Zoho Cliq is that platform that helps you connect teams, manage tasks, and integrate communication with the existing tools all in an intuitive and comprehensive manner. Efficient communication and collaboration are probably the best backbone of success. With this in mind, large as well as small organisations are always looking for ways to improve their internal communication, make sure the team collaborates and increase productivity. Among such tools, Zoho Cliq stands out because it's an important part of the much larger Zoho ecosystem.
What is Zoho Cliq? Here we will explore in detail what Zoho Cliq is, its multiple features, how it can be helpful to businesses, how to use it effectively, and finally, some expert tips on how to get the maximum from such a versatile communication platform.
What Is Zoho Cliq?
At its core, Zoho Cliq is a cloud-based team communication and collaboration tool whose function is to assist organisations in bringing their internal communication processes to a more streamlined state. It has real-time messaging, audio, and video conferencing; file sharing; and task management all rolled into one platform. Unlike most standalone communication tools, Zoho Cliq boasts deep integration with Zoho's broader suite of applications, letting businesses already using Zoho's ecosystem maximise productivity by hooking various workflows together.
Zoho Cliq has developed a plethora of objectives aimed at breaking all barriers to communication between teams, thus facilitating the ease with which employees can collaborate on ideas and reap the most from interaction. Whether working remotely or in the same office, Zoho Cliq offers all those tools required for effective communication to ensure that businesses stay connected and move toward their set goals with the utmost efficiency.
Key Features of Zoho Cliq
Channels for Streamlined Communication
Zoho Cliq's Channels are designed to ensure that discussions with the team stay on course - regarding the topic, team, or project. Thus, business organisations can preserve conversations related to different teams or topics in the form of a specific room for certain teams or topics. Be it the marketing team discussing campaign strategies or the sales team brainstorming new leads, channels make sure everyone stays connected.
Direct Messaging for Quick Communication
Besides channels, Zoho Cliq also provides Direct Messaging whereby members can easily send one-to-one messages. That said, private conversations are great for when you have to discuss sensitive information or just want to engage in a quick chat without cluttering group channels.
Audio and Video Conferencing
As the world is moving more and more toward a remote work scenario, Audio and Video Calls are becoming more integral for businesses. Zoho Cliq offers some quality HD voice and video calls by starting it with just one click. With that screen share functionality, it makes it easier to present the information in virtual meetings than if one has to walk a colleague through the process of demoing a product or showing them a report.
File Sharing and Management
File sharing is one of the most basic needs for today's workplace and Zoho Cliq does it with such ease. The file-sharing feature makes it quite easy to share files like documents, images, PDFs, and many more formats both in the conversation or a channel. Because it works with cloud storage solutions like Zoho WorkDrive, Google Drive, andDropbox, it becomes very easy to find the files.
Task Management and Event Reminders
Keeping up with deadlines and deliverables is easy using the Task Management and Event Reminders provided by Zoho Cliq. Tasks can be created right from the chats, and their due dates can be assigned to respective team members so that the deadlines are perfectly adhered to. Deadlines will no longer be a tough nut to remember; hence project management will get easier and smoother.
Bot Automation for Streamlining Workflows
Zoho Cliq comes with Bots that automate repetitive tasks saving time and increasing efficiency. Bots can be customised for sending project update notifications or even to notify teams when a new lead is added to Zoho CRM, fetching data from integrated apps or even more complex reporting.
Integration with Zoho and Third-Party Apps
One of the strong selling points of the Zoho Cliq is the seamless integration with other apps under the Zoho suite, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Desk, among others. This enables teams to manage their workflows from one place. In addition to that, Zoho Cliq enables users to integrate third-party services, including Trello and Zapier, as well as Google Workspace.
Custom Workflows with Deluge
Zoho Cliq supports Deluge, Zoho's business-specific scripting language for businesses that need even more customisation. Customers can create customised workflows, such as an automated sending of daily reports setting up automatic reminders when specific conditions are met in the process or generating alerts when certain conditions are met.
Threaded Conversations for Organised Chats
To avoid cluttering the already busy channels, Zoho Cliq comes with the feature of Threaded Conversations; this enables users to give replies to a message given as a reply within the message thread. This keeps the conversations very organised and focused, especially in channels where multiple topics are discussed at once.
Security and Privacy
Security is the need of the hour for every business, especially in IT. Zoho Cliq allows for safe and secure business communication through Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), end-to-end encryption, and access controls. The measures ensure that sensitive information will not reach the wrong hands.
How Zoho Cliq Can Help Your Business
Zoho Cliq is just not another messaging application but something more than that. Its ability to integrate well with all your other business applications along with a wide range of features makes Zoho Cliq an essential tool for developing better communication, collaboration, and productivity across teams. Some of the ways it can help your business are as follows:
Enhanced Collaboration
Collaboration is at the heart of Zoho Cliq. Channel-based team discussions, highly threaded conversations for clear comprehension, and deep integration with productivity tools like Zoho Projects confirm that teams will work better together with this platform. Lost emails and missed updates are a thing of the past because every individual in the conversation will be kept abreast of the doings, and tasks will be accomplished faster.
Improved Remote Work Capabilities
With the remote working trend, a complete solution to connect teams, from anywhere, has emerged with Zoho Cliq. Its features, such as video conferencing and screen sharing, direct messaging, keep remote teams communicating effectively so that they can collaborate and execute in real-time. Integration with cloud storage services ensures important files are always accessible, even when spread across a location.
