early access will become available from the 25th of August 2024. This integration will help businesses to automatically sync product stock and stay on top of their inventory management.

4. Zoho Books South Africa Edition

The new Zoho Books for South Africa comes with much-needed new features around VAT reconciliation and other important improvements specifically for businesses operating in the country. This upcoming version is supported on all Zoho Finance apps such as Zoho Inventory and Zoho Billing formerly Zoho Subscriptions. As Infolytics, we have already done live preview sessions exclusively for our customers. If you need early access to the new Zoho Books South Africa edition, email us at support@infolytics.co.za.

5. Zoho IOT

If you run a business where you need to track animals, vehicles, or any asset that moves, then Zoho IOT is for you. You can use it to detect anomalies, predict asset downtimes, get real-time alerts, schedule maintenance check-ins, and make data-driven decisions using actionable insights. To know more about Zoho IOT and how it can benefit your business, email us at sales@infolytics.co.za.

6. Breakout Rooms for Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting now enables you to have multiple breakout rooms for different groups to collaborate or have brain-storming sessions.

7. Zoho Practice

Zoho Practice is perfectly designed for accounting firms to streamline workflows for enhanced efficiency, collaboration, and drive sustainable growth. It offers a comprehensive solution that simplifies the daily operations of a CA firm, providing them with essential insights to deliver exceptional services and enabling efficient team management.

8. Zoho Projects 8.0

The latest version of Zoho Projects is developed with the goal of bridging the divide between functionality and user experience, creating a platform that offers an incredible working experience.

In Zoho Projects 8.0, you get:

Immediate access to intuitive industry-based project management templates.
Enhanced Task Gantt charts with a Timeline view.
Integration with Zoho People to allow half-day leaves.
ZIA, Zoho's AI Assistant can now help you to search for specific project information, analyze data and many other tasks to improve your productivity.

9. Zoho Creator

Building applications has never been this easy! By providing prompts and brief use cases, users can now build a full-fledged application in seconds. This functionality also extends to form creation and field suggestions, ensuring that users are on the right track without losing context.

Interactive Tracks and Breakout Sessions

One of the major highlights of the Zoholics Workshop was the array of interactive breakout sessions tailored to address various facets of Zoho's products and services. From hands-on demonstrations of Zoho One and Zoho Workplace to in-depth discussions on Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, the workshops provided valuable insights into the versatility and functionality of Zoho's software suite.

Key Takeaways and Future Endeavors

Attending the Zoholics was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of Zoho's solutions and their transformative impact on businesses across the African continent and beyond.

Most of the Infolytic's team was able to attend including our Chief Executive Officer, Tichaona Wadi, and Chief Operating Officer, Takunda Kowo. I believe that the knowledge we all gained from the workshop has inspired us to explore the further integration of Zoho's applications into our organization's operations, with a focus on enhancing collaboration, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.

In conclusion, this year's Zoholics was a captivating journey into the world of Zoho, where innovation, collaboration, and empowerment converge to redefine business excellence. I look forward to embracing the insights gained from the workshop and leveraging Zoho's solutions to unlock new possibilities and drive sustainable growth within my organization.

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.

Remember, the future of business is here, and it's powered by Zoho.

Rufaro Kowo, Head of Digital Marketing and Client Success.

Zoholics Johannesburg 2024

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