Productivity Boost
With unified communication, task management, and file sharing, Zoho Cliq will improve productivity. In addition, collaboration with other business tools such as Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk can help teams save so much time by not having to switch between apps, thereby saving precious time. Automating tasks saves on repeated manual work, thereby improving productivity.
Cost-Effective Communication Solution
For an already existing business using the suite of Zoho applications, it will be relatively very cost-effective with Zoho Cliq. Businesses no longer have to purchase different tools for messaging, video conferencing, or file sharing as all these services are available through Cliq without any additional costs.
Better Project Management
The ease at which teams do not miss deadlines and manage projects is due to the task management and event reminders offered in Zoho Cliq. The project manager will be assured of deliverables appropriately timed and up to standards through its use, where it is possible to assign tasks, set due dates, and monitor progress.
Automation for Streamlining Workflows
Zoho Cliq’s bot and automation features can greatly reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks. From notifying teams about new CRM leads to generating weekly reports, the ability to automate tasks helps businesses run more efficiently and frees up time for more important work.
Scalability for Growing Businesses
Whether it is a small start-up or a massive enterprise, Zoho Cliq offers scalability and flexibility to all your needs. As your business grows, so Zoho Cliq will adapt as well. It would give you the freedom to add new channels, integrate additional tools, and automate more workflows in the future.
Getting Started with Zoho Cliq
Zoho Cliq is user-friendly and intuitive; therefore, a business can easily get started. How to start using Zoho Cliq is discussed step by step as follows:
Sign Up and Setup
To get started with Zoho Cliq, go to first sign up on Zoho's website for an account. If you have a Zoho account already, you can simply log in and access Cliq from your Zoho dashboard. You may also download the Zoho Cliq app for desktop or mobile to enable easy access on the go.
Create Channels for Team Collaboration
Once you have opened your account, the very first thing you need to do is create channels for your teams or departments. Making a channel requires clicking on the "plus + sign" sign in the Channels section then naming it and inviting relevant team members to join. Channels will organise all the discussions so each member will be included in proper conversations.
Start Conversations and Share Files
With Zoho Cliq, you can initiate group direct conversations with specific members by clicking on their names and typing your message. You can also share files directly in chats or channels by simply clicking the "Attach" button and uploading your document or file.
Make Video Calls and Voice Calls
If you want to initiate audio or video, you can click on the phone or video icon at the top of a conversation or in a channel. If you are looking for a way to hold virtual meetings, then you can invite many participants at once and share screens when necessary to present visual information to your team, depending on what they need.
Assign Tasks and Set Reminders
Tasks can be assigned within Zoho Cliq by clicking the task icon in a conversation or channel and entering your task details. Tasks can be assigned to specific team members and deadlines applied to ensure timely completion. Event reminders can be set up on Cliq so the team can be reminded of an upcoming meeting or deadline.
Integrate with Other Zoho Apps
In total, the power of Zoho Cliq can be exploited fully if it is integrated with other Zoho apps, such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, and Zoho Projects. This way, all the aspects related to your business will be on a single platform and improve the efficiency of the workflow of teams that are engaged and well-connected.
Expert Tips: Making the Most of Zoho Cliq
To achieve the best use of the experience of Zoho Cliq, these tips from the experts help to utilise its features in the best way possible:
Customise Your Channels and Notifications
Over time, you will likely manage more channels, so you'll want to customise your settings. Use channel filters to pin important discussions to the top and choose your notification preferences so you're not overwhelmed with constant beeping.
Make Use of Bots to Automate Tasks
Bots can be much more than just a notification application for Zoho Cliq. They can automate a series of tasks, such as retrieving CRM data or reminding people of certain things. Take time to see what bots can do for your business and set up automation to reduce manual work.
Use the Power of Deluge
If you are tech-savvy, then you can create custom workflows and processes that you will like using for your business on Zoho Cliq using Deluge. Using this scripting language enables more complex automation, which makes the functionality of Zoho Cliq work a little bit better according to your business needs.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts
There are so many keyboard shortcuts with Zoho Cliq that you may use to save your precious time, rapidly switch between multiple chats, or silence notifications, in such a manner that you wouldn't need to make use of your mouse, thus Learning These shortcuts will improve the efficiency with which you can use the platform.
Review and Update Channel Memberships Frequently
The channels will change over time and so should your teams. Ensure you review each channel and the members it includes from time to time, letting only the relevant team members participate in those channels. This will keep them focused on key matters and prevent information overload among those who do not need to be part of every conversation.
Conclusion
Zoho Cliq is one very powerful, flexible, and user-friendly communication platform that can empower the collaboration and productivity of a team to a great extent. Since it could integrate itself with other Zoho and third-party apps, one might look into making it an essential tool for a business to streamline its operations and keep everybody connected.
Whether a team is virtual or on-location, Zoho Cliq has all the tools and features necessary to ensure that communication is pain-free and tasks are accomplished on time as those business goals are met.
I believe that when businesses want to advance their communication and collaboration efforts, they should consider Zoho Cliq because by utilising its feature set, organisations can remove barriers between communication and are easily effective in project management but ultimately lead to better and increased efficiency and success in doing business.
Not just Zoho Cliq, but multiple tools can benefit your business. IT Solutions Solved is a CRM Consulting firm assisting every business of every size in every industry type. Just get in touch with us if you need any sort of help.
